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FirefightersFireground Safety Rules
Twenty flashcards on two in, two out, air management and the safety lessons of a federal investigation.
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20 cards
- OSHA: how many firefighters enter an interior structural fire?
- At least two, in visual or voice contact at all times.
- OSHA: how many stay outside?
- At least two.
- OSHA: breathing protection for interior firefighting?
- Everyone inside uses an SCBA.
- Can one of the outside pair hold another job?
- Yes, such as incident commander or safety officer, if still free to rescue.
- Can a rescue start before the whole team is assembled?
- Yes. The rule does not block emergency rescue.
- What is an IDLH atmosphere?
- One that threatens life at once, causes lasting harm or blocks escape.
- What is interior structural firefighting?
- Suppression or rescue inside a building with fire past the incipient stage.
- Before the outside members go in to rescue?
- The employer or designee is notified.
- NIOSH: first step before committing crews inside?
- An initial size-up and risk assessment by the first arriving unit.
- IAFC first rule for incident commanders, per NIOSH?
- Rapidly conduct or obtain a 360 size-up.
- NIOSH: exterior attack flow before going in, in some cases?
- At least 150 gpm onto the base of the fire.
- Thermal camera limit?
- It cannot reliably show heat on the other side of walls or floors.
- NIOSH: share of the air supply for working and exiting?
- The first 67%.
- When does the SCBA heads-up light start flashing?
- At about 50% air.
- End-of-service alarm on SCBA built to NFPA 1981 (2013) or newer?
- About 33% (plus or minus 2).
- One crew member has a low-air emergency. What happens?
- The whole team exits together.
- What to press before transmitting a Mayday?
- The radio's emergency alert button.
- Assignment format NIOSH recommends?
- Task, Location, Objective.
- What lets the evaluator stop any station?
- An unsafe act.
- Crew ready to rescue firefighters during structural firefighting?
- A dedicated rapid intervention team (RIT).
Official sources
U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA
29 CFR 1910.134 Respiratory protection
CDC / NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
Report F2025-08: Nine Career Firefighters Injured at Residential Structure Fire, Texas (December 2025)
Ohio Department of Public Safety, Division of EMS
Firefighter I Practical Examination Skill Sheets (EMS 5919, effective November 29, 2023)
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