Fire Alarm 
System that warns inhabitants at a sign of smoke or flames or a rise in heat. 

Fire Alarm Annunciator Panel 
Panel that shows the location of a fire. 

Fire Alarm Control Panel 
Panel with the control devices for use and testing. 

Fire Block 
Wooden block built between the wall studs or joists, within covered walls, which closes off the passage of air, thereby limiting the spread of fire. 

Fire Box 
The combustion area of a fireplace, furnace or boiler, where the fire is contained. 

Fire Break 
Plowed or cleared land that has been cleaned of combustible material such as dry brush, to stop the spread of a fire. 

Fire Brick 
Heat resistant clay brick, which is used in fireplaces and other places where it would be exposed to high, heat or fire. They have the ability to retain their physical properties when exposed to high temperature. 

Fire Clay 
Clay that can withstand high heat and is used in the production of firebrick. 

Fire Control 
Fire suppression apparatus and training in a system so that fires can be controlled and contained. 

Fire Department Connection 
Water source where the fire department connects its house to fight a fire. 

Fire Division Wall 
Wall, designed and rated to delay passage of fire, which extends continuously from the bottom to the top of a structure. 

Fire Door 
A door designed to resist the passage of fire. Fire doors are rated by the amount of time they can resist the penetration of fire with the time ranging from one-half to three hours. Fire doors are used to close openings in firewalls, so that the door area is no more vulnerable to fire than the wall. 

Fire Door, Corrugated 
A fire-resistant door constructed of two layers of corrugated galvanized steel with 2 ½ -inch corrugations over an asbestos sheet core with a steel frame. 

Fire Door, Metal-clad 
A fire-resistant door fabricated from 30 gauge, or thicker, sheet steel panels. It has interlocking seams and a core of dry wood. It is the most common type of fire door currently in use and is often referred to as tin clad. 

Fire Escape 
A fireproof stairway that runs down the outside of a building to help people escape if the building is burning. 

Fire Extinguisher 
Device containing fire-suppressing material under pressure, which is directed at the fire to extinguish it by means of oxygen deprivation and/or cooling. Hydrants are rated as follows: 
Grade A - ordinary material fires; 
Grade B - fluid fires; 
Grade C - electrical fires; 
Grade D - materials which need an extinguishing compound to absorb heat and does not react with the fuel. 

Fire Hydrant
A street hydrant supplied from a fire main or other water main, with connections for fire hoses and a valve to start and stop the water flow. 

Fire Insurance 
Insurance protecting against loss or damage from fire. 

Fire Lines 
Use of a wet standpipe, which is a vertical pipe, always full of water, which reaches to the upper floors of a building that can be immediately accessed to distribute water, in the event of a fire. 

Fire Proof 
The covering of all exposed surfaces constructed of noncombustible materials, which include brick, aluminum siding, cement and asbestos shingles. 

Fire Rating 
Rating system that shows the fire resistance of a material or system as tested by a recognized laboratory against applicable ASTM standards. For instance, one 5/8 inch thick type X gypsum drywall sheet installed on each side of a wood stud will give a wall a one hour rating, while a double thickness will give a two hour rating. 

Fire Resistant Panels 
Panels made of type x gypsum wallboard. Fiberglass and other heat-resistant, noncombustible materials are added to its core to increase the fire resistance of the wallboard. 

Fire Resistive 
Materials, which are able to withstand exposure to flame of a specified intensity or for a specified time. Fire resistive materials are used in interior finishes, such as wood paneling, wallboard, acoustical tile, furniture and carpeting fabrics. 

Fire Retardant 
Chemical that withstands the spread of fire or, when applied, increases the fire resistance of that material. 

Fire Retardant Paint 
Paint with nitrogen compounds that form insulating gas bubbles when exposed to heat so that the heat transfer is slowed by the trapped gas, thus protecting the painted surface. 

Fire Retardant Treatment 
Saturation of material or coating of surfaces with fire retardant chemicals. 

Fire Stop 
Wooden block built between the wall studs or joists, within covered walls, which closes off the passage of air, thereby limiting the spread of fire. 

Fire Taping 
Method of taping used for fireproofing rather than for appearance. When a finish coat of joint compound is not needed, the joints of the wallboard are taped to avoid a possible path for a fire. 

Fire Wall 
Buffer of fire-resistant material, which is rated to withstand the effects of a fire for a period of time and prevents the further spread of the fire beyond the wall for that length of time. 

Fireplace 
An open structure of fireproof material, built into a wall inside a building, in which a fire is built. 

Fireplace Base Assembly 
Fireplace foundation and hearth support. Fireplace, Multi-face Fireplace which is open all the way through and which fronts in two different rooms. 

Fireplace, Rumford 
The large surface opening of this fireplace makes it very heat efficient. The fireplace is shallow, with a single face and high opening with flared firebox sides. 

Fireplace, Single-face 
Fireplace, which is closed in the rear and opens only into the one room it faces. 

Firestone 
Stone which can withstand extreme heat and keep its physical characteristics. 

Firm Commitment 
Written promise, made by the lender, to loan money. It usually contains all of the terms relevant to the transaction. Alternately, an irrevocable agreement that commits one of the parties to perform a certain act. 

First American Credco 
This company provides a merged credit report from the Big Three companies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union Corp.) for $30.95. Phone # (800) 443-9342. 

First Mortgage 
Primary mortgage on a property, which takes priority over any other liens and is satisfied before any secondary liens. 

First Refusal Right 
Being offered the right to buy something before it is offered to others. The opportunity of a party to match the terms of a proposed contract before the contract is executed. 

First User 
Initial user of real estate, such as the first occupant of a newly built home.