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F
- F
- Fahrenheit. Temperature scale based on 32° F for the temperature at which water freezes and 212° F for the temperature at which water boils (180° difference). Conversion to Fahrenheit from the Centigrade temperature scale is by the following formula: F = 9/5C + 32, where C is the temperature in Centrigrade degrees. Contrast with C (Centigrade/Celsius)
- fathom
- A unit of length equal to 1.8 meters or 6 feet; used to measure water depth.
- Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC)
- The federal official responsible for monitoring or directing responses to all oil spills and hazardous substance releases reported to the federal government. The FOSC is an agent of either the U.S. Coast Guard or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), depending on where the incident occurs. U.S. Coast Guard FOSCs have responsibility for coastal waters and the Great Lakes, while EPA FOSCs have primary responsibility for spills and releases to inland areas and waters.
- FEMA
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (www.fema.gov). The U.S. federal agency tasked with disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery planning.
- field deployment exercise
- An opportunity to demonstrate new and developing spill response techniques and technologies to a broad target audience.
- fingerprinting
- With respect to oil spills, the procedure for determining the chemical character of an oil. Most oils have a characteristic balance of components, so oils from different samples can be compared and matched.
- fire hazard
- A hazard category that includes chemicals described as flammable, combustible liquid, pyrophoric, or oxidizers (as defined by 29 CFR § 1910.1200).
- fish kill
- The sudden death of fish due to pollutants or reduced dissolved oxygen in a water body.
- flammability
- A substance's tendency to ignite or take flame. Flammability is closely related to the volatility of a substance (and is not its relative ability to burn in the presence of oxygen with the evolution of heat). See flammability limits. See also flash point.
- flammability limits
- Or explosive limits. The lower flammability limit is the lowest concentration of a vapor in air that catches fire when exposed to a source of ignition. The upper flammability limit is the highest concentration of the vapor in air that catches fire when exposed to a source of ignition. The flash point and flammability limits of a substance are often used as measures of its flammability hazard in a given situation.
- flammable
- Easily ignited; burns readily. The U.S. Department of Transportation (www.dot.gov) defines flammable liquids as those liquids that have a flash point below 100° F (37.8° C).
- flammable range
- Range of concentration (of a gas in air) between the lower and upper explosive limits (LEL and UEL). Gas in the flammable range will burn rapidly or explode when ignited because it has been premixed to the right mixture of fuel and air for burning to occur. If the concentration falls below the LEL, then there is not enough fuel in the air to sustain a fire or an explosion--it is too lean. If the concentration rises above the UEL, then there is not enough oxygen to sustain a fire or an explosion--it is too rich (much like an engine that cannot start because it has been flooded with gasoline).
- flash point
- The lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapor to be ignited at its surface.
- flood tide
- The stage of the tide when the water rises to what is commonly called high tide. Contrast with ebb tide. See also high tide.
- flushing
- Use of a water stream to make oil flow to a desired location or recovery device.
- FOB
- See Forward Operations Base.
- FOG
- Field Operations Guide. The FOG is a handy pocket guide to the Incident Command System (ICS).
- forage
- Organisms that serve as food. Small fish are forage for larger fish and for fish-eating birds.
- Forward Operations Base (FOB)
- A base established to support small quick response teams, such as a damage assessment team. The short-term base is typically operated only for a few days.
- FOSC
- See Federal On-Scene Coordinator.
- fouling
- Accumulation of oil or other materials, such as debris, that makes a device inefficient or inoperative.
- freezing point
- Also melting point. The temperature at which the solid and liquid phases of a substance exist in equilibrium. The freezing point depends on the chemical composition and the applied pressure. The "normal freezing point" is defined at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. For example, the normal freezing point of water is 0° C (32° F).
- fuel oil grade
- Numerical ratings ranging from 1 to 6. The lower the grade number, the thinner the oil is and the more readily it evaporates. A high number indicates a relatively thick, heavy oil. No. 1 and 2 fuel oils are solids, which must be liquefied by heating. Kerosene, coal oil and range oil are all No. 1 oils. No. 3 oil is no longer used as a standard term.
- fuel oils
- Refined petroleum products having specific gravity in the range from 0.85 to 0.98 and flash points greater than 55° C. This group of products includes furnace, auto diesel and stove oils (No. 2 fuels); plant to industrial heating fuels (No. 4 fuels oils); and various bunker fuels (No. 5 and No. 6 fuel oils).
- fumes
- Dense, smoke-like vapors given off by fuming materials, such as very reactive liquids, gases, or molten metals (for example, concentrated hydrochloric acid or sulfur monochloride).
- FWS
- See U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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