What removes smoke and heat from the smoke control zone between the inner smoke boundary and outer smoke boundary prior to extinguishing the fire, to aid firefighting efforts and reduce smoke spread in the ship?

• A. Active desmoking
• B. Passive ventilation
• C. Fire watch
• D. Cooling and flushing

Answer: (A)

Active desmoking uses mechanical ventilation to purge smoke and heat from the smoke control zone between the inner and outer smoke boundaries before and during fire suppression. By exhausting the smoke with fans and blowing in fresh air, visibility improves, toxic exposure drops, and access for firefighters becomes safer, making it the quickest and most controlled way to reduce smoke spread and prepare for extinguishment.

Passive ventilation relies on natural openings and is slower and less predictable, so it doesn’t provide the same rapid purge. Fire watch is about monitoring for rekindles, not removing smoke. Cooling and flushing involves cooling the fire and moving air during suppression, but it doesn’t specifically describe removing smoke from that zone prior to extinguishment.