What type of extinguishment technique involves cooling the room with water?

Cooling the room with water is known as temperature reduction, and it is a fundamental extinguishment technique in firefighting. This technique works by lowering the temperature of the combustibles and the surrounding environment, thereby bringing it below its ignition point. When firefighters apply water to the scene, the water absorbs heat as it evaporates, which not only cools the flames and heated surfaces but can also displace the hot gases in the atmosphere. This reduction in temperature can effectively extinguish the fire and help prevent re-ignition.

In firefighting, other methods, such as smothering, focus on limiting oxygen supply, inhibition centers on interrupting the chemical reactions in the fire, and starvation aims to remove fuel sources. However, these techniques do not involve the direct cooling of the environment with water, which is the essence of the temperature reduction method, making it the correct answer for this question.