FIRE INVESTIGATOR DEFINITIONS
QUESTIONS & UPDATED CORRECT
ANSWERS ALL PASSED
ABC - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Board of Criminalistics.
ABET - Correct Answer ✔✔ Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.
AC - Correct Answer ✔✔ Alternating Current.
Accidental Fire Cause - Correct Answer ✔✔ Cause classification for a fire that does not
involve a deliberate human act to ignite or spread the fire into an area where the fire
should not be.
Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) - Correct Answer ✔✔
Organization that provides accreditation, promotion, and advancement of education in
applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Fatal viral disease
that is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from a previously infected
individual.
Administrative Search Warrant - Correct Answer ✔✔ Court order that allows
investigators the right to enter a scene after the fire department has left the scene or to
reenter the scene if the investigator arrived while the fire department had control of the
scene.
AFCI - Correct Answer ✔✔ Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter.
AFSA - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Fire Sprinkler Association.
Aggregate - Correct Answer ✔✔ Gravel, stone, sand, or other inert materials used in
concrete; these materials may be fine or coarse.
AHJ - Correct Answer ✔✔ Authority Having Jurisdiction.
AIDS - Correct Answer ✔✔ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Alarm-Initiating Device - Correct Answer ✔✔ Mechanical or electrical device that
activates an alarm system. There are three basic types of alarm-initiating devices:
manual, products-of-combustion detectors, and extinguishing system activation devices.
,Alarm System - Correct Answer ✔✔ System by which occupants and/or emergency
personnel can be alerted to the existence of a hostile fire.
Alpha particle - Correct Answer ✔✔ Particle having a large mass and a positive
electrical charge; least penetrating of the three common forms of radioactive
substances. It is normally not considered dangerous to plants, animals, or people
unless it gets into the body.
Alternating Current (AC) Circuit - Correct Answer ✔✔ Electrical circuit in which the
current can move through the circuit in both directions and the flow can be constantly
reversing.
American Board of Criminalistics (ABC) - Correct Answer ✔✔ National peer-review
group that certifies forensic scientists in specific disciplines including fire debris
analysis.
American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Nonprofit,
international association representing open shop fire sprinkler contractors, dedicated to
the educational advancement of its members and promotion of the use of automatic fire
sprinkler systems.
American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Voluntary
standards-setting organization that establishes characteristics and performance of
materials, products, systems and services; for example the quality of concrete or the
flammability of interior finishes.
American Wire Gauge (AWG) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Measurement unit for the diameter
of wire; larger AWG numbers indicate smaller diameters than smaller AWG numbers;
for example, No.14AWGwire is smaller than No. 8AWGwire.
Ammeter - Correct Answer ✔✔ Instrument for measuring electric current in amperes.
Ampacity - Correct Answer ✔✔ The current-carrying capacity of conductors or
equipment, expressed in amperes.
Ampere - Correct Answer ✔✔ Basic unit of electrical current that may be abbreviated
either by A or I. Amount of current sent by one volt through one ohm of resistance.
Annealed Glass - Correct Answer ✔✔ Glass that has slowly cooled during the forming
process to relieve internal stresses of the quenching process; most commonly found
glass that breaks into large pieces and shards when broken.
Arc - Correct Answer ✔✔ High-temperature, luminous electrical discharge across a gap
or though a medium such as air, another conductor, or charred insulation.
,Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Electronic device (generally a
part of a circuit breaker) that detects arcing conditions caused by the energized
conductor contacting either the neutral conductor or a grounded object.
Arc Mapping - Correct Answer ✔✔ Visual documentation of the path of electrical arcs at
a scene.
Area of Origin - Correct Answer ✔✔ Location (room or area) where the ignition source
and material first ignited actually came together for the first time.
Arrow Pattern - Correct Answer ✔✔ See Pointer Pattern.
Arson - Correct Answer ✔✔ Crime of willfully, maliciously, and intentionally starting a
fire (firesetting) or causing an explosion to destroy one's property or the property of
another. Precise legal definitions vary among jurisdictions, wherein it is defined by
statutes and judicial decisions.
Arson Immunity Law - Correct Answer ✔✔ Law stating that insurance companies must
release all information and documentation when requested to a public entity when there
is reason to suspect a fire under investigation was intentionally set. The released
information is considered confidential until it is used in court proceedings and the
insurance company that released the information is granted immunity under the law for
breaking any confidentiality requirements it may have to its clients.
Arson Strike Force - Correct Answer ✔✔ Special purpose, short-term mobilization of a
team (or teams) of investigators together with allied resources that applies high intensity
investigative efforts to a major arson incident or series of incidents.
Arson Task Force - Correct Answer ✔✔ Legal or quasi-legal body or private advisory
committee established to set policy and implement new programs based upon
information gathered about local arson activity; not investigative units.
Artifacts - Correct Answer ✔✔ The remains of materials involved in the fire that are in
some way related to ignition, development, or spread of the fire or explosion.
Asbestos - Correct Answer ✔✔ Carcinogenic fibrous substance (noncombustible
magnesium silicate minerals) used for fireproofing, brake linings, roofing compositions,
and other purposes such as insulation and ceiling materials in older buildings. Inhaled
asbestos fibers travel to the lungs, causing scaring, reduced lung capacity, and cancer.
ASCLD - Correct Answer ✔✔ Association of Crime Laboratory Directors.
Asphyxiant - Correct Answer ✔✔ Any substance that prevents oxygen from combining
in sufficient quantities with the blood or from being used by body tissues.
, Association of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Association
that provides criteria used to judge whether a facility and its practices provide an
atmosphere conducive to the quality of work necessary in the forensic field.
ASTM - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Society of Testing and Materials.
ATF - Correct Answer ✔✔ Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire Arms, and Explosives.
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Term used in codes and
standards to identify the legal entity, such as a building or fire official, that has the
statutory authority to enforce a code and to approve or require equipment. In the
insurance industry it may refer to an insurance rating bureau or an insurance company
inspection department.
Autoignition - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ignition that occurs when a substance in air, whether
solid, liquid, or gaseous, is heated sufficiently to initiate or cause self-sustained
combustion without an external ignition source.
Autoignition Temperature - Correct Answer ✔✔ Same as ignition temperature except
that no external ignition source is required for ignition because the material itself has
been heated to ignition temperature. The temperature at which autoignition occurs
through the spontaneous ignition of the gases or vapor given off by a heated material.
Automatic Sprinkler Systems - Correct Answer ✔✔ System of water pipes, discharge
nozzles, and control valves designed to activate during fires by automatically
discharging enough water to control or extinguish a fire. Also called sprinkler system.
Automatic Suppression Systems - Correct Answer ✔✔ Sprinkler, standpipe, carbon
dioxide, and halogenated systems, as well as fire pumps, dry chemical agents and their
systems, foam extinguishers, and combustible metal agents which sense heat, smoke,
or gas and activate automatically.
AWG - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Wire Gauge
Backdraft - Correct Answer ✔✔ Instantaneous explosion or rapid burning of
superheated gases that occurs when oxygen is introduced into an oxygen-depleted
confined space. The stalled combustion resumes with explosive force. It may occur
because of inadequate or improper ventilation procedures. Very rapid, often explosive
burning of hot gases that occurs when oxygen is introduced into an oxygen-depleted
confined space. It may occur because of inadequate or improper ventilation procedures.
Balloon-Frame Construction - Correct Answer ✔✔ Type of structural framing used in
some single-story and multistory wood frame buildings wherein the studs are
continuous from the foundation to the roof. There may be no fire stops between the
studs. See also Open Web Joist.
QUESTIONS & UPDATED CORRECT
ANSWERS ALL PASSED
ABC - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Board of Criminalistics.
ABET - Correct Answer ✔✔ Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.
AC - Correct Answer ✔✔ Alternating Current.
Accidental Fire Cause - Correct Answer ✔✔ Cause classification for a fire that does not
involve a deliberate human act to ignite or spread the fire into an area where the fire
should not be.
Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) - Correct Answer ✔✔
Organization that provides accreditation, promotion, and advancement of education in
applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Fatal viral disease
that is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from a previously infected
individual.
Administrative Search Warrant - Correct Answer ✔✔ Court order that allows
investigators the right to enter a scene after the fire department has left the scene or to
reenter the scene if the investigator arrived while the fire department had control of the
scene.
AFCI - Correct Answer ✔✔ Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter.
AFSA - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Fire Sprinkler Association.
Aggregate - Correct Answer ✔✔ Gravel, stone, sand, or other inert materials used in
concrete; these materials may be fine or coarse.
AHJ - Correct Answer ✔✔ Authority Having Jurisdiction.
AIDS - Correct Answer ✔✔ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Alarm-Initiating Device - Correct Answer ✔✔ Mechanical or electrical device that
activates an alarm system. There are three basic types of alarm-initiating devices:
manual, products-of-combustion detectors, and extinguishing system activation devices.
,Alarm System - Correct Answer ✔✔ System by which occupants and/or emergency
personnel can be alerted to the existence of a hostile fire.
Alpha particle - Correct Answer ✔✔ Particle having a large mass and a positive
electrical charge; least penetrating of the three common forms of radioactive
substances. It is normally not considered dangerous to plants, animals, or people
unless it gets into the body.
Alternating Current (AC) Circuit - Correct Answer ✔✔ Electrical circuit in which the
current can move through the circuit in both directions and the flow can be constantly
reversing.
American Board of Criminalistics (ABC) - Correct Answer ✔✔ National peer-review
group that certifies forensic scientists in specific disciplines including fire debris
analysis.
American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Nonprofit,
international association representing open shop fire sprinkler contractors, dedicated to
the educational advancement of its members and promotion of the use of automatic fire
sprinkler systems.
American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Voluntary
standards-setting organization that establishes characteristics and performance of
materials, products, systems and services; for example the quality of concrete or the
flammability of interior finishes.
American Wire Gauge (AWG) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Measurement unit for the diameter
of wire; larger AWG numbers indicate smaller diameters than smaller AWG numbers;
for example, No.14AWGwire is smaller than No. 8AWGwire.
Ammeter - Correct Answer ✔✔ Instrument for measuring electric current in amperes.
Ampacity - Correct Answer ✔✔ The current-carrying capacity of conductors or
equipment, expressed in amperes.
Ampere - Correct Answer ✔✔ Basic unit of electrical current that may be abbreviated
either by A or I. Amount of current sent by one volt through one ohm of resistance.
Annealed Glass - Correct Answer ✔✔ Glass that has slowly cooled during the forming
process to relieve internal stresses of the quenching process; most commonly found
glass that breaks into large pieces and shards when broken.
Arc - Correct Answer ✔✔ High-temperature, luminous electrical discharge across a gap
or though a medium such as air, another conductor, or charred insulation.
,Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Electronic device (generally a
part of a circuit breaker) that detects arcing conditions caused by the energized
conductor contacting either the neutral conductor or a grounded object.
Arc Mapping - Correct Answer ✔✔ Visual documentation of the path of electrical arcs at
a scene.
Area of Origin - Correct Answer ✔✔ Location (room or area) where the ignition source
and material first ignited actually came together for the first time.
Arrow Pattern - Correct Answer ✔✔ See Pointer Pattern.
Arson - Correct Answer ✔✔ Crime of willfully, maliciously, and intentionally starting a
fire (firesetting) or causing an explosion to destroy one's property or the property of
another. Precise legal definitions vary among jurisdictions, wherein it is defined by
statutes and judicial decisions.
Arson Immunity Law - Correct Answer ✔✔ Law stating that insurance companies must
release all information and documentation when requested to a public entity when there
is reason to suspect a fire under investigation was intentionally set. The released
information is considered confidential until it is used in court proceedings and the
insurance company that released the information is granted immunity under the law for
breaking any confidentiality requirements it may have to its clients.
Arson Strike Force - Correct Answer ✔✔ Special purpose, short-term mobilization of a
team (or teams) of investigators together with allied resources that applies high intensity
investigative efforts to a major arson incident or series of incidents.
Arson Task Force - Correct Answer ✔✔ Legal or quasi-legal body or private advisory
committee established to set policy and implement new programs based upon
information gathered about local arson activity; not investigative units.
Artifacts - Correct Answer ✔✔ The remains of materials involved in the fire that are in
some way related to ignition, development, or spread of the fire or explosion.
Asbestos - Correct Answer ✔✔ Carcinogenic fibrous substance (noncombustible
magnesium silicate minerals) used for fireproofing, brake linings, roofing compositions,
and other purposes such as insulation and ceiling materials in older buildings. Inhaled
asbestos fibers travel to the lungs, causing scaring, reduced lung capacity, and cancer.
ASCLD - Correct Answer ✔✔ Association of Crime Laboratory Directors.
Asphyxiant - Correct Answer ✔✔ Any substance that prevents oxygen from combining
in sufficient quantities with the blood or from being used by body tissues.
, Association of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Association
that provides criteria used to judge whether a facility and its practices provide an
atmosphere conducive to the quality of work necessary in the forensic field.
ASTM - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Society of Testing and Materials.
ATF - Correct Answer ✔✔ Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire Arms, and Explosives.
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) - Correct Answer ✔✔ Term used in codes and
standards to identify the legal entity, such as a building or fire official, that has the
statutory authority to enforce a code and to approve or require equipment. In the
insurance industry it may refer to an insurance rating bureau or an insurance company
inspection department.
Autoignition - Correct Answer ✔✔ Ignition that occurs when a substance in air, whether
solid, liquid, or gaseous, is heated sufficiently to initiate or cause self-sustained
combustion without an external ignition source.
Autoignition Temperature - Correct Answer ✔✔ Same as ignition temperature except
that no external ignition source is required for ignition because the material itself has
been heated to ignition temperature. The temperature at which autoignition occurs
through the spontaneous ignition of the gases or vapor given off by a heated material.
Automatic Sprinkler Systems - Correct Answer ✔✔ System of water pipes, discharge
nozzles, and control valves designed to activate during fires by automatically
discharging enough water to control or extinguish a fire. Also called sprinkler system.
Automatic Suppression Systems - Correct Answer ✔✔ Sprinkler, standpipe, carbon
dioxide, and halogenated systems, as well as fire pumps, dry chemical agents and their
systems, foam extinguishers, and combustible metal agents which sense heat, smoke,
or gas and activate automatically.
AWG - Correct Answer ✔✔ American Wire Gauge
Backdraft - Correct Answer ✔✔ Instantaneous explosion or rapid burning of
superheated gases that occurs when oxygen is introduced into an oxygen-depleted
confined space. The stalled combustion resumes with explosive force. It may occur
because of inadequate or improper ventilation procedures. Very rapid, often explosive
burning of hot gases that occurs when oxygen is introduced into an oxygen-depleted
confined space. It may occur because of inadequate or improper ventilation procedures.
Balloon-Frame Construction - Correct Answer ✔✔ Type of structural framing used in
some single-story and multistory wood frame buildings wherein the studs are
continuous from the foundation to the roof. There may be no fire stops between the
studs. See also Open Web Joist.
