NC FIRE INVESTIGATION TECHNICIAN WITH COMPLETE
QUESTIONS AND RESEARCHED ANSWERS
Standard - A document, the main text of which contains only mandatory provisions using the word
"shall" to indicate requirements and that is in the form generally suitable for mandatory reference by
another standard or code or for adoption into law. Nonmandatory provisions shall be located in an
appendix or annex, footnote, or fine print note and are not to be considered a part of the requirments.
Guide - A document that is advisory or informative in nature and that contains only nonmandatory
provisions. It may contain mandatory statements, such as when it can be used, but the document as a
whole is not suitable for adoption into law.
Fire Investigation - The process of determining the origin, cause, and development of a fire or
explosion.
NFPA 921 - A guide that establishes guidelines and recommendations for the safe and systematic
investigation or analysis of fire and explosion incidents.
NFPA 1033 - A standard that is designed to establish the minimum job performance requirements
(JPRs) for service as a fire investigator.
Inductive Reasoning - The process by which a person starts from a particular experience and proceeds
to generalizations. The process by which hypotheses are developed based upon observable or known
facts and the training, experience, knowledge, and expertise of the observer.
Scientific Method - The systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and definition of a
problem; the collection of data through observation and experimentation; analysis of the data; the
formulation, evaluation, and testing of a hypothesis; and, when possible, selection of a final
hypothesis.
Cognitive Testing - The use of a person's thinking skills and judgment in order to evaluate the
empirical data and challenge the conclusions of the final hypothesis.
Hypothesis - Theory supported by the empirical data that the investigator has collected through
observation and then developed into explanations for the event, which are based on the investigator's
knowledge , training, experience, and expertise.
Expectation Bias - Preconceived determination or premature conclusion as to what the cause of the
fire was without having examined or considered all of the relevant data.
Confirmation Bias - The attempt to prove a hypothesis instead of disprove a hypothesis, resulting in a
failure to consider alternative hypothesis or the premature discounting of an alternative hypothesis.
,Empircal Data - Factual data that are based on actual measurements, observation, or direct sensory
experience, rather than on theory.
Deductive Reasoning - the process by which conclusions are drawn by logical inference from given
premises.
Diffusion Flame - A flame in which fuel and air mix or diffuse together at the region of combustion.
Fire Point - The lowest temperature at which a volatile combustible substance continues to burn in air
after its vapors have been ignited( as when heating is continued after the flash point has been
determined)
Flash Point - The lowest temperature of a liquid, as determined by specific laboratory tests, at which
the liquid gives off vapors at a sufficient rate to support a momentary flame across its surface.
Temperature - The degree of sensible heat of a body as measured by a thermometer or similar
instrument.
Autoignition Temperature - The lowest temperature at which a combustible material ignites in air
without a spark or flame.
Convection - Heat transfer by circulation within a medium such as a gas or a liquid.
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction - One of the elements of the fire tetrahedron. This element
provides for the combination and interaction of the other elements.
Plume - The column of hot gases, flames, and smoke rising above a fire; also called convection
column, thermal updraft, or thermal column.
Heat flux - The measurement of the rate of heat transfer to a surface, expressed in kilowatts/m2,
kilojules/m2sec, or Btu/ft2 sec.
Radiation - Heat transfer by electromagnetic energy.
Fuel Package - A collection or array of fuel items in close proximity with one another such that flames
can spread throughout the array.
Thermal Runaway - Condition in which the heat generated exceeds the amount of heat loss within the
material.
Fire Dynamics - The detailed study of how chemistry, fire science, and the engineering disciplines of
fluid mechanics and heat transfer interact to influence fire behavior.
Fuel - A material that will maintain combustion under specified environmental conditions.
Heat - A form of energy characterized by vibration of molecules that is capable of initiating and
, supporting chemical changes and changes of state.
Heat Capacity - The amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of a unit mass 1 degree, under
specified conditions (J/kg-K, Btu/lb-*F)
Exothermic Reaction - Reaction characterized by or formed with evolution of heat.
Stoichiometric ratio - The optimum ratio in a FUEL air mixture at which point combustion will be most
efficient (above the LEL and below the UEL).
Pyrolysis - A process in which material is decomposed, or broken down, into simpler molecular
compounds by the effects of heat alone; pyrolysis often precedes combustion.
Conduction - Heat transfer to another body or within a body by DIRECT contact.
Oxidizing Agent - A substance that promotes oxidation during the combustion process.
Phase Change - The conversion of a material from one state of matter to another that is reversible
and does not change the chemical composition of the material.
Themmometry - The study of the science, methodology, and practice of temperature measurement.
The study is frequently used in fire safety or code compliance cases.
Air entrainment - The process of air or gases being drawn into a fire, plume, or jet.
Premixed Burning - Burning in which the fuel and oxidizer are mixed prior to combustion, as in a
laboratory Bunsen burner or a gas cooking range; propagation of the flame is governed by the
interaction between flow rate, transport processes, and chemical reaction.
Combustion - A chemical process of oxidation that occurs at a rate fast enough to produce heat and
usually light in the form of either a glow or flame.
Fuel-Controlled Fire - A fire in which the heat release rate and growth rate are controlled by the
characteristics of the fuel, such as quantity and geometry, and in which adequate air for combustion is
available.
Heat Release Rate - The rate at which heat energy is generated by burning.
Fuel Items - Any articles that are capable of burning.
Vaporization - The change of state from a liquid or a solid state to a gas
Neutral Plane - The line where the flow of the hot gas and cooler air changes.
Fuel Load - The total quantity of combustible contents of a building, space, or fire area, including
interior finish and trim, expressed in heat units of the equivalent weight in wood.
QUESTIONS AND RESEARCHED ANSWERS
Standard - A document, the main text of which contains only mandatory provisions using the word
"shall" to indicate requirements and that is in the form generally suitable for mandatory reference by
another standard or code or for adoption into law. Nonmandatory provisions shall be located in an
appendix or annex, footnote, or fine print note and are not to be considered a part of the requirments.
Guide - A document that is advisory or informative in nature and that contains only nonmandatory
provisions. It may contain mandatory statements, such as when it can be used, but the document as a
whole is not suitable for adoption into law.
Fire Investigation - The process of determining the origin, cause, and development of a fire or
explosion.
NFPA 921 - A guide that establishes guidelines and recommendations for the safe and systematic
investigation or analysis of fire and explosion incidents.
NFPA 1033 - A standard that is designed to establish the minimum job performance requirements
(JPRs) for service as a fire investigator.
Inductive Reasoning - The process by which a person starts from a particular experience and proceeds
to generalizations. The process by which hypotheses are developed based upon observable or known
facts and the training, experience, knowledge, and expertise of the observer.
Scientific Method - The systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and definition of a
problem; the collection of data through observation and experimentation; analysis of the data; the
formulation, evaluation, and testing of a hypothesis; and, when possible, selection of a final
hypothesis.
Cognitive Testing - The use of a person's thinking skills and judgment in order to evaluate the
empirical data and challenge the conclusions of the final hypothesis.
Hypothesis - Theory supported by the empirical data that the investigator has collected through
observation and then developed into explanations for the event, which are based on the investigator's
knowledge , training, experience, and expertise.
Expectation Bias - Preconceived determination or premature conclusion as to what the cause of the
fire was without having examined or considered all of the relevant data.
Confirmation Bias - The attempt to prove a hypothesis instead of disprove a hypothesis, resulting in a
failure to consider alternative hypothesis or the premature discounting of an alternative hypothesis.
,Empircal Data - Factual data that are based on actual measurements, observation, or direct sensory
experience, rather than on theory.
Deductive Reasoning - the process by which conclusions are drawn by logical inference from given
premises.
Diffusion Flame - A flame in which fuel and air mix or diffuse together at the region of combustion.
Fire Point - The lowest temperature at which a volatile combustible substance continues to burn in air
after its vapors have been ignited( as when heating is continued after the flash point has been
determined)
Flash Point - The lowest temperature of a liquid, as determined by specific laboratory tests, at which
the liquid gives off vapors at a sufficient rate to support a momentary flame across its surface.
Temperature - The degree of sensible heat of a body as measured by a thermometer or similar
instrument.
Autoignition Temperature - The lowest temperature at which a combustible material ignites in air
without a spark or flame.
Convection - Heat transfer by circulation within a medium such as a gas or a liquid.
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction - One of the elements of the fire tetrahedron. This element
provides for the combination and interaction of the other elements.
Plume - The column of hot gases, flames, and smoke rising above a fire; also called convection
column, thermal updraft, or thermal column.
Heat flux - The measurement of the rate of heat transfer to a surface, expressed in kilowatts/m2,
kilojules/m2sec, or Btu/ft2 sec.
Radiation - Heat transfer by electromagnetic energy.
Fuel Package - A collection or array of fuel items in close proximity with one another such that flames
can spread throughout the array.
Thermal Runaway - Condition in which the heat generated exceeds the amount of heat loss within the
material.
Fire Dynamics - The detailed study of how chemistry, fire science, and the engineering disciplines of
fluid mechanics and heat transfer interact to influence fire behavior.
Fuel - A material that will maintain combustion under specified environmental conditions.
Heat - A form of energy characterized by vibration of molecules that is capable of initiating and
, supporting chemical changes and changes of state.
Heat Capacity - The amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of a unit mass 1 degree, under
specified conditions (J/kg-K, Btu/lb-*F)
Exothermic Reaction - Reaction characterized by or formed with evolution of heat.
Stoichiometric ratio - The optimum ratio in a FUEL air mixture at which point combustion will be most
efficient (above the LEL and below the UEL).
Pyrolysis - A process in which material is decomposed, or broken down, into simpler molecular
compounds by the effects of heat alone; pyrolysis often precedes combustion.
Conduction - Heat transfer to another body or within a body by DIRECT contact.
Oxidizing Agent - A substance that promotes oxidation during the combustion process.
Phase Change - The conversion of a material from one state of matter to another that is reversible
and does not change the chemical composition of the material.
Themmometry - The study of the science, methodology, and practice of temperature measurement.
The study is frequently used in fire safety or code compliance cases.
Air entrainment - The process of air or gases being drawn into a fire, plume, or jet.
Premixed Burning - Burning in which the fuel and oxidizer are mixed prior to combustion, as in a
laboratory Bunsen burner or a gas cooking range; propagation of the flame is governed by the
interaction between flow rate, transport processes, and chemical reaction.
Combustion - A chemical process of oxidation that occurs at a rate fast enough to produce heat and
usually light in the form of either a glow or flame.
Fuel-Controlled Fire - A fire in which the heat release rate and growth rate are controlled by the
characteristics of the fuel, such as quantity and geometry, and in which adequate air for combustion is
available.
Heat Release Rate - The rate at which heat energy is generated by burning.
Fuel Items - Any articles that are capable of burning.
Vaporization - The change of state from a liquid or a solid state to a gas
Neutral Plane - The line where the flow of the hot gas and cooler air changes.
Fuel Load - The total quantity of combustible contents of a building, space, or fire area, including
interior finish and trim, expressed in heat units of the equivalent weight in wood.
