TCFP FIRE INVESTIGATOR EXAM
ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
/. Is NFPA 921 a guide or a standard? - Answer-It is the Guide for Fire and Explosion
Investigations
/.What are the six steps of the scientific method? - Answer-Recognize the need
Define the problem
Collect the data
Analyze the data
Develop a hypothesis
Test the hypothesis
/.What step of the scientific method is inductive reasoning? - Answer-Analyze the data
/.What step of the scientific method is deductive reasoning? - Answer-Test the
hypothesis
/.What are the four parts of the fire tetrahedron? - Answer-Fuel (reducing agent)
Heat
Oxidizing agent
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction
/.What kind of reaction absorbs energy, an endothermic or an exothermic reaction? -
Answer-Endothermic
/.What is heat transfer by direct contact called? - Answer-Conduction
/.What is heat transfer by gas flow / air movement called? - Answer-Convection
/.What is heat transfer by microwave energy called? - Answer-Radiation
/.What is a fuel controlled fire? - Answer-A fire that is limited by the amount of
combustibles.
/.What is a ventilation controlled fire? - Answer-A fire that is limited by the amount of
oxygen.
/.What are the stages of fire growth? - Answer-Ignition
,Growth
Flashover
Fully Developed
Decay
/.What is a flashover? - Answer-The transition phase from growth to fully developed,
where all surfaces reach ignition temperature almost simultaneously.
/.What is ignition of the underside of the hot gas layer called? - Answer-Flameover or
rollover
/.What factors influence flashover conditions? - Answer-Size of the compartment
Height of ceiling
Ventilation
Amount of fuel
Layout of fuel
Location of fire in the compartment
/.What are fire patterns? - Answer-The physical manifestation of the affects of fire on
materials.
/.What are the different types of fire patterns on the walls and ceiling? - Answer-Plume
Generated patterns (often V shaped)
Ventilation generated patterns
Hot gas layer patterns (Line of demarcation)
/.What is spalling? - Answer-The separation of chunks of concrete with explosive force
caused by the expansion of water (moisture) trapped in the concrete as it turns to steam
/.What is char? - Answer-Pyrolized carbonaceous material
/.What is oxidation? - Answer-Physical change in appearance of a material resulting
from the combination of oxygen.
/.What is alloying? - Answer-Mixing two metals heated then cooled to change their
properties. Often melts at a lower temperature.
/.What is a clean burn? - Answer-When there was enough heat to burn away all carbon
deposits (soot) on a surface leaving a "clean" surface. Occurs on non-combustible
surfaces.
/.What is soot? - Answer-Elemental carbon produced during incomplete combustion.
/.What is calcination? - Answer-When chemically bound water is driven out of gypsum
walls by the heat of the fire.
,/.Does a 25 Watt light bulb expand towards the fire or pull inward away from it? -
Answer-Bulbs 25 watts or less pull away. Bulbs greater than 25 watts will expand
towards the fire.
/.What causes heat shadowing? - Answer-An object blocking the travel of radiated heat.
/.What is a dead load? - Answer-The weight of things attached to the building, like
flooring, cloumns, and roof coverings.
/.What is a live load? - Answer-A load that can move, like people, furniture, wind, water,
and snow.
/.What is compartmentation? - Answer-Design features of a building that limit fire growth
to the room of origin.
/.What are the five building construction types? - Answer-Type I - Fire resistant
Type II - Non combustible
Type III - Ordinary
Type IV - Heavy timber
Type V - Wood frame
/.What is ordinary construction? - Answer-Exterior walls are masonry and frame is
wood.
/.What is wood frame construction? - Answer-Lightweight wood construction, used in
apartments, houses.
/.What is platform frame construction? - Answer-Each floor is a seperate platform.
/.What is balloon frame construction? - Answer-The wall studs extend from the
foundation to the roof.
/.What is Ohm's Law? - Answer-V=IR
(E = I x R)
/.What is voltage? - Answer-Pressure
/.What is current? - Answer-Flow
/.What is resistance? - Answer-Friction, opposition to the flow
/.What is an overload? - Answer-Power needs exceed the circuit's capacity.
/.Alternating Current VS Direct Current - Answer-Alternating current - the electrons flow
out from the source and then back to it, alternating directions.
Direct current - electrons flow one way.
, /.Single Phase service - Answer-Residential. Three conductors: Two insulated
conductors at 120 V each, and a bare ground wire.
/.Three phase system - Answer-Commercial. Four conductors: Three insulated
conductors (480, 240, or 208 V), and a bare ground wire.
/.What is the difference between grounding and bonding? - Answer-Grounding connects
the system to the earth (ground). Bonding connects to systems together so the charge
stays the same between them.
/.What is overcurrent protection? - Answer-A device that protects the system from
excess current. Includes:
Circuit breakers
Plug fuses
Type S fuses
Time delay fuses
Cartridge fuses
/.What are the colors of residential wires? - Answer-Hot - black or red
Neutral - gray or white
Ground - bare or green
/.What are some methods of electrical heat production? - Answer-Resistance heating
Short circuit
Ground fault
Parting Arc
Excessive current
/.What is the difference between and arc and a spark? - Answer-Sparks are thrown
metal particles
Arcs are brief discharges of electricity
/.What is arc tracking? - Answer-Arc following salts, dusts, or liquids along a path.
/.What is arc mapping? - Answer-Mapping out of electrical damage in a circuit.
/.What is static electricity? - Answer-A stationary charge caused by movement of one
object against another. Lighting is a static disharge.
/.What are the five conditions nessecery for Static Arc Ignition? - Answer-A Means of
static generation
A means of accumulating and maintaining the charge
A static discharge with sufficient energy
A fuel source
Coexistence of the arc and fuel source
ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS
/. Is NFPA 921 a guide or a standard? - Answer-It is the Guide for Fire and Explosion
Investigations
/.What are the six steps of the scientific method? - Answer-Recognize the need
Define the problem
Collect the data
Analyze the data
Develop a hypothesis
Test the hypothesis
/.What step of the scientific method is inductive reasoning? - Answer-Analyze the data
/.What step of the scientific method is deductive reasoning? - Answer-Test the
hypothesis
/.What are the four parts of the fire tetrahedron? - Answer-Fuel (reducing agent)
Heat
Oxidizing agent
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction
/.What kind of reaction absorbs energy, an endothermic or an exothermic reaction? -
Answer-Endothermic
/.What is heat transfer by direct contact called? - Answer-Conduction
/.What is heat transfer by gas flow / air movement called? - Answer-Convection
/.What is heat transfer by microwave energy called? - Answer-Radiation
/.What is a fuel controlled fire? - Answer-A fire that is limited by the amount of
combustibles.
/.What is a ventilation controlled fire? - Answer-A fire that is limited by the amount of
oxygen.
/.What are the stages of fire growth? - Answer-Ignition
,Growth
Flashover
Fully Developed
Decay
/.What is a flashover? - Answer-The transition phase from growth to fully developed,
where all surfaces reach ignition temperature almost simultaneously.
/.What is ignition of the underside of the hot gas layer called? - Answer-Flameover or
rollover
/.What factors influence flashover conditions? - Answer-Size of the compartment
Height of ceiling
Ventilation
Amount of fuel
Layout of fuel
Location of fire in the compartment
/.What are fire patterns? - Answer-The physical manifestation of the affects of fire on
materials.
/.What are the different types of fire patterns on the walls and ceiling? - Answer-Plume
Generated patterns (often V shaped)
Ventilation generated patterns
Hot gas layer patterns (Line of demarcation)
/.What is spalling? - Answer-The separation of chunks of concrete with explosive force
caused by the expansion of water (moisture) trapped in the concrete as it turns to steam
/.What is char? - Answer-Pyrolized carbonaceous material
/.What is oxidation? - Answer-Physical change in appearance of a material resulting
from the combination of oxygen.
/.What is alloying? - Answer-Mixing two metals heated then cooled to change their
properties. Often melts at a lower temperature.
/.What is a clean burn? - Answer-When there was enough heat to burn away all carbon
deposits (soot) on a surface leaving a "clean" surface. Occurs on non-combustible
surfaces.
/.What is soot? - Answer-Elemental carbon produced during incomplete combustion.
/.What is calcination? - Answer-When chemically bound water is driven out of gypsum
walls by the heat of the fire.
,/.Does a 25 Watt light bulb expand towards the fire or pull inward away from it? -
Answer-Bulbs 25 watts or less pull away. Bulbs greater than 25 watts will expand
towards the fire.
/.What causes heat shadowing? - Answer-An object blocking the travel of radiated heat.
/.What is a dead load? - Answer-The weight of things attached to the building, like
flooring, cloumns, and roof coverings.
/.What is a live load? - Answer-A load that can move, like people, furniture, wind, water,
and snow.
/.What is compartmentation? - Answer-Design features of a building that limit fire growth
to the room of origin.
/.What are the five building construction types? - Answer-Type I - Fire resistant
Type II - Non combustible
Type III - Ordinary
Type IV - Heavy timber
Type V - Wood frame
/.What is ordinary construction? - Answer-Exterior walls are masonry and frame is
wood.
/.What is wood frame construction? - Answer-Lightweight wood construction, used in
apartments, houses.
/.What is platform frame construction? - Answer-Each floor is a seperate platform.
/.What is balloon frame construction? - Answer-The wall studs extend from the
foundation to the roof.
/.What is Ohm's Law? - Answer-V=IR
(E = I x R)
/.What is voltage? - Answer-Pressure
/.What is current? - Answer-Flow
/.What is resistance? - Answer-Friction, opposition to the flow
/.What is an overload? - Answer-Power needs exceed the circuit's capacity.
/.Alternating Current VS Direct Current - Answer-Alternating current - the electrons flow
out from the source and then back to it, alternating directions.
Direct current - electrons flow one way.
, /.Single Phase service - Answer-Residential. Three conductors: Two insulated
conductors at 120 V each, and a bare ground wire.
/.Three phase system - Answer-Commercial. Four conductors: Three insulated
conductors (480, 240, or 208 V), and a bare ground wire.
/.What is the difference between grounding and bonding? - Answer-Grounding connects
the system to the earth (ground). Bonding connects to systems together so the charge
stays the same between them.
/.What is overcurrent protection? - Answer-A device that protects the system from
excess current. Includes:
Circuit breakers
Plug fuses
Type S fuses
Time delay fuses
Cartridge fuses
/.What are the colors of residential wires? - Answer-Hot - black or red
Neutral - gray or white
Ground - bare or green
/.What are some methods of electrical heat production? - Answer-Resistance heating
Short circuit
Ground fault
Parting Arc
Excessive current
/.What is the difference between and arc and a spark? - Answer-Sparks are thrown
metal particles
Arcs are brief discharges of electricity
/.What is arc tracking? - Answer-Arc following salts, dusts, or liquids along a path.
/.What is arc mapping? - Answer-Mapping out of electrical damage in a circuit.
/.What is static electricity? - Answer-A stationary charge caused by movement of one
object against another. Lighting is a static disharge.
/.What are the five conditions nessecery for Static Arc Ignition? - Answer-A Means of
static generation
A means of accumulating and maintaining the charge
A static discharge with sufficient energy
A fuel source
Coexistence of the arc and fuel source
