Building Construction Related to the Fire Service

A fundamental fire concern with Type III construction is:

Creation of combustible concealed spaces.

When the continuity of an assembly is destroyed, it cannot function as a:

Fire barrier.

Which of the following can record data from inspections and pre-plans for a specific occupancy and allows the data to be retrieved on districting or dispatching maps?

Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Type II-A construction requires structural components to:

Have one-hour fire resistance.

Which elevator component may act as a vertical chimney to spread fire and smoke throughout a building?

Hoist way.

Exposure fires remain a significant problem, especially in:

Older urban environments.

Fire resistance ratings are expressed:

in time units.

CH 1--Before a fire, loss management activities will:

-Create goodwill for the fire department within the community. -Minimize the risk(s) present in specific occupancy classifications. -Eliminate the chance that a fire will reignite in the structure. -Reduce the amount of time needed to repair and reopen the business.

A type of damping mechanism that absorbs resonant energy when buildings move during an earthquake is:

-Expansion joints. -Gusset plates. -Base isolation. -Bar joists.

High-voltage electrical equipment is anything that operates at ___ volts or higher.

600.

Which of the following statements regarding heat release rate (HRR) is MOST accurate?

A greater heat release rate results in a faster developing fire.

Over time elevators have increased in importance in multistory buildings because of the:

Accessibility requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Which system involves stairwells that are designed to pressurize when the fire alarm system is activated?

Active smoke proof enclosures.

Emergency responders should be aware of flammable refrigerant hazards in:

Air cooling equipment.

Which HVAC component is necessary to keep the air free of contaminants?

Air filtration systems.

Which of the following requires the removal of architectural barriers and the addition of other features to provide accessibility for persons with recognized impairments?

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Which of the following is a curved structural member with primarily compressive interior stresses?

Arch.

When using a lending institution to help finance building construction, the institution's technical requirements will necessitate a review of the:

Architect's design drawings.

Building codes typically address membrane structures with a life of 180 days or more, while fire codes address membrane structures that:

Are used for less than 180 days.

Stairway landings in a smoke-proof enclosure where a person may wait safely until further assistance or instructions are available are referred to as:

Areas of refuge.

What MOST often determines a building's overall appearance and size?

Available funds.

CH. 3- Columns are structural members designed to support a(an):

Axial load.

Which of the following is a common type of reaction within a horizontal structural component that is loaded vertically?

Bending moment.

Strategies that will be effective at a structural fire are influenced by the:

Building construction types.

Which type of beam must be able to support a vertical load in addition to resisting bending stresses?

Cantilever beams.

Freight elevators are classified according to which of the following uses?

Carrying heavy or bulky resources.

The top and bottom members of a truss are called:

Chords.

Vertical penetrations for escalators are MOST commonly protected with:

Closely spaced sprinklers and draft stops around the opening.

A structural member designed to support an axial load is a(an):

Column.

As with other art forms, architectural styles are subject to change over time and in relation to the:

Communal environment.

Setbacks are a terrain feature that may:

Complicate access by emergency responders.

Which of the following stresses is in a direction of force that squeezes the material?

Compression.

During which part of the design and construction process will architects meet with the owners to determine the owner's needs and desires?

Concept.

Which of the following is a critical factor in the strength of the truss?

Connectors.

Common locations where walls may be insufficiently braced against wind loads are:

Construction sites, demolition sites, and fire-damaged buildings.

CH 2- Type IV construction is:

Construction that uses wood components with greater mass than Type III construction.

What are the two primary methods of heat transfer that influence fire spread?

Convection and thermal radiation.

Building classifications can help firefighters determine the likelihood of structural collapse under fire conditions and can indicate the:

Degree of occupant safety provided by the building's construction.

During renovation and remodeling, building departments require that structural modifications be:

Designed by structural engineers and performed by licensed contractors.

Which of the following actions may be necessary in a building when water has accumulated to a depth of 3 inches (75 mm) adding a static load of 21 pounds per square foot (1 kPa)?

Dewatering operations.

Stresses within a material are classified according to the:

Direction of the force.

Which of the following types of elevators use counterweights to reduce the effort or energy needed to raise an elevator?

Drum and traction.

An elevator that uses a hoisting cable wound on a drum located in a motor room directly over the hoist way is a:

Drum elevator.

Air-cooled transformers that use the surrounding air to cool the unit are also referred to as:

Dry transformers.

Which load type involves motion and is capable of delivering energy greatly in excess of the weight of the object involved?

Dynamic load.

Which technique may be used to shorten the construction time by overlapping the design and construction phases?

Fast-track construction.

Which of the following describes the maximum amount of heat that can be released if all fuel is consumed?

Fire load.

What does the first digit in the three-digit number code for building classifications represent?

Fire resistance rating (in hours) of exterior bearing walls.

Building classifications used in building codes are based on the materials used in construction and the:

Fire resistance ratings for the structural components.

Which of the following indicates the ability of a structural assembly to maintain its load-bearing capacity and structural integrity under fire conditions?

Fire resistance.

Occupancy classifications assign building occupancies into groups with broadly similar:

Fire risks.

Which of the following is a limitation of fire resistance laboratory test findings?

Fire-rated assemblies may behave differently in laboratory settings than they do in uncontrolled conditions.

Because mixed occupancies may present different types and levels of hazards, which of the following may be required?

Fire-resistive separations between various occupancies

On a beam, the external ridges or rims that do most of the work supporting a load are called:

Flanges

Structural members may be constructed in specific shapes and sizes to control multiple stresses within the allowable values:

For the particular material being used.

What is the MOST common load imposed on a structure via the weight of the structure's components, contents, and any occupancy activity?

Force of gravity.

HVAC systems that distribute conditioned air through a building from a mechanical room via ductwork are referred to as:

Forced-air systems.

What type of structure uses structural supports in a manner similar to the way the skeleton supports the human body?

Frame.

The pressure in a pressurized stairwell must be:

High enough that it will prevent the flow of smoke into a stairwell, but low enough to allow occupant access.

Fire resistance ratings incorporated into building codes:

Include minimum requirements for structural components.

In all climates, what increases a structure's energy conservation?

Insulating materials.

Which action provides the fire department with first-hand information from a pre-incident survey that is useful in pre-incident planning?

Involvement in new construction testing and inspection.

The most common method used to determine fire resistance of construction materials is:

Laboratory testing.

Soil exerts a ____ against a foundation.

Lateral load

Which of the following statements about the use of combustible materials in Type I construction is MOST accurate?

Limited use of combustible materials is permitted in Type I construction.

In modern construction, Type V light-frame construction:

Makes use of smaller studs, joists, and rafters to erect buildings faster.

On hydraulic elevators, a top exit may be provided depending on whether the system is equipped with a(an):

Manual lowering valve.

Which pressurization method provides a more uniform flow of air into the stairwell and negates the primary limitation of single-injection systems?

Multiple-injection systems.

Mixed construction is often found when a(an):

New structure is built on top of an existing structure of a different construction type.

Conveyor systems are protected by features such as fire doors and shutters because they can:

Often penetrate fire barriers.

Which of the following electrical equipment conducts heat away from the core and electrically insulates internal components from arcing?

Oil-cooled transformer.

When a qualified elevator is to be used during emergency response, firefighters should recall the elevator to the lobby and then check for smoke in the shaft by:

Opening a door from a floor level above the recalled elevator.

Which of the following HVAC components draws air from sources external to the building into the system?

Outside air intakes.

Parapets on exterior masonry walls are an example of which type of fire protection feature?

Passive barriers.

Which of the following statements regarding the renovation and remodeling of a building is MOST accurate?

Permits for the renovation or remodeling of a building are required.

Fire officials may actively be involved during which part of the design and construction process?

Permitting.

What do recent designs use for the fabric of membrane structures?

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coated glass fiber.

Building construction methods and practices that resist fire and smoke spread are much more effective at:

Preventing conflagration.

Vertical shafts and utility chases can serve as the area of origin for fires and:

Provide a path for smoke and fire travel.

Which of the following skills is the MOST critically important for a firefighter?

Recognizing configuration features and component pieces of a structure.

Type I buildings are MOST commonly constructed using a protected steel frame or:

Reinforced concrete.

The standard fire-resistance test is widely used in fire protection to establish:

Required performance standards in building codes.

Since spiral stairs can be difficult to traverse, they are generally allowed as part of the means of egress only within:

Residences.

The primary design consideration of beams is their ability to:

Resist being deformed from the applied loads.

Expansion joints, damping mechanisms, and base isolation are all types of accommodations for:

Seismic forces.

What are three-dimensional truss structures known as?

Space frames.

Which of the following is a life safety consideration for first responders and the public during a structural fire incident?

Standpipe connections must have standard threads to ensure compatibility with fire department equipment.

The stresses in a cable are _____ stresses.

Tension

Building codes initially classify structures by:

The materials used in their construction.

Which method of heat transfer moves through space by electromagnetic waves?

Thermal radiation.

Which of the following BEST describes a major feature of exterior stairs?

They are naturally ventilated on one or more sides.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of forced-air systems that use extensive ducting?

They are pathways for communication of heat and smoke through a building.

Building codes typically allow the use of open stairs in buildings only when:

They connect one or two adjacent floors above the basement level.

Building codes impose restrictions on the maximum allowable heights and areas of Type V buildings because:

They present an exposure threat to adjacent structures during heavily involved fires.

CH. 4- The MOST common type of elevator in buildings over six stories is a:

Traction elevator.

According to the International Building Code ®(IBC®), which of the following designates fire-resistive construction?

Type I.

Which building construction type is referred to as noncombustible or protected noncombustible?

Type II.

Building types whose structural framing materials contribute a significant amount of fuel to a fire include:

Types III, IV, and V.

Space frames are well-suited to support:

Uniformly distributed loads.

An area of refuge is:

Where a person may wait safely for further assistance during an emergency building evacuation.