Fire Behavior and Combustion Exam

What is the average number of firefighters killed in the line of duty each year?

100

The NFPA has compiled data on firefighter fatalities since what year?

1970

How many civilians were killed by fires in 2007?

3,430

Smoldering combustion is characterized by which of the following? Formation of char Production of smoke Visible flame A and B only

A and B only

Which best describes the temperature scale known as Fahrenheit?

A measurement of temperature used most commonly in the U.S. where 32 degrees is the freezing point of water

What is the definition of a sphere?

A perfectly round ball which contains volume

What is Flashover

A rapidly occurring transitional event in the development of a compartment fire

Which best describes the temperature scale of Kelvin?

A scale using absolute zero, where water freezes at 273.15 and boils at 373.13

What is a coordinate system?

A system which uses X, Y, and Z coordinates

Which best describes the Rankin temperature scale?

A temperature measurement scale where all molecular movement ceases at zero, and water freezes at 491.67

Which best describes the temperature scale of Celsius?

A temperature scale based on the two fixed points of zero as the freezing point of water and 100 the boiling point

An endothermic process is one that:

Absorbs heat

Expanded plastics experience faster ignition due to:

Air pockets

The autoignition temperature of liquids is: well above the boiling point. ignition absent of an ignition source. identified by raising the temperature of a liquid in a controlled environment until ignition occurs. All of the above

All of the above

The closed cup test of a liquid's flash point involves: a heating unit being adjusted to raise the liquid's temperature slowly. the operator recording liquid temperature periodically, then introducing a pilot flame across the surface. flash point being recorded as the temperature which occurred immediately before a flash fire is witnessed. All of the above

All of the above

The open cup test of a liquid's flash point involves: a heating unit being adjusted to raise the liquid's temperature slowly. the operator recording liquid temperature periodically, then introducing a pilot flame across the surface. flash point being recorded as the temperature which occurred immediately before a flash fire is witnessed. All of the above

All of the above

Which of these is not a by-product of combustion? Carbon dioxide (CO2) Water (H2O) Carbon monoxide (CO) All of the above are by-products.

All of the above are by-products.

What is the heat of gasification?

Amount of energy that is required to produce a unit mass of flammable vapor from a combustible that is initially at ambient temperatures

Covalent bonds involve:

Atoms sharing electrons in their valance orbits

Three predictable conditions which lead to firefighter fatalities include flashover, rollover, and what else?

Backdraft

Which of the following is not a method of heat transfer?

Backdraft

Heat release rates of pool fires are dependent on which of the following? Surface area exposed to air Potential energy of the fuel Both A and B None of the above

Both A and B

How will the presence of char affect the burning rate of a fuel?

Burning rates will be slowed, and the energy required increases.

Flame spread of the soundproofing used at the Station Nightclub was known to fire-testing agencies and professionals, but was not considered during: A: installation. B: fire code inspection. C: Both A and B D: None of the above

C: Both A and B

The redirected flow of the buoyancy-driven thermal plume under a ceiling is known as a:

Ceiling Jet

Under NFPA classification, which of the following presents the most significant threat of producing ignitable vapors at ambient conditions?

Class IA

Under NFPA classification, which of the following presents the least significant threat of producing ignitable vapors at ambient conditions?

Class IIIB

What are alkanes?

Compounds that contain only single bonds between carbon atoms

Fire prevention professionals involved in inspections are charged with identifying conditions that: A: exceed design criteria for fire protection systems. B: adversely affect passive fire protection elements. C: hinder active fire protection and detection elements. D: All of the above

D: All of the above

Fire protection professionals must utilize a full knowledge of what topics? A: Fuel and fuels geometry B: Detection C: Supression D: All of the above

D: All of the above

________________ are items that have been created to match the properties of natural rubbers, which include butadiene and neoprene.

Elastomers

What makes up a mixture?

Elements that are combined but do not chemically react to form a compound

What is ignition energy?

Energy required to initiate flame

Which of these is used to describe only the luminous portions of a plume created by the combustion process?

Flame Plume

What is the key measurement of ignitability of liquids?

Flash Point

________________ are plastics created with pockets of air throughout the fuel.

Foams and cellular plastics

What is a hazard class under DOT standards?

For the purpose of the DOT regulations, any of the nine categories of hazard assigned to a hazardous material because it complies with defining criteria

What type of fire exists where the amount of fuel available is in a physical state capable of supporting combustion is limited?

Fuel-controlled Fire

The transfer of energy based on a temperature difference between two objects or regions of a single object is termed:

Heat

Ignition temperature is defined as which of the following?

Heat energy required for autoignition of flammable vapors released by the liquid

___________ is used to describe the amount of energy that is required to produce a unit mass of flammable vapor from a combustible that is initially at ambient temperatures.

Heat of gasification

The rate at which the heat energy is generated by burning is termed:

Heat release rate

In regard to the orientation of solid fuels, which will burn slower?

Horizontal

Cellulosic materials consist of all of the following except:

Hydrocarbons

What are alkynes?

Hydrocarbons possessing one or more carbon-to-carbon triple bonds

What are alkenes or olefins?

Hydrocarbons whose molecules contain one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds

Liquids evolving vapors that can undergo combustion with relative ease are considered to be:

Ignitable liquids

The energy required to move one kilogram one meter per second over a distance of one meter is a:

Joule

The energy required to change a liquid to a vapor is termed what?

Latent heat of vaporization

What is a liquid's flash point?

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

What makes up a compound?

Mass comprised of two or more types of chemically connected atoms

What is ignition temperature?

Minimum temperature required for ignition of fuel gases under specific test conditions

Which of the following is not a material property that influences both ignition and flame spread?

Moisture

Which of the following sets a basis for classification of flammability of liquids?

NFPA 30

Investigators must first seek the _______ and then the ________ of a fire in order to ascertain what happened.

Origin, Cause

What is the term used to describe the evaluation of conditions before emergencies?

Preplanning

Having definite shape and volume describes what state of matter?

Solid

What are oxidizing agents?

Substances that evolve or generate oxygen at ambient temperatures when exposed to heat

The standard time-temperature curve does not take into account what kinds of fuels that are common today?

Synthetic Materials

What is the autoignition temperature, (autogenous ignition temperature)?

Temperature at which oxidation reactions will initiate within fuel/air mixtures without an outside pilot source

What is a liquid's fire point?

Temperature at which the substance must be raised to produce sufficient vapors to sustain burning after the initial flash

What is the pilot ignition temperature?

Temperature required to produce the lower flammable limit and can be ignited in the presence of a piloted ignition source

Rate refers to:

The amount of energy over time or another unit of measure

What is circumference?

The distance around a circle

What is heat flux, (W/m2)?

The heat transfer rate in the x direction per unit area perpendicular to the direction of the transfer

What is an atom?

The smallest particle of an element

What is one factor responsible for the rapid fire development in today's built environment?

The volumes of commodities and synthetics

What is the term for solids that absorb heat energy more readily and do not transfer it as quickly through the material to the opposite side?

Thermally Thick

What is the term for the inability to absorb heat energy very well, resulting in quickly transferring heat from one side to the opposite side of the material?

Thermally Thin

Plastics that are not cured or hardened during the manufacturing process and which soften and melt when exposed to heat are:

Thermoplastics

What is the definition of volume?

Three-dimensional measure expressing total space occupied by an object or contained within a compartment and expressed in cubic measure

What is the definition of area?

Two-dimensional measurement to determine quantity of space contained

What term describes the collection of gases by the ceiling and walls which forms a relatively uniform layer throughout the upper levels of the compartment?

Upper Layer

The metric system is a system of measurement that:

Utilizes increments of 10

What term describes the pressure exerted by vapors leaving the liquid surface?

Vapor Pressure

What type of fire exists where fuel is present, but air entrainment is limited?

Ventilation-controlled Fire

Flammable liquids have a flash point:

below 100 degrees Fahrenheit

The energy required to raise one gram of water one degree centigrade is a:

calorie

Radiation is defined as the transfer of energy:

caused by electromagnetic waves

Under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, ignitable liquids are classified as:

extremely flammable, flammable, or combustible.

Melting is a physical change of a substance:

from solid to liquid

The ___________ of a material refers to the amount of energy emitted per unit of fuel mass consumed, and it varies by fuel.

heat of combustion

The variables considered when determining a fuel's heat release rate include all of the following except:

ignition temperature

Conduction is defined as the transfer of energy:

in the form of heat by direct contact through the excitation of molecules/particles driven by a temperature difference.

The predominant factor that led to the large number of deaths at the Cocoanut Grove fire was:

inward swinging doors

The ___________, often referred to as the burning rate, is the rate at which the fuel is losing mass while undergoing combustion and is usually expressed in grams per second (g/s).

mass loss rate

What does the term temperature refer to?

measurement of heat energy

Temperature refers to the:

measurement of the amount of motion that the molecules or atoms have.

Electrons are _________ charged.

negatively

Neutrons are _________ charged.

neutrally

Fire investigators are primarily tasked with identifying:

origin, cause, spread, responsibility, and circumstances.

What is the major source of fuel in upholstered furniture?

polyurethane foams

Protons are _________ charged.

positively

The atomic number of an atom is defined by the number of:

protons

The atomic weight of an atom is defined by the number of:

protons and neutrons

Study of fire dynamics helps to:

provide safety for humans and structures.

Solids undergo _________ in order to be a fuel source.

pyrolysis

Convection is defined as the transfer of energy:

through a circulating fluid to or from a solid object.

Ionic bonds involve:

transfer of electrons from the valence orbit of one atom to fill the valence orbit of another atom.

The English system of measurement:

utilizes inches, feet, and miles.