Deck 5: Fire Behavior

Question 1

The potential chemical energy of fuel in fire behavior is converted to:

A) sound energy.
B) thermal energy.
C) electrical energy.
D) mechanical energy.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What are the elements necessary to create fire in the model represented by the fire triangle?

A) Fuel, oxygen, heat
B) Heat, fuel, ignition
C) Passive agents and heat
D) Oxygen and passive agents

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What is the most common form of ignition?

A) Piloted
B) Exothermic
C) Endothermic
D) Autoignition

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What product of combustion is the most common product in structure fires?

A) Toxic smoke
B) Thermal energy
C) Hydrogen cyanide
D) Carbon monoxide

Question 5

Which of the following BEST describes how understanding the physical science of fire can help firefighters?

A) It keeps radiant heat from igniting fuel.
B) It keeps flaming combustion from beginning.
C) It translates into practical knowledge of fire behavior.
D) It helps in stopping rapid fire behavior from developing.

Question 6

What product of combustion may heat adjacent fuels, making them susceptible to ignition?

A) Toxic smoke
B) Thermal energy
C) Hydrogen cyanide
D) Carbon monoxide

Question 7

The energy possessed by a moving object is called:

A) kinetic energy.
B) thermal energy.
C) potential energy.
D) mechanical energy.

Question 8

Which of the following terms refers to a substance remaining chemically the same, but changing in size, shape or appearance?

A) Chemical shift
B) Physical change
C) Chemical reaction
D) Parallel alteration

Question 9

Which of the following BEST describes kinetic energy transfer?

A) It does not move at all.
B) It moves from one substance to another, no matter what the temperature.
C) It moves from low-temperature to high-temperature substances.
D) It moves from high-temperature to low-temperature substances.

Question 10

What product of combustion causes the most fire deaths?

A) Toxic smoke
B) Thermal energy
C) Carbon dioxide
D) Hydrogen cyanide

Question 11

When a substance changes from one type of matter to another, it has had a:

A) chemical shift.
B) physical change.
C) chemical reaction.
D) physical alteration.

Question 12

Which of the following BEST describes what the fire tetrahedron represents?

A) A transfer of sound energy
B) The process of autoignition
C) An uninhibited chemical chain reaction
D) The relationship between fuel, oxygen, heat

Question 13

What type of reaction absorbs energy as it occurs?

A) Kinetic
B) Potential
C) Exothermic
D) Endothermic

Question 14

What mode of combustion produces a smoldering glow in a material's surface?

A) Kinetic
B) Flaming
C) Potential
D) Nonflaming

Question 15

In what mode of combustion is a visible flame produced?

A) Kinetic
B) Flaming
C) Potential
D) Nonflaming

Question 16

The process of ignition causes pyrolysis in solid fuels and in liquid fuels.

A) melting
B) freezing
C) vaporization
D) kinetic reaction

Question 17

What type of reaction releases energy in the form of heat and sometimes light?

A) Kinetic
B) Potential
C) Exothermic
D) Endothermic

Question 18

Which of the following represents the amount of energy that an object can release in the future?

A) Kinetic
B) Thermal
C) Potential
D) Mechanical

Question 19

What type of combustion occurs when burning is localized on or near a fuel's surface?

A) Flaming
B) Exothermic
C) Nonflaming
D) Endothermic

Question 20

Which of the following BEST describes why firefighters must use SCBA during overhaul?

A) Smoke is not like other flammable gases; it will not burn or explode.
B) Hazardous concentrations of smoke are only present outside the structure.
C) Hazardous concentrations are typically below short-term exposure limits.
D) Volume and density of smoke may be reduced, but the hazard is not eliminated.

Question 21

Which of the following sources of energy is a form of oxidation?

A) Sparking
B) Self-heating
C) Resistance heating
D) Spontaneous ignition

Question 22

The primary oxidizing agent in most fires is:

A) carbon.
B) oxygen.
C) nitrogen.
D) hydrogen.

Question 23

Liquids with a specific gravity of less than 1 will:

A) turn into vapor.
B) turn into solid.
C) float on the surface.
D) sink below the surface.

Question 24

Heat release rate is usually expressed in which of the following measurements?

A) Kilowatts (kW)
B) Kilojoules/gram (kJ/g)
C) British thermal unit (Btu)
D) Kilowatts per meter squared (kW/m2)

Question 25

What heat transfer method usually occurs through movement of hot smoke and fire gases?

A) Potential
B) Radiation
C) Conduction
D) Convection

Question 26

What method of heat transfer can become the dominant mode as the fire grows in size?

A) Potential
B) Radiation
C) Conduction
D) Convection

Question 27

What type of fuel has a definite size and shape?

A) Solid
B) Liquid
C) Gaseous
D) Chemical

Question 28

Which of the following BEST describes the influence of exposed surfaces on radiant heat?

A) Creating a vacuum will stop radiant heat.
B) Materials that reflect radiated energy help increase radiant heat.
C) Dark materials emit and absorb heat more effectively than light materials.
D) Temperature differences between the heat source and exposed surface have no impact.

Question 29

What source of thermal energy is the most common source of heat in combustion reactions?

A) Radiant energy
B) Electrical energy
C) Chemical energy
D) Mechanical energy

Question 30

Fuel particles become smaller as the ratio of surface-to-mass:

A) increases.
B) decreases.
C) stays constant.
D) fluctuates back and forth.

Question 31

What type of fuel has mass and volume but no definite shape?

A) Solid
B) Liquid
C) Gaseous
D) Chemical

Question 32

Which of the following terms is the total amount of energy released when a specific amount of fuel is burned?

A) Thermal energy
B) Chemical energy
C) Heat release rate
D) Heat of combustion

Question 33

What type of fuel can be the most dangerous of all the types?

A) Solid
B) Liquid
C) Gaseous
D) Chemical

Question 34

What method of heat transfer occurs when a material is heated as the result of direct contact with a heat source?

A) Potential
B) Radiation
C) Conduction
D) Convection

Question 35

Which of the following terms is used to refer to the process that can generate sufficient quantities of burnable vapors to ignite in the presence of a sufficient oxidizer?

A) Pyrolysis
B) Fire point
C) Flash point
D) Vapor pressure

Question 36

Which of the following terms is the minimum temperature at which a liquid gives off sufficient vapors to ignite, but still not sustain combustion?

A) Fire point
B) Flash point
C) Vapor point
D) Pressure point

Question 37

What term is used to describe the extent to which a substance will mix with water?

A) Solubility
B) Mixability
C) Volatility
D) Reactivity

Question 38

Which type of fuel does not contain carbon?

A) Simple
B) Organic
C) Reactive
D) Inorganic

Question 39

Which of the following BEST describes what vapor pressure indicates?

A) How easily a substance will evaporate
B) How long it takes a substance to evaporate
C) What form the substance will take in a container
D) What direction a substance will take when released from a container

Question 40

What method of electrical energy occurs when a high-temperature luminous discharge crosses a gap?

A) Arcing
B) Sparking
C) Overcurrent
D) Resistance heating

Question 41

Which of the following BEST describes the impact of higher oxygen concentration on combustion?

A) Materials burn more intensely.
B) Fires may be easier to extinguish.
C) Nonflaming combustion is extinguished.
D) Materials that do not burn at normal levels still do not burn.

Question 42

What fire development factor includes cold temperature, strong winds, and wind direction?

A) Fuel type
B) Ambient conditions
C) Compartment volume and ceiling height
D) Availability and location of additional fuel

Question 43

Which of the following affects the amount of air entrained in the plume during the growth stage?

A) Type of fuel
B) Thermal layering
C) Location of ignition
D) Location of fuel package

Question 44

Which of the following fire development factors affects heat release rate?

A) Fuel type
B) Ventilation
C) Compartment volume and ceiling height
D) Availability and location of additional fuel

Question 45

The ignition of unburned fire gases at the top of the compartment is known as:

A) rollover.
B) flashover.
C) combustion.
D) smoke explosion.

Question 46

What form of compartment fire is controlled by the availability of oxygen and the configuration of fuel?

A) Uncontrolled
B) Fuel-controlled
C) Base controlled
D) Ventilation-controlled

Question 47

What fire stage occurs as the fuel is consumed and oxygen concentration falls?

A) Incipient
B) Growth
C) Fully Developed
D) Decay

Question 48

Isolated flames in the gas layer during the growth stage indicates:

A) hot and cool gases are mixing together.
B) the temperature is only slightly above ambient.
C) the concentration of combustion products is low.
D) that portions of the layer are within flammable range.

Question 49

Which of the following BEST describes the impact of an extinguishing agent when trying to extinguish flaming combustion?

A) It forms an unstable product.
B) It speeds the combustion reaction.
C) It interferes with the chemical reaction.
D) It burns more oxygen in a short amount of time.

Question 50

Which of the following is defined as the tendency of gases to form into layers according to temperature?

A) Type of fuel
B) Thermal layering
C) Location of ignition
D) Location of fuel package

Question 51

Which of the following is a heat indicator of a possible flashover?

A) Darkening smoke
B) Darkened windows
C) Bi-directional movement in smoke
D) High velocity and turbulent air flow

Question 52

What common element of flashover represents the shift from growth stage to fully developed stage?

A) Rapidity
B) Compartment
C) Transition in fire development
D) Ignition of all exposed surfaces

Question 53

What type of rapid fire development happens when all the combustible materials and gases in a compartment ignite almost simultaneously?

A) Backdraft
B) Flashover
C) Combustion
D) Smoke explosion

Question 54

The neutral plane in the growth stage is the:

A) beginning of rapid transition layers.
B) point where thermal layering begins.
C) opening in the hot and cool layers.
D) interface of hot and cool layers at an opening.

Question 55

What fire development factor is based on considering how the volume of air will impact radiated heat in a fire?

A) Fuel type
B) Ambient conditions
C) Compartment volume and ceiling height
D) Availability and location of additional fuel

Question 56

What stage of fire development occurs when all the combustible materials in a compartment are burning?

A) Incipient
B) Growth
C) Fully Developed
D) Decay

Question 57

What thermal property of a compartment contains heat within the compartment, causing localized increase in temperature?

A) Insulation
B) Retention
C) Passive agents
D) Heat reflectivity

Question 58

Which of the following BEST describes the complete oxidation of methane?

A) It produces water.
B) It produces carbon dioxide.
C) It produces oxygen and water.
D) It produces carbon dioxide and water.

Question 59

In what stage is fire development largely dependent on the characteristics and configuration of the fuel involved?

A) Incipient
B) Growth
C) Fully Developed
D) Decay

Question 60

What term defines the minimum concentration of fuel vapor and air that supports combustion?

A) Vaporization
B) Vapor pressure
C) Lower flammable limit
D) Upper flammable limit

Question 61

What type of rapid fire development occurs as unburned fuel gases contact an ignition source?

A) Rollover
B) Backdraft
C) Combustion
D) Smoke explosion

Question 62

What is the most common method used in fire fighting operations?

A) Fuel removal
B) Oxygen exclusion
C) Temperature reduction
D) Chemical flame inhibition

Question 63

What aspect of fire development is a result of an increase in low-level ventilation prior to upper level ventilation?

A) Rollover
B) Backdraft
C) Combustion
D) Smoke explosion

Question 64

What fire-suppression method does not work if fuel is self-oxidixing?

A) Fuel removal
B) Oxygen exclusion
C) Temperature reduction
D) Chemical flame inhibition

Question 65

What method of fire suppression is the simplest?

A) Fuel removal
B) Oxygen exclusion
C) Temperature reduction
D) Chemical flame inhibition

Question 66

What fire behavior can be the result of wind from outside the structure?

A) Oxygen exclusion
B) Unplanned ventilation
C) Temperature reduction
D) Chemical flame inhibition

Question 67

Which of the following is a building indicator for a possible backdraft?

A) Optically dense smoke
B) Little or no visible flame
C) Turbulent smoke discharge
D) Fire confined to a void space

Question 68

What suppression method uses extinguishing agents to stop flame production?

A) Ventilation
B) Oxygen exclusion
C) Temperature reduction
D) Chemical flame inhibition

Question 69

Which of the following is a heat indicator for a possible backdraft?

A) Smoke stained windows
B) Turbulent smoke discharge
C) Fire confined to a void space
D) Contents with high heat release rate

Question 70

Water is converted to steam at:

A) 190^oF (88 ^oC).
B) 212^oF (100^oC).
C) 230^oF (110 ^oC).
D) 300^oF (149 ^oC).