Deck 19: Fire Origin and Cause Determination Firefighter II

Question 1

Which of the following might an adjuster contact upon notification of a loss?

A) Fire marshal
B) Fire investigator
C) Arson investigator
D) Insurance investigator

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate about types of evidence?

A) There are four primary evidence categories
B) Physical evidence is the most important evidence
C) Evidence is presented to prove or disprove a hypothesis
D) Evidence cannot speak for itself and rarely supports a testimony

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Insurance investigators are hired to:

A) lead the investigation.
B) determine the number of fatalities.
C) determine cause and amount of loss.
D) gather information about the people involved.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate about containers?

A) They can be used as trailers
B) They are used as timing devices
C) They cannot hold ignitable liquids
D) They could be found in a structure

Question 5

Which of the following is a responsibility of a firefighter during fire investigations?

A) Conduct investigation
B) Determine amount of loss
C) Determine origin and cause
D) Collect important information

Question 6

During an investigation, the people present and status of doors are a firefighter should take.

A) laws
B) guidelines
C) legal issues
D) mental notes

Question 7

Which of the following is an ignitable liquid?

A) Milk
B) Urine
C) Water
D) Alcohol

Question 8

Which of the following are often cigarette-match combinations?

A) Fire patterns
B) Separate fires
C) Timing devices
D) Electrical sources

Question 9

Which category of evidence supports inference formed from direct evidence?

A) Natural
B) Indirect
C) Physical
D) Circumstantial

Question 10

What is a firefighter's role when working with insurance investigators?

A) Clean up debris and take written notes
B) Collect evidence and present it in court
C) Determine cause and collect information
D) Be interviewed or provide testimony in court

Question 11

Which of the following is developed to ensure the integrity of evidence during collection?

A) Chain of custody
B) Modifying equipment
C) The Miranda warning
D) Determining fire cause

Question 12

Responsibility for can lie with state fire marshal, state police, or other state agency.

A) fire cause
B) investigation
C) amount of loss
D) insurance information

Question 13

Once the control of scene has been relinquished, personnel can only re-enter after:

A) providing valid identification.
B) securing permission from owner.
C) speaking with the insurance investigator.
D) logging in with the person granting access.

Question 14

Who has legal responsibility for determining origin and cause of a fire?

A) Fire chief
B) Firefighter
C) Police officer
D) Fire investigator

Question 15

The area of origin is the location:

A) where the fire began.
B) with the most charring.
C) where ignition took place.
D) with places where fire patterns can be determined.

Question 16

Which of the following would be a sufficient reply for a firefighter providing a statement?

A) "The fire is under investigation."
B) "The fire is out and evidence is being collected."
C) "Firefighters and investigators are working together to determine the cause of the fire."
D) "Assistance from an insurance investigator has been requested."

Question 17

Which of the following is more commonly found in wildland fires?

A) Glass
B) Bottles
C) Lighters
D) Chemicals

Question 18

Which of the following would be an example of physical evidence?

A) Noise
B) Lighting
C) Odor or smell
D) Fire patterns

Question 19

Which of the following can jeopardize legal proceedings if evidence is damaged during cause determination?

A) Spoliation
B) Right of entry
C) Chain of custody
D) Search and seizure

Question 20

Which of the following decides what evidence is collected?

A) Fire chief
B) Firefighter
C) Fire investigator
D) Insurance investigator

Question 21

Which of the following should a firefighter know when dealing with ground cover fires?

A) Topography
B) Time of day
C) Manmade barriers
D) Number of people involved

Question 22

What information should be noted about unusual odors during a fire investigation?

A) If the odor was not present during the fire
B) If the odor has an aroma of something similar to smoke
C) If the odor can be detected after coming out of the smoke
D) If the odor is more than 20 feet (6.1 m) outside of the structure

Question 23

To determine fire cause a firefighter should look for:

A) evidence and debris.
B) an ignition source and sequence.
C) the most charring and spoliation.
D) witnesses and suspicious individuals.

Question 24

What is the MOST obvious sign of fire cause?

A) Large amount of debris
B) Consistent fire pattern
C) Competent ignition source
D) Considerable amount of charring

Question 25

Control of all evidence must be maintained as part of the required in legal cases.

A) area of origin
B) chain of custody
C) fire investigation
D) collection of evidence

Question 26

Which type of fire cause occurs when humans are not involved in the ignition process?

A) Natural
B) Accidental
C) Incendiary
D) Undetermined

Question 27

Which of the following may have an effect on the natural path of fire spread?

A) Burglary tools
B) Containers or cans
C) Wind direction and velocity
D) Time of arrival and extent of fire

Question 28

Which of the following may appear on floors and indicate where fuel burned in that location?

A) Debris
B) Charring
C) Flashover
D) Fire pattern

Question 29

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate about exterior fires?

A) The area of origin may display unburned materials.
B) All sides of grass stems and tree trunks will be burnt.
C) Grass will fall away from the area of origin as it burns
D) White ash appears on the underside of remaining debris.

Question 30

When working on interior examination a firefighter should work from:

A) the right side of the structure to the left side.
B) the left side of the structure to the right side.
C) area of greatest damage to area of least damage.
D) area of least damage to area of greatest damage.

Question 31

Which of the following can trace how a fire spread?

A) Debris
B) Charring
C) Flashover
D) Fire pattern

Question 32

Air bags in a vehicle fire should be:

A) purposely deployed for testing.
B) not handled to preserve evidence.
C) deployed while conducting a survey.
D) inoperable before beginning interior survey.

Question 33

Where should a firefighter or investigator start searching for area of origin for a structure fire?

A) Inside the burned area
B) Outside of the structure
C) Left of the burned area
D) Right of the unburned area

Question 34

Signs of arson are determined when initial cause is indicated as:

A) exterior or interior fire.
B) structure or vehicle fire.
C) natural or accidental fire.
D) incendiary or undetermined fire.

Question 35

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate about total structural fire loss?

A) Fire indicators will exist.
B) Ventilation factors can be determined.
C) There is no need for a fire investigation.
D) It is difficult to locate the greatest damage.

Question 36

Which type of fire cause is used when specific cause has not been determined?

A) Natural
B) Accidental
C) Incendiary
D) Undetermined

Question 37

Which of the following signs of arson may be used to allow fire spread?

A) Trailers
B) Fire patterns
C) Unusual odors
D) Structural alterations

Question 38

Preserving evidence is the responsibility of:

A) firefighters only.
B) police officers only.
C) fire investigators only.
D) fire officers and firefighters.

Question 39

Which of the following is an indicator of fire cause?

A) Smoke
B) Fuel source
C) Extinguisher
D) Water supply

Question 40

Which of the following factors affect the rate and direction of the spread of exterior fires?

A) Time of day
B) Wind direction
C) Basic fire behavior
D) Unburned material

Question 41

How are overhaul operations detrimental to an investigation?

A) It can secure evidence.
B) It can destroy evidence.
C) It can shelter evidence.
D) It can preserve evidence.

Question 42

Which of the following occurs when movement, change, or alteration of evidence prevents obtaining value?

A) Spoliation
B) Alteration
C) Limitation
D) Detoxification

Question 43

A structure may be secured and turned over to the owner/occupant once a fire is out and:

A) debris is cleared.
B) investigation is completed.
C) charred evidence is secured.
D) written documents are obtained.

Question 44

Who may have to adjust security measures in place or implement additional measures?

A) Police officer
B) Fire investigator
C) Fire officers and firefighters
D) Police officers and firefighters

Question 45

Which of the following is a potential source of contamination during evidence preservation?

A) Clearing out loose debris
B) Charred documents that are unreadable
C) Smoking materials that have been dropped
D) Damaged equipment while putting out the fire

Question 46

Firefighters should keep evidence until investigator arrives.

A) clean
B) hidden
C) untouched
D) under lock and key

Question 47

The perimeter of a structure fire may be expanded to encompass the area surrounding the building and:

A) where odors are most prominent.
B) the farthest piece of debris found.
C) most of the inside of the structure.
D) any potential evidence that is located outside.

Question 48

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate about procedures for criminal investigation?

A) As long as a log is kept, anyone can enter the perimeter scene.
B) The staging area should be within the perimeters of the scene.
C) A log should be kept of all authorized persons who enter and leave incident perimeter.
D) Evidence should be marked after the examination, documentation, and collection has occurred.