FIRE INVESTIGATOR MASTER FOR
TCFP TEST ORIGIN AND CAUSE
DETERMINATION EXAM
⩥ 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.
TCFP TEST ORIGIN AND CAUSE
DETERMINATION EXAM
⩥ 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.
