FIRE INVESTIGATOR - MASTER
FOR TCFP TEST EXAM WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Is NFPA 921 a guide or a ( correct answers ) It is the Guide for
standard? Explosion Fire and
Investigations
What are the six steps of the scientific ( correct answers )
method? need Recognize the
Define the problem
Collect the data
Analyze the data
Develop a
hypothesis Test the
hypothesis
What step of the scientific method is inductive reasoning? ( correct
answers ) Analyze the data
What step of the scientific method is deductive reasoning? ( correct
answers ) Test the hypothesis
What are the four parts of the fire ( correct answers ) Fuel
tetrahedron? agent) (reducing
Heat
Oxidizing agent
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction
What kind of reaction absorbs energy, an endothermic or an exothermic
reaction? ( correct answers )
Endothermic
What is heat transfer by direct contact called? ( correct
answers ) Conduction
What is heat transfer by gas flow / air movement called? ( correct
answers ) Convection
What is heat transfer by microwave energy called?
( correct answers ) Radiation
What is a fuel controlled fire? ( correct answers ) A fire that
is limited by the amount of combustibles.
What is a ventilation controlled fire? ( correct answers ) A
fire that is limited by the amount of oxygen.
GRADED
A+
,What are the stages of fire ( correct answers )
growth? Growth Ignition
Flashover
Fully
Developed
Decay
What is a flashover? ( correct answers ) 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?
( correct answers ) Flameover or rollover
What factors influence flashover conditions? ( correct answers )
Size of the compartment
Height of
ceiling
Ventilation
Amount of
fuel Layout
of fuel
Location of
fire in the
What are the different types of fire patterns on the walls
compartmen ( correct
t
and ceiling? answers
) Plume Generated patterns (often V
What areVentilation
shaped) fire patterns? ( correct
generated answers ) The physical manifestation of
patterns
the affects
Hot gas layerof fire on materials.
patterns (Line of
What is spalling? ( correct answers )
demarcation) 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? ( correct answers ) Pyrolized carbonaceous material
What is oxidation? ( correct answers ) Physical change in appearance of
a material resulting from the combination of oxygen.
What is alloying? ( correct answers ) Mixing two metals heated
then cooled to change their properties. Often melts at a lower
temperature.
What is a clean burn? ( correct answers ) 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? ( correct answers ) Elemental carbon produced during
incomplete combustion.
GRADED
A+
,What is calcination? ( correct answers ) 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? ( correct answers )
Bulbs 25 watts or less pull away. Bulbs greater than 25 watts will expand
towards the fire.
What causes heat shadowing? ( correct answers ) An
object blocking the travel of radiated heat.
What is a dead load? ( correct answers ) The weight of things
attached to the building, like flooring, cloumns, and roof coverings.
What is a live load? ( correct answers ) A load that can move, like people,
furniture, wind, water, and snow.
What is compartmentation? ( correct answers ) Design
features of a building that limit fire growth to the room of origin.
What are the five building construction ( correct answers ) Type I -
types? resistant Fire
Type II - Non
combustible Type III -
Ordinary
Type IV - Heavy
timber Type V -
Wood is
What frame
ordinary construction? ( correct answers )
Exterior walls are masonry and frame is wood.
What is wood frame construction? ( correct answers ) Lightweight wood
construction, used in apartments, houses.
What is platform frame construction? ( correct answers )
Each floor is a seperate platform.
What is balloon frame construction? ( correct answers ) The
wall studs extend from the foundation to the roof.
What is Ohm's Law? ( correct answers )
V=IR (E = I x R)
What is voltage? ( correct answers )
Pressure What is current?
( correct answers ) Flow
GRADED
A+
, What is resistance? ( correct answers ) Friction, opposition to the flow
What is an overload? ( correct answers ) Power needs exceed the circuit's
capacity.
Alternating Current VS Direct Current ( correct answers )
Alternating current - the electrons flow
out from the source and then back to it, alternating directions.
Direct current - electrons flow one way.
Single Phase service ( correct answers ) Residential. Three
conductors: Two insulated conductors at 120 V each, and a bare
ground wire.
Three phase system ( correct answers ) Commercial. Four
conductors: Three insulated conductors (480, 240, or 208 V), and a
bare ground wire.
What is overcurrent
the difference between ( correct answers
grounding ) A device
and bonding? that protects
( correct
protection? from excess
answers ) Grounding connectsthe
thesystem
system to the earth (ground). Bonding
current.
connectsIncludes: Circuit
to systems together so the charge stays the same between
breakers
them.
Plug fuses
Type S
fuses
Time delay
fuses are the colors of residential
What ( correct answers ) Hot -
Cartridge
wires? Neutral - gray or white black or red
fuses - bare or green
Ground
What are some methods of electrical heat production?
( correct answers ) Resistance heating
Short
circuit
Ground
fault
Parting Arc
Excessive
What is the difference between and arc and a ( correct answers ) Sparks
current
spark? thrown metal particles are
Arcs are brief discharges of electricity
What is arc tracking?( correct answers ) Arc following salts, dusts, or liquids
along a path.
What is arc mapping? ( correct answers ) Mapping out of electrical
damage in a circuit.
GRADED
A+
FOR TCFP TEST EXAM WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Is NFPA 921 a guide or a ( correct answers ) It is the Guide for
standard? Explosion Fire and
Investigations
What are the six steps of the scientific ( correct answers )
method? need Recognize the
Define the problem
Collect the data
Analyze the data
Develop a
hypothesis Test the
hypothesis
What step of the scientific method is inductive reasoning? ( correct
answers ) Analyze the data
What step of the scientific method is deductive reasoning? ( correct
answers ) Test the hypothesis
What are the four parts of the fire ( correct answers ) Fuel
tetrahedron? agent) (reducing
Heat
Oxidizing agent
Uninhibited chemical chain reaction
What kind of reaction absorbs energy, an endothermic or an exothermic
reaction? ( correct answers )
Endothermic
What is heat transfer by direct contact called? ( correct
answers ) Conduction
What is heat transfer by gas flow / air movement called? ( correct
answers ) Convection
What is heat transfer by microwave energy called?
( correct answers ) Radiation
What is a fuel controlled fire? ( correct answers ) A fire that
is limited by the amount of combustibles.
What is a ventilation controlled fire? ( correct answers ) A
fire that is limited by the amount of oxygen.
GRADED
A+
,What are the stages of fire ( correct answers )
growth? Growth Ignition
Flashover
Fully
Developed
Decay
What is a flashover? ( correct answers ) 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?
( correct answers ) Flameover or rollover
What factors influence flashover conditions? ( correct answers )
Size of the compartment
Height of
ceiling
Ventilation
Amount of
fuel Layout
of fuel
Location of
fire in the
What are the different types of fire patterns on the walls
compartmen ( correct
t
and ceiling? answers
) Plume Generated patterns (often V
What areVentilation
shaped) fire patterns? ( correct
generated answers ) The physical manifestation of
patterns
the affects
Hot gas layerof fire on materials.
patterns (Line of
What is spalling? ( correct answers )
demarcation) 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? ( correct answers ) Pyrolized carbonaceous material
What is oxidation? ( correct answers ) Physical change in appearance of
a material resulting from the combination of oxygen.
What is alloying? ( correct answers ) Mixing two metals heated
then cooled to change their properties. Often melts at a lower
temperature.
What is a clean burn? ( correct answers ) 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? ( correct answers ) Elemental carbon produced during
incomplete combustion.
GRADED
A+
,What is calcination? ( correct answers ) 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? ( correct answers )
Bulbs 25 watts or less pull away. Bulbs greater than 25 watts will expand
towards the fire.
What causes heat shadowing? ( correct answers ) An
object blocking the travel of radiated heat.
What is a dead load? ( correct answers ) The weight of things
attached to the building, like flooring, cloumns, and roof coverings.
What is a live load? ( correct answers ) A load that can move, like people,
furniture, wind, water, and snow.
What is compartmentation? ( correct answers ) Design
features of a building that limit fire growth to the room of origin.
What are the five building construction ( correct answers ) Type I -
types? resistant Fire
Type II - Non
combustible Type III -
Ordinary
Type IV - Heavy
timber Type V -
Wood is
What frame
ordinary construction? ( correct answers )
Exterior walls are masonry and frame is wood.
What is wood frame construction? ( correct answers ) Lightweight wood
construction, used in apartments, houses.
What is platform frame construction? ( correct answers )
Each floor is a seperate platform.
What is balloon frame construction? ( correct answers ) The
wall studs extend from the foundation to the roof.
What is Ohm's Law? ( correct answers )
V=IR (E = I x R)
What is voltage? ( correct answers )
Pressure What is current?
( correct answers ) Flow
GRADED
A+
, What is resistance? ( correct answers ) Friction, opposition to the flow
What is an overload? ( correct answers ) Power needs exceed the circuit's
capacity.
Alternating Current VS Direct Current ( correct answers )
Alternating current - the electrons flow
out from the source and then back to it, alternating directions.
Direct current - electrons flow one way.
Single Phase service ( correct answers ) Residential. Three
conductors: Two insulated conductors at 120 V each, and a bare
ground wire.
Three phase system ( correct answers ) Commercial. Four
conductors: Three insulated conductors (480, 240, or 208 V), and a
bare ground wire.
What is overcurrent
the difference between ( correct answers
grounding ) A device
and bonding? that protects
( correct
protection? from excess
answers ) Grounding connectsthe
thesystem
system to the earth (ground). Bonding
current.
connectsIncludes: Circuit
to systems together so the charge stays the same between
breakers
them.
Plug fuses
Type S
fuses
Time delay
fuses are the colors of residential
What ( correct answers ) Hot -
Cartridge
wires? Neutral - gray or white black or red
fuses - bare or green
Ground
What are some methods of electrical heat production?
( correct answers ) Resistance heating
Short
circuit
Ground
fault
Parting Arc
Excessive
What is the difference between and arc and a ( correct answers ) Sparks
current
spark? thrown metal particles are
Arcs are brief discharges of electricity
What is arc tracking?( correct answers ) Arc following salts, dusts, or liquids
along a path.
What is arc mapping? ( correct answers ) Mapping out of electrical
damage in a circuit.
GRADED
A+
