TCFP FIRE INVESTIGATOR TEST /FIRE INVESTIGATOR -MASTER
FOR TCFP EXAM 2023-2024 ACTUAL EXAM 350 QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS)
|ALREADY GRADED A
What are the indicators of flashover? – ….ANSWER….Surface burning, burning from
above, demarcation line and a baked on appearence.
Homemade napalm is made from? – ….ANSWER….A mixture of gasoline and
styrofoam.
Describe a truncated cone. – ….ANSWER….A “U” shaped pattern on a wall extending
down from the ceiling.
What is a trailer? – ….ANSWER….Anything used to spread fire from one area to
another.
Does a volatile liquid found in a bedroom prove an incendiary fire? – ….ANSWER….No it
only indicates an incendiary fire.
What is the velocity of a high order explosion? – ….ANSWER….3300 feet/second
Low order explosions are characterized by? – ….ANSWER….A pushing effect, large
broken (shattered) pieces.
What are the different types of explosions? – ….ANSWER….Mechanical, electrical,
chemical, nuclear.
An over-pressurization of a container is an example of what type of an explosion? –
….ANSWER….Mechanical.
What are the secondary effects of an explosion? – ….ANSWER….Reflection of the blast
waves, focusing of the blast energy, and shielding.
What is business interruption insurance? – ….ANSWER….It reimburses the insured for
loss of income due to a fire.
What type of bomb requires the victim to do something to trigger the device? –
….ANSWER….An action bomb, ie booby trap.
What type of bomb requires no action to trigger it? – ….ANSWER….Time bomb.
What are the effects of negative blast pressure? – ….ANSWER….The negative blast
pressure phase is less powerful but last longer than the positive pressure phase. It may
conceal the area of origin and/or cause secondary damage.
Why is fire scene photograph difficult? – ….ANSWER….The lack of lighting.
What is the most commonly used sketch at a fire scene? – ….ANSWER….Floor plan
sketch.
What method of photograph should be used when documenting a fire scene? –
….ANSWER….From least to most damage.
What are the plotting methods to document a fire scene? – ….ANSWER….Rectangular,
transecting base lines and triangulation.
What does a pugilistic attitude indicate? – ….ANSWER….A high heat fire Wthat had
nothing to due with the cause of death.
Absence of CO2 in the blood stream of a body located in a fire scene may indicate
what? – ….ANSWER….The person was dead prior to the fire.
What increases the toxicity of CO2? – ….ANSWER….Alcohol, barbiturates, smoking
other drugs.
Which is worse a light concentration of CO2 over long duration or a heavy concentration
or a short duration? – ….ANSWER….They are equally bad.
CO2 bond to hemoglobin how much faster than O2? – ….ANSWER….210 time faster.
Soot in the trachea may indicate what? – ….ANSWER….The person was alive during the
fire.
During a civil action based on fraud by the insured what does not have to be proven. –
….ANSWER….That the fire was caused by arson.
How long do you have to provide proof of loss to an insurance company? –
….ANSWER….60 days.
Is NFPA 921 a guide or a standard? – ….ANSWER….It is the Guide for Fire and
Explosion Investigations
What are the six steps of the scientific method? – ….ANSWER….Recognize the need
Define the problem
Collect the data
Analyze the data
Develop a hypothesis
Test the hypothesis
What step of the scientific method is inductive reasoning? – ….ANSWER….Analyze the
data
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 noncombustible 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.