Kaplan- Lesson 10: Fire Safety

Question 1

A model building code that specifies the protection that must be incorporated into any building.

Answer 1

The Uniform Building Code (UBC)

Question 2

What are the three goals of fire protection?

Answer 2

1. Protection or escape for occupants
2. Insure sufficient structural integrity
3. Allow building to survive fire and be restored after.

Question 3

What is a fourth goal of fire protection that has become more prevalent recently?

Answer 3

Prevent fired from starting and if they do start, extinguish immediately and automatically.

Question 4

What are the five construction types listed by the UBC?

Answer 4

Type I (Non-combustible and rated)

Type II (Non-combustible - rated or unrated)

Type III (Non-combustible exterior walls, combustible interior elements - rated or unrated)

Type IV Heavy timber - rated or unrated.

Type V Combustible - rated or unrated.

Question 5

What occupancy does each letter stand for?

A
B
E
F 
H
I
M
R
S 
U

Answer 5

A- assembly
B- business
E- educational
F - factory & industrial
H- hazardous
I- Institutional
M- mercantile
R- residential
S - storage
U- utility

Question 6

Each exit stairway must be within ____ feet of any point in a building.

Answer 6

150 and 200’ for sprinklered.

Question 7

Under no circumstances should any part of an exit passage be less than ____.

Answer 7

44” wide

Question 8

What are the four classes of fires?

Answer 8

Class A- fires involving ordinary materials, including wood, paper, cloth, and rubber

Class B- fires involving flammable gases & liquids, such as natural gas, gasoline, oil, etc.

Class C- fires involving electrical equipment

Class D- fires involving combustible metals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc.

Question 9

What are the three forms of fire detection available?

Answer 9

ionization, photoelectric detection, & temperature sensing.

Question 10

The _____ detector reacts to visible smoke in the air that blocks a beam of light.

Answer 10

photoelectric

Question 11

The _____ detector responds to the chemical products of combustion (POC) present in the air during a fire, even in the earliest stages.

Answer 11

ionization

Question 12

Small or smoldering fires are particularly dangerous because of a phenomenon known as ______. Why is this dangerous?

Answer 12

flashover. It is dangerous because gases collect near the ceiling and can become extremely hot and then combust all at once at a certain temperature.

Question 13

What is a dry standpipe?

Answer 13

Large diameter water risers that are empty and not connected to a water supply. The fire department can connect to the lower end pumping water up through the building.

Question 14

The fitting at the lower end of a standpipe is referred to as a ______.

Answer 14

Siamese fitting

Question 15

What is a wet standpipe?

Answer 15

A standpipe connected to the building water supply. They are mainly for building occupant use however in the even of a fire, the fire department can connect to it and increase the pressure of water.

Question 16

____ standpipes are required in buildings of four or more stories, throughout most theaters & other places of assembly, all hazardous occupancies, and all Group I, B, S, and M occupancies.

Answer 16

Wet

Question 17

Buildings that exceed 150 feet in height require a ______ standpipe for every stairway that extends from the ground to roof.

Answer 17

combination

Question 18

Compartmentation refers to

A. sealing special chemicals in compartments, which are released when fire is detected.

B. containing the fire in the area in which it began.

C. dividing a sprinkler system into compartments based on required flow rate.

D. dividing the city into Fire Zones 1, 2, and 3.

Answer 18

B. containing the fire in the area in which it began.

Question 19

The minimum exit corridor width is ____.

Answer 19

44”

Question 20

In a non-sprinklered building, the maximum distance from a room to a fire stair exit is ____.

Answer 20

150’

Question 21

If a wet standpipe system is installed, every point on every floor must be within how many feet of a connection?

A. 75’
B. 130’
C. 150’
D. 200’

Answer 21

B. 130’

100’ hose and 30’ within the end of the hose

Question 22

Flashover occurs when

A. all the materials reach combustion temperature at once.

B. one building’s roof ignites the next building’s roof.

C. a fire thought to be extinguished restarts itself from the embers.

D. high temperatures trigger a sprinkler head.

Answer 22

A. all the materials reach combustion temperature at once.

Question 23

Building occupancy groups are determined by

A. the construction materials used in the structure.

B. the number of people expected to use the building.

C. the function for which the building is designed.

D. the size of the building.

Answer 23

C. the function for which the building is designed.

Question 24

Dry standpipes are

A. used by building occupants to put out a fire before it gets out of control.

B. filled with halon gas or carbon dioxide, and triggered automatically.

C. used by fire fighters, who have to pump water into them.

D. used to drain floors of excess water during fire fighting.

Answer 24

C. used by fire fighters, who have to pump water into them.

Question 25

The major benefit of using sprinkler systems is that

A. they do not require that someone be in attendance to be effective.

B. they are considerably less expensive than standpipe systems.

C. they do not damage valuable artwork, books or records.

D. they may also be used as domestic plumbing systems.

Answer 25

A. they do not require that someone be in attendance to be effective.

Question 26

Which of the following fire detection devices will sense the products of combustion, whether or not the fire is very large?

A. Ionization detector
B. Smoke detector
C. Sprinkler head with fusible link
D. Heat detector

Answer 26

A. Ionization detector

Question 27

Which of the following are required to have a Siamese connection at the base?

I. Wet standpipes
II. Dry standpipes
III. Wet sprinkler systems

A. I & II
B. II & III
C. I & III
D. I, II, & III

Answer 27

D. I, II, & III