Most Unknown Flashcards
Which is NFPA’s model building code?
NFPA 5000
What is considered to be the beams in an ordinary brick
and wood-joisted building with interior columns?
Floor boards
When were the test burns conducted that were used to
create the standard time-temperature curve?
1918
What is the best roof?
Roof beams rest on girders
Which type of lintels are commonly used in masonry walls?
Reinforced-concrete
What should the initial pump pressure be when supporting a
sprinkler system?
100 psi
What can create a wind-driven fire in a high-rise
building?
Failure of windows on the upper floors
What is the best way to control flammable liquid fires?
Keep the containers cool
Which statement is correct about rubbish?
The material’s condition lends to a high rate of heat
release
What concentrated load rating is given to the first and
upper floors in a retail store in the Building
Construction and Safety Code?
1000 lb (4.45 kN)
What should be done to protect trapped fire fighters when
a rapid intervention team is sent in for rescue after a
collapse?
Sweep the collapsed area above the ceiling with a hose line
What was the top layer on the walls in the Worcester Cold
Storage Warehouse which caught fire and killed six
Fire fighters in 1999?
Glassboard
Since what time have lightweight wood trusses been in
general use?
1960s
Up to what rating can the occupancy separation in a strip
mall be?
4-hour
How many components are there in the means of egress?
Three
Which is a correct statement about the load carrying
capacity of columns?
Columns lose strength by the square of the change in length
At what point did a national push for the development of a
model building code?
1904
What in general is the limit in the ordinary brick bearing
wall building?
6 stories
What is the fundamental purpose of a sprinkler system?
Control the fire
What were the exterior and interior wythes connected with
originally when hollow walls were built with hollow
terra-cotta tile?
Steel ties
Since what decade has code required that a structure be
anchored to its foundation?
1940s
What characterizes the three-decker type of apartment?
Porches on each level
What has been eliminated in low-rise buildings up to about
70 feet in some recent designs that allows the walls to be
no thicker than 8 inches?
Reinforced concrete
When winds are in excess of what speed will PPV fans be useless against them?
25 mph (40 kph)
Under which category of predicting a collapse do concentrated loads fall?
p430
Occupancy precipitators
What does the floor plate rest upon in the flat plate
structural system?
Columns
During which stage of a fire will it spread to adjacent
combustible materials?
Free burning
Which part of the building received the earliest attention in early fire testing?
Wood floors
What amount of open space must be present around the
covered mall building to allow for an unlimited area under
recent building codes?
60 feet (18.3 m)
In the South Tower, fires on which side of the building
had ample air supply?
East
Up to how many floors do building codes typically allow to
be open to the atrium?
Three
How long is the east wall in the FM Approvals Corner Test?
50 feet (15.2 m)
What does the fire resistance rating provide?
Relative measure of comparison
Where do the connections transfer loads in plastic design
in steel construction?
To the building
What is the minimum number of fire fighters needed to make a trench cut in a row house?
Six
What is used to transfer loads so that spliced timber acts
like a single timber?
Metal connections
When did Frank Brannigan write an article introducing the
idea of preplanning?
1948
When what temperature is reached in the thermocouples
peened into columns will the column fail the fire
resistance testing?
1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (704 degrees Celsius)
What rating of fire assemblies are needed for an area to be classified as a control area in a hazardous materials
production building?
1-hour
How often should fire fighters be placed in the stairwell
when performing stairwell support operations?
Every 2 floors
Where do most fires start in garden apartments?
Tenant spaces
How long did it take for the fire at the Los Angeles
Central Library in 1986 to be extinguished?
7.5 hours
Which is NOT a correct statement about fighting fires in
high-piled storage racks?
A 2-inch (50 mm) handline is best used until the fire is
knocked down
When did Frank Brannigan first become aware of the metal
deck roof problem?
1946
Which type of fireproofing for concrete protects
individual members?
Encasement
During which decade were many balloon-frame houses built
with an exterior that resembled post and frame
construction?
1920s
When did the Worcester Cold Storage building fire occur?
December 3, 1999
About what size spans can rigid frames provide?
100 feet (31 m)
When a load is on what part of an arch may the load cause
the arch to collapse?
Outside the center third
Which class standpipe system provides 2 1/2-inch (64-mm) hose connections to supply water and is intended for use by fire department personnel?
Class I
What fire resistance rating does the code require for
columns on a concrete building?
3-hour
What direction is the thrust of an arch?
Outward
As the length of the span of a beam increases, the safe load
capacity?
decreases in direct proportion
When do parapet walls often collapse?
During overhaul
What dictates how a fire spreads?
Heat transfer
Which type of window is nearly impossible for firefighting
ventilation?
Laminated “hurricane-resistant”
How much per cubic foot does the Empire State Building
weigh?
23 pounds (10 kg)
Which city sued a building management company to recover
costs of fighting a fire, charging the company had delayed
in transmitting the alarm?
New York
How many stories tall is the Monadnock Building in
Chicago?
15
Which type of collapse results from a loss of localized
load-carrying capacity?
Progressive
How long did the portion of the roof that collapsed at the
Military Records Center fire near St. Louis, Missouri in
1973 hold together after the start of the fire?
22 Hours
Where does wall formwork go out when it bursts?
Bottom
Who is the responsibility of sprinklers being placed on
today?
Fire department
With which type of concrete is the potential for
catastrophic collapse greatest if formwork fails?
Post-tensioned
When was the Eurotunnel completed?
1994
When was the International Green Construction Code issued
in an attempt to regulate green construction?
2012
How may some tensile reinforcing bars be bent to
accomplish the same purpose as a stirrup?
Bent up
What is being used in current construction to replace the
concrete that was once used for fireproofing?
Steel
Where does the air come from that is used in pressurized
stairways?
Outside the building
How many divisions can sprinkler impairment can be put
into?
Two
What is the major risk of ventilation?
Roof collapse
What should the ceilings of offices on factory floors be
constructed from?
p175
Plastic panels
What was a major contributing factor in the Avianca
airliner crash in 1989 on Long Island, New York?
Language
Which of the following is often used in the stud channels
of walls?
Polyurethane insulation
What are most tests done on CO explosions made in
connection with?
Design of containers
What is the proper term to be used when describing the
floor-ceiling truss void?
Trussloft
What was left unprotected when performing encasement, but
has been corrected?
Bottom web of beams
Which of the following is a spot-type smoke detector?
Photoelectric
Which test measures a material’s ability to resist flame
spread?
NFPA 253
How long did it take for the fire at the Los Angeles
Central Library in 1986 to be extinguished?
7.5 hours
What type of collapses are usually seen in the bathroom?
Localized
What is a building’s approximate life span?
75-100 years
What is considered an ideal beam?
p29
Cable
What type of load does the shape of a material affect its
ability to resist?
Compressive
What must be used when attempting ventilation on a wood
truss roof?
Aerial ladder
What type of stress is the girder subjected to when the
column is offset if the girder is not designed as a
transfer beam?
Shear
At what point should the use of MVUs be considered when
clearing the stairway of smoke to be used for evacuation?
p416
20 floors
Above what wind speed should its influence on the fire
inside be considered?
10-20 mph
Which is NOT a correct statement about the effects of fire
streams on brick walls?
The streams cause damage when the bricks are cooled to
quickly
Which part of the means of egress is often given a rating
of 20 minutes?
Corridor doors
What is your only option when using an aerial master
stream to battle a wind-driven fire?
Frontal attack through the window
What was emitted in the 1929 fire in a Cleveland (Ohio)
Clinic in the film storage facility that killed 125
doctors, nurses, and patients?
Nitrous oxide
What percentage of exits stairwells were allowed to
terminate in the building under model codes for years?
50%
What is the force per unit area that produces a
deformation?
Stress
Which of the following has the highest peak HHR during an
unconfined burn?
Dry Christmas tree
What is the rating of a horizontal exit?
2-hour
How often should the operator stop to check the elevator
shaft for smoke initially when operating in Phase II?
Five floors
Which part of tilt slab construction should be examined
carefully?
Openings in the wall
Where are electrical conduits often placed when a basement
is constructed using interlocking insulated concrete
forms?
In the foam
What happens when the concrete fails in steel skeleton
construction?
p345
It explodes up
Which part of the set up acts as an insulator when
conducting the Critical Radiant Flux Factor Covering
Systems Test?
Underlaying
What is stucco laid on when it is being used with a wood
building?
Metal lath
Until what year was sand-lime mortar used?
1880
What should be done to make existing exits bigger by
keeping the doors open?
Tie them open
How long after ignition in test No. 14 conducted by NBS in 1980 was the average gas temperature reported as 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (700 degrees Celsius)
6 minutes
Which calculated risk is being undertaken when it is
determined that steel does not need to be protected in a parking garage with enough air flow?
Engineering
During which time period did the exterior walls of mills
in the United States switch to masonry construction?
First half of the 1800s
What are caissons typically constructed from?
Concrete
What has always been a primary objective in fire fighting
from a historical perspective?
Fire containment
Which type of solar water heating system heats the water
directly through the use of a batch collector?
Passive
What does the fire protection standard specify?
How the system is designed
At what temperature does aluminum begin to lose its rated
strength?
350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius)
What fire-resistance rating is usually given to fire walls?
1-hour
What material is used to construct the lintel commonly
used today?
Steel
What is the height above the floor at which steel used to
support roofs is NOT required to be protected?
20-30 feet (6-9 m)
What type of attack should be considered when fighting an
attic space fire?
Indirect
Where should you climb sagging, fire-weakened wooden
stairs?
Close to the inside wall
Which is the principal smoke-moving mechanism in the
high-rise building?
Thermal energy of fire
Which part of tilt slab construction should be examined
carefully?
Openings in the wall
What is the only way available to limit the amount of gas
and heat produced during a fire?
Automatic sprinkler system
What term is used to describe the load that will bend or
break the beam?
Bending moment
Where should the standpipe connection for the attack line
be made?
Landing below the fire floor
How often should a structural engineer certify steel fire
escapes?
5 years
Which is NOT a characteristic of mill construction?
Columns and beams are of heavy timber with steel connectors
Which floors in the North Tower sustained the most damage
when the aircraft impacted it?
95 and 96
What marks the boundaries of the original structure in the
dining hall at the National Fire Academy?
Cast-iron columns
As a minimum, how many times the height of the wall should
fire fighters remain for safety?
One
Which of the following is NOT a typical departure from
true mill construction?
p233-5
Medium level combustible contents
What rating is often given to corridors?
1 hour
What fire resistance rating does the code require for
columns on a concrete building?
3-hour
What was destroyed in the Alfred P. Murrah federal office
building bombing in 1995 that led to the collapse of all
of the upper floors?
Exterior columns
What fire-resistance rating is usually given to fire walls?
1-hour
How many floors must be connected as a minimum under
today’s building codes to be classified as an atria?
2
What type of bracing is used in high-rise buildings to
resist the substantial wind forces that are experienced?
K-bracing
What should be used to fight a carpeting fire in a
corridor?
Solid stream
Which utility should particular attention be paid to when
preincident planning in a restaurant?
p397
Gas
What gives smoke its opaqueness?
Solid particulates
