Routine Emergencies Fire Engineering

Question 1

Insulation of burning wire containing PVC will give off what gas?

Answer 1

Hydrogen Chloride

Question 2

What is contained in some transformer coolants that give off carcinogens when they burn?

Answer 2

Polychlorinated biphenyls

Question 3

A fluorescent fixture that is blinking, dim, or not working can indicate:

Answer 3

Overheated ballast

Question 4

What does a typical ballast transformer consist of?

Answer 4

Fine copper wire wound around an iron core

Question 5

Where can a ballast normally be found?

Answer 5

Encased in a metal box attached to the reflector hood

Question 6

What can cause a ballast to overheat?

Answer 6

Short in the transformer core
Failure of the capacitor, light starter, or one of the fluorescent lamps

Question 7

What is a normal temp for a ballast?

Answer 7

140 degrees

Question 8

Ballasts manufactured before 1979 can contain what?

Answer 8

PCB-contaminated dielectric fluid; produces dioxin contaminated smoke

Question 9

Fluorescent lamps manufactured after what year contain thermal protection to protect the ballast from overheating?

Answer 9

1968

Question 10

When did UL require thermal protection for recessed lighting?

Answer 10

1982

Question 11

How many times does an electrical system try to restore power automatically?

Answer 11

3 times; 3 trips to lockout

Question 12

Before residential use, voltage is stepped down to about how many volts?

Answer 12

124; 240 for heavy users

Question 13

What is the appropriate way to flood a manhole?

Answer 13

Unmanned, open-butt hoseline. 2-1/2” or larger line, tied off or heavy object to keep it from moving

Question 14

What are the most common home-heating fuels?

Answer 14

Oil and gas

Question 15

What are the most common home-heating fuel oils?

Answer 15

No. 2 oil; No.6 oil for commercial applications

Question 16

What are the most common home-heating gases?

Answer 16

Propane and natural gas

Question 17

Fuel oil is separated by viscosity into how many levels of oil?

Answer 17

No. 1 through No. 6 oil. 1 is the lightest, 6 the heaviest

Question 18

How many cubic feet of air does a gallon of oil require to burn completely?

Answer 18

2,000

Question 19

What is the typical sized fuel storage tank for private dwellings?

Answer 19

275-gallon tank

Question 20

How much fuel do oil burners consume per hour for domestic and commercial installations?

Answer 20

Domestic between 1-10 gallons of fuel per hour
Commercial up to 50 gallons per hour

Question 21

Domestic oil burners operate how many hours per day?

Answer 21

8 hours of every 24; 1,500 hours a year

Question 22

Home heating unit fuel pumps deliver fuel at what pressure?

Answer 22

100psi

Question 23

Motors for heating units operate at what RPM?

Answer 23

1,725 rpm for older units, 3,450 for newer ones

Question 24

The nozzle assembly for heating units separates fuel into how many droplets of fuel at what pressure?

Answer 24

55 billion per gallon at 100psi

Question 25

What are the two types of ignition systems in use for oil burners?

Answer 25

Intermittent or interrupted ignition systems; Constant ignition systems

Question 26

Residential boilers have limited controls. Residential boilers operate at what maximum pressures for hot water and steam?

Answer 26

15psi for hot water and 2psi for steam

Question 27

Of all the problems with burners, what poses the greatest danger?

Answer 27

Delayed ignition (puff back)

Question 28

What is the leading cause of delayed ignition in home heaters?

Answer 28

Faulty ignition

Question 29

The burning of pooled oil in the combustion chamber after the burner shuts down is called what?

Answer 29

Afterfire

Question 30

What are the indicators of a “white ghost”?

Answer 30

Pearly white smoke looks like steam, tastes and smells like oil

Question 31

What are signs of a blocked or disconnected flue or chimney?

Answer 31

Smoke that fills the burner room and an oily odor

Question 32

How may residential water heaters are in use today and how many are getting ready to malfunction?

Answer 32

100,000,000; 1%

Question 33

At what limits will the temperature-pressure valve operate on a water heater?

Answer 33

Water exceeds 210 degrees or pressure exceeds 150psi

Question 34

What are the components of natural gas for domestic use?

Answer 34

70-90% methane with ethane making up most of the remainder

Question 35

How dense is natural gas relative to air?

Answer 35

Natural gas is two-thirds as dense as air

Question 36

What is the flammable range of natural gas in air?

Answer 36

4-14%

Question 37

What pressure is natural gas delivered to appliances in the home?

Answer 37

1/4psi or 7 inches of water column

Question 38

Air typically constitutes what percentage of all flammable gas-air mixtures?

Answer 38

90%

Question 39

What percentage of oxygen does motor coordination become affected? Judgement and fatigue set in? Lose consciousness and die?

Answer 39

17%; 10-14%; 6-10%

Question 40

What is the weight of fresh water per cubic foot?

Answer 40

62.4 pounds per cubic foot at 40 degrees

Question 41

1/4 of fires are what kind of fires?

Answer 41

Vehicle fires

Question 42

What is the explosive range of hydrogen?

Answer 42

4-71%

Question 43

Smoke from burning food likely contains:

Answer 43

Sulfur, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide

Question 44

Rubber, carpeting, or upholstery burning can produce what gas?

Answer 44

Hydrogen cyanide

Question 45

What is produced from burning carpeting?

Answer 45

Acrolein

Question 46

Burning trash containing plastic can give off what?

Answer 46

Hydrogen chloride

Question 47

Burning plastic containing PVC can contain what gas?

Answer 47

Phosgene gas

Question 48

What affinity does carbon monoxide have relative to oxygen?

Answer 48

Over 200 times; 200-270 times

Question 49

How many deaths and illnesses are caused from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning each year?

Answer 49

1,500 deaths and over 10,000 illnesses

Question 50

Who developed the first affordable CO detector?

Answer 50

Dr. Goldstein in conjunction with the Quantum Group

Question 51

What percentage of carbon monoxide is absorbed into body tissue?

Answer 51

15%

Question 52

One half of the carbon monoxide a person absorbed into the blood stream can take how long to leave the system?

Answer 52

5 hours

Question 53

How much higher with the COHb of the fetus continue to rise relative to the mother?

Answer 53

As much as 15%

Question 54

How much longer is the fetal COHb half life of carbon monoxide than the maternal mother?

Answer 54

3-5 times longer

Question 55

What percentage of carbon monoxide poisonings present with cherry red coloration?

Answer 55

10%

Question 56

What percentage of studied patients seen at the hospital for flu-like symptoms actually suffered from low-level CO poisoning?

Answer 56

23.6%

Question 57

With 100% oxygen and a tight fitting mask, the half life of CO drops to what duration?

Answer 57

80 minutes

Question 58

How much CO can a stove give off before reaching operating temperature?

Answer 58

35-400ppm Oven as much as 800ppm

Question 59

What term is used in place of backdraft pertaining to chimney or flues?

Answer 59

Downdraft

Question 60

A car can give off how much CO before being warmed up?

Answer 60

30,000ppm

Question 61

What percentage of homes have CO detectors?

Answer 61

6%

Question 62

What ppm do Chicago and FDNY set for wearing SCBA for CO?

Answer 62

Chicago 35ppm; FDNY 9ppm