FST Fire Prevention & Hazardous Materials Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A fire inspector finds a warehouse storing 600 gallons of acetone, a Class IB flammable liquid. Which action is most appropriate?
- No action needed if containers are sealed
- Issue a notice of violation for exceeding allowable quantity without proper safeguards (Correct answer)
- Recommend relocating all material outdoors
- Require the facility to install a CO2 system immediately
Correct answer: Issue a notice of violation for exceeding allowable quantity without proper safeguards
Acetone stored in quantities exceeding code-allowable limits without required safeguards (sprinklers, ventilation, etc.) constitutes a code violation requiring corrective action.
Question 2: Under the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), what pictogram represents a material that is an acute oral toxin (Category 1–3)?
- Flame over circle
- Skull and crossbones (Correct answer)
- Exclamation mark
- Health hazard (silhouette with asterisk)
Correct answer: Skull and crossbones
The skull and crossbones GHS pictogram (GHS06) denotes acute toxicity categories 1–3 for oral, dermal, or inhalation routes.
Question 3: What is the purpose of secondary containment in hazardous materials storage areas?
- To increase storage capacity
- To contain spills and prevent them from spreading to the environment (Correct answer)
- To provide additional fire resistance to containers
- To meet building permit requirements only
Correct answer: To contain spills and prevent them from spreading to the environment
Secondary containment (dikes, berms, or curbs) captures spills or leaks to prevent environmental contamination and reduce fire spread.
Question 4: Which class of hazardous materials placard (DOT) is required on a vehicle transporting more than 1,001 pounds of a flammable solid?
- Class 2 (Flammable Gas)
- Class 4 (Flammable Solid) (Correct answer)
- Class 3 (Flammable Liquid)
- Class 5 (Oxidizer)
Correct answer: Class 4 (Flammable Solid)
DOT Class 4 covers flammable solids; vehicles transporting more than 1,001 lbs of a Class 4 material must display the appropriate placard.
Question 5: During a fire inspection of a dry cleaning establishment, the inspector is most concerned about which primary fire hazard?
- Static electricity from clothing
- Flammable solvent vapors from cleaning machines (Correct answer)
- Electrical overloading of pressing equipment
- Spontaneous ignition of clean fabrics
Correct answer: Flammable solvent vapors from cleaning machines
Flammable or combustible solvent vapors from dry cleaning equipment represent the primary fire risk and can ignite from a variety of ignition sources.
Question 6: Which type of fire suppression system is most appropriate for protecting a room storing water-reactive chemicals?
- Wet-pipe sprinkler system
- Deluge foam system
- Dry chemical suppression system
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) total flooding system (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Carbon dioxide (CO2) total flooding system
CO2 total flooding systems use an inert gas that does not react with water-reactive chemicals, making them appropriate for such environments.
Question 7: What does the 'T' in TRACEM stand for in hazardous materials incident size-up?
- Thermal (Correct answer)
- Toxic
- Triangulate
- Transport
Correct answer: Thermal
TRACEM stands for Thermal, Radiation, Asphyxiation, Chemical, Etiological, and Mechanical — categories of hazmat hazards responders assess at an incident.
FST Fire Prevention & Hazardous Materials Management 3
A fire inspector finds a warehouse storing 600 gallons of acetone, a Class IB flammable liquid.
Which action is most appropriate?