CFPS CFPS - Certified Fire Protection Specialist Fire Investigation Principles Questions and Answers

Question 1

Which NFPA standard is the primary guide for the origin and cause investigation of fires and explosions in the United States?

Accepted Answer

NFPA 921

Answer

NFPA 921, Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, is the nationally recognized standard methodology for conducting fire origin and cause determinations.

Question 2

According to NFPA 921, the scientific method as applied to fire investigation requires that a hypothesis be:

Accepted Answer

Testable and either supported or eliminated by available data

Answer

NFPA 921 requires that investigative hypotheses be formed and then tested against all available data, with competing hypotheses eliminated before a conclusion is reached.

Question 3

In fire investigation, the 'area of origin' is defined as:

Accepted Answer

The general geographic location where the fire began

Answer

The area of origin is the general geographic location — such as a room or zone — where the fire started, which is broader than the specific point of origin.

Question 4

A 'V-pattern' observed on a wall at a fire scene most commonly indicates:

Accepted Answer

A plume-generated burn pattern pointing toward the area of fire origin

Answer

V-patterns form when a fire plume rising from a burning item chars and scorches the wall above it in a characteristic 'V' shape that points toward the base of the fire.

Question 5

The four elements required to complete a 'fire triangle' are heat, fuel, and:

Accepted Answer

Oxygen and a chain reaction (fire tetrahedron)

Answer

The fire tetrahedron — the modern model — adds the uninhibited chemical chain reaction to the classic fire triangle of heat, fuel, and oxygen.

CFPS (Certfied Fire Protection Specialist) Practice Test

CFPS (Certfied Fire Protection Specialist) Practice Test

CFPS CFPS - Certified Fire Protection Specialist Fire Investigation Principles Questions and Answers