ALLWRITE-TESTING
HFD Captain - 2015
Sample Test

Following are 20 multiple-choice questions. Select the best answer for each question.

Each question of this sample test is based on one of the documents in the Official Book List for the Captain's examination. Answer each question based on the text or document from which it was taken. Following each question, in bold face, is the page and paragraph or section from which the question was taken.

The test preparation workshop for the Captain's Examination will consist of five original practice tests averaging 100 questions. Three of the tests will be administered in class under realistic test conditions and two tests will be given via the Internet.

For more information write to allwrite-testing.com or call 303-322-6890 or 800-664-8518.

There is a link to the Answer Key following the last question.

Questions 1-4 are taken from Structural Firefighting: Strategy and Tactics, 3rd edition, and are to be answered in accordance with this text.

1. A property with a substantial risk to life and/or property should be the subject of a ______ preincident plan.

A. multi-faceted
B. formal
C. complex
D. descriptive

p. 68; col. 2, bottom to p. 70

2. Fire departments should survey their response area to determine the location of "green roofs," massive arrays of solar panels, roof-mounted wind turbines, and other green construction. If such structures are found:

A. pre-fire inspections should be conducted, even in single-family dwellings.
B. contact the building department and request an analysis of the structural stability of the roof support systems.
C. obtain diagrams of the electrical circuitry especially when solar panels are present.
D. determine if installations and modifications are in compliance with building, fire, and electrical codes.

p. 92; col. 1, para. 3

3. The most common operational error at properties protected by an automatic sprinkler system is:

A. the failure to ventilate.
B. being cut off from access to an exit.
C. shutting down the system prematurely.
D. inadequate supply of the system through the fire department connection.

p. 245; col. 2, top

4. Which of the following is recommended for softening the target in a small residential fire?

A. Applying water to the fire for 15 seconds prior to making entry or just as entry is made.
B. The use of the combination attack, alternating stream application between the fire and upper areas of the room.
C. a quick burst with a fog stream followed by a straight or solid stream.
D. coordinating ventilation with the initial attack on the fire.

p. 296; col. 1, top

Questions 5-7 are taken from Brannigan's Building Construction for the Fire Service, 5th edition, and are to be answered in accordance with this text.

5. In what stage of fire does it spread to adjacent combustible materials?

A. Flameover.
B. Rollover.
C. Free burning.
D. Smoldering.

p. 113; col. 1, #2

6. Which of the following has the highest fire resistance rating?

A. Fire barriers.
B. Fire walls.
C. Fire partitions.
D. Fire dampers.

p. 153; col. #1, bottom

7. The wood truss floor introduces a catastrophic new dimension into fire suppression in combustible buildings:

A. a truss void.
B. suspended ceilings.
C. greater concentration of oxygen.
D. weakened connections to the exterior walls.

p. 204; col. 1, top

Questions 8-9 are taken from Evidence-Based Practices for Strategic and Tactical Firefighting and are to be answered in accordance with this text.

8. Research indicates all of the following except:

A. a typical room-and-contents fire in a standard residential occupancy may use up available oxygen before in reaches flashover.
B. fires fueled by synthetic furnishings contain a much greater fuel load, progress faster, and flashover more quickly.
C. An indirect attack is the only way to provide safety for first-arriving firefighters at a ventilation-limited fire.
D. fires in modern residential occupancies are likely to become ventilation-limited prior to the arrival of the first due fire company.

p. 4; col. 2, paras. 1, 2; and p. 5, col. 1, para. 2

9. While we cannot always say that heat always rises or that fire gases will always move upwards, we can say that:

A. high pressure will always move toward low pressure.
B. high temperatures will always move toward low temperatures.
C. fire spread is determined primarily by heat differential.
D. radiated heat is more lethal than any other kind of heat transfer.

p. 6; col. 2, bottom to p. 7

Questions 10-13 are taken from Management in the Fire Service, 4th edition, and are to be answered in accordance with this text.

10. In fire departments, productivity usually relates to:

A. the number of emergency calls made by an individual unit (company), a district or division, or the entire department.
B. quality of service and stakeholder satisfaction.
C. the extent of services delivered within budget.
D. the achievement of goals and objectives.

p. 27; col. 2, para. 4

11. With respect to communications, the ladder of abstraction refers to:

A. terms and concepts that are specific to specialized areas of knowledge or expertise.
B. how an order or message can be made appropriate to the level of knowledge or skill of the receiver.
C. how the medium or channel of a message affects its meaning.
D. the tendency among some senders of messages to leave out vital pieces of information from the message.

p. 58; col. 1, para. 3

12. The pre-incident planning process involves four steps: information gathering; information analysis; information dissemination; and:

A. feedback on information.
B. information storage.
C. tactical planning.
D. review and drill.

p. 117; col. 2, para. 4

13. To be most useful, learning goals and objectives should be:

A. developed jointly by the person charged with assisting the learner and the learner.
B. developed directly from the standards of performance.
C. focused on individual tasks and the broader concepts to be learned.
D. based on quantifiable and quantitative measures.

p. 231; col. 2, para. 2

Questions 14-16 are taken from Engine Company Fireground Operations, 3rd edition, and are to be answered in accordance with this text.

14. Which of the following provides the most efficient means of minimizing friction loss and developing the full potential of both water supplies and pumping capacities?

A. The use of super-pumpers.
B. The use of LDH.
C. The use of multiple hose lines.
D. The use of relays.

page 78; col. 2, para. 2

15. The maximum capacity of a relay operation is determined by:

A. the smallest pumper.
B. the smallest supply hose used in the relay.
C. the distance between the attack pumper and the fire.
D. A and/or B.

page 80; col. 1

16. The use of spray nozzles adjusted to a fog pattern inside a building should be restricted to:

A. the top floor.
B. the room in which the fire started.
C. unoccupied confined spaces.
D. Because of their heat absorption capacity, this is often the preferred method of application inside buildings.

page 91; col. 1, para. 1

17. Before committing firefighters to interior structural firefighting operations, the Incident Commander must:

A. conduct a risk versus benefit analysis.
B. analyze all interior and exterior hazards.
C. ensure that ventilation is accomplished.
D. develop an incident action plan.

page 124; col. 1, para. 2

Question 18-20 are taken from the HFD Guidelines are to be answered in accordance with these documents.

18. An RIT will be established at every high-rise incident. The RIT will survey a floor for lay-out, and then:

A. remain in the stairwell on the fire floor.
B. remain in the corridor at the stairwell door on the fire floor.
C. position near the command post.
D. move to the closest tenable position to the Fire Attack Group.

II-05, High-Rise Firefighting; p. 10, 6.02 (D)(3)

19. The basic configuration of command includes three levels: Strategic; Tactical, and Task. The accumulated achievements of the Task Level should accomplish:

A. the strategy as outlined in the Incident Action Plan.
B. the tactical objectives.
C. overall incident objectives.
D. positive incident outcomes.

II-06, Incident Management; p. 15; 7.03

20. The purpose of resetting the fire is to:

A. control the direction of the flow path.
B. control the duration and nature of thermal decomposition.
C. direct smoke and heated gases through a single, nearby opening to the exterior of the structure.
D. reduce or eliminate thermal production to the point that rollover and flashover are stopped or prevented.

II-47, Structure Fire Incidents; p. 5, 3.30

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