FCTC Verbal & Visual Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A fire dispatch report states: 'Structure fire, 3-story residential, reported victims on second floor, wind from the NW at 15 mph.' Which direction should crews expect smoke to travel?
- Toward the northwest
- Toward the southeast (Correct answer)
- Toward the northeast
- Straight upward regardless of wind
Correct answer: Toward the southeast
Wind blowing from the northwest pushes smoke toward the southeast.
Question 2: A passage reads: 'Firefighters must don full PPE before entering any IDLH atmosphere.' What does IDLH stand for?
- Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (Correct answer)
- Internal Department of Labor and Hazards
- Incident Danger Level High
- Ignition Danger in Living Habitats
Correct answer: Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health
IDLH stands for Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health, a threshold defining atmospheric hazards.
Question 3: You see a placard on a tanker truck showing the number 1993 inside a diamond shape with a flame symbol. What information does this convey?
- The truck is carrying a flammable liquid (Correct answer)
- The truck was manufactured in 1993
- The truck holds 1,993 gallons of water
- The truck is transporting compressed gas
Correct answer: The truck is carrying a flammable liquid
UN 1993 is the hazmat placard number for flammable liquids, combined with the flame symbol confirms the cargo type.
Question 4: A written order states: 'Evacuate all occupants from floors above the fire floor and two floors below.' The fire is on floor 7 of a 12-story building. Which floors must be evacuated?
- Floors 5 through 12 (Correct answer)
- Floors 7 through 12
- Floors 5 through 9
- Floors 6 through 12
Correct answer: Floors 5 through 12
Two floors below floor 7 is floor 5, and all floors above floor 7 go up to floor 12, so floors 5–12 must be evacuated.
Question 5: Looking at a building floor plan, you notice a shaded rectangular area labeled 'stair shaft' adjacent to a shaded area labeled 'elevator shaft.' What is the primary significance of these features during a fire?
- They are potential vertical channels for smoke and fire spread (Correct answer)
- They are safe areas for occupant refuge
- They represent the strongest structural areas
- They are designated staging areas for firefighters
Correct answer: They are potential vertical channels for smoke and fire spread
Stair and elevator shafts act as vertical channels that can rapidly spread smoke and fire between floors.
Question 6: A report reads: 'The fire originated in the attic space, likely due to improper storage of combustible materials near the HVAC unit.' What is the most probable ignition source implied?
- Heat from the HVAC unit igniting nearby combustibles (Correct answer)
- Lightning strike on the roof
- Electrical short in the attic wiring
- Spontaneous combustion of the insulation
Correct answer: Heat from the HVAC unit igniting nearby combustibles
The passage directly implies that heat from the HVAC unit ignited the improperly stored combustibles.
Question 7: On a site map, dashed lines represent underground utilities and solid bold lines represent the building perimeter. You see a dashed line crossing directly beneath the main entrance. What should this alert you to?
- Underground utilities that could be damaged or become hazardous during operations (Correct answer)
- A recommended path for hose deployment
- The location of the main electrical panel
- A drainage channel that collects runoff water
Correct answer: Underground utilities that could be damaged or become hazardous during operations
Dashed lines indicating underground utilities beneath an entrance warn crews to avoid damaging pipes, conduits, or lines during operations.
FCTC Verbal & Visual Comprehension 2
A fire dispatch report states: 'Structure fire, 3-story residential, reported victims on second floor, wind from the NW at 15 mph.' Which direction should crews expect smoke to travel?