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About This Quiz
So you want to be a firefighter. Well, there's a lot to learn first. For example, is it considered arson if the property a person burns is his or her own? And what should you do if you arrive at a call and find out that it was a false alarm? Report the caller for wasting your time? Hang around and hint that a cup of coffee would be nice? (If you said "yes" to either of those last two, you might want to hit the books ... hard).ÂÂ
A lot of people want to be firefighters. There's just an allure to the job: the risk and challenge involved, the camaraderie of the firehouse, the respect of the public at large. But not everyone can make the cut. There's not only a demanding physical exam to prove that you're in top condition, but a written test of your knowledge and judgment as well.ÂÂ
Ever wondered if you'd make the cut? Just for entertainment purposes, we've created a quiz resembling the one you'd have to take before you could actually put on the turnout gear and slide down the pole. Test your knowledge of one of the civil service's toughest jobs with our quiz!
Which of these qualifies as a first responder?
A firefighter
A police officer
An EMT-B or better
Anyone who has had emergency training
Civilians are often first responders -- people who provide help at the scene of an emergency until professional help arrives. Many fire departments teach courses like "CERT," which stands for Community Emergency Response Training.
The act of setting a fire deliberately with intent to do harm is ______.
Arson
Obviously, not all fire-setting is arson. Letting a backcountry campfire get out of hand can result in civil charges, but it's highly unlikely campers would be charged with arson.
Kindling
Malicious mischief
Controlled burning
Which of these tasks might you have to perform as part of the physical exam?
Drag a hose
Raise a ladder
Climb stairs
Any of these
A physical abilities test isn't just a test of your physical strength and stamina. You'll be showing evaluators that you can do actual tasks that are part of the job. Of course, strength and dexterity are certainly part of that.
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Which of the following is NOT part of an exam?
Reading-comprehension exercises
A sample fire prevention speech
While public speaking about fire safety is part of the job, it would be rare for a department to ask you to do it as part of the exam! Once on board, you'd be given training and practice prior to giving a talk.
Physical skills assessment
Analysis of video scenarios
If you turn out for a call, but the fire is out by the time you get there, you should ....
Report the caller for a false alarm
Check to make sure the fire is really out
This happens from time to time. Even if the caller only believed there was a fire, but was wrong, it's still considered "good intent." They should not be blamed for a false alarm.
Promptly leave
Hang around and hint that a cup of coffee would be nice
The protective clothing firefighters wear are called ________.
Bibs and aprons
Hazmat suits
Pulaski gear
Turnout gear
A "turn out" is a call to report to the scene of a fire or an emergency. So turnout gear is what firefighters wear to do that.
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The ADA is the American ______ Act.
Delinquency
(with) Disabilities
The ADA is relevant to the firefighters' exam because it means that candidates with physical or mental challenges must be allowed to apply and train for jobs, and reasonable accommodation must be made for them.
Defense
Decontamination
In job rankings, what comes after Basic Firefighter?
Advanced Firefighter
A Hipster Firefighter would come to your house, put out the fire, and then tell you he liked Dalmatians before they were cool.
Hipster Firefighter
Fire Chief
Fire Marshal
SCBA equipment is better known as a/an ______.
Air pack
SCBA stands for self-contained breathing apparatus. It allows a firefighter to breathe in clean air, in smoke-filled buildings.
Aerator
Star of life
Self-rescuer
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What, in terms of the job, is "probation"?
A trial/evaluation period
Though "probation" has negative connotations when it's part of the criminal justice system, here it just means an extended tryout period. If a being a firefighter isn't working out, and that person is dismissed during this time, he or she has less grounds to bring a lawsuit.
A suspension from work without pay
A suspension from work with pay
The period in which you must prove yourself again after making a mistake on the job
About how long is a typical probation period?
Six weeks
Eight weeks
One year
A year is a common probation period, although it can be longer. It takes time before a new firefighter doesn't need supervision and evaluation to make sure he or she is living up to the demands of the job.
Five years
How long is a typical training period for a firefighter?
Six weeks
Eight weeks
Sixteen weeks
Once a conditional offer of employment is made, firefighters will start their training period. This is followed by probation, in which they work for a fire station, under supervision.
Six months
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What is triage?
A tool for ventilating buildings
The prioritizing of needs on the scene
Sometimes there's more going on at an emergency scene than personnel to handle it. The commander at the incident has to quickly decide what to do first: treat the worst of the injured, contain the fire, et cetera. EMTs perform triage as well, at scenes with a large number of victims.
A type of rescue breathing
A French name for "fire extinguisher"
About how much does an air pack weigh?
Five pounds
10 pounds
15 pounds
25 pounds
Some of the exercises in the physical abilities exam will require you to wear a 25-pound pack while completing them. This is to simulate actual job conditions.
Which of these do you NOT have to worry about as you train for a physical abilities exam?
Cardio
Strength training
Stretching/flexibility
All of these are important
While the first two might be obvious, don't discount stretching. Flexibility is key to performing this demanding job without getting injured.
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Will having long hair or unconventional facial hair disqualify you to be a firefighter?
Yes
No
Most departments will not disqualify you based on grooming. But they might require you to cut your hair or shave a long beard once you're on the job. After all, long hair around open flame is not the wisest choice!
A long pole with a hook on the end is called a ________.
Scalpel
Lancet
Pike pole
A pike pole has several uses at a fire scene: catching onto and dragging items, or probing areas that aren't in easy reach.
Pulaski
Axes, pry bars and saws are all classified as ________.
Fire-containment equipment
Fire-prevention equipment
Forcible entry tools
All of these are used to gain access to a structure when an open door or window is not available. The physical abilities test will often require you to demonstrate competence with one of these tools.
Safety gear
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A substance used to make a fire spread is called a/an _______.
Accelerant
If there are traces of accelerant at a fire scene, it's possible that a fire was arson. However, industrial locations are full of substances, like petrochemicals, that act as accelerants.
Inceptor
Receptor
Retardant
Yes or no: Is it arson if you burn property you own?
Yes
People certainly do burn their own property, and with criminal repercussions. A common motivation is to collect insurance money.
No
The act of opening doors and windows to let heat escape is called _______.
Aerating
Grounding
Ventilation
In dire circumstances, you might break a hole in a wall or roof for ventilation. This should be avoided when a building and its contents aren't yet damaged, of course.
Windowing
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What do firefighters often call a work shift?
A drag
A haul
A tour
You might be more familiar with this term in relation to the military. Soldiers serve "tours of duty."
It's just a shift
When substances catch fire on their own, without exposure to a spark, this is called ______________.
Conflagration
Illumination
Self-thermation
Spontaneous combustion
Some substances can, when exposed to oxygen, generate heat so rapidly that they burst into flames. There's no evidence that human beings are among this group, despite claims made by the paranormal community.
Which of these words means "the mechanics and science of heat"?
Biodynamics
Kinetics
Pyretic
Thermodynamics
Every long-time firefighter is a bit of a physicist. He or she studies the nature of heat and fire, what makes things burn and stop burning.
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Which of these substances might a Class A fire involve?
Electrical equipment
Gasoline
Manganese
Wood
A Class A fire is one in which common and not-very-dangerous substances burn: wood, paper, or cloth, for example. From there, classes of fires get more dangerous.
Who should be called if a firefighter sees signs that a fire was set deliberately?
The fire chief
The fire marshal
The fire chief, despite being the Big Boss, isn't an investigator (though they might have fire investigation in their background). That role is filled by a fire marshal.
The police
The media
Which of these tools would a firefighter NOT use?
An axe
A pry bar
A sledgehammer
A timing light
The other three tools are all used in firefighting. But a timing light is used to check the firing of cylinders in an engine. In other words, it wouldn't be used unless the ladder truck is idling.
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Which of these emergencies would a firefighter NOT be called to?
A bridge collapse
A car crash
A train derailment
Firefighters would be called out to any of these
Most fire departments are "all-emergency" services. So if you've ever called 911 for an elderly neighbor's chest pains, and wondered why a fire truck responded, that's why!
The place where a fire started is the point of ______.
Flash
Inception
Origin
You might have known this from Patricia Cornwell's novel, "Point of Origin." Not surprisingly, it involved arson.
Conflagration
True or false: A firefighter can be a smoker if he/she only smokes off duty.
True
False
It depends on the department
This might seem like interference in an employee's private life, but firefighters do sometimes bring medical claims related to smoke inhalation. Obviously, being a smoker would interfere with a doctor's ability to discern whether that claim is legitimate. Therefore, some departments forbid their personnel to smoke, on or off duty.
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What differentiates a volunteer firefighter from a professional one?
Commitment
Pay
Many volunteer firefighters are as skilled and committed as their professional peers. However, they give their time without pay, often in rural areas.
Skill
Volunteers can smoke or drink on the job
Which of these would be used to extricate people from a wrecked car?
Air chisel
Pulaski
Jaws of Life
Both #1 and #3
The "Jaws of Life" is the trademarked name of a powerful rescue tool. An air chisel is a generic name for a tool that uses compressed air to cut sheet metal.
What is a drawback to the Jaws of Life?
The name scares people
It's very heavy
It requires a gas generator to operate
Both #2 and #3
The Jaws of Life has undeniably saved lives in situations where people were trapped behind heavy, hard-to-move barriers. But it's hard to respond quickly to a scene with such a heavy apparatus, which requires its own generator for power. In other words, it's not really flexible.
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Which of these is NOT typically a requirement of being a firefighter in the US?
Being a citizen
Being over 21
Being a high-school graduate
Not having any religious convictions that would require certain days off
Fire departments must make reasonable accommodations for religious practices, like not requiring a Jewish firefighter to work on the Sabbath, or making sure a Muslim has the opportunity to pray the prescribed 5 times daily.
On a multi-colored triage tag, what does black mean?
Good condition/minor injuries
Moderate injuries
Severely injured
Dead
The color scheme on a triage tag looks a bit like the national threat level scale: It starts with a green band, then yellow, then red, and finally black. The first responder tears off bands until the one showing the victim's condition is left. If this is black, nothing more can be done.
You Got:
/35
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