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FPFF exit exam questions and answers — Set 11 — Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting

Set 11 of the Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting (FPFF) exit exam bank — 30 of 656 questions, with the correct option marked and a one-line explanation for every one. Read it end to end, jump to a single set, or search it — then sit the same bank as a timed paper. The real DG Shipping exit exam is 30 marks with 15 to pass.

These are the bank's original groupings. Practising deals the whole bank out again every time you reshuffle, so a practice “Set 3” is a different 30 questions each time — the set numbers below are the source file's, and are only used here so the key stays navigable. Options are listed in their original order with fixed letters; when you practise, those move too.

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Set 11 — 30 FPFF exit exam questions with answers

1. The usual method for effectively applying foam on a fire is by ____.

  • A. Spraying directly on the base of the fire
  • B. Flowing the foam down a vertical surface
  • C. Sweeping the fire with the foam
  • D. Spraying directly on the surface of the fire
Answer: B — Flowing the foam down a vertical surface
Foam should be applied gently so it spreads over the burning liquid without plunging into it. Bouncing it off a bulkhead or other vertical surface lets it flow down and across the surface, forming an unbroken blanket without agitating the fuel.

2. What is the most vulnerable part of the fire main system?

  • A. The fire pump
  • B. Exposed hard piping
  • C. The hydrant valve
  • D. The fire hose
Answer: D — The fire hose
Fire hoses are flexible, made of fabric and rubber, and are exposed to abrasion, heat, chafing, cuts and deterioration in storage. They are the component most likely to fail, which is why SOLAS requires regular inspection and spare hoses.

3. To prevent the spread of fire by conduction you should ____.

  • A. Cool the bulkheads around the fire
  • B. Remove combustibles from direct exposure
  • C. Close all openings to the area
  • D. Shut off all electric power
Answer: A — Cool the bulkheads around the fire
Conduction transfers heat through solid materials such as steel bulkheads and decks, which can ignite materials in adjacent spaces. Boundary cooling with water spray on the surrounding bulkheads removes this heat and stops the fire spreading by conduction.

4. Violent flames and heavy black smoke are typical of which sort of fire?

  • A. Wood fire
  • B. Paper fire
  • C. Fuel oil fire
  • D. Electrical fire
Answer: C — Fuel oil fire
Hydrocarbon fuels burn fiercely with intense flames, and incomplete combustion of their carbon-rich vapour produces dense black smoke. Class A materials such as wood and paper usually give lighter grey or white smoke.

5. A portable cartridge-type dry chemical fire extinguisher discharges by ____.

  • A. Gravity when the extinguisher is turned upside down
  • B. Pressure from a small CO2 cartridge on the extinguisher
  • C. Air pressure from a hand pump attached to the extinguisher
  • D. Pressure from the reaction when water is mixed with the chemical
Answer: B — Pressure from a small CO2 cartridge on the extinguisher
In a cartridge-operated dry chemical extinguisher, piercing the CO2 gas cartridge pressurises the body and expels the powder through the hose. Stored-pressure types use nitrogen already in the body; neither relies on gravity, pumps or chemical reaction.

6. An aluminium powder fire is classified as class ____.

  • A. A
  • B. B
  • C. C
  • D. D
Answer: D — D
Class D fires involve combustible metals such as magnesium, aluminium powder, sodium and titanium. They burn at very high temperatures and react with water, so special dry powders or dry sand are used.

7. All of the following are part of the fire triangle EXCEPT ____.

  • A. Fuel
  • B. Electricity
  • C. Oxygen
  • D. Heat
Answer: B — Electricity
The fire triangle consists of fuel, oxygen and heat; removing any one extinguishes the fire. Electricity is not an element of the triangle, although it can be the ignition source that provides heat.

8. A portable foam (stored-pressure type) fire extinguisher would be most useful in combating a fire in:

  • A. Oil drums
  • B. Cargo tanks
  • C. A large fire
  • D. None of these
Answer: A — Oil drums
A portable foam extinguisher is designed for small Class B fires such as burning oil in drums or small spills, where the foam blanket smothers the liquid surface. Cargo tank and large fires require fixed deck foam or other fixed systems.

9. A fire in trash and paper waste is classified as class:

  • A. A
  • B. C
  • C. D
  • D. B
Answer: A — A
Trash and paper waste are ordinary combustible solids, so a fire in them is Class A. Cooling with water is the most effective extinguishing method, and the material should be overhauled to prevent re-ignition.

10. A fire in a pile of dunnage would be classified as class:

  • A. B
  • B. D
  • C. C
  • D. A
Answer: D — A
Dunnage is timber used to protect and secure cargo. As an ordinary solid combustible, a fire in dunnage is Class A and is best fought by cooling with water.

11. A fire in a pile of canvas is classified as class:

  • A. D
  • B. C
  • C. A
  • D. B
Answer: C — A
Canvas is a textile, an ordinary solid combustible material. Fires in textiles are Class A and can smoulder deep within the material, so thorough cooling and overhaul are needed.

12. Which toxic gas is a product of incomplete combustion and is often present when a fire burns in a closed compartment?

  • A. Hydrogen sulphide
  • B. Carbon monoxide
  • C. Carbon dioxide
  • D. Nitric oxide
Answer: B — Carbon monoxide
When a fire burns with limited oxygen, as in a closed compartment, combustion is incomplete and carbon monoxide is produced. CO is colourless, odourless, flammable and highly toxic because it combines with haemoglobin in preference to oxygen.

13. The outlet of a fire hydrant may be positioned anywhere from horizontal to pointing ____.

  • A. Vertically downward
  • B. Vertically upward
  • C. 45 degrees upward
  • D. All of the above
Answer: A — Vertically downward
Hydrant outlets are arranged between horizontal and pointing vertically downward so that the hose hangs naturally, avoids kinking at the coupling, and the hose can be readily coupled and laid out in an emergency.

14. A fire patrol should use which senses to identify a fire?

  • A. Sight only
  • B. Hearing and taste
  • C. Sight, smell and touch
  • D. Smell only
Answer: C — Sight, smell and touch
A fire patrol detects fire by seeing smoke or flames, smelling burning or smoke, and feeling for heat on doors, bulkheads and decks. Using all these senses allows early detection before automatic detectors operate.

15. Power-operated sliding watertight doors below the waterline must close, with the ship upright, in a time of:

  • A. Not less than 20 s and not more than 40 s
  • B. Not more than 45 s
  • C. Not more than 90 s
  • D. Not more than 10 s
Answer: A — Not less than 20 s and not more than 40 s
SOLAS II-1/13 requires power-operated sliding watertight doors to close at a uniform rate in not less than 20 seconds and not more than 40 seconds with the ship upright. Closure by hand gear must not exceed 90 seconds.

16. Before opening a closed door during a fire, you should always:

  • A. Open it quickly to assess the situation
  • B. Check the door for heat with the back of your hand
  • C. Kick the door open
  • D. Spray water under the door first
Answer: B — Check the door for heat with the back of your hand
Feeling the door and handle with the back of the hand indicates whether there is fire or intense heat behind it. Opening a hot door can admit air and cause a flashover or backdraught, endangering the fire fighters.

17. When should a fire watch be maintained for hot work activities?

  • A. Only before the hot work starts
  • B. Only during the hot work
  • C. During the hot work and for a period after it is completed
  • D. Only after the hot work is completed
Answer: C — During the hot work and for a period after it is completed
Sparks and heat from welding or cutting can ignite materials that smoulder unnoticed, including on the far side of bulkheads. A fire watch is therefore kept during the work and for a period afterwards, as required by the hot work permit.

18. Quick-closing valves on fuel oil tanks are designed to be operated from:

  • A. Only locally at the valve
  • B. A remote position outside the space concerned
  • C. Only from the bridge
  • D. Only from inside the tank
Answer: B — A remote position outside the space concerned
SOLAS II-2/4.2.2.3.4 requires suction valves on fuel oil tanks above the double bottom to be capable of being closed from a safe position outside the space, so the fuel supply can be shut off during an engine room fire.

19. If there has been a fire in a closed, unventilated compartment, it may be unsafe to enter because of ____.

  • A. excess hydrogen
  • B. unburned carbon particles
  • C. excess nitrogen
  • D. a lack of oxygen
Answer: D — a lack of oxygen
A fire in a closed space consumes the available oxygen and produces toxic combustion gases such as carbon monoxide. The atmosphere is likely to be oxygen-deficient, so entry without SCBA after testing is unsafe.

20. What danger to personnel exists when a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher is discharged in a small enclosed space?

  • A. Second degree burns
  • B. Electric shock
  • C. Suffocation
  • D. Burst eardrums
Answer: C — Suffocation
CO2 extinguishes fire by displacing oxygen. In a small enclosed space it can reduce oxygen to a level that causes suffocation of personnel, so the space must be ventilated before entry without breathing apparatus.

21. It is necessary to secure the forced ventilation to a compartment where there is a fire to ____.

  • A. Allow the exhaust fans to remove smoke
  • B. Extinguish the fire by carbon monoxide smothering
  • C. Prevent additional oxygen from reaching the fire
  • D. Protect fire-fighting personnel from smoke
Answer: C — Prevent additional oxygen from reaching the fire
Removing oxygen from the fire triangle starves the fire. Stopping fans and closing dampers and openings prevents fresh air feeding the fire and is also essential before any fixed gas system such as CO2 is released.

22. Which type of portable fire extinguisher is best suited for putting out a Class D fire?

  • A. Dry powder
  • B. Water
  • C. Foam
  • D. Wet chemical
Answer: A — Dry powder
Class D fires involve combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium or titanium. Water and foam react violently with them, so special dry powder agents are used to smother the burning metal.

23. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of carbon dioxide fire-extinguishing agents?

  • A. Effective even if ventilation is not shut down
  • B. Non-corrosive
  • C. Effective on electrical equipment
  • D. Will not deteriorate in storage
Answer: A — Effective even if ventilation is not shut down
CO2 extinguishes by reducing oxygen concentration, so it is ineffective if ventilation keeps supplying fresh air and dispersing the gas. It is clean, non-conducting, non-corrosive and stable in storage.

24. Mechanical foam used for fire fighting is produced by mechanically mixing and agitating ____.

  • A. Soda acid and water
  • B. Dry chemical and water
  • C. Foam concentrate with air and water
  • D. Bicarbonate of soda with air and water
Answer: C — Foam concentrate with air and water
Mechanical (air) foam is formed when foam concentrate is proportioned into water and the solution is aerated in a branch pipe or generator. Chemical foam, now obsolete, came from reacting sodium bicarbonate with aluminium sulphate.

25. When combating a Class C (electrical) fire, which of the following dangers may be present?

  • A. Flooding of the vessel
  • B. Water damage to machinery not involved in the fire
  • C. Toxic fumes from burning insulation or electric shock
  • D. Increased surface area of the burning fluid
Answer: C — Toxic fumes from burning insulation or electric shock
Electrical fires involve energised equipment, so there is a risk of electric shock if conductive agents are used, and burning cable insulation such as PVC gives off toxic and corrosive fumes. Power should be isolated first.

26. A fire has broken out at the stern of your vessel. You should manoeuvre the vessel so that the wind ____.

  • A. Blows the fire back towards the vessel
  • B. Comes over the bow
  • C. Comes over the stern
  • D. Comes over either beam
Answer: B — Comes over the bow
With the wind over the bow, flames, heat and smoke from a fire aft are carried astern away from the rest of the ship. Bringing the wind over the stern would drive the fire forward over the vessel.

27. Which fire detection system is actuated by sensing a rise in heat in a compartment?

  • A. Manual fire detection system
  • B. Automatic fire detection system
  • C. Smoke detection system
  • D. Watchman's patrol system
Answer: B — Automatic fire detection system
Automatic fire detection systems use heat detectors that respond to a fixed temperature or rate of rise, raising an alarm without human action. Smoke detection responds to smoke, and manual systems rely on call points.

28. A definite advantage of using water as a fire extinguishing agent is its characteristic of ____.

  • A. Alternate expansion and contraction as water in a liquid state becomes a vapour
  • B. Absorption of smoke and gases as water is converted from a liquid to a vapour
  • C. Rapid contraction as water is converted from a liquid to a vapour
  • D. Rapid expansion as water absorbs heat and changes to steam
Answer: D — Rapid expansion as water absorbs heat and changes to steam
Water has a high latent heat of vaporisation, absorbing great heat as it turns to steam and cooling the fire. The steam expands about 1,700 times in volume, displacing air and helping to smother the fire.

29. Fire hydrant valves on a crude oil tanker shall be isolated from the crude oil washing system by ____.

  • A. Spade blanks
  • B. Face blanks
  • C. Non-return valves
  • D. Automatic closing valves
Answer: A — Spade blanks
Where the fire main or water supply could be cross-connected with the crude oil washing system, positive isolation is required so oil cannot enter the fire main. Spade blanks give a visible, positive separation that valves alone cannot guarantee.

30. How do you operate a portable CO2 fire extinguisher?

  • A. Point the horn down
  • B. Turn the cylinder upside down
  • C. Break the rupture disc
  • D. Pull the pin and squeeze the grip
Answer: D — Pull the pin and squeeze the grip
Modern portable CO2 extinguishers are operated by removing the safety pin, aiming the horn at the base of the fire and squeezing the operating lever. The horn is held by its insulated handle, as it becomes extremely cold.

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