CSLB C-16 Fire Protection (Trade Exam) — All Questions

What does the university standard want visible at galvanized preaction fittings?

• a.A viewing window installed where it can be seen✓
• b.A paint color code on each pipe fitting
• c.A flow arrow stenciled on each ceiling tile
• d.A tag showing the name of the installer

The standard specifies fittings with viewing windows installed so each window can be easily viewed and is not obstructed. Paint color, a name tag and a ceiling arrow are not the requirement.Harvard Medical School Facilities Design Standard, Division 21

What does a fire pump add to a water supply?

• a.Filtered water
• b.New water volume
• c.Stored water
• d.Pressure✓

A fire pump adds pressure to an existing supply such as a city main or tank. It does not filter water, because filtering is a treatment step. It does not create new water volume, because it can only move what the supply provides. It does not store water, since storage is the job of a tank.Pumps and Systems, Understanding the Basics of Fire Pumps

Where is a fire pump needed?

• a.Where the supply pressure is already too high
• b.Where available pressure is too low for the demand✓
• c.Where the building has no sprinklers
• d.Where the water supply is not potable

Pumps are needed when the available supply does not generate the pressure the system demands, as in a tall building. Excess pressure, no sprinklers and water quality are not the reasons.Pumps and Systems, Understanding the Basics of Fire Pumps

A pump is rated 1,000 gpm at 80 psi. What flow and minimum pressure define its 150% point?

• a.1,500 gpm at 80 psi
• b.1,500 gpm at 52 psi✓
• c.1,000 gpm at 52 psi
• d.650 gpm at 120 psi

The 150% point is 1,500 gpm at not less than 65% of 80 psi, which is 52 psi. 1,500 gpm at 80 psi keeps the full pressure, which would be a test above what the point requires. 1,000 gpm at 52 psi applies the pressure percentage but skips the flow increase. 650 gpm at 120 psi inverts both percentages, giving 65% of the flow and 150% of the pressure.Pumps and Systems, Understanding the Basics of Fire Pumps

A pump is rated 500 gpm at 100 psi. What is the highest acceptable churn pressure?

• a.65 psi
• b.140 psi✓
• c.100 psi
• d.150 psi

Churn pressure must not exceed 140% of rated pressure, so 140 psi. Sixty-five psi is the minimum at the 150% flow point, 100 is the rated pressure and 150 is the flow multiplier.Pumps and Systems, Understanding the Basics of Fire Pumps

What must the driver of a fire pump be sized for?

• a.The pump's full horsepower demand at peak flow✓
• b.The rated duty point of the pump
• c.The smallest load shown on the pump curve
• d.The churn condition of the pump

The driver must be sized to meet the full horsepower demands of the pump, even if that means flowing beyond the rated point. Sizing it for only the rated point, churn or the smallest load would overload it.Pumps and Systems, Understanding the Basics of Fire Pumps

What listing standards does the trade literature name for fire pumps?

• a.UL 199 and FM 1963
• b.UL 2196 and FM 4430
• c.UL 300 and FM 3011
• d.UL 448 and FM 1311✓

The trade article names UL 448 and FM 1311 for fire pumps. UL 300 is for kitchen systems, UL 2196 for circuit protection, and UL 199 is a sprinkler corrosion test.Pumps and Systems, Understanding the Basics of Fire Pumps

What standard does the fire code require fire pumps to be installed to?

• a.NFPA 20✓
• b.NFPA 22
• c.NFPA 25
• d.NFPA 24

Fire pumps are installed in accordance with the fire code section and NFPA 20. NFPA 22 covers tanks, NFPA 24 covers private mains and NFPA 25 covers inspection, testing and maintenance.2025 CFC 913.1

What does the fire code require protection of the pump, driver and controller against?

• a.Electrical surges on the supply feeder
• b.Interruption of service from fire, flood or quake✓
• c.Theft of the pump controller or motor
• d.Damage from passing vehicles at the site

The fire pump, driver and controller are protected against possible interruption of service from explosion, fire, flood, earthquake, rodents, insects, windstorm, freezing, vandalism and other conditions. Electrical surges on the feeder are narrower than the rule's list. Theft is covered only under the broad vandalism item and is not the focus. Damage from passing vehicles is a single hazard, not the continuity-of-service protection the rule describes.2025 CFC 913.2

How is the cable that supplies a fire pump protected, under the fire code, as one option?

• a.Encased in at least 2 inches of concrete✓
• b.Routed on the same hangers as gas pipe
• c.Buried 6 inches deep in plain sand
• d.Wrapped in a single layer of tape

One option is that the cable or raceway is encased in a minimum of 2 inches of concrete, among other methods with a rating of at least 1 hour. Routing on the same hangers as gas pipe places the cable beside a fuel hazard. Burying it 6 inches deep in plain sand gives no fire rating. A single layer of tape offers no fire resistance.2025 CFC 913.2.2

At what temperature must a fire pump room be kept above?

• a.60 F
• b.40 F✓
• c.80 F
• d.20 F

The pump room is kept above 40 F, and never below the engine manufacturer's minimum. Sixty and 80 degrees are warmer than the code requires. Twenty degrees is below freezing, so it would not protect the pump and its water-filled parts.2025 CFC 913.3

Which fire pump valves are supervised open?

• a.Test outlet valves of each size
• b.Vent valves at the high points
• c.Drain valves at the low points
• d.Suction, discharge and bypass valves✓

Suction, discharge and bypass valves, and isolation valves on the backflow device, are supervised open, while test outlet valves are supervised closed. Drain and vent valves are not named.2025 CFC 913.4

What does the fire code require for acceptance testing of a fire pump?

• a.A visual check by the owner
• b.A test after one year of service
• c.Testing in accordance with NFPA 20✓
• d.Testing in accordance with NFPA 13

Acceptance testing shall be done in accordance with NFPA 20. NFPA 13 alone, an owner's visual check and a delayed test do not meet the rule.2025 CFC 913.5.1

What standard governs periodic testing of engine generator sets that power a fire pump?

• a.NFPA 110✓
• b.NFPA 750
• c.NFPA 14
• d.NFPA 72

Generator sets supplying fire pump assemblies, and automatic transfer switches, are periodically tested in accordance with NFPA 110. NFPA 72 is for fire alarms, NFPA 14 for standpipes and NFPA 750 for water mist.2025 CFC 913.5.2

How many buildings may a fire pump serve under the Sacramento sprinkler standard, in general?

• a.A number set by the owner
• b.Three
• c.Two
• d.One✓

The standard says a fire pump shall serve only one building, with an exception for campuses on a single property under one ownership. A number set by the owner would leave the limit unregulated. Two and three buildings are more than the general rule allows.Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District FPS 1

What does the Sacramento standard require of a fire pump installation's piping?

• a.A tank bypass
• b.No by-pass line is needed
• c.A by-pass line✓
• d.A second discharge gauge

A fire pump shall have a by-pass line installed, so water can reach the system if the pump is out of service. A tank bypass is not what the standard asks for. Saying no by-pass line is needed contradicts the requirement. A second discharge gauge is not a piping requirement of the standard.Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District FPS 1

A pump test shows 2,000 rpm against a rated 1,800 rpm, and flows 900 gpm. About what flow corresponds to rated speed?

• a.1,000 gpm
• b.900 gpm
• c.810 gpm✓
• d.729 gpm

Capacity varies with speed, so 900 × (1,800 ÷ 2,000) = 810 gpm. The 1,000 figure is the inverse ratio, 900 ignores the correction, and 729 uses the squared ratio.Fire Engineering, Testing Building Fire Pumps Part 2

A pump test at 1,700 rpm against a rated 1,800 rpm gives 80 psi. About what pressure corresponds to rated speed?

• a.89.7 psi✓
• b.80 psi
• c.71.4 psi
• d.84.7 psi

Pressure varies with the square of speed, so 80 x (1,800 / 1,700)^2 = 89.7 psi. A linear correction gives 84.7 psi, which treats pressure like flow. No correction leaves 80 psi, though the pump ran slower than rated. The inverse square gives 71.4 psi, which corrects in the wrong direction.Fire Engineering, Testing Building Fire Pumps Part 2

What does a pump acceptance test record at the three conditions in the trade article?

• a.Churn, one quarter and one half load
• b.Shut-off, rated load and peak load✓
• c.Idle, half load and double load
• d.Rated load, repeated three times

The test records shut-off, rated load (100 percent of flow and pressure) and peak load (150 percent of flow at not less than 65 percent of pressure). Churn with one quarter and one half load stops before the rated and peak points. Idle, half load and double load uses the wrong points, because the peak is 150 percent, not double. Rated load repeated three times records only one condition.Fire Engineering, Testing Building Fire Pumps Part 2

What minimum run time does the trade article suggest for an automatic-stop electric motor pump controller?

• a.10 minutes✓
• b.30 minutes
• c.1 minute
• d.2 hours

The article says the timer is set for 10 minutes for an electric motor and 30 minutes for a diesel engine. One minute and two hours are not those figures.Fire Engineering, Testing Building Fire Pumps Part 2

What standard does the fire code name for private water tanks for fire protection?

• a.NFPA 24
• b.NFPA 22✓
• c.NFPA 20
• d.NFPA 14

Water tanks for private fire protection are installed in accordance with NFPA 22. NFPA 24 covers private mains, NFPA 20 covers pumps and NFPA 14 covers standpipes.2025 CFC 507.2.2

What does the fire code require to be electrically supervised in addition to valves, for a sprinkler system with a tank?

• a.Water levels and temperatures✓
• b.The mesh size of the tank vent screens
• c.The condition of the tank paint
• d.The location of the tank ladder

The fire code lists valves, pumps, tanks, water levels and temperatures, critical air pressures and waterflow switches as electrically supervised, so tank water levels and temperatures are the items beyond valves. Vent screen mesh size is a maintenance detail with no signal. Paint condition is cosmetic and cannot be supervised electrically. The location of a tank ladder is a fixed feature, not a condition that changes.2025 CFC 903.4.1

A tank is sized for 600 gpm for 60 minutes. Under the federal 120% rule, what stored volume is called for?

• a.21,600 gallons
• b.72,000 gallons
• c.43,200 gallons✓
• d.36,000 gallons

600 × 60 = 36,000 gallons, and 120% is 43,200 gallons. The 36,000 figure is the demand itself, 21,600 is 60% of it, and 72,000 doubles it.UFC 3-600-01 section 9-4

Which standard does the fire code name for standpipe systems?

• a.NFPA 14✓
• b.NFPA 13
• c.NFPA 24
• d.NFPA 17

Standpipe systems are installed in accordance with the fire code section and NFPA 14. NFPA 13 is the sprinkler standard, NFPA 17 covers dry chemical systems and NFPA 24 covers private mains.2025 CFC 905.2

Where are Class I standpipe hose connections required to be provided?

• a.At the roof of the building
• b.In every required exit stairway✓
• c.In elevator lobbies on each floor
• d.In the basement of the building

Class I hose connections are provided in every required interior or exterior exit stairway, at each story above and below grade plane, with other listed locations. The roof is one of the listed locations but not the main one, since the stairway connection serves every story. Elevator lobbies are not where Class I connections are required. A basement is served through the stairway connections at each story below grade plane, not by a separate basement requirement.2025 CFC 905.4

How is Class II hose connection coverage measured?

• a.Areas within 10 feet of the hose cabinet door
• b.Areas within 60 feet of the nearest exit stairway
• c.All areas within 30 feet of a nozzle on 100 feet of hose✓
• d.Areas within 100 feet of the connection by line of sight

Class II connections are located so that all portions of the building are within 30 feet of a listed variable stream fog nozzle attached to 100 feet of hose. Ten feet from a cabinet door is far shorter than the reach the rule uses. Sixty feet from the nearest stairway is a travel measure, not a hose-reach measure. One hundred feet by line of sight ignores the nozzle reach and hose path.2025 CFC 905.5

What does the fire code say about dry standpipes?

• a.Not installed, except where subject to freezing✓
• b.Allowed everywhere without restriction
• c.Required in each high-rise building
• d.Preferred in fully sprinklered buildings

Dry standpipes shall not be installed, with an exception where subject to freezing and in accordance with NFPA 14. Allowing them everywhere without restriction reverses the rule. Requiring them in each high-rise building has no basis, since high-rises use wet systems. Preferring them in sprinklered buildings is also unfounded.2025 CFC 905.8

What must standpipe valves controlling water supplies be, under the fire code?

• a.Locked in the closed position
• b.Removed from the riser in winter
• c.Painted yellow and left unsupervised
• d.Supervised in the open position✓

Valves controlling water supplies shall be supervised in the open position so a change generates a supervisory signal. Locking them closed would defeat the system. Removing them from the riser in winter would leave no way to feed the system. Painting them yellow and leaving them unsupervised ignores the supervision rule.2025 CFC 905.9

What letter height does the fire code give for the sign on a fire equipment cabinet?

• a.At least 6 inches
• b.At least 1 inch
• c.At least 1/2 inch
• d.At least 2 inches✓

Cabinets are identified by a permanently attached sign with letters not less than 2 inches high in a color that contrasts with the background, with a pictogram option for small doors. Six inches is the height of the FDC letters on a sign in the existing-building rule. One inch is the letter height for an FDC sign, not a cabinet sign. A half inch is smaller than any figure the code gives for these signs.2025 CFC 905.7.1

When a standpipe is required during construction, which section applies?

• a.Section 507.5
• b.Section 903.4
• c.Section 913.3
• d.Section 3307✓

Standpipe systems required during construction and demolition are provided in accordance with Section 3307. Section 507.5 is the hydrant section. Section 903.4 covers sprinkler system supervision and alarms. Section 913.3 covers fire pump room requirements.2025 CFC 905.10

How must a non-sprinkler automatic fire-extinguishing system be actuated?

• a.By a manual pull station alone
• b.By the building smoke detectors alone
• c.Automatically, plus a manual means✓
• d.By remote telephone command alone

The systems are automatically actuated and provided with a manual means of actuation. A manual pull station alone has no automatic action. The building smoke detectors alone would not release the agent. Remote telephone command alone is not a means the rule recognizes.2025 CFC 904.3.2

What wiring code does the fire code name for extinguishing systems?

• a.The California Energy Code
• b.The California Electrical Code✓
• c.The California Mechanical Code
• d.The California Plumbing Code

Electrical wiring for fire-extinguishing systems is in accordance with the California Electrical Code. The Energy Code covers building energy efficiency. The Mechanical Code covers heating, ventilation and ducts. The Plumbing Code covers water and drain piping.2025 CFC 904.3.1

What warning does the fire code require ahead of agent discharge?

• a.A sign posted at the building's loading dock
• b.Audible and visible alarms with warning signs✓
• c.A written notice included in each tenant lease
• d.A recorded message on the telephone system

Distinctive audible and visible alarms and warning signs are provided to warn of pending agent discharge, and a separate signal once discharge begins where a delay is used. A sign at the loading dock does not warn the people in the protected space. A written notice in each lease cannot warn of a discharge as it begins. A recorded telephone message does not alert people in the room.2025 CFC 904.3.4

Which standard does the fire code name for clean-agent systems?

• a.NFPA 2001✓
• b.NFPA 12
• c.NFPA 750
• d.NFPA 17A

Clean-agent systems follow NFPA 2001 and the Title 19 chapter. NFPA 12 is carbon dioxide, NFPA 17A wet chemical and NFPA 750 water mist.2025 CFC 904.10

Which standard does the fire code name for carbon dioxide systems?

• a.NFPA 12A
• b.NFPA 2001
• c.NFPA 12✓
• d.NFPA 11

Carbon dioxide systems follow NFPA 12. NFPA 2001 is clean agent, NFPA 12A is halon and NFPA 11 is foam.2025 CFC 904.8

Which standard does the fire code name for wet chemical systems?

• a.NFPA 17
• b.NFPA 17A✓
• c.NFPA 12
• d.NFPA 11

Wet chemical systems follow NFPA 17A. NFPA 17 is dry chemical, NFPA 12 is carbon dioxide and NFPA 11 is foam.2025 CFC 904.5

How often are wet chemical and dry chemical systems inspected and tested?

• a.Every three months
• b.Every six months✓
• c.Every five years
• d.Every two years

The systems are inspected and tested for proper operation at six-month intervals, including detection, alarms, releasing devices and manual stations, with agent units weighed. Every three months is more often than the rule. Every five years and every two years are far too long between checks of a system that protects a cooking hazard.2025 CFC 904.5.1 and 904.6.1

A clean agent container originally weighed 150 pounds. At what weight does it need refilling or replacement for weight loss alone?

• a.Below 147 pounds
• b.Below 120 pounds
• c.Below 142.5 pounds✓
• d.Below 135 pounds

A loss of more than 5 percent requires action, and 5 percent of 150 is 7.5 pounds, so below 142.5 pounds. The 135 figure is a 10 percent loss, 147 is a 2 percent loss and 120 is a 20 percent loss.2025 CFC 904.10.2

What is the maximum height of the manual actuation device above the floor for a kitchen system?

• a.60 inches
• b.72 inches
• c.48 inches✓
• d.36 inches

The manual device is installed not more than 48 inches nor less than 42 inches above the floor. The other heights are outside the range.2025 CFC 904.14.1

What force may a kitchen system's manual actuation require at most?

• a.40 pounds✓
• b.5 pounds
• c.80 pounds
• d.120 pounds

The manual actuation requires a maximum force of 40 pounds and a maximum movement of 14 inches. Five pounds would be too light and risks accidental operation. Eighty and 120 pounds are too heavy for a person to operate in an emergency.2025 CFC 904.14.1

After a kitchen system discharges, what happens to the fuel and electric supply to the cooking equipment?

• a.It stays on until the fire is out
• b.It shuts down the electric equipment, not the gas
• c.It shuts down and then resets by itself
• d.It shuts down automatically and resets manually✓

The actuation automatically shuts down the fuel or electrical power supply, and reset is manual so the equipment cannot restart on its own. Staying on until the fire is out would keep feeding the fire. Shutting down the electric equipment only leaves the gas feeding the fire. A shutdown that resets by itself could restart the equipment in a still-burning appliance.2025 CFC 904.14.2

Where are carbon dioxide nozzles required in the ducts of a kitchen system?

• a.In no duct, when the duct is made of metal
• b.At the hood face, not in ducts
• c.At the bottom of each duct
• d.At the duct top, with more in long ducts✓

A nozzle is required at the top of the ventilating duct, with additional nozzles symmetrically arranged within vertical ducts over 20 feet and horizontal ducts over 50 feet. Metal ducts are not exempt, because grease deposits burn in any duct. A nozzle at the hood face only leaves the duct unprotected. The bottom of each duct is not the position the rule specifies.2025 CFC 904.14.3

How many 2A extinguishers does a 11,000 square foot floor under construction need at minimum?

• a.11
• b.3
• c.4✓
• d.2

One 2A extinguisher is needed per 3,000 square feet or fraction thereof, and 11,000 / 3,000 = 3.67, which rounds up to 4. Three ignores the fraction. Eleven divides by 1,000 square feet. Two is too few for the area.Title 8 section 1922

How early after each story is complete must sprinklers used in lieu of temporary protection be in service, under Title 8?

• a.At the end of the whole construction project
• b.As soon as laws permit after each story✓
• c.After the roof of the building is finished
• d.After the certificate of occupancy is issued

The installation shall closely follow the construction and be placed in service as soon as applicable laws permit following completion of each story. Waiting until the end of the project leaves the building unprotected throughout construction. Waiting for the roof leaves the lower stories unprotected. Waiting for the certificate of occupancy is later still.Title 8 section 1923

Who may the fire code authorize to require locking caps on standpipe outlets?

• a.The owner, at a time of the owner's choosing
• b.The manufacturer, at the time of shipment
• c.The insurer, at the next policy renewal
• d.The fire code official, if keys exist✓

The fire code official is authorized to require locking caps on standpipe outlets where the responding fire department carries compatible key wrenches. The owner, manufacturer and insurer are not given that authority.2025 CFC 905.11

Where a building has a fire alarm system, how are automatic extinguishing systems tied to it?

• a.They are wired to the elevators
• b.They are monitored by the plumbing system
• c.They are monitored by the fire alarm (NFPA 72)✓
• d.They are kept isolated from the fire alarm

Where a building fire alarm system is installed, automatic fire-extinguishing systems shall be monitored by it in accordance with NFPA 72. Wiring to the elevators is for recall and shunt functions, not monitoring. The plumbing system cannot monitor a fire-extinguishing system. Keeping them isolated from the fire alarm reverses the requirement.2025 CFC 904.3.5