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

Hot work is needed in an area whose sprinkler system is impaired. What does the fire code say?

• a.Required to be done at night
• b.Restricted unless the fire code official approves✓
• c.Allowed if a bucket of water is nearby
• d.Allowed if the work takes under an hour

Hot work shall not be conducted in areas where the automatic sprinkler system is impaired unless approval has been obtained from the fire code official. Doing it at night does not restore protection. A bucket of water nearby does not substitute for the impaired system. A short job under an hour still has the full ignition risk, so duration is not an exception.2025 CFC 3501.3

How long must the hot work permit be available for review after the work is complete?

• a.1 hour
• b.7 days
• c.48 hours✓
• d.30 days

Hot work permits are available for review at the time the work is conducted and for 48 hours after work is complete. One hour is shorter than the rule. Seven days and 30 days are longer than the rule requires.2025 CFC 3503.3

What must the fire code's maintenance rule achieve after a protective qualities disruption?

• a.Replacement of the whole system right away
• b.A written plan submitted within 30 days or so
• c.Immediate action to restore normal operation✓
• d.Notice to the insurer, with no other step

Upon disruption or diminishment of fire protective qualities, immediate action shall be instituted to reestablish the equipment to its original normal and operational condition. Replacing the whole system right away is not what the rule demands. Submitting a written plan within about 30 days leaves the protection down in the meantime. Notifying the insurer alone takes no step to restore the system.2025 CFC 901.6

Who is it unlawful to remove or disturb a required fire protection system for, except for listed purposes?

• a.Visitors
• b.Any person✓
• c.Tenants
• d.Contractors without licenses

It is unlawful for any person to remove, tamper with or disturb any required system except for extinguishing fire, training, recharging, making necessary repairs or where approved. Visitors and tenants are only some of the people covered, so limiting the prohibition to them is wrong. Contractors without licenses are also only a part of the group, so a licensed contractor is not exempt.2025 CFC 901.8

How often are electrically supervised control valves inspected, in the public NFPA 25 summary?

• a.Every 3 years
• b.Every 5 years
• c.Not required, because they are supervised
• d.Quarterly✓

Electrically supervised control valves are inspected quarterly, with operation and position tested annually and supervisory tested semiannually. Every 3 years and every 5 years are intervals the table uses for other items. Supervision does not remove the inspection, so saying none is required is wrong.NFPA 25 summary table (East Bay Municipal Utility District)

How often is a dry-pipe valve trip test done, in the public NFPA 25 summary?

• a.Every 5 years
• b.Annually✓
• c.Weekly
• d.Every 10 years

The dry-pipe trip test is annual, with a full-flow trip test every 3 years. Every 5 years and every 10 years are much longer than the annual interval. Weekly is far more often than the table gives.NFPA 25 summary table (East Bay Municipal Utility District)

How often does the table give for dry-pipe priming water checks?

• a.Every 5 years
• b.Annually
• c.Every 3 years
• d.Quarterly✓

Priming water for dry-pipe valves is checked quarterly, as are quick-opening devices. Every 5 years and every 3 years are intervals the table gives for other items. Annually is less often than the quarterly priming water check.NFPA 25 summary table (East Bay Municipal Utility District)

After which event are engineered fixed extinguishing systems serviced beyond their semiannual schedule?

• a.A change of season
• b.A change of tenant
• c.A change of fire marshal
• d.A system activation✓

Engineered and pre-engineered fixed extinguishing systems are inspected, tested and maintained at least semiannually and immediately after a system activation. A change of season, tenant or fire marshal does not change the condition of the system, so none of them triggers the extra service.2025 CFC 904.1 (Title 19 text)

How must fire hydrant systems be maintained under the 2025 California Fire Code?

• a.Inspected annually, with repairs only on the owner's request
• b.Tested each spring, repaired at the next scheduled shutdown
• c.In an operative condition at all times, repaired where defective✓
• d.Kept in service only while the building is occupied

Hydrant systems shall be maintained in an operative condition at all times and repaired where defective. Testing each spring and repairing at a scheduled shutdown allows a defective hydrant to sit out of service. Repairs only on the owner's request leaves the duty with the wrong party. Keeping hydrants in service only while the building is occupied is not in the rule, because the duty applies at all times.2025 CFC 507.5.2

What must the owner do about deficiencies found during inspection?

• a.Wait for the next annual test
• b.Defer repair until the tenant leaves
• c.Promptly correct or repair them✓
• d.Report them to the insurer

The owner or occupant shall promptly correct or repair deficiencies, damaged parts or impairments found, and recalled products shall be replaced or remedied. Waiting for the next annual test or deferring until the tenant leaves delays the correction. Reporting to the insurer does not correct anything.2025 CFC 901.7 (Title 19 text)

Which two programs does Title 8 section 1509 require every employer to have?

• a.An IIPP and a written Code of Safe Practices✓
• b.A union agreement and a hiring plan
• c.A drug testing program and a retirement plan
• d.A fire insurance policy and a bonding plan

Section 1509 requires an effective IIPP and a written Code of Safe Practices related to the employer's operations. A union agreement and hiring plan are labor matters. A drug testing program and a retirement plan are not safety program requirements. A fire insurance policy and a bonding plan are financial protections, not safety programs.Title 8 section 1509

What must new workers be given when first employed?

• a.Instructions on the work's hazards and precautions✓
• b.A bonus for each day of training completed
• c.A union membership card on the first day
• d.A copy of the owner's signed contract

When workers are first employed they shall be given instructions regarding hazards and safety precautions applicable to the type of work, and directed to read the Code of Safe Practices. A bonus for training days is not required. A union card is unrelated to safety instruction. A copy of the owner's signed contract tells the worker nothing about hazards.Title 8 section 1510

Who is responsible for first aid on a multi-employer construction project, under section 1512?

• a.The general contractor on the project
• b.The nearest hospital or clinic
• c.The owner of the building site
• d.Each employer, who may pool trained persons✓

Each employer ensures availability of emergency medical services for its employees and trained first aid persons, and employers may form a pool large enough for the combined work force. The general contractor and the site owner are not assigned the whole duty. A nearby hospital or clinic is a resource for emergency care, not the party responsible for first aid on site.Title 8 section 1512

Who must see that personal protective equipment is maintained in a safe, sanitary condition?

• a.The equipment manufacturer
• b.The fire marshal
• c.The employee alone
• d.The employer✓

The employer shall assure that required safety devices and personal protective equipment comply with Title 8 standards and are maintained in a safe, sanitary condition. The manufacturer makes the equipment but does not look after it on the job. The fire marshal enforces fire rules and has no such duty. The employee alone cannot carry a duty the rule gives to the employer.Title 8 section 1514

What temperature is the heat illness shade requirement keyed to?

• a.Above 105 F
• b.Above 80 F✓
• c.Above 120 F
• d.Above 60 F

Shade shall be present when the temperature exceeds 80 F. The figures of 105 F and 120 F are well above the trigger. Sixty F is below it, so it would require shade on mild days.Title 8 section 3395

What temperature triggers high-heat procedures?

• a.105 F or above
• b.80 F or above
• c.115 F or above
• d.95 F or above✓

High-heat procedures apply when the temperature equals or exceeds 95 F. Eighty F is the shade trigger, not the high-heat trigger. One hundred five F and 115 F are above the trigger, so using them would leave workers without the procedures between 95 F and those temperatures.Title 8 section 3395

How often must a cool-down rest be provided at 95 F or above?

• a.A one-hour rest at noon
• b.A ten-minute rest every two hours✓
• c.A five-minute rest every hour
• d.A thirty-minute rest every four hours

At 95 F or above a minimum ten-minute net preventative cool-down rest period is provided every two hours. A one-hour rest at noon is a single break, not recurring. A five-minute rest every hour is more often but shorter than the rule. A thirty-minute rest every four hours is a longer interval and a different length.Title 8 section 3395

What must be true of drinking water for outdoor workers under section 3395?

• a.Purchased by the worker at the job trailer
• b.Kept warm to prevent chills in summer
• c.Fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge✓
• d.Offered at the contractor's main office

Water must be potable, fresh, pure, suitably cool and provided free, located as close as practicable to the work. Purchased by the worker at the trailer fails the free requirement. Kept warm contradicts the suitably cool requirement. Offered at the main office fails the close-to-the-work requirement.Title 8 section 3395

What does the employer owe when respirators are necessary?

• a.A list of recommended respirator brands
• b.Suitable respirators and a written program✓
• c.A fit test by itself with no written program
• d.A refund after the worker buys a respirator

Respirators shall be provided by the employer when necessary, along with a respiratory protection program that includes fit testing. A list, a refund or a fit test alone is not enough.Title 8 section 5144

What does a qualitative fit test rely on?

• a.The head size of the person wearing it
• b.The wearer's response to a test agent✓
• c.A sensor placed inside the mask itself
• d.A measurement of the exhaled air volume

A qualitative fit test is a pass/fail test relying on the individual's response to the test agent. A sensor, an air volume measurement and head size alone describe other methods.Title 8 section 5144

Silica rules in construction apply unless exposure stays below what level?

• a.25 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour average✓
• b.25 milligrams per cubic meter as a 1-hour average
• c.5 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour average
• d.250 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour average

Section 1532.3 applies except where exposure will remain below 25 micrograms per cubic meter as an 8-hour time-weighted average under any foreseeable conditions. Milligrams are a thousand times larger than micrograms, and a 1-hour average is not the stated averaging period. Five micrograms is lower than the stated level. Two hundred fifty micrograms is ten times the stated level.Title 8 section 1532.3

What must an employer do for a task listed on Table 1 of the silica section?

• a.Implement the listed controls and respiratory protection✓
• b.Use respirators, without other controls
• c.Measure exposure first, then decide on controls
• d.Skip the controls when the work takes under an hour

For each Table 1 task the employer fully and properly implements the specified controls, work practices and respiratory protection, unless it assesses and limits exposure. Respirators without other controls skip the listed controls. Measuring exposure first is the alternative performance route and not the Table 1 route. Skipping the controls for work under an hour is not an exception in the table.Title 8 section 1532.3

What must an employer provide to employees about hazardous chemicals?

• a.A single poster placed at the site entrance
• b.A chemical list kept at the home office
• c.A verbal reminder given once each year
• d.A hazcom program, labels, SDSs and training✓

The hazard communication standard requires a program, labels and other warnings, safety data sheets, and information and training. A single poster at the entrance gives no labels, data sheets or training. A chemical list kept at the home office is not available to employees at the site. A verbal reminder once a year does not meet the training requirement.Title 8 section 5194

Which Title 8 class is repair and maintenance work likely to disturb asbestos-containing material?

• a.Class II
• b.Class I
• c.Class IV
• d.Class III✓

Class III work means repair and maintenance operations where ACM is likely to be disturbed. Class I is removal of thermal system insulation and surfacing material, and Class II is removal of other ACM.Title 8 section 1529

How much asbestos-containing surface area triggers the Board's asbestos certification rule?

• a.10 square feet or more
• b.1,000 square feet or more
• c.500 square feet or more
• d.100 square feet or more✓

A contractor shall not engage in asbestos-related work involving 100 square feet or more of surface area unless it holds a C-22 classification or the qualifier passes the asbestos certification examination. Ten square feet is far below the trigger. One thousand and 500 square feet are above the trigger and would let jobs of 100 to 499 square feet go without certification.CSLB asbestos certification page

How must oxygen cylinders and fittings be kept?

• a.Lubricated with a light oil
• b.Stored on their sides on racks
• c.Away from oil and grease✓
• d.Chained to a fuel tank

Oxygen cylinders and fittings shall be kept away from oil or grease, and oxygen is never directed at oily surfaces, because oil in oxygen can ignite violently. Lubricating them with light oil creates exactly that hazard. Storing cylinders on their sides on racks is not the rule. Chaining them to a fuel tank puts oxygen beside fuel.Title 8 section 1743

What extinguisher is kept near bottled fuel gas operations?

• a.A 2A water extinguisher on a cart
• b.A dry chemical or CO2 unit rated 10 B:C✓
• c.A foam extinguisher rated 1A near the exit
• d.A bucket of sand beside the cylinders

A dry chemical or carbon dioxide extinguisher rated at least 10 B:C shall be kept near operations where bottled fuel gases are being used, since fuel gas fires are class B fires. A 2A water extinguisher on a cart is rated for ordinary combustibles and does not suit a gas fire. A foam extinguisher rated 1A is likewise an ordinary-combustibles rating. A bucket of sand is not an extinguisher of the stated rating.Title 8 section 1743

What does section 3314 control?

• a.Noise levels in the work area during testing
• b.Heat levels in the work area during summer
• c.Hazardous energy during servicing and lockout✓
• d.Lead dust levels in the work area after demolition

Section 3314 is the control of hazardous energy for cleaning, repairing, servicing, setting-up and adjusting machinery, including lockout and tagout. Noise levels, heat levels and lead dust have their own rules in other sections.Title 8 section 3314

What must tagout device attachments be, under section 3314?

• a.Tags removable with a screwdriver
• b.Magnetic clips that slide on and off
• c.Reusable strips of adhesive tape
• d.Non-reusable, hand-attached and self-locking✓

Tagout attachment means shall be of a non-reusable type, attachable by hand, self-locking and non-releasable with a minimum unlocking strength. A tag removable with a screwdriver can be removed without noticing and is not self-locking. Magnetic clips slide off and are reusable. Reusable adhesive tape is reusable and does not lock.Title 8 section 3314

Which official responsibility does Title 8 section 1920 give the employer?

• a.A fire protection program for all of construction✓
• b.A sprinkler design for the finished building
• c.A building permit for the whole site
• d.A fire code plan review for the project

The employer is responsible for developing a fire protection program followed through all phases of construction. A sprinkler design for the finished building is a design task, not an employer program. A building permit for the site is a permitting matter. A fire code plan review is done by the fire authority, not by the employer.Title 8 section 1920

What must be true of access to fire fighting equipment on a construction site?

• a.It is reserved for the fire department
• b.It is safe and unobstructed at all times✓
• c.It is locked each night after hours
• d.It is moved to a new place weekly

A safe and unobstructed access to all available fire fighting equipment shall be maintained at all times, and the equipment is conspicuously located or marked. Reserving it for the fire department would leave workers without it. Locking it each night would block access when it is needed. Moving it weekly would leave people unable to find it.Title 8 section 1920

When must a water supply for construction fire fighting equipment be available?

• a.As soon as combustible materials build up✓
• b.After the first inspection is passed
• c.At final occupancy of the building
• d.When the roof is on the building

A temporary or permanent water supply of sufficient volume, duration and pressure shall be available as soon as combustible materials accumulate. After the first inspection, at final occupancy and when the roof goes on are all later than that.Title 8 section 1921

How many 2A extinguishers does a 4,500 square foot floor need at minimum?

• a.3
• b.2✓
• c.5
• d.1

One 2A extinguisher per 3,000 square feet or fraction thereof, and 4,500 / 3,000 = 1.5, which rounds up to 2. One ignores the fraction. Three and five exceed the minimum.Title 8 section 1922

What is the maximum travel distance to a construction extinguisher?

• a.75 feet✓
• b.25 feet
• c.100 feet
• d.200 feet

Travel distance from any point of the protected area to the nearest extinguisher shall not exceed 75 feet. Twenty-five feet is shorter than the rule requires. One hundred feet and 200 feet are longer than the limit.Title 8 section 1922

Who may operate sprinkler control valves during demolition or alteration?

• a.The general contractor's driver
• b.Only qualified persons✓
• c.The fire department
• d.A worker on site

Operation of sprinkler control valves is permitted only by qualified persons, and the valves are checked daily. The general contractor's driver and a worker on site are not qualified for it. The fire department is not assigned the duty, since the valves belong to the project's protection.Title 8 section 1923

What containers are required for handling flammable liquids in quantities of 5 gallons or less?

• a.Open buckets fitted with loose-fitting lids
• b.Glass jars with screw-on lids
• c.Plastic bottles that happen to be handy
• d.Approved safety cans or DOT containers✓

Approved safety cans or Department of Transportation approved containers are used for handling flammable liquids in quantities of 5 gallons or less, and the original container may be used for one gallon or less. Open buckets with loose lids allow vapors and spills. Glass jars break. Plastic bottles that happen to be handy are not approved containers.Title 8 section 1930

What does the housekeeping section say about scrap lumber with protruding nails?

• a.It is cleared from work areas and stairs✓
• b.It is left in place until demolition ends
• c.It is stored on the scaffold platforms
• d.It is stacked beside the exits for pickup

Form and scrap lumber with protruding nails and other debris shall be kept reasonably cleared from work areas, passageways and stairs. Leaving it in place until demolition ends leaves the nail hazard in use. Storing it on scaffold platforms puts it where workers stand. Stacking it beside the exits blocks the way out.Title 8 section 1513

What does section 1675 say about single-rail ladders?

• a.They may be used under 8 feet
• b.They shall not be used✓
• c.They are required for narrow spaces
• d.They may be used with a rope

Single-rail ladders shall not be used. The rule has no height exception, so a limit of under 8 feet is wrong. They are not required for narrow spaces. Using one with a rope does not change the ban.Title 8 section 1675

What is the greatest spacing of job-made ladder cleats, measured from tops?

• a.6 inches
• b.18 inches
• c.12 inches✓
• d.24 inches

Cleats are uniformly spaced and not farther apart than 12 inches measured from the tops of cleats. The other spacings are not the limit.Title 8 section 1676

What is the longest single-cleat job-made ladder between supports?

• a.30 feet✓
• b.40 feet
• c.50 feet
• d.12 feet

Single cleat ladders shall not exceed 30 feet in length between supports, and longer runs use offset ladders with a platform. The other lengths are not the limit.Title 8 section 1676

What is the greatest scaffold plank overhang beyond its support, unless guarded or anchored?

• a.6 inches
• b.18 inches✓
• c.4 feet
• d.36 inches

A plank shall not overhang its support by more than 18 inches unless access to the overhang is prevented by a guardrail or barrier or the other end is anchored. Six inches is shorter than the limit. Thirty-six inches and 4 feet are longer than the limit.Title 8 section 1637

When must scaffold guardrails be installed?

• a.After the first lift of material is loaded
• b.When the platform is over 20 feet high
• c.At the end of each work shift on site
• d.Before unrelated work on the platform starts✓

Where work platforms are proposed, guardrails shall be installed before other work not directly related to scaffold erection is permitted to begin. After the first lift of material is loaded is too late, because work is already going on. A platform height of 20 feet is not the trigger. Waiting until the end of each shift leaves workers exposed during the shift.Title 8 section 1637

What fall exposure triggers fall protection at unprotected edges?

• a.More than 30 feet
• b.More than 3 feet
• c.More than 15 feet
• d.More than 7-1/2 feet✓

Fall arrest, restraint or positioning systems are worn for exposure to falling in excess of 7-1/2 feet from unprotected sides and edges, leading edges, shaftways and other listed exposures. The other heights are not the trigger.Title 8 section 1670

What must an anchorage support per employee attached?

• a.At least 5,000 pounds✓
• b.At least 500 pounds
• c.At least 3,000 pounds
• d.At least 1,000 pounds

Anchorages must support at least 5,000 pounds per employee attached or be designed, installed and used under a qualified person. Five hundred and 1,000 pounds are far below the required strength. Three thousand pounds is the figure for a self-retracting lifeline that limits free fall to 2 feet, not for the anchorage.Title 8 section 1670

What load must a self-retracting lifeline that limits free fall to 2 feet or less sustain?

• a.10,000 pounds
• b.3,000 pounds✓
• c.5,000 pounds
• d.1,000 pounds

Self-retracting lifelines and lanyards that limit free fall to 2 feet or less must sustain a minimum tensile load of 3,000 pounds, while those that do not must sustain 5,000 pounds. The other loads are not that figure.Title 8 section 1670

Which free-fall limit applies to a rigged personal fall arrest system?

• a.No free fall limit
• b.No more than 2 feet
• c.No more than 6 feet✓
• d.No more than 10 feet

The system is rigged so an employee can neither free fall more than 6 feet nor contact a lower level. The other limits are not the rule.Title 8 section 1670

May body belts be part of a personal fall arrest system?

• a.Yes, but above thirty feet in height
• b.Yes, at a height when padded and doubled
• c.No, except where subsections (c) and (d) permit✓
• d.Yes, if the belt is padded on each side

Body belts shall not be used as part of a personal fall arrest system, except as permitted in subsections (c) and (d). Allowing them above thirty feet adds a height condition that is not in the rule. Padding and doubling does not make a belt acceptable. Padding the belt on each side does not either.Title 8 section 1670

At what depth must a person descending into a trench have a protective system, unless in stable rock?

• a.8 feet or deeper
• b.2 feet or deeper
• c.12 feet or deeper
• d.5 feet or deeper✓

Each employee in an excavation is protected from cave-ins by a protective system except in stable rock or where the excavation is less than 5 feet and a competent person finds no indication of potential cave-in. The other depths are not the threshold.Title 8 section 1541.1

When must a means of egress be placed in a trench?

• a.When it is 8 feet or more deep
• b.When it is 2 feet or more deep
• c.When it is 4 feet or more deep✓
• d.When it is 12 feet or more deep

A stairway, ladder, ramp or other safe means of egress is located in trenches 4 feet or more in depth. The other depths are not the threshold.Title 8 section 1541

How far may lateral travel to an egress be in a 4-foot or deeper trench?

• a.No more than 100 feet
• b.No more than 10 feet
• c.No more than 25 feet✓
• d.No more than 50 feet

Means of egress are located so as to require no more than 25 feet of lateral travel for employees. Ten feet is shorter than the rule. Fifty and 100 feet are longer than the limit.Title 8 section 1541