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Fire alarm practice questions

30 questions from the firefighter and fire alarm basics practice test.

Fire alarm practice test

10 questions, graded as you go, with the reason for every answer. No sign-up.

What this covers

Sample questions

A tamper switch on a sprinkler control valve operates because someone has partly closed the valve. What signal should the control unit show?

  1. Supervisory
  2. Alarm
  3. Trouble
  4. Evacuation
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A. Supervisory

A valve that is off-normal is a supervisory condition: the sprinkler system may not work, but there is no fire. It is not a trouble signal, because the alarm system's own wiring and power are fine.

Reference: NFPA 72 topic: supervisory signal initiating devices

A 24 V circuit has a total resistance of 1,200 ohms. How much current flows?

  1. 2 mA
  2. 20 mA
  3. 50 mA
  4. 200 mA
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B. 20 mA

I = E / R = 24 V / 1,200 ohms = 0.020 A = 20 mA. Dividing the other way (1,200 / 24) gives 50, which is not a current, and the other choices are decimal-point slips.

Reference: Basic electricity: Ohm's law

A rate-of-rise heat detector responds when

  1. The temperature reaches one fixed set point
  2. Smoke particles scatter a beam of light
  3. The temperature climbs faster than a set rate
  4. Smoke particles change a small ion current
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C. The temperature climbs faster than a set rate

Rate-of-rise detectors react to a rapid temperature increase whatever the starting temperature. A detector that operates at one set temperature is a fixed-temperature type; many units combine both.

Reference: NFPA 72 topic: heat-sensing fire detectors

Other topics