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IAAI CFI STUDY QUESTIONS AND COMPLETE SOLUTIONS
FOR THE IAAI CFI CERTIFICATION TEST
A+ SCORE SOLUTION / NEWLY UPDATED 2025.
“Combustible Liquid - CORRECT ANSWER A liquid with a flash point ABOVE 100F"
"35-70 p.s.i. - CORRECT ANSWER In high-pressure fuel-injected vehicles, this is the typical
range of pressure that is used to pump fuel from a fuel tank"
"5 and 17 - CORRECT ANSWER The lower explosive and upper explosive limit of natural gas
(methane)?"
"680°F - CORRECT ANSWER The ignition temperature of power steering fluid"
"Fuel - CORRECT ANSWER Any substance that can undergo combustion"
"Act or Omission - CORRECT ANSWER Two factors or situations leading to a fire that may
show the nature of the incident responsibility."
"Additional Investigative Recommendations - CORRECT ANSWER This concept should not
be included in a summary report of findings."
"Admiralty Law - CORRECT ANSWER A law that may govern the fire investigation of a boat"
"After-market Equipment - CORRECT ANSWER A type of device in a vehicle, which can cause
an electrical overload to factory installed wiring"
"Alive and Breathing - CORRECT ANSWER Evidence of smoke or soot in the lungs, bronchi,
and trachea is one of the most significant factors in confirming that, at the time of the fire, the victim was WHAT?"
"BLEVE - CORRECT ANSWER This may occur when the vapor pressure of a liquid exceeds
atmospheric pressure *And this is the most common mechanical explosion"
"Boiling Point - CORRECT ANSWER The temperature or point at which the vapor pressure of
a liquid equals the external pressure applied"
"Bonding - CORRECT ANSWER The process of electrically connecting two or more
conductive objects"
"Bottom Passenger Side of the Windshield - CORRECT ANSWER Most engine fires typically
penetrate the interior compartment at this location of the vehicle"
"Brass Prongs (male ends) - CORRECT ANSWER An investigator can closely examine this
component of a cord to determine if it was plugged into a receptacle"
"Calcination - CORRECT ANSWER The chemical and physical changes that occur in gypsum
wallboard surfaces during a fire"
"Demonstrative Evidence - CORRECT ANSWER Type of evidence consisting of tangible items
*as opposed to Testimonial Evidence or Documentary (written) Evidence"
"Depth of Char - CORRECT ANSWER A burn pattern analysis that is MORE useful for
evaluating fire spread, rather than length or intensity of burning"
"Differential - CORRECT ANSWER All voltages are _________________, which means that a
battery or DC generator creates a potential difference that can force charge through a wire"
"Diffusion Flame Burning - CORRECT ANSWER The ordinary sustained burning mode in
most fires"
"Document and Carefully Move - CORRECT ANSWER By taking these two steps, an
investigator can obtain the manufacturer's name, model & serial numbers, manufacture date, and any warnings on an appliance, determined to be in the area of fire origin"
"Documentary Evidence - CORRECT ANSWER What type of evidence is an investigator's
report?"
"Documentation - CORRECT ANSWER A key method used by investigators when an
appliance is determined to be in the area of origin, particularly the positioning of all controls and components."
"DOT Standards - CORRECT ANSWER The standards that gas cylinders must conform to
(Dept. of Transportation)"
*And these are the categories: Class A: Flame spread index 0- Class B: Flame spread index 26- Class C: Flame spread index 76-200"
"Remote Area - CORRECT ANSWER The location where firefighters should re-fuel all gas-
powered equipment (away from the fire scene)"
"Government Institute - CORRECT ANSWER NFPA is not this type of institute"
"Guide - CORRECT ANSWER NFPA 921 is this type of document"
"Guidelines - CORRECT ANSWER The information presented in NFPA 921 establishes
WHAT?"
"Hazards - CORRECT ANSWER Biological, chemical, physical, and radiological are examples
of this concept that fire investigators should be aware of when investigating a fire scene"
"Header - CORRECT ANSWER The first cutting unit on a combine"
"Heat flux - CORRECT ANSWER The measure of the rate of heat transfer to a surface"
"Heat of Combustion - CORRECT ANSWER The amount of heat released during complete
combustion, which is considered a constant for a specific fuel (Generally considered a material property and therefore a constant for a specific fuel)"
"Heat of Ignition - CORRECT ANSWER The heat energy that brings about ignition
(divided into two parts: (a) equipment involved in ignition and (b) form of heat of ignition)"
"Heat Release Rate - CORRECT ANSWER The fire characteristic that most affects fire growth
during the pre-flashover phase of a fire"
"Heat transfer - CORRECT ANSWER The transport of heat energy from one point to another
point, caused by temperature difference between those points"
"Heat transfer - CORRECT ANSWER The fire phenomenon responsible for much of the
physical evidence used by fire investigators"
"High-Order Damage - CORRECT ANSWER The shattering type of explosion damage"
"H.I.N. - CORRECT ANSWER The type of number an investigator should look for during a
boat fire investigation"
"Hot Surfaces - CORRECT ANSWER This vehicle component will NOT usually ignite gasoline"
"Human Body Fat - CORRECT ANSWER Component of the human body that will act as a fuel
and sustain a flame"
"Hypergolic Material - CORRECT ANSWER Any substance that will spontaneously ignite or
explode upon exposure to an oxidizer."
"Hypergolic Materials - CORRECT ANSWER Materials that can react with each other"
"Ignitable Liquid - CORRECT ANSWER A type of material that, when trapped in a concrete
floor, can be recovered by using lime, diatomaceous earth, or non-self-rising flour."
"Ignition by Electrical Energy - CORRECT ANSWER Ignition that involves transferring
sufficient heat to a fuel by passage of electrical current to ignite material that is closeby"
"Ignition Temperature - CORRECT ANSWER The minimum temperature needed to heat a
fuel so as to ignite and begin self-sustained combustion"
"Incandescent Light Bulbs - CORRECT ANSWER An item that tends to "pull" toward the heat
source (*if over 25 watts)"
"Incendiary Fire - CORRECT ANSWER A category of fire that is strongly indicated by the
confirmation of multiple fires"
"Incendiary Fire - CORRECT ANSWER A category of fire that is associated with multiple fires
and trailers"
"Incident Scene Commander - CORRECT ANSWER This person can grant permission for a
fire investigator to enter a scene before the fire is completely extinguished"
"Laboratory Analysis - CORRECT ANSWER This entity must confirm any sample obtained by
canine alert, to be considered valid"
"Lack of Stability - CORRECT ANSWER One of the most dangerous situations an investigator
may encounter when examining a boat afloat after a fire"
"Laminated Wood - CORRECT ANSWER This material is NOT acceptable to be used on the
exterior (but is acceptable for the interior)."
"Latent Heat of Vaporization - CORRECT ANSWER The amount of heat absorbed by a
substance during its change from a liquid to vapor"
"Lightning - CORRECT ANSWER Static electricity flowing from cloud to ground or from
cloud to cloud"
"Lightning - CORRECT ANSWER One form of static electricity"
"Cloud-to-Cloud - CORRECT ANSWER The lightning occurrence that is less likely to cause a
fire (compared to cloud-to-ground)"
"Lines of Demarcation - CORRECT ANSWER Borders of fire patterns"
"Low-Order Damage - CORRECT ANSWER Type of explosion damage that heaves or pushes"
"Melt and Fuse Together Lengthwise - CORRECT ANSWER Fire often causes standard copper
conductors to do WHAT?"
"Movement and Intensity - CORRECT ANSWER The two basic types of fire patterns"
"Neutral Plane - CORRECT ANSWER The term associated with the air and gas flow in a
compartment fire"
"Neutral Position - CORRECT ANSWER The position on a receptacle, where the cord's wider
prong is forced to plug into, due to a change that was made to 20-amp cords in 1987"
"NFPA 1033 - CORRECT ANSWER The national applicable performance standards for fire
investigators"
"NFPA 54 - CORRECT ANSWER NFPA standard that prohibits gas piping in air ducts, clothes
chutes, and elevator shafts"
"NFPA 704 - CORRECT ANSWER The NFPA standard for hazard identification"
"NFPA 704 - CORRECT ANSWER NFPA hazard placard:
red TOP (flammability) yellow RIGHT (instability) blue LEFT (health) white BOTTOM (special/specific) *(0 minimal to 4 severe hazard)"
"Post-indicator Valve - CORRECT ANSWER This device is generally used to control the flow
of water to a sprinkler system, hydrant, or another device with underground piping"
"Power - CORRECT ANSWER The rate at which energy is used"
"Preservation - CORRECT ANSWER This concept regarding physical evidence and the fire
scene in general is NOT the sole responsibility of the fire investigator."
"Protection Device - CORRECT ANSWER The remains of this component of an appliance may
indicate if it was operating at the time of the incident"
"Protocol - CORRECT ANSWER During a major investigation, this agreed-upon procedure is
important to establish and follow when a particular item is deemed evidence."
"Pugilistic Posture - CORRECT ANSWER A common post-mortem response of the body to
heat, resulting in the contracting of muscles as a direct result of the fire."
"Pyrolysis - CORRECT ANSWER A process in which material is decomposed, or broken down,
into simpler molecular compounds by the effects of heat alone"
"Pyrophoric Material - CORRECT ANSWER Any substance that spontaneously ignites upon
exposure to atmospheric oxygen."
"Pyrotechnics - CORRECT ANSWER This item may be found on a boat because they are often
used in firework events"
"Radiative Ignition - CORRECT ANSWER Fire spread from one fuel package to another is
generally caused by WHAT?"
"Self-Heating - CORRECT ANSWER A process whereby a material undergoes a chemical
reaction and increases in temperature solely due to exothermic reactions between the material and the surrounding atmosphere"
"Sequential Photographs - CORRECT ANSWER Type of photography that is helpful in
understanding the relationship of a small subject to its relative position in a larger area"
"Serial Fire-Setting - CORRECT ANSWER Geographic area, clusters, temporal frequency, and
materials and methods are useful in identifying and establishing this act"
"Simple Sketch - CORRECT ANSWER At a minimum, this investigative practice should be
done on all fire scenes"
"Fire Size and Duration - CORRECT ANSWER Determining which pattern was produced at
the point of origin becomes more difficult as WHAT increases?"
"Sleeving - CORRECT ANSWER The softening and loosening of the wire's thermoplastic
insulation due to heating (fire)"
"Sloping Sides - CORRECT ANSWER Whether a hole burned into a horizontal surface was
created from above or below may be identified by examining WHAT?"
"Smoldering - CORRECT ANSWER This type of fire normally produces char that results from
thermal decomposition"
"Societal-motivated Arson - CORRECT ANSWER A subcategory of revenge/retaliation that is
generally not satisfied with a single fire"
"Solo - CORRECT ANSWER Fire scene examinations should NOT be conducted in WHAT
MANNER?"
"Spalling - CORRECT ANSWER Damage and fire patterns occurring to concrete that is NOT a
positive indicator of a liquid accelerant"
"Specific Gravity - CORRECT ANSWER The ratio of the density of a substance to the density of
a standard (usually water for a liquid or solid, and air for a gas)"
"Specific Gravity of Air - CORRECT ANSWER The ratio of the average molecular weight of a
gas or vapor to the average molecular weight of air"
"Specific Gravity of a liquid or solid - CORRECT ANSWER The ratio of the mass of a given
volume of a substance to the mass of an equal volume of water (at a temp. of 4C)"
"Speed of Fire Growth - CORRECT ANSWER This fire characteristic is NOT indicated by the
angle of the borders of the V pattern"
"Spoliation - CORRECT ANSWER This concept does NOT mean that an item of evidence
cannot be removed from the fire scene in order to preserve it or protect it from theft, for instance."
"Spontaneous Combustion - CORRECT ANSWER What fire process is vehicle motor oil NOT
prone to undergo"
"Spontaneous Combustion - CORRECT ANSWER A phenomenon that does NOT occur to
human bodies (not supported by evidence)"
"Spontaneous Heating - CORRECT ANSWER The process whereby a material increases in
temperature without drawing heat from its surroundings"
"Sprinkler Head - CORRECT ANSWER Combustible materials should be kept 18 inches away
from this fire protection device"
"Stoichiometric Ratio - CORRECT ANSWER The optimum fuel/air mixture where
combustion is most efficient"
"Surface Orientation - CORRECT ANSWER This is the difference between wildfire V- patterns
and compartment fire V-patterns"
"Sweating - CORRECT ANSWER Heaters located just under the interior faces of a
refrigerators keep this from occurring"
"Thermal Cutoff - CORRECT ANSWER TCO stands for this, and "T" in particular"
"Thermal Cutoff - CORRECT ANSWER A component in heat-producing appliances, which
operates by melting of an internal pellet when the appliance overheats, which turns off the unit"
"Thermal Inertia - CORRECT ANSWER The property of a material that characterize its rate of
surface temperature rise when exposed to heat"
"Thermal Inertia - CORRECT ANSWER Thermal conductivity, density, and heat capacity are
the three components of WHAT?"
"Zone Model - CORRECT ANSWER A type of fire dynamics analysis model that divides each
room into two or more spaces"
"Computational Fluid Dynamics Model - CORRECT ANSWER A type of fire dynamics analysis
model that divides the room into many cells (*Field or CFD model)"
"Power (Watts) - CORRECT ANSWER What is the product found by multiplying current
(amps) times voltage (volts)?"
"Orange to Black (Low to High) - CORRECT ANSWER Color coded sprinkler head bulbs, range
from what colors? (*From low to high temp: orange, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, black)"
"Electrical Ignition - CORRECT ANSWER The ignition source that requires that heat transfer
from an electrical source be maintained long enough to bring the adjacent fuel up to its ignition temperature."
"Up Position - CORRECT ANSWER An outside screw and yoke valve is open when the stem is
in WHAT position"
"Volts = current times resistance (v=ir) - CORRECT ANSWER Formula for Ohm's Law"
"Power = volts times current (p=vi) - CORRECT ANSWER Formula for power"
A liquid with a flash point ABOVE 100F - CORRECT ANSWER Combustible Liquid"
"If the current flowing out from an electrical panel is 12.5 amps, and it then flows through an electrical load of 1500 watts, what is the amperage of the remaining current flow of the return
circuit? - CORRECT ANSWER 12.5"
"If a hair dryer draws 8.3amps (in a home with 120-volt service), what is the wattage? *Power (P) = current (I) x voltage (V)
Watts = amps x volts - CORRECT ANSWER 1000"
"The year of the first edition of NFPA 1033 - CORRECT ANSWER 1987"
"The recommended distance for securing the perimeter of a blast scene
*That is, the distance from the furthest debris - CORRECT ANSWER 1.5 times"
"What temperature in the upper gas layer causes the onset of Flashover? - CORRECT
ANSWER 1100°F"
"The temperature at which copper melts - CORRECT ANSWER 1960°F"
"The measurement of the radiant heat flux (from gas layer to the floor) that indicates the onset of
flashover - CORRECT ANSWER 2 W/cm2"
"The voltage between the two hot wires at the service entrance cables in most single-family
residences in the United States (single-phase service with three wires) - CORRECT ANSWER
240 volts"
"The revision cycle for NFPA 921 (timespan) - CORRECT ANSWER 3 years"
"The flash point of power steering fluid - CORRECT ANSWER 350°F"
"In high-pressure fuel-injected vehicles, this is the typical range of pressure that is used to pump
fuel from a fuel tank - CORRECT ANSWER 35-70 p.s.i."
"The lower explosive and upper explosive limit of natural gas (methane)? - CORRECT
ANSWER 5 and 17"
"The ignition temperature of power steering fluid - CORRECT ANSWER 680°F"
"Any substance that can undergo combustion - CORRECT ANSWER Fuel"
"Two factors or situations leading to a fire that may show the nature of the incident
responsibility. - CORRECT ANSWER Act or Omission"
"This concept should not be included in a summary report of findings. - CORRECT ANSWER
Additional Investigative Recommendations"
"A law that may govern the fire investigation of a boat - CORRECT ANSWER Admiralty Law"
"A type of device in a vehicle, which can cause an electrical overload to factory installed wiring -
CORRECT ANSWER After-market Equipment"
"The burden of proof in a criminal trial - CORRECT ANSWER Beyond a Reasonable Doubt"
"The component that controls temperature in many heat-producing appliances - CORRECT
ANSWER Bimetallic Thermostats"
"A chemical process of oxidation, which occurs at a rate fast enough to produce heat and usually
light in the form of either a glow or a flame - CORRECT ANSWER Combustion"
"A building design feature that aims to limit the fire to its origin. - CORRECT ANSWER
Compartmentation" "Located at the origin, these should be considered individually during the development of a cause
hypothesis - CORRECT ANSWER Competent Ignition Source"
"This should be donned when dealing with hazardous chemicals - CORRECT ANSWER
Complete PPE" "An example of heat transfer, when the heating of a steel beam to an unexposed part of a building
results in a fire in that location - CORRECT ANSWER Conduction"
"Overheating on a circuit is most likely to occur at this location on a circuit - CORRECT
ANSWER Connection Points"
"Consensus agreement between interested parties should be developed prior to the
commencement of WHAT? - CORRECT ANSWER Joint Investigation"
"Complicated patterns in glass - CORRECT ANSWER Crazing"
"A type of scene or circumstances, in which fires do NOT always destroy all physical evidence -
CORRECT ANSWER Crime Scenes"
"A factor in OHM's law that can be calculated if you know resistance and voltage - CORRECT
ANSWER Current (amperage)"
"The reasoning in the scientific method used to test an hypothesis - CORRECT ANSWER
Deductive Reasoning" "The reasoning process of moving from generalizations to particular assertion
(*"Reduce to Deduce" *Test hypothesis ("deduce") *Test based on known facts
*More confident assertion than induction) - CORRECT ANSWER Deductive Reasoning"
"Type of evidence consisting of tangible items
*as opposed to Testimonial Evidence or Documentary (written) Evidence - CORRECT
ANSWER Demonstrative Evidence"
"A burn pattern analysis that is MORE useful for evaluating fire spread, rather than length or
intensity of burning - CORRECT ANSWER Depth of Char"
"All voltages are _________________, which means that a battery or DC generator creates a potential
difference that can force charge through a wire - CORRECT ANSWER Differential"
"The ordinary sustained burning mode in most fires - CORRECT ANSWER Diffusion Flame
Burning" "By taking these two steps, an investigator can obtain the manufacturer's name, model & serial numbers, manufacture date, and any warnings on an appliance, determined to be in the area of
fire origin - CORRECT ANSWER Document and Carefully Move"
"What type of evidence is an investigator's report? - CORRECT ANSWER Documentary
Evidence" "A key method used by investigators when an appliance is determined to be in the area of origin,
particularly the positioning of all controls and components. - CORRECT ANSWER
Documentation" "The standards that gas cylinders must conform to
(Dept. of Transportation) - CORRECT ANSWER DOT Standards"
"Types of fuses that have one element for overloads and another element for short circuits -
CORRECT ANSWER Dual Element Fuses"
"A particular type of an explosion that does NOT often result in pronounced seats of explosion -
CORRECT ANSWER Dust Explosion"
"This investigative determination is based on witness information, fire patterns, arc mapping,
and fire dynamics - CORRECT ANSWER Fire Origin"
"The fifth and sixth amendments DO NOT answer questions regarding constitutional protections in relation to WHAT fire investigation aspect?
(4th amendment issue) - CORRECT ANSWER Fire Scene Access"
"Recreating pre-fire positions of contents - CORRECT ANSWER Fire Scene Reconstruction"
"This type of door must be used when installed in a fire-rated wall. - CORRECT ANSWER
Fire-rated Door" "This is the typical extent of thermal injuries sustained from an explosion flame front, due to the
very short duration. - CORRECT ANSWER First or Second Degree Burns"
"A system used to rate a material's flame spread potential. *And these are the categories: Class A: Flame spread index 0- Class B: Flame spread index 26-
Class C: Flame spread index 76-200 - CORRECT ANSWER Flame Spread Rating"
"This type of fuel can only be ignited by a spark or pilot flame over specific ranges of gas
concentration - CORRECT ANSWER Flammable Gases"
"A liquid with a flash point below 100*F - CORRECT ANSWER Flammable Liquid"
"The characteristic of an appropriate mixture of vapor-to-air, which will cause it to ignite when
subjected to an ignition source - CORRECT ANSWER Flash point"
"A specific fuel characteristic, which will have little or no significance when the fuel is released in
a spray form. - CORRECT ANSWER Flash Point"
"In this phenomenon, the radiant ignition of exposed combustible materials is key - CORRECT
ANSWER Flashover"
"This phenomenon will occur in a compartment with a low ceiling and fire on the floor, before the
same fire in a room with high ceilings - CORRECT ANSWER Flashover"
"This fire phenomenon is not really a consideration for wildfires - CORRECT ANSWER
Flashover"
"These construction features are tested for fire spread from below, but NOT from above -
CORRECT ANSWER Floor Assemblies"
"The two mechanisms of convection heat transfer - CORRECT ANSWER Forced and Natural"
"This law allows fire investigators to gain information, in most states - CORRECT ANSWER
Freedom of Information Act"
"Any substance that can undergo combustion - CORRECT ANSWER Fuel"
"Total quantity of combustible contents of a building, space, or fire area (expressed in heat units
or the equivalent weight in wood) - CORRECT ANSWER Fuel load"
"This system in a vehicle has the following sequence of components:
Fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel injector/carburetor, manifold, and cylinders. - CORRECT ANSWER
Fuel System"
"Type of burning that occurs in the early stages of a compartment fire - CORRECT ANSWER
Fuel-controlled Burning" "The location where firefighters should re-fuel all gas-powered equipment
(away from the fire scene) - CORRECT ANSWER Remote Area"
"NFPA is not this type of institute - CORRECT ANSWER Government Institute"
"NFPA 921 is this type of document - CORRECT ANSWER Guide"
"The information presented in NFPA 921 establishes WHAT? - CORRECT ANSWER
Guidelines" "Biological, chemical, physical, and radiological are examples of this concept that fire
investigators should be aware of when investigating a fire scene - CORRECT ANSWER
Hazards"
"The first cutting unit on a combine - CORRECT ANSWER Header"
