Free PE-FP Practice Questions

Question 1

A remote sprinkler covers 120 ft² at a required density of 0.20 gpm/ft². Its K-factor is 5.6 gpm/√psi, and its listing requires at least 7 psi. At the design flow, pipe and fitting losses between an upstream reference point and this sprinkler total 7 psi. The sprinkler is 20 ft above that reference point. Use q = K√p and an elevation pressure of 0.433 psi/ft; neglect velocity-head differences. Approximately what minimum gauge pressure is required at the upstream reference point?

Accepted Answer

34.0 psi

Answer

16.7 psi

Answer

25.4 psi

Answer

39.7 psi

Question 2

An outdoor UL 9540A test of lithium-ion energy-storage cabinets reports no propagation to the neighboring unit, but documents venting before ignition. The proposed installation uses the same cabinets and separation inside a room. The engineer must evaluate whether venting could create a flammable atmosphere there. Along with room volume and ventilation, which test data are most directly relevant?

Accepted Answer

Vent-gas composition and time-dependent release rate during the tested failure.

Answer

The maximum incident heat flux measured at the adjacent cabinet during flaming.

Answer

The peak flaming heat release and total duration of the visible cabinet fire.

Answer

The highest exterior surface temperature reached by the neighboring cabinet during testing.

Question 3

Emergency voice messages in a reverberant transit concourse meet the required sound levels, but the measured Speech Transmission Index is 0.38 against a project minimum of 0.50. The source recording is clear, background noise is low, and testing identifies reflected sound as the dominant problem. Which modification targets the failed performance requirement?

Accepted Answer

Reconfigure coverage with directional loudspeakers closer to listeners, reducing reflected sound.

Answer

Increase amplifier output while retaining the current speaker locations and aiming.

Answer

Turn off the air-handling equipment during messages without changing the acoustic design.

Answer

Replace the message with a longer recording delivered through the same loudspeakers.

Question 4

A fully sprinklered office story has an occupant load of 650. Two proposed exit stairs provide enough aggregate egress capacity for 800 people, and their separation complies. No occupancy-specific exception or permitted alternative reduces the required number of exits. Under NFPA 101 (2024), what minimum exit count governs this story?

Accepted Answer

Three, because the occupant load exceeds 500 but not 1,000.

Answer

Two, because their combined capacity exceeds the occupant load.

Answer

Two, because sprinkler protection permits the additional exit to be omitted.

Answer

Four, because an occupant load above 500 requires two pairs of exits.

Question 5

A floor-penetration specification requires both an F rating and a T rating of at least two hours. A submitted firestop system has an F rating of two hours and a T rating of one hour; its L rating satisfies the separate air-leakage criterion. The proposed penetrant, floor construction, and installation dimensions match the listing. How should the submittal be evaluated?

Accepted Answer

Reject it: the T rating provides insufficient unexposed-side temperature-rise endurance.

Answer

Accept it because the F rating matches the required floor fire-resistance period.

Answer

Accept it because the compliant L rating compensates for the shorter T rating.

Answer

Accept it after increasing sealant depth beyond the tested configuration to improve insulation.

Question 6

The approved stair-pressurization criteria require 25-60 Pa with doors closed, door-opening force no greater than 110 N, and at least 0.75 m/s outward airflow in the specified open-door test. Measured results are: low setting, 18 Pa / 68 N / 0.60 m/s; medium, 42 Pa / 92 N / 0.88 m/s; high, 57 Pa / 126 N / 1.13 m/s. Control and emergency-power tests are satisfactory. Which setting should the commissioning engineer retain?

Accepted Answer

Medium, because it satisfies the pressure, door-force, and open-door airflow criteria.

Answer

High, because the greatest outward airflow provides the strongest protection against smoke entry.

Answer

Low, because minimizing door-opening force should take precedence over the pressure criterion.

Answer

None; replace the fan because the high setting cannot satisfy every acceptance criterion.

Question 7

During a controlled acceptance test of an electrically/pneumatically released double-interlock preaction system, a detector operates and the panel annunciates the event. Supervisory gas pressure remains normal, and the preaction valve does not admit water. Which next test directly verifies the required automatic water-admission sequence?

Accepted Answer

With detection active, release supervisory gas and verify automatic water admission.

Answer

Reset detection, release supervisory gas through the test connection, and verify that water enters.

Answer

Operate the manual emergency release and use the resulting waterflow to confirm automatic operation.

Answer

Keep gas pressure normal and repeat the detector test until the valve admits water.

Question 8

An ethanol-transfer facility is replacing its aqueous film-forming foam concentrate with a fluorine-free product. The existing system proportions at 3%. A proposed replacement also carries a 3% designation, but its published fire-test listing covers only hydrocarbon fuels. What should govern the replacement selection?

Accepted Answer

Select ethanol-listed alcohol-resistant foam, then verify proportioner and nozzle compatibility.

Answer

Match the 3% proportioning designation and retain the existing equipment and application rate.

Answer

Use the hydrocarbon-listed product at twice its nominal concentration to resist solvent breakdown.

Answer

Match the original expansion ratio and drainage time without requiring an ethanol-specific listing.

Question 9

A thin steel plate and a concrete slab, each initially at a uniform temperature, are suddenly exposed to hot gas. For this preliminary convection-only calculation, the Biot numbers are 0.03 for the steel and 0.70 for the concrete. Radiation, internal heat generation, and phase changes are excluded. Which use of a lumped-capacitance model is justified?

Accepted Answer

Use it for the steel plate; resolve internal temperature gradients in the concrete.

Answer

Use it for the concrete slab; high steel conductivity requires a spatially resolved model.

Answer

Use it for both bodies because each begins with a uniform internal temperature.

Answer

Use it for neither body because transient heating precludes a uniform-temperature approximation.

Question 10

A fire simulation imposes a constant 2 MW burner and tracks sprinkler droplets. When the sprinklers operate, upper-layer temperatures fall, but the burner remains at 2 MW. No coupling between water application and fuel burning rate is included. A reviewer interprets the unchanged heat release as proof that the sprinklers cannot control the actual fuel package. What does the simulation support?

Accepted Answer

It demonstrates cooling of the gas layer, not suppression of the prescribed fuel-burning rate.

Answer

The simulation validates a 2 MW sprinkler-controlled design fire for the actual fuel package.

Answer

The unchanged heat release demonstrates that the sprinkler application density is inadequate.

Answer

The mesh needs refinement until sprinkler operation reduces the prescribed burner heat release.

Free PE-FP Practice Questions

Domain 1: Fire Protection Analysis

Question 1

Question 2

Domain 2: Fire Science

Question 3

Domain 3: Smoke Control Systems

Question 4

Domain 4: Fire Alarm and Signaling Systems

Question 5

Domain 5: Water-Based Fire Protection Systems

Question 6

Question 7

Domain 6: Special Hazard Systems

Question 8

Domain 7: Passive and Structural Fire Protection

Question 9

Domain 8: Human Behavior and Evacuation

Question 10

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