Which of the following installations can be acceptable for smoke detectors?
a. Wall-mounted smoke detector located 3 inches down from the ceiling
b. Smoke detector located at the bottom of a shallow beam
c. Ceiling-mounted smoke detector located 2-1/2 inches from a wall
d. Smoke detector located adjacent (1 ft) to a supply diffuser

An existing high-rise hotel project in central Florida has open exterior exit stairs. By code and local ordinances, standpipe hose connections are required to be in the stair (hose connections on the corridor next to the stair are not allowed).

Since the project is located in central Florida (with lowest one-day mean temperatures between 25-30 degrees F, according to Figure A.10.4.2(b) of NFPA 13-2016), is there any way to still use wet standpipes and route them in the stair? Doing so could involve enclosing the standpipe perhaps in a small shaft and keeping the hoses in insulated cabinets. Or in this case is the best option just to have the standpipe be dry to completely avoid any freeze potential?

Note: This is a Daily Discussion question submitted anonymously to us by a toolkit member. Discuss This Here.

A portion of a home-improvement store has K11.2 ceiling-only sprinkler protection above double row racks. The owner is looking to store bagged charcoal (without any impregnated ignition fluid or plastic wrap) atop reinforced plastic pallets in this area. What would the commodity classification be for this arrangement if no plastics are intermixed?
a. Class II
b. Class III
c. Class IV
d. Group A Plastic

Solution | Posted 06/22/18

​Which of the following arrangements is not permitted for a new prison, under NFPA standards?
a. Sprinkler Protected, Type II (222) Construction, High-Rise Building
b. Sprinkler Protected, Type II (000) Construction, 3-Story Building
c. Sprinkler Protected, Type IV (2HH) Construction, 2-Story Building
d. Sprinkler Protected, Type V (000) Construction, 1-Story Building

Solution | Posted 06/21/18

Consider the following fire hydrant flow tests conducted at the same elevation:
   Test A: 75 psi Static, 60 psi Residual at 1,200 gpm
   Test B: 65 psi Static, 60 psi Residual at 1,800 gpm
   Test C: 70 psi Static, 45 psi Residual at 1,200 gpm

​Which of the following is true?
a. Test A would provide better pressure than Test B for a 1,500 sqft Light Hazard sprinkler system.
b. Test A would provide better pressure than Test B for a 3,000 sqft ESFR sprinkler system.
c. Test B would always provide better pressure than Test C for any type 􀃍re sprinkler system.
d. Both a and c.

Solution | Posted 06/20/18

A continuous membrane with a fire protection rating constructed to limit the spread of fire is which of the following?
a. smoke partition
b. fire compartment
c. fire barrier
d. proscenium wall

Solution | Posted 06/19/18

​Which of the following is typically not considered obstructed construction for fire sprinkler design?
a. concrete tees with solid members 5 inch wide and 2 ft tall
b. heavy timber construction with 4 inch solid wood beams
c. beam and girder construction with 6 inch steel beams 6 ft apart
d. panel construction with panels under 300 sqft

Solution | Posted 06/18/18

A class III commodity is encapsulated and stored on shelves within a large walk-in cooler. A dry system is being designed to serve this hazard. If the storage is anticipated to be 13 ft. in height with a 17 ft. ceiling, determine the required design density with the smallest remote area for high temperature sprinkler protection using the Control Mode Density/Area approach.
a. 0.14 gpm/sqft / 2,000 sqft
b. 0.14 gpm/sqft / 2,600 sqft
c. 0.15 gpm/sqft / 2,600 sqft
d. 0.17 gpm/sqft / 2,000 sqft

Solution | Posted 06/15/18

Inergen (IG-541) is being used for protection of several rooms which contain highly valuable historic documents. If the fire type is considered Class A and the design concentration of Inergen is provided, determine the clean agent-air mixture density.
a. 1.15 kg/cu. m
b. 1.25 kg/cu. m
c. 1.28 kg/cu. m
d. 1.44 kg/cu. m

Solution | Posted 06/14/18

A hospital's patient tower has an an exit access corridor with 1/2 hour partition fire resistance rating on
the first level. If the interior architect would like to provide side transoms (narrow windows) along the side
of the doors that lead to the exit access corridor, what fire resistance rating must the transoms have?
a. 1/3 hour
b. 1/2 hour
c. 3/4 hour
d. 1-hour

Solution | Posted 06/13/18

A fire alarm system containing horn/strobes, manual pull stations, fire sprinkler monitoring, and heat
detectors would be considered what type of fire alarm system?
a. manual, temporal-3
b. manual and automatic, temporal-3
c. manual, emergency voice/alarm communication
d. manual and automatic, emergency voice/alarm communication

Solution | Posted 06/12/18

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Solution | Posted 06/11/18

Solution | Posted 06/08/18

Solution | Posted 06/07/18

​I'm currently working on a project for a packaging factory in which there are rooms which are used for storage of Milk and Juice in stainless steel tanks that are about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in diameter and 8 m (26.2 ft) in height.

There are about 5-6 tanks for each area (milk and juice storage). Each room is about 70 sq.m. (753.4 sqft). The ceiling height is about 11.1 m (36.4 ft). The content combustibility (i.e. Milk & juice) is low and the quantity is high. Since the height of the tanks is above the threshold of 3.7 m (12 ft), I cannot consider it to be protected by LH or OH1 curves and it should come under storage occupancy and commodity classes.

Since my exact requirement is not present in the list of commodity classes in NFPA 13, I figured it to be Class 1 per the liquid content. Accordingly, it would be under Commodity Class 1 curve in NFPA Chapter 14 Figure 14.2.4.1 (2013 Edition) and multiplication factor for density vs storage height from Figure 14.2.4.3.

Kindly let me know if I'm on the right track or if there is something which I overlooked.

Note: This is a Daily Discussion question submitted anonymously to us by a Toolkit member. Discuss This Here.

​In which of the following scenarios is neither explosion protection nor suppression system required?
a. Flammable paint warehouse mixing rooms where open transfer of paint occurs
b. Dust ventilator equipment where the dust density can be above its lower flammability limit
c. Mechanical room where service equipment is subject to explosion
d. All of the above require either explosion protection or suppression systems

Solution | Posted 06/06/18

Solution | Posted 06/05/18

Week 1 of the Weekly Exam Series is here!

What is the Weekly Exam Series? It's is the ultimate prep tool for preparing for the Fire Protection PE Exam. The Weekly Exam is a series of timed 1-hour, 10-question simulated PE Exams offered weekly with instant grading and solutions emailed immediately following each exam.

​If you're already in on the Weekly Exam Series, you can take the Week 1 Exam anytime between now and Sunday June 10th. Week 1 Results will be posted here Monday.

If you're not signed up for the Weekly Exam Series - you can do so here: Weekly Exam Series.

Solution | Posted 06/04/18

A kickoff typically implies something fun, like a football game or a concert event. Most people studying for the PE Exam don't exactly look forward to spending time learning and reading through the summer. I get it. 

My hope is to make the studying less painful and a little fun. Here's what is coming your way from this site in 2018:

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The 2018 PE Prep Guide is in, and now shipping worldwide. It's my most popular and best-selling resource for Fire Protection PE Exam Prep. If you're taking the SFPE PE Online Review Course, you'll see it regularly used throughout the curriculum.

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