HAZWOPER Technician

Practice Exam

Knowledge Check

Page 1 of 5

1. What type of dispersion pattern forms an irregularly shaped pattern of an airborne hazardous material where wind and/or topography influence the downrange course from the point of release?

Hemispheric

Particulate

Plume

Cloud

2. Which of the following is a 3.9-inch (100 mm) square-on-point diamond that identifies hazardous materials within packaging?

Placard

Label

Marking

Four-digit ID number

3. What should happen before entry personnel enter the hot zone?

Victims should be identified.

Responders should undergo decon.

Victims should be instructed to disrobe.

Technical decon should be set up.

4. If a first responder becomes contaminated before realizing the situation, they should immediately withdraw and:

follow local procedures for emergency decontamination.

sample themselves to determine the contaminant.

set up a decon zone.

notify law enforcement.

5. Overhead power lines, highway traffic, and rail lines are examples of:

potential ignition sources.

variables to eliminate.

unavoidable risks.

potential site hazards.

6. Which cargo tank truck almost always carries flammable/combustible liquids such as gasoline, fuel oil, or alcohol?

Nonpressure

Cryogenic

Low pressure

High pressure

7. The three incident priorities at all hazardous materials incidents apply to:

emergency responders entering the hot zone.

civilian and emergency responder victims.

all emergency services organizations.

fire and rescue operations.

8. Which of the following BEST describes physical processes of materials?

Any erroneous or incomplete placarding or markings

The conversion of one substance to another

Processes that do NOT change the elemental composition of materials involved.

Peculiar smells, visible vapor clouds, and radiant heat

9. Which level of PPE is only used when the specific material is known and has been measured, and the atmosphere is not IDLH?

Level D

Level A

Level C

Level B

10. What will increase the rate of polymerization and decrease the activation energy necessary for further polymerization?

Catalyst

Contamination

Fuel

Inhibitor

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11. The three mechanisms of harm in a container hazardous materials incident are:

radioactivity, pressure, and temperature.

energy release, corrosivity, and toxicity.

dispersion patterns, rapid release, and detonation.

wind speed, barometric pressure, and time of day.

12. The reducing agent in the fire tetrahedron acts as the _____ source for the reaction.

autoignition

oxygen

activation

fuel

13. Which of the following is an indicator to withdraw immediately?

Black smoke

Alarm sounding on a photoionization detector.

A sudden change in pressure

Consistent temperatures

14. Which of the following BEST describes a unit of pressure relative to the surrounding atmosphere?

psig

Atmospheres

kPa

15. Collision, impact, or internal overpressure are common causes of damage to a container caused by _____ energy.

thermal

mechanical

radiological

chemical

16. If an IC receives favorable progress reports from tactical and/or task supervisors, this is an indication that:

the incident is destabilizing.

the IAP is effective.

the IC is no longer needed.

responders should withdraw immediately.

17. The technical decontamination process that uses a material to change the chemical structure of a hazardous material is:

chemical degradation.

dilution.

evaporation.

brushing and scraping.

18. The APIE process is a simple 4-step response model that:

is required to be used at all North American hazmat incidents.

is not effective in large or complex hazmat incidents.

is most effective in large or complex hazmat incidents.

can guide responders' actions at hazmat incidents.

19. Which of the following is a descriptive name, identification number, weight, or specification that includes instructions, cautions, or U.N. marks, and is required on outer packaging of hazardous materials?

Label

Four-digit ID number

Placard

Marking

20. What is the process in which a hazardous liquid interacts with (or is bound to) the surface of a sorbent material?

Sorption

Adsorption

Resorption

Absorption

Page 3 of 5

21. If service canines are brought into the hot zone, they must be:

decontaminated.

kept away from victims.

isolated.

destroyed.

22. Partially water-soluble chemicals will penetrate into the lower respiratory system and cause:

itching, scratching, and bloody skin lesions.

immediate symptoms such as coughing and throat irritations.

delayed symptoms that include pulmonary edema and coughing up blood.

sudden gastrointestinal distress.

23. Assessing the incident's conditions to recognize cues that indicate problems or potential problems is called:

safety checks.

preincident planning.

size-up.

hazard assessment.

24. What is required for all first responders who have been exposed or potentially exposed to hazardous materials?

A leave of absence

Exposure justification

Exposure records

Immediate hospitalization

25. Under ANSI Z535.1, what color means Warning?

Red

Yellow

Orange

Green

26. How do EMS ensembles differ from fire service first responders?

EMS PPE must provide blood- and body-fluid pathogen barrier protection.

EMS personnel must wear ballistic protection.

EMS PPE includes a sidearm.

EMS personnel will typically wear higher levels of respiratory protection.

27. Which type of respirator can remove vapor and gas?

CPC

IDLH

APR

SCBA

28. What is a likely result of following predetermined procedures at emergency incidents?

Decreased accountability

Size-up becomes unnecessary

Increased chaos on scene

Effective command and control

29. The damaging effects of ionizing radiation occur at the _____ level.

organ

cellular

environmental

external

30. The decontamination site should be situated _____ of the hot zone.

upwind

opposite

inside

downwind

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31. What is the first step in the sequence proposed by the General Hazardous Materials Behavior Model (GEBMO)?

Stress

Release

Dispersion

Exposure

32. Which of the following statements about determining the need for emergency decontamination at an incident is MOST accurate?

Emergency decontamination includes the transfer of a hazardous material in greater than acceptable quantities.

Emergency decontamination is necessary for anyone exposed to a hazardous material.

Emergency decontamination is the sudden failure of personal protective equipment or clothing.

Emergency decontamination should be considered at all hazmat incidents.

33. A Level II incident:

requires resources from state/provincial agencies, federal agencies, and/or private industry.

is beyond the capabilities of the first responders on the scene.

does not require the use of chemical protective clothing.

will most likely not be concluded by any one agency.

34. Where would you find information on protective clothing and respiratory protection recommendations?

The Table of Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances

The ID Guide in the yellow-bordered pages

The Public Safety Section in the orange-bordered pages

The green highlighted sections of the blue-bordered pages

35. Which statement about structural firefighters' protective clothing is accurate?

Gaps in structural fire fighting clothing only occur at the wrists and waist.

Gases and vapors can permeate the garments.

It provides exposure protection from liquid chemicals.

Although some hazardous materials can permeate structural fire fighting clothing, the material will quickly dissipate.

36. Vapor protective clothing is usually part of what level of protection?

37. The aim of technical decon for nonambulatory victims is to:

apply first aid and return them to an ambulatory state.

thoroughly decontaminate them before transferring them to EMS.

package and triage them appropriately.

make sure they understand the delayed health risks of the hazardous material.

38. MC-331 cargo tanks typically have bolted manways, inlet and outlet valves, and:

large bulky double shelling and heavy insulation.

black, heat-absorbing paint.

multiple compartments.

large hemispherical heads on both ends.

39. What type of incident requires unified command?

Level IV

Level I

Level II

Level III

40. The basic principles of decon are get it off, keep it off, and _____ it.

preserve

destroy

contain

identify

Page 5 of 5

41. In Step 4 of the APIE process, responders:

monitor progress to see whether the response plan is working and continue throughout the incident.

gather information and attempt to understand the current situation.

use the information gathered to determine what actions need to be taken to mitigate the incident.

perform tasks determined in the planning stage and direct actions to mitigate the incident.

42. A highway vehicle without a placard:

will NOT be carrying hazardous materials.

is illegal.

should be stopped and inspected for terrorist activity.

may still be carrying hazardous materials.

43. One difference between Mexican and U.S. placard, label, and marking systems is that:

Mexico has several placards for materials that may be inhaled.

information provided on Mexican labels and markings is likely to be in Spanish.

the Mexican system has several fewer hazard classes than the U.S. system.

Mexico does not require placards for radioactive materials.

44. Which type of biological/etiological hazard spreads mostly through the bite of infected arthropods?

Biological toxins

Rickettsias

Viruses

Bacteria

45. In Step 1 of the APIE process, responders:

use the information gathered to determine what actions need to be taken to mitigate the incident.

perform tasks determined in the planning stage and direct actions to mitigate the incident.

monitor progress to see whether the response plan is working and continue throughout the incident.

gather information and attempt to understand the current situation.

46. What type of containers are flexible, collapsible bags or sacks, and also called bulk bags, bulk sacks, or tote bags?

FIBC

Liquid

RIBC

Nonbulk

47. When protecting the public at an incident, if there is enough time, the best protective action generally is:

on-scene debriefing.

progress reports.

evacuation.

shelter in place.

48. The decision of whether to perform emergency or technical decon is determined based on the hazardous material involved and:

the urgency in removing the victim from the contaminated environment.

how much media coverage is involved.

temperature and wind conditions.

the local terrain and available waterways.

49. Decontamination usually takes place within the:

command zone.

warm zone.

cold zone.

hot zone.

50. A written agreement defining roles and responsibilities within a Unified Command structure is known as a(an):

National Response Framework (NRF).

National Incident Management System (NIMS).

Incident Management System (IMS).

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

HAZWOPER Technician

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