Express Quiz

* A score of 90% on this test qualifies you for a chance to win a Wayne's World baseball hat.
If you have a good grasp of firefighting lingo, world and local history, fire science and a cynical sense of humor then you should have no problem passing this quiz.
(details at end of quiz)

1) A steam train is a good analogy for a runaway urban forest fire because....
It is so powerful.

An approaching forest fire sounds a lot like a steam locomotive.

It links the past and the present.

All of the above.

None of the above.

2) What is the fire tetrahedron?
An electronic sniffer for detecting flammable liquids used by arsonists.

Oxygen, Fuel, Heat and Chain Reaction

Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, and Catalyst

The fireman, the insurance agent, the victim and the press.

3) What is a hallagin tool?
A headlight beam adjustment tool.

A gas valve shut off tool.

A multi use pry bar.

None of the above

4) A lop is a....
First class fire house cook

Haircut

Window breaking and roof venting tool.

Firefighter

5) The term "to size up" means....
The captain's evaluation of the scene of the fire prior to attack.

To replace an existing fire hose with a larger diameter hose.

Both of the above.

None of the above.

6) The purpose of making the Cannonball Express is....
To get homeowners to take their fuel reduction problems seriously- in their backyards and beyond.

To get people to do for the environment what they won't always do for themselves.

To unite firefighters and environmentalists around an important public issue.

To prevent a disastrous Berkeley hills type fire from happening again.

To educate, motivate and entertain on the issue of disaster prevention.

To reshape public opinion concerning the role of fire in nature.

To persuade people that sometimes we have to go back to the future to find a solution for a problem of our own creation.

All of the above.

None of the above.

7) The best reason NOT to clear vegetation from around a home in the hills is because....
Thick brush is a barrier to fire.

It costs too much to have someone else do it.

Wildlife needs a brush choked environment.

It can't happen here.

It causes severe wind erosion.

My house is two doors away from the fire hydrant.

None of the above.

8) The damage tally from the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire was approximately....
$50 million

$1 billion

$3 billion

$1.5 billion

none of the above.

9) The number of lives lost in the Oakland-Berkeley Hills Fire was....
8

19

25

31

none of the above.

10) The number of homes and apartments lost in the Tunnel Hill Fire in the Oakland-Berkeley hills was...
1200

3,000

5,600

8,300

none of the above.

11) The most expensive fire in US history was ...

The Chicago fire of 1871

The Topanga Canyon fire of 1973

The San Francisco Earthquake and fire of 1906

The Tunnel Hill fire of 1991

12) The Mount Vision Fire of 1995 in the Point Reyes/Inverness area caused....
$45 million in damages

$80 million in damages

$120 million in damages

none of the above

13) The worst fire months in the Bay Area are

May-June

June-July

July-August

August-September

September-October

October-November

All of the above if the weather is hot and the wind is blowing.

14) The reason Caesar fiddled while Rome burned was probably....
A fire like that doesn't stop until it gets tired.

An earthquake had broken the water mains.

Fire crews had inadequate equipment and poor communications.

Moving men and equipment towards the fire would have hindered the evacuation.

The building trades would have been disappointed with truly decisive action.

A longstanding atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust between citizen 

and ruler made the necessary preparation, quick decision making, 

decisive action and collective effort impossible.

The army might have embarrassed the government by going on an 

orgy of looting if called out to help. Or worse, they might have 

succeeded and stolen the spotlight.

The land was more valuable than the slum buildings on it.

The sun was in his eyes and he liked music.

Widespread exposure to high levels of lead left the rulers 

and the ruled with significantly lowered IQ's.

It's hard to say in retrospect but probably all of the above.

Anyway, a good time was had by all.

15) Burning eucalyptus supplied what percentage of the fuel consumed during the Oakland-Berkeley Hills fire?

28%

50%

80%

90%

16) The Oakland-Berkeley Hills fire of 1991 was officially named....

The Caldecott Fire

The Tunnel Hill Fire

The Fubar Ridge Fire

The Charing Cross Road Fire

17)  How many acres of burning brush (given a 30 year accumulation of fuel) does it take to equal the amount of heat (measured in BTU's) released by the atomic bomb that leveled Nagasaki Japan?

500 acres

640 acres

1100 acres

10,000 acres

17)  What is a probie?

A probationary firefighter.

A swiveling camera lens on the end of a  pole used to peer into voids in collapsed buildings.

A stick used to measure the water level in the fire truck's water tank.

None of the above.   

    
The Cannonball Express Quiz 

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Winners will be notified by mail. One entry per household. Contest ends April 1st, 2003. The winners name(s) and hometown will be published here unless otherwise specified. Hats will be shipped via UPS ground within one week of contest closure. Void where prohibited.

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