General Ability
25%of exam
Fire Suppression
30%of exam
Fire Safety + Prevention
20%of exam
Fire Investigation
15%of exam
Administrative Matters
10%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- Fire Officer Examination
- Administrator
- Civil Service Commission
- Purpose
- Fire-service second-level eligibility
- Items
- 150 test + 10 EDQ
- Time
- 3 hours 5 minutes
- Pass
- General rating at least 80.00
- Fee
- PHP 700
- Filing age
- 21–35 at filing
- Degree
- Recognized baccalaureate degree
- General ability
- 25%
- Specialized area
- 75%
Test Proper vs EDQ
Test proper
- 150 test items
- Measures exam content
- Uses published scope
EDQ
- 10 questionnaire items
- Collects personal data
- Not test-proper questions
150 tested; 160 total
FOE Admission
- Citizenship
- Filipino citizen
- Filing age
- 21–35 years old
- Education
- Recognized baccalaureate degree
- Character
- Good moral character
- Fitness
- Mentally and physically fit
- Final conviction
- Listed offenses disqualify
- Military discharge
- Not dishonorably discharged
- Government dismissal
- Not dismissed for cause
- Incumbent BFP
- Age requirement waived
- Former BFP
- Endorsement plus service minimum
- Height
- Appointment requirement only
Verbal Ability
- Main idea
- Central passage claim
- Supporting detail
- Explicit textual evidence
- Inference
- Text-supported conclusion
- Context clue
- Nearby meaning signal
- Subject–verb
- Match grammatical number
- Pronoun
- Needs clear antecedent
- Coherence
- Logical sentence order
- Tone
- Writer's attitude
Analytical Ability
- Premise
- Supporting statement
- Conclusion
- Claimed result
- Assumption
- Unstated required link
- Deduction
- Necessarily follows
- Analogy
- Preserve relationship
- Pattern
- Simplest consistent rule
- Data table
- Check row and column
- Elimination
- Reject contradicted choices
Numerical Ability
- Percentage
- part ÷ whole × 100
- Percent change
- difference ÷ original × 100
- Average
- sum ÷ count
- Ratio
- Compare identical units
- Proportion
- Cross products equal
- Distance
- rate × time
- Work rate
- 1 ÷ completion time
- PEMDAS
- Operations order
Fire Tetrahedron Four
Heat, fuel, oxygen, chain sustain fire
HeatFuelOxygenChain reaction
Flashover vs Backdraft
Flashover
- Rapid room transition
- Most surfaces ignite
- Heat-driven event
Backdraft
- Ventilation-limited fire
- Sudden oxygen entry
- Explosive combustion possible
Heat transition vs oxygen event
Extinguishing Agent Picker
- Ordinary combustibles→Suitable Class A agent
- Flammable liquid→Suitable Class B agent
- Energized equipment→Suitable Class C agent
- Combustible metal→Class D special agent
- Cooking oil→Class K wet chemical
- Electricity disconnected→Reclassify burning fuel
- Untrained or unsafe→Evacuate and call BFP
- Egress becomes threatened→Stop fighting; evacuate
Fire Behavior
- Fire tetrahedron
- Four sustaining components
- Heat
- Sustains combustion
- Fuel
- Material consumed
- Oxygen
- Supports oxidation
- Chain reaction
- Sustains flaming
- Conduction
- Heat through material
- Convection
- Heat through moving fluids
- Radiation
- Heat through electromagnetic waves
- Flash point
- Minimum ignitable-vapor temperature
PASS Extinguisher
Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep
Pull pinAim lowSqueeze handleSweep side-to-side
Suppression vs Prevention
Suppression
- Controls active fire
- Uses tactics and apparatus
- Protects exposures
Prevention
- Reduces fire occurrence
- Uses codes and inspection
- Corrects hazards
Active incident vs pre-incident
Suppression Operations
- Pre-fire plan
- Hazards before incident
- Size-up
- Ongoing risk assessment
- Exposure
- Nearby threatened property
- Ventilation
- Releases heat and smoke
- Overhaul
- Finds hidden fire
- Salvage
- Limits property damage
- SCBA
- Respiratory protection
- Accountability
- Tracks responders
Classes + Agents
- Class A
- Ordinary combustibles
- Class B
- Flammable liquids and gases
- Class C
- Energized electrical equipment
- Class D
- Combustible metals
- Class K
- Cooking oils and fats
- Water
- Cools Class A
- Foam
- Blankets Class B
- Carbon dioxide
- Leaves no residue
- Wet chemical
- Targets Class K
- Special dry agent
- Targets Class D
Tools + Apparatus
- Engine
- Carries pump and hose
- Aerial ladder
- Elevated access
- Hose
- Transports water
- Nozzle
- Controls stream
- Hydrant
- Fixed water supply
- Halligan
- Forcible-entry tool
- Pike pole
- Ceiling-opening tool
- Thermal camera
- Detects heat
- PASS device
- Signals firefighter distress
Fire Hazard vs Fire Trap
Fire hazard
- Condition or act
- Raises fire probability
- May hinder firefighting
Fire trap
- Unsafe building
- Burns easily
- Lacks adequate exits
Risk condition vs unsafe building
Fire Code Compliance Picker
- Occupancy permit sought→Secure FSIC first
- Business permit sought→Secure FSIC first
- Permit renewal occurs→Conduct fire inspection
- Annual cycle arrives→Conduct fire inspection
- Single-family inspection→Obtain consent or order
- Hazardous condition found→Order hazard abatement
- Plans violate approval→Issue stop-work notice
- Initial notice received→Correct within stated period
Fire Code Terms
- Abatement
- Removes or neutralizes hazard
- Fire hazard
- Raises fire probability
- Fire trap
- Unsafe during fire
- Fire alarm
- Warns occupants or responders
- Fire door
- Fire-resistive opening protection
- Fire lane
- Keep open for apparatus
- Damper
- Restricts duct smoke or fire
- Sprinkler
- Heat-activated water discharge
- Standpipe
- Floor-level hose water supply
- Public assembly
- At least fifty people
Fire Alarm vs Sprinkler
Fire alarm
- Visual or audible signal
- Warns occupants
- Prompts immediate action
Sprinkler
- Piped water network
- Activates from fire heat
- Discharges water automatically
Warning vs suppression
Code Enforcement
- Code coverage
- Public and private structures
- Enforcer
- Bureau of Fire Protection
- Inspection frequency
- At least annually
- Permit renewal
- Inspection also required
- Occupancy permit
- Requires FSIC
- Business permit
- Requires FSIC
- Single-family inspection
- Consent or court order
- Hazardous conditions
- BFP may order abatement
- Plan violation
- Written stop-work notice
- Initial compliance
- Ten to fifteen days
Cause vs Origin
Cause
- Explains ignition
- Identifies circumstances
- Answers why
Origin
- Locates beginning
- Identifies area
- Answers where
Why vs where
Arson Indicator Picker
- Simultaneous origins→Check prima facie rule
- Accelerant traces→Check prima facie rule
- Ignition device found→Check prima facie rule
- Property overinsured→Check prima facie rule
- Repeated insured fires→Count prior occurrences
- Effects removed beforehand→Check business exception
- Prior money demand→Check prima facie rule
- Three coordinated offenders→Check syndicate aggravation
Arson Law
- PD 1613
- Amended arson law
- Basic arson
- Burning another's property
- Own property
- Arson when others endangered
- Destructive arson
- Enumerated high-risk property
- Intent to gain
- Special aggravating circumstance
- Spite or hatred
- Special aggravating circumstance
- Syndicate
- Three or more offenders
- Conspiracy
- Separately punishable
Prima Facie Indicators
- Multiple origins
- Simultaneous fire starts
- Excess flammables
- Unneeded stored materials
- Accelerant evidence
- Fuel traces or containers
- Ignition device
- Starting contrivance found
- Overinsurance
- Coverage exceeds actual value
- Repeated fires
- More than two insured fires
- Removed effects
- Substantial pre-fire withdrawal
- Prior demand
- Money demanded before fire
Evidence Handling
- Scene security
- Preserve existing conditions
- Origin
- Where fire began
- Cause
- Why ignition occurred
- Photographs
- Document unchanged scene
- Notes
- Record contemporaneous observations
- Chain of custody
- Track possession history
- Packaging
- Separate evidence items
- Labeling
- Record collection identifiers
BFP Core Four
Prevent, suppress, enforce, investigate
Prevent firesSuppress firesEnforce Fire CodeInvestigate causes
FOE vs BFP Appointment
FOE
- CSC-administered examination
- Creates eligibility register
- Uses exam admission rules
Appointment
- BFP recruitment decision
- Requires position qualifications
- Uses separate hiring rules
Eligibility does not guarantee appointment
BFP Mandate
- RA 6975
- Created Fire Bureau
- Prevention
- Core BFP responsibility
- Suppression
- Core BFP responsibility
- Fire Code
- BFP enforces it
- Fire causes
- BFP investigates all
- Proper complaint
- Filed with prosecutor
- Local stations
- Provincial capitals, cities, municipalities
- Station site
- LGU provides land
Specialized Weights
Suppression thirty; safety twenty; investigation fifteen; administration ten
Suppression 30%Safety 20%Investigation 15%Administration 10%
CSC vs BFP
CSC
- Administers FOE
- Processes examination results
- Confers civil eligibility
BFP
- Prevents and suppresses fires
- Enforces Fire Code
- Investigates fire causes
Exam authority vs fire bureau
Personnel Laws
- RA 9263
- BFP professionalization law
- Appointment degree
- Baccalaureate required
- Appointment eligibility
- Appropriate eligibility required
- Appointment tests
- Psychological, drug, physical
- Promotion basis
- Merit and vacant rank
- Promotion eligibility
- CSC standard applies
- RA 9592
- Extended compliance period
- FOE result
- Fire Officer Eligibility
- Eligibility level
- Specific second level
- PNP ranks
- Explicitly excluded
Common Traps
Eligibility ≠ appointment
Passing creates eligibility ≠ Hiring requirements remain
Total ≠ tested
160 total items ≠ 150 test-proper items
Exam age ≠ hiring age
FOE filing age 21–35 ≠ Appointment rules remain separate
Specific ≠ general eligibility
Fire Officer Eligibility ≠ Not Career Service Professional
Fire service ≠ PNP
Fire-related second-level positions ≠ PNP ranks explicitly excluded
Overall ≠ section cutoff
General rating at least 80.00 ≠ No published section cutoffs
Booklet space ≠ separate paper
Booklet spaces allowed ≠ Separate paper prohibited
Last Minute
- 1.CSC administers; BFP hires separately
- 2.150 test items + 10 EDQ
- 3.Time limit: 3 hours 5 minutes
- 4.Passing general rating: at least 80.00
- 5.General 25%; specialized 75%
- 6.Suppression 30%; safety 20%
- 7.Investigation 15%; administration 10%
- 8.Fire tetrahedron has four components
- 9.Match agent to fire class
- 10.FSIC precedes occupancy or business permits
- 11.Cause asks why; origin asks where
- 12.FOE eligibility excludes PNP ranks
- 13.Calculator and printed aids prohibited
- 14.Use only black ballpen
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