Florida Fire State Practice Exam

Which type of fire alarm uses visual components to detect smoke?

1. Ionization smoke detectors

2. Photoelectric smoke detectors

3. Heat detectors

4. Combination alarms

The correct answer is: Photoelectric smoke detectors

Photoelectric smoke detectors utilize visual components to detect smoke by employing a light source and a light sensor. In these detectors, smoke particles entering the sensing chamber disrupt the light beam, causing a reduction in reported light intensity that is detected by the sensor. This type of detection is particularly effective for smoldering fires that produce larger smoke particles, making it a reliable choice for early smoke detection. While ionization smoke detectors also detect smoke, they do so through the ionization of air particles, which does not involve visual components. Heat detectors are designed to respond to changes in temperature rather than smoke, focusing on heat rather than visual cues. Combination alarms may incorporate multiple detection methods, but they are not exclusively dependent on visual detection like photoelectric detectors are. Hence, the choice identifying photoelectric smoke detectors as utilizing visual components is accurate.