CHSP Fire Safety and Life Safety 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When conducting a fire risk assessment in an operating room, which unique hazard must receive special consideration?
- Compressed air supply lines
- Surgical drapes and oxygen-enriched environments (Correct answer)
- Stainless steel instrument trays
- Lead aprons and radiation shielding
Correct answer: Surgical drapes and oxygen-enriched environments
Operating rooms pose a high risk for surgical fires due to the combination of flammable drapes, ignition sources like electrosurgical units, and oxygen-enriched atmospheres.
Question 2: Under NFPA 99, Category 1 piped medical gas systems in healthcare facilities must have source equipment located:
- In any mechanical room with proper ventilation
- In a dedicated, exterior-vented room with signage (Correct answer)
- In the basement adjacent to the main electrical room
- Anywhere approved by the facility director
Correct answer: In a dedicated, exterior-vented room with signage
NFPA 99 requires Category 1 medical gas source equipment to be in dedicated rooms with exterior ventilation and proper signage to prevent oxygen-enriched atmosphere hazards.
Question 3: A healthcare facility's sprinkler system inspection reveals a sprinkler head has been painted over. The correct response is to:
- Document the finding for the next scheduled maintenance cycle
- Replace the painted sprinkler head immediately with a listed replacement (Correct answer)
- Clean the paint off with solvent and return to service
- Only replace it if the paint covers the deflector
Correct answer: Replace the painted sprinkler head immediately with a listed replacement
Painted sprinkler heads must be replaced—never cleaned—because paint can impair heat-sensing elements and alter spray patterns, compromising fire suppression.
Question 4: Which document serves as the primary reference for healthcare facility fire protection design and construction requirements at the federal level for CMS-certified facilities?
- NFPA 13
- NFPA 25
- NFPA 101 as adopted by CMS (Correct answer)
- IBC Chapter 4
Correct answer: NFPA 101 as adopted by CMS
CMS adopts NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) as the mandatory standard for fire protection in Medicare and Medicaid-certified healthcare facilities.
Question 5: A healthcare safety officer is evaluating an egress route. The exit access corridor has a dead-end measuring 40 feet. For a sprinklered healthcare occupancy, this is:
- A violation; maximum dead-end is 20 feet
- Acceptable; maximum dead-end is 50 feet in sprinklered facilities (Correct answer)
- A violation; dead ends are never permitted in healthcare
- Acceptable; maximum dead-end is 30 feet in sprinklered facilities
Correct answer: Acceptable; maximum dead-end is 50 feet in sprinklered facilities
NFPA 101 permits dead-end corridors up to 50 feet in fully sprinklered healthcare occupancies, so a 40-foot dead-end is compliant.
Question 6: During a fire emergency, a staff member must use a fire extinguisher on a small trash can fire. They should use the PASS technique, where the second 'S' stands for:
- Spray
- Sweep (Correct answer)
- Stop
- Spread
Correct answer: Sweep
In the PASS technique, the acronym stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep—meaning to sweep the agent from side to side at the base of the fire.
Question 7: A healthcare facility is planning construction in an occupied patient care wing. Which interim life safety measure (ILSM) is most likely required?
- Canceling all fire drills until construction is complete
- Increasing the frequency of fire drills and inspections during the project (Correct answer)
- Removing smoke detectors in the construction zone permanently
- Reducing staff training requirements to focus on construction coordination
Correct answer: Increasing the frequency of fire drills and inspections during the project
When life safety features are compromised by construction, ILSMs such as increased fire drill frequency and additional inspections compensate for the temporary reduction in fire protection.
CHSP Fire Safety and Life Safety 5
When conducting a fire risk assessment in an operating room, which unique hazard must receive special consideration?