F01 F01 NYC Building Occupant Safety and Evacuation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary duty of a floor warden during a fire emergency?
- To operate the fire alarm control panel
- To direct occupants on their floor to exits and account for all persons (Correct answer)
- To fight the fire with portable extinguishers
- To contact the building's insurance company
Correct answer: To direct occupants on their floor to exits and account for all persons
Floor wardens direct occupants to the nearest safe exits, assist those with mobility impairments, and report headcounts to the fire guard.
Question 2: What is an 'area of rescue assistance' (ARA) in a building?
- A room where fire suppression equipment is stored
- A designated location where mobility-impaired occupants wait safely for firefighter assistance (Correct answer)
- The staging area for FDNY equipment outside the building
- A fireproof vault for protecting building documents
Correct answer: A designated location where mobility-impaired occupants wait safely for firefighter assistance
Areas of rescue assistance are fire-rated, communication-equipped spaces where occupants who cannot use stairs wait safely for FDNY assistance.
Question 3: How should a fire guard communicate with occupants in a high-rise building during an emergency?
- By shouting from the lobby
- Through the building's fire command station public address system (Correct answer)
- By sending text messages to each tenant
- Through the building's regular telephone system
Correct answer: Through the building's fire command station public address system
High-rise buildings have fire command stations with public address systems that allow fire guards to make voice announcements directing occupants on all floors.
Question 4: What is the 'defend in place' strategy and when is it used?
- A method of extinguishing fires with suppression equipment while remaining at workstations
- A protocol where occupants remain in their units relying on fire-resistant construction to protect them (Correct answer)
- A strategy for firefighters to protect only the fire floor
- An FDNY tactic used in all fire scenarios
Correct answer: A protocol where occupants remain in their units relying on fire-resistant construction to protect them
'Defend in place' is used in certain occupancies like hospitals where evacuation is impractical, relying on fire-rated construction to protect occupants in their compartments.
Question 5: What should a fire guard do if an occupant refuses to evacuate during a fire alarm activation?
- Leave them and continue evacuating others without documentation
- Physically force them to leave the building
- Clearly warn them of the danger, document the refusal, and notify FDNY upon arrival (Correct answer)
- Call the building manager to handle the situation
Correct answer: Clearly warn them of the danger, document the refusal, and notify FDNY upon arrival
Fire guards should warn non-compliant occupants of the danger, record the refusal in the logbook, and inform FDNY so responders can take appropriate action.
Question 6: Under NYC Fire Code, how often must evacuation drills be conducted in high-rise office buildings?
- Monthly
- Quarterly
- Every 6 months
- Annually (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Annually
NYC Fire Code requires high-rise office buildings to conduct at least one fire evacuation drill annually with all building occupants.
F01 F01 NYC Building Occupant Safety and Evacuation 2
What is the primary duty of a floor warden during a fire emergency?