F01 F01 NYC Building Occupant Safety and Evacuation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under NYC Fire Code, who is responsible for ensuring that building occupants know the emergency evacuation plan?
- Individual tenants
- The FDNY
- The building owner or managing agent (Correct answer)
- The Department of Buildings
Correct answer: The building owner or managing agent
Building owners and managing agents are responsible for developing, posting, and communicating evacuation plans to all occupants.
Question 2: What is the recommended action for building occupants who encounter heavy smoke in a corridor during evacuation?
- Run through the smoke to reach the exit
- Return to their unit and use an alternate exit or shelter in place (Correct answer)
- Use the elevator to reach the ground floor quickly
- Open windows to clear the smoke
Correct answer: Return to their unit and use an alternate exit or shelter in place
Occupants should never run through heavy smoke; they should retreat to a safer area, use an alternate exit, or shelter in place and signal for help.
Question 3: During a fire evacuation, why should building occupants NOT use elevators?
- Elevators are too slow during emergencies
- Elevators may open on a fire floor or lose power, trapping occupants (Correct answer)
- Elevator shafts fill with water from sprinklers
- NYC law prohibits elevator use in all buildings during business hours
Correct answer: Elevators may open on a fire floor or lose power, trapping occupants
Elevators can malfunction during fires, open directly on the fire floor, or lose power, which can trap occupants inside the cab.
Question 4: What should an occupant do before opening a closed door during a fire evacuation?
- Open the door quickly to check for fire
- Call out to see if anyone is on the other side
- Feel the door and doorknob for heat before opening (Correct answer)
- Knock loudly and wait 10 seconds
Correct answer: Feel the door and doorknob for heat before opening
Feeling the door and knob for heat helps determine if fire is on the other side, preventing occupants from opening a door into flames or superheated gases.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a designated building assembly area after an evacuation?
- To provide shelter from the weather during an emergency
- To allow firefighters to stage equipment
- To account for all occupants and keep them clear of the building (Correct answer)
- To hold occupants who refuse to evacuate
Correct answer: To account for all occupants and keep them clear of the building
Assembly areas are designated locations outside the building where occupants gather so that wardens and emergency responders can account for everyone.
Question 6: Under NYC Fire Code, how must evacuation routes be marked in buildings?
- Only verbally communicated during fire drills
- With posted floor plans and illuminated exit signs (Correct answer)
- With yellow tape on the floor
- On the building's website only
Correct answer: With posted floor plans and illuminated exit signs
NYC Fire Code requires buildings to post floor plans showing evacuation routes and to maintain illuminated exit signs along all egress paths.
F01 F01 NYC Building Occupant Safety and Evacuation 1
Under NYC Fire Code, who is responsible for ensuring that building occupants know the emergency evacuation plan?