F01 Fire Watch Duties and Procedures 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under NYC Fire Code, when is a fire watch required for an out-of-service fire protection system?
- When the system is out of service for more than 4 hours in a 24-hour period (Correct answer)
- When the system is out of service for more than 8 hours in a 24-hour period
- Only when the building owner requests it
- When the system is out of service for more than 1 hour
Correct answer: When the system is out of service for more than 4 hours in a 24-hour period
NYC Fire Code requires a fire watch when a fire protection system is out of service for more than 4 hours in any 24-hour period.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of maintaining a fire watch?
- To compensate for the absence of an impaired fire protection system by providing manual detection and response (Correct answer)
- To repair the impaired fire protection system as quickly as possible
- To document the cause of the system impairment for insurance purposes
- To prevent unauthorized entry into the building while systems are offline
Correct answer: To compensate for the absence of an impaired fire protection system by providing manual detection and response
A fire watch provides manual continuous surveillance to detect fire and initiate emergency response in place of the impaired automatic system.
Question 3: At minimum, how frequently must a fire guard patrol the affected area during a fire watch?
- At least every 15 minutes (Correct answer)
- At least every 30 minutes
- At least once per hour
- At least every 45 minutes
Correct answer: At least every 15 minutes
NYC Fire Code requires fire watch patrols to be conducted at least every 15 minutes throughout the affected area.
Question 4: Which agency must be notified when a fire watch is initiated due to a system impairment in NYC?
- The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) (Correct answer)
- The NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) only
- The building's insurance carrier only
- No outside agency notification is required
Correct answer: The Fire Department of New York (FDNY)
FDNY must be notified whenever a fire watch is established due to an impaired fire protection system in accordance with NYC Fire Code.
Question 5: What communication device must a fire guard carry during a fire watch patrol?
- A two-way radio or other means of two-way communication (Correct answer)
- A personal cell phone only
- A written copy of the emergency evacuation plan
- A portable fire extinguisher at all times
Correct answer: A two-way radio or other means of two-way communication
A fire guard must carry a two-way radio or equivalent communication device to immediately summon help if a fire is discovered during patrol.
Question 6: Under what condition can a fire watch be discontinued?
- When the impaired fire protection system has been fully restored to normal service (Correct answer)
- When the building owner provides written authorization to stop
- After 24 hours have elapsed since the watch began
- When no fire is found during three consecutive patrols
Correct answer: When the impaired fire protection system has been fully restored to normal service
A fire watch must continue until the impaired system is fully restored to service and confirmed operational.
Question 7: What must be recorded in the fire watch logbook at the completion of each patrol?
- The time of patrol, areas covered, name of the fire guard, and any unusual conditions observed (Correct answer)
- Only the time the patrol began and ended
- The names of all building occupants encountered during the patrol
- The estimated repair cost for the impaired system
Correct answer: The time of patrol, areas covered, name of the fire guard, and any unusual conditions observed
Each logbook entry must document the patrol time, areas inspected, the fire guard's name, and any conditions noted to create a verifiable audit trail.
F01 Fire Watch Duties and Procedures 1
Under NYC Fire Code, when is a fire watch required for an out-of-service fire protection system?