F89 Life Safety Measures 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a partial evacuation, which floors must be evacuated in addition to the fire floor?
- Only the fire floor
- The floor above and the floor below the fire floor (Correct answer)
- All floors above the fire floor
- All floors in the building
Correct answer: The floor above and the floor below the fire floor
Standard partial evacuation protocol requires evacuating the fire floor plus the floors immediately above and below to account for smoke migration.
Question 2: A Fire and Life Safety Director discovers a stairwell door is propped open during normal business hours. What is the immediate required action?
- Post a fire warden at the door until maintenance arrives
- Close the door immediately and report it to building management (Correct answer)
- Activate the building alarm to alert occupants
- Call the fire department to inspect the stairwell
Correct answer: Close the door immediately and report it to building management
Propped-open stairwell doors defeat fire and smoke compartmentalization; the door must be closed immediately and the deficiency reported.
Question 3: Which NYC requirement applies to buildings with a certificated Fire and Life Safety Director?
- A fire drill must be conducted every month
- At least one announced and one unannounced fire drill per calendar year per shift (Correct answer)
- Fire drills are optional if the building has sprinklers
- Drills must be conducted only during off-peak hours
Correct answer: At least one announced and one unannounced fire drill per calendar year per shift
NYC Fire Code requires Class E buildings to conduct at least two fire drills per year per shift — one announced and one unannounced.
Question 4: When communicating with hearing-impaired occupants during an emergency, a Fire and Life Safety Director should rely on:
- Verbal PA announcements at maximum volume
- Visual strobes, written notices, and personal contact through wardens (Correct answer)
- Telephone calls to their desk extensions
- E-mail notifications only
Correct answer: Visual strobes, written notices, and personal contact through wardens
Hearing-impaired occupants require visual alarms, written emergency instructions, and direct warden contact to ensure they receive emergency notifications.
Question 5: The term 'area of refuge' in a high-rise life safety plan refers to:
- The lobby command post where the FLSD operates
- A fire-rated space where mobility-impaired occupants can wait safely for evacuation assistance (Correct answer)
- Any room with a self-closing fire door
- The roof level for helicopter rescue
Correct answer: A fire-rated space where mobility-impaired occupants can wait safely for evacuation assistance
An area of refuge is a protected location, typically adjacent to a stairwell, where occupants with mobility impairments can shelter and communicate for rescue assistance.
Question 6: If the main fire command station (FCS) becomes inoperable during an emergency, the FLSD should:
- Evacuate the building immediately and await FDNY
- Use the secondary FCS or designated backup communications equipment (Correct answer)
- Rely solely on floor wardens using cell phones
- Shut down all building systems to prevent further damage
Correct answer: Use the secondary FCS or designated backup communications equipment
High-rise buildings are required to have a secondary fire command station that can assume all primary FCS functions if the main station fails.
Question 7: Under NYC Fire Code, how soon after a fire emergency must an FLSD submit a written report to building management?
- Within 24 hours (Correct answer)
- Within 48 hours
- Within 72 hours
- Within one week
Correct answer: Within 24 hours
NYC regulations require the FLSD to submit a written incident report to building management within 24 hours following any fire emergency.
F89 Life Safety Measures 4
During a partial evacuation, which floors must be evacuated in addition to the fire floor?