FLSD Staff Training and Drills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which resource should the FLSD consult to determine the most current NYC fire safety training requirements for floor wardens?
- The International Fire Code (IFC)
- FDNY regulations and NYC Fire Code, updated through the FDNY website and Bureau of Fire Prevention bulletins (Correct answer)
- NFPA 101 Life Safety Code
- The building's original architect's fire safety specifications
Correct answer: FDNY regulations and NYC Fire Code, updated through the FDNY website and Bureau of Fire Prevention bulletins
FDNY regulations and NYC Fire Code — available through the FDNY website and BFP bulletins — are the authoritative sources for current NYC-specific fire safety training requirements.
While NFPA codes provide national standards that influence NYC codes, New York City has its own fire code (NYC Fire Code, adopted under Local Law 26/2004 and amendments) that sometimes exceeds or differs from national standards. The FLSD must follow NYC-specific requirements, which are issued through: the NYC Fire Code text, FDNY Bureau of Fire Prevention bulletins and reference materials, FDNY operations orders, and FDNY administrative correspondence. The FDNY website (nyc.gov/fdny) provides current Certificate of Fitness study materials that reflect current requirements.
Question 2: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) affects the FLSD's emergency planning by requiring:
- Separate fire drills for occupants with disabilities
- Emergency evacuation plans that accommodate occupants with mobility, visual, and hearing impairments (Correct answer)
- Elevators to remain in normal service during fire emergencies for disabled occupants
- Floor wardens to carry disabled occupants down stairs during evacuation
Correct answer: Emergency evacuation plans that accommodate occupants with mobility, visual, and hearing impairments
ADA requires that emergency evacuation plans provide equivalent emergency evacuation capability for all occupants, addressing mobility, visual, and hearing impairments.
ADA compliance in emergency planning requires the FLSD to address: (1) mobility impairments — areas of refuge, RARE protocols, FDNY notification procedures; (2) hearing impairments — visual strobe alarms throughout the building, floor wardens who personally notify deaf/hard-of-hearing occupants during alarms; (3) visual impairments — floor wardens who personally guide visually impaired occupants to stairwells; (4) cognitive impairments — floor wardens trained to assist occupants who may become confused during emergencies. The FLSD maintains a 'Special Needs Roster' of occupants requiring assistance and ensures all floor wardens are briefed on special needs occupants on their floors.
Question 3: When a new building opens or an FLSD starts at a new building, their first priority should be to:
- Schedule a full building evacuation drill within the first week
- Thoroughly read and understand the approved fire safety plan and conduct a complete building walk-through (Correct answer)
- Contact all tenants to introduce themselves
- Test all fire alarm devices to verify they are working
Correct answer: Thoroughly read and understand the approved fire safety plan and conduct a complete building walk-through
An FLSD's first priority at a new building is to thoroughly understand the fire safety plan and conduct a complete walk-through to learn the building's layout, systems, and equipment locations.
The FLSD cannot effectively manage a building emergency without knowing the building. Upon starting at a new building: (1) read the entire approved fire safety plan; (2) walk every floor, stairwell, mechanical room, and rooftop; (3) locate all fire protection equipment (extinguishers, hose connections, pull stations, detectors); (4) learn the fire command station thoroughly — test all communications; (5) meet all floor wardens and review their training status; (6) review the fire safety log for recent incidents, drill records, and outstanding violations; (7) verify all equipment maintenance is current. Only after achieving this baseline knowledge can the FLSD effectively run drills and manage emergencies.
Question 4: An FLSD training program should include fire extinguisher training that covers which type of fires CANNOT be safely fought by building occupants?
- Wastebasket fires smaller than a sheet of paper
- Large fires, fires with no clear escape route, or fires involving hazardous materials (Correct answer)
- Fires in unoccupied conference rooms
- Fires detected by smoke detectors on an adjacent floor
Correct answer: Large fires, fires with no clear escape route, or fires involving hazardous materials
Occupants should never attempt to fight large fires, any fire that blocks their escape route, or fires involving hazardous or unknown materials — these require FDNY response and evacuation.
Fire extinguisher training must emphasize the 'when NOT to use an extinguisher' as much as the PASS technique. Occupants should only attempt extinguisher use when ALL of these conditions are met: the fire is small (nascent — wastebasket sized or smaller at most); they have a clear escape route behind them; they have the correct extinguisher type; they have been trained. Any fire that is spreading, is larger than they feel confident handling, involves unknown materials, produces excessive smoke, or blocks their exit path should be fought only after evacuation and FDNY notification. The FLSD trains occupants that their personal safety always takes priority over property protection.
Question 5: The FLSD conducts quarterly training updates with floor wardens. The primary purpose of quarterly (versus annual) updates is to:
- Satisfy FDNY quarterly reporting requirements
- Maintain warden proficiency, address personnel changes, and refresh procedures before they are forgotten (Correct answer)
- Comply with the building owner's insurance requirements
- Provide wardens with quarterly performance reviews
Correct answer: Maintain warden proficiency, address personnel changes, and refresh procedures before they are forgotten
Quarterly updates maintain warden proficiency (skills degrade without practice), address turnover (new wardens need training), and refresh procedures before annual drills.
Research on emergency response skills shows significant degradation over time without reinforcement — knowledge and confidence decline within months of initial training. Quarterly floor warden meetings allow the FLSD to: (1) address any new wardens who have joined since the last meeting; (2) review and update the occupant list and special needs roster; (3) discuss lessons learned from the most recent drill or any real incidents; (4) review any changes to procedures, building systems, or FDNY requirements; (5) conduct short scenario exercises (tabletop elements) to refresh decision-making; and (6) update warden kits with current floor plans and occupant lists.
Question 6: A floor warden who is scheduled to lead their floor during the upcoming fire drill calls in sick on drill day. The FLSD should:
- Cancel the drill for that floor and document that the warden was unavailable
- Designate a trained alternate warden or deputy warden to cover the floor for the drill (Correct answer)
- Conduct the drill without any warden on that floor to test unassisted evacuation
- Postpone the entire building drill until all wardens are available
Correct answer: Designate a trained alternate warden or deputy warden to cover the floor for the drill
The FLSD should designate a trained alternate warden to cover the absent warden's floor — every floor needs warden coverage during drills and actual emergencies.
This scenario underscores why every floor must have trained primary AND alternate/deputy wardens. The FLSD's pre-drill preparation includes: maintaining a list of trained alternates for each floor; verifying warden availability the day before the drill; having a rapid replacement protocol for last-minute absences. When a primary warden is absent, the alternate is activated and briefed. A floor without warden coverage during a drill creates unsafe conditions and fails to test the actual emergency capability. The FLSD's response to this scenario also provides a training moment about the importance of the alternate warden system.
FLSD Staff Training and Drills 3
Which resource should the FLSD consult to determine the most current NYC fire safety training requirements for floor wardens?