FLSD Fire Emergency Procedures 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a fire emergency, a floor warden reports that a mobility-impaired occupant refuses to use the area of refuge and insists on using the elevator. What should the Fire Life Safety Director do?
- Allow the occupant to use the elevator since it is their personal choice
- Direct the occupant to the area of refuge and notify firefighters of their location (Correct answer)
- Have the floor warden physically carry the occupant down the stairwell
- Delay evacuation for that floor until the situation is resolved
Correct answer: Direct the occupant to the area of refuge and notify firefighters of their location
Elevators must not be used during fires; the FLSD should direct the occupant to the designated area of refuge and ensure responding firefighters are informed of the location.
Question 2: A partial evacuation has been ordered for floors 10–15 due to smoke on floor 12. Which action by the FLSD is most appropriate?
- Announce a full building evacuation to prevent confusion
- Direct evacuees from floors 10–15 to relocate at least two floors below the affected area (Correct answer)
- Instruct all occupants to shelter in place until the fire department arrives
- Allow occupants on floors 10–15 to decide individually whether to evacuate
Correct answer: Direct evacuees from floors 10–15 to relocate at least two floors below the affected area
Partial evacuation protocols typically relocate occupants from affected floors to a safe floor at least two floors below the fire floor.
Question 3: The fire alarm system activates but the building fire pump fails to start automatically. What is the FLSD's immediate priority?
- Reset the fire pump controller and wait for it to restart
- Notify the fire department and initiate evacuation procedures (Correct answer)
- Continue monitoring and report the pump failure after the emergency
- Instruct maintenance to manually start the pump before calling 911
Correct answer: Notify the fire department and initiate evacuation procedures
Life safety takes priority; the FLSD must notify 9-1-1 and begin evacuation while the impaired suppression system is simultaneously reported.
Question 4: During a fire drill, an employee activates a manual pull station as a prank. What is the correct FLSD response?
- Treat the activation as a real emergency until confirmed otherwise (Correct answer)
- Immediately announce over the PA that it is a false alarm and reset the system
- Ignore the activation since a drill is already in progress
- Contact the prankster and issue a warning before investigating
Correct answer: Treat the activation as a real emergency until confirmed otherwise
Every alarm activation must be treated as a real emergency until confirmed otherwise, regardless of the circumstances.
Question 5: Which communication method should the FLSD use to relay instructions to floor wardens during a high-rise fire emergency when normal phones are inoperable?
- Email or text message
- The building's fire command station two-way voice communication system (Correct answer)
- Shouting from the stairwell
- Personal cell phones only
Correct answer: The building's fire command station two-way voice communication system
High-rise buildings are required to have a two-way voice communication system at the fire command station for use during emergencies.
Question 6: A fire is confirmed on the 20th floor of a 40-story building. Which floors should the FLSD prioritize for evacuation first?
- The entire building simultaneously
- Only the fire floor
- The fire floor, the floor above, and the floor below (Correct answer)
- All floors above the fire floor only
Correct answer: The fire floor, the floor above, and the floor below
Standard high-rise evacuation protocol prioritizes the fire floor and the floors immediately above and below it due to the greatest immediate danger.
Question 7: After the fire department arrives and takes command, the FLSD's role is best described as:
- Taking independent action to complete evacuation without coordinating with the incident commander
- Stepping back and having no further responsibility
- Supporting the incident commander by providing building information and coordinating staff (Correct answer)
- Assuming command of all non-fire personnel regardless of the fire department's instructions
Correct answer: Supporting the incident commander by providing building information and coordinating staff
Once the fire department assumes command, the FLSD becomes a resource, providing critical building knowledge and coordinating building staff under the incident commander's direction.
FLSD Fire Emergency Procedures 4
During a fire emergency, a floor warden reports that a mobility-impaired occupant refuses to use the area of refuge and insists on using the elevator.
What should the Fire Life Safety Director do?