F-02 FREE F-02 Emergency Response Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a fireguard calls 911 to report a fire, what key information must they provide?
- Only the building address
- The building address, their name, the floor and location of the fire, and any known hazards (Correct answer)
- The building owner's name and insurance information
- The estimated dollar value of property at risk
Correct answer: The building address, their name, the floor and location of the fire, and any known hazards
When calling 911, the fireguard must provide the complete building address, their name, the location of the fire within the building, and any relevant hazard information FDNY needs for a safe response.
When reporting a fire to 911, a fireguard must provide the most useful information possible to enable a rapid and effective FDNY response. Essential information includes: the complete building address (including cross street if possible), the caller's name and role (fireguard), the floor and specific location of the fire (e.g., '5th floor northeast stairwell'), the extent of visible fire and smoke, whether occupants are evacuating, and any known hazards (such as hazardous materials storage or the impaired fire protection systems). Providing thorough information helps FDNY dispatch the appropriate resources and prepares arriving units for what they will encounter.
Question 2: A fireguard encounters heavy smoke filling a corridor during a fire watch patrol. What is the FIRST action to take?
- Continue through the smoke to investigate the source
- Get to a safe location, call 911 immediately, and activate the building fire alarm (Correct answer)
- Wait at the entrance to the corridor and assess the smoke density before acting
- Return to the fire watch station and review the building's fire safety plan
Correct answer: Get to a safe location, call 911 immediately, and activate the building fire alarm
Heavy smoke indicates a fire emergency. The fireguard must immediately get to a safe location, call 911, and activate the fire alarm to alert occupants — investigating the smoke source is FDNY's role.
Heavy smoke in a corridor is a serious fire emergency signal. The fireguard must immediately get to safety — do not enter a smoke-filled corridor, as smoke inhalation can incapacitate within seconds. From a safe location, the fireguard must call 911 to report the smoke condition, provide the building address and the location of the smoke, and activate the nearest fire alarm pull station to initiate building evacuation. The fireguard should then position themselves to guide occupants to exits and provide information to arriving FDNY units. Investigating the smoke source is FDNY's responsibility — the fireguard's role is early notification and occupant alerting.
Question 3: What is the fireguard's responsibility when the building fire alarm activates during their fire watch shift?
- Reset the alarm panel to silence it and investigate before calling FDNY
- Assume FDNY has been automatically notified and simply direct occupants to exit
- Verify the alarm has transmitted to FDNY (or call 911 if uncertain), assist with evacuation notification, and meet FDNY units at the building entrance (Correct answer)
- Shut off power to the building to prevent electrical fires
Correct answer: Verify the alarm has transmitted to FDNY (or call 911 if uncertain), assist with evacuation notification, and meet FDNY units at the building entrance
When the fire alarm activates, the fireguard must verify FDNY was notified (call 911 if unsure), assist with evacuation, and meet arriving FDNY units to provide building information.
When the fire alarm activates during a fire watch, the fireguard has several simultaneous responsibilities. First, they must verify that FDNY has been notified — if the building alarm system is impaired (as is often the case during an F-02 fire watch situation), automatic notification to FDNY may not be functioning, requiring the fireguard to call 911 directly. Second, the fireguard should assist in directing occupants to use stairs and evacuate to the designated assembly area. Third, the fireguard should proceed to the building entrance to meet arriving FDNY units, provide the incident commander with the fire's location, the impaired system's status, and any other critical information. The fireguard must never reset or silence the alarm.
Question 4: During a fire, an FDNY lieutenant asks the fireguard where the fire is most intense. The fireguard saw flames on the 7th floor but has not been to the 8th floor. How should the fireguard respond?
- Report both the 7th and 8th floors as the fire location to be safe
- Accurately report what they observed — flames on the 7th floor — and state they have not confirmed the 8th floor (Correct answer)
- Refuse to answer until they can conduct a personal inspection
- Tell the lieutenant to assume all floors above the 7th are involved
Correct answer: Accurately report what they observed — flames on the 7th floor — and state they have not confirmed the 8th floor
The fireguard must report exactly what they observed — flames on the 7th floor — and be clear about the limits of their knowledge. Accuracy prevents FDNY from acting on incorrect information.
Accurate information is critical during an FDNY emergency response. The fireguard must report to the incident commander only what they have directly observed, while clearly distinguishing what they know with certainty from what they have not confirmed. Reporting fires on floors the fireguard did not visit could direct FDNY resources away from the actual fire location. The correct response is: 'I observed flames on the 7th floor at approximately [time]. I have not been to the 8th floor.' This gives FDNY accurate, reliable information and lets them investigate the 8th floor as a potential concern without treating unconfirmed information as fact.
Question 5: What should a fireguard do if they discover that a building occupant has been injured during a fire emergency?
- Administer first aid and delay calling 911 until the occupant is stabilized
- Call 911 immediately and report the injured person's location, so that FDNY and EMS can respond (Correct answer)
- Carry the injured person to the street exit before calling for help
- Ask other occupants to provide medical care while the fireguard continues the fire watch
Correct answer: Call 911 immediately and report the injured person's location, so that FDNY and EMS can respond
An injured occupant requires immediate 911 notification so that both FDNY and EMS are dispatched. The fireguard should not attempt to move or medically treat the injured person unless trained to do so.
When an injured person is discovered during a fire emergency, the fireguard's first action is to call 911 and report both the fire and the injured person's location. Providing the injured person's location enables FDNY to prioritize rescue and allows EMS to respond. The fireguard should not attempt to move an injured person unless they are in immediate danger (such as being in the direct path of fire or smoke), as moving an injured person can worsen injuries — particularly spinal injuries. The fireguard should not attempt medical treatment unless they hold a valid medical certification and it is safe to do so. The priority is getting trained emergency responders to the scene quickly by providing accurate 911 information.
Question 6: After an emergency event during a fire watch, when should the fireguard make entries in the fire watch log?
- Only after FDNY clears the building and normal operations resume
- As soon as possible — key details should be recorded while they are fresh, and a complete entry made as soon as it is safe to do so (Correct answer)
- During the next scheduled shift change for accuracy
- Only if FDNY specifically requests a written account
Correct answer: As soon as possible — key details should be recorded while they are fresh, and a complete entry made as soon as it is safe to do so
Emergency log entries should be made as soon as safely possible to capture accurate details while they are fresh. Delay risks inaccurate or incomplete documentation.
Accurate documentation of fire watch activities — especially emergency events — requires that entries be made as soon as safely possible. During an active emergency, the fireguard's attention must be on safety and supporting FDNY. However, as soon as the immediate emergency is managed and it is safe to do so, the fireguard should make detailed log entries while the sequence of events is still fresh. Key details to record include: discovery time, what was observed (smoke, fire, injury), actions taken (called 911, activated alarm, directed occupants), who was notified and when, FDNY arrival time, and any FDNY instructions received. Waiting hours to make log entries increases the risk of inaccurate or incomplete documentation.
F-02 FREE F-02 Emergency Response Questions and Answers 2
When a fireguard calls 911 to report a fire, what key information must they provide?