F89 FLSD Roles and Responsibilities 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which scenario requires the FLSD to submit a revised Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan to FDNY?
- A change in building use, significant alteration, or addition of a new hazardous material (Correct answer)
- Replacing a burned-out light bulb in a stairwell
- Hiring a new floor warden for an existing floor
- Conducting a regularly scheduled fire drill
Correct answer: A change in building use, significant alteration, or addition of a new hazardous material
Material changes to building use, structure, or hazards require a revised FSEP to be submitted to FDNY for approval.
Question 2: What is the FLSD's role regarding elevator recalls during a fire emergency?
- Ensure all elevators are recalled to the ground floor or designated recall floor and taken out of passenger service (Correct answer)
- Allow occupants to use elevators to evacuate faster
- Recall only the service elevators, not passenger elevators
- Leave elevator control to the building's elevator operator exclusively
Correct answer: Ensure all elevators are recalled to the ground floor or designated recall floor and taken out of passenger service
During a fire, the FLSD must initiate Phase 1 elevator recall to remove elevators from occupant use and make them available only for FDNY.
Question 3: How should the FLSD handle a situation where two floor wardens give conflicting evacuation status reports for the same floor?
- Assume the floor is not clear, notify FDNY of the uncertainty, and treat it as occupied until confirmed otherwise (Correct answer)
- Accept the first report received and disregard the second
- Assume the floor is clear to avoid delaying operations
- Send both floor wardens back to re-check independently without informing FDNY
Correct answer: Assume the floor is not clear, notify FDNY of the uncertainty, and treat it as occupied until confirmed otherwise
When status is uncertain, the FLSD must default to the more cautious assumption and inform FDNY so they can verify before marking the floor clear.
Question 4: Under what circumstance may the FLSD authorize use of elevators for occupant evacuation?
- Only when directed by the FDNY Incident Commander and the elevator is designated for occupant evacuation use (Correct answer)
- Any time the stairs are congested
- When more than 50% of occupants are unable to use stairs
- At the FLSD's discretion whenever it would speed up evacuation
Correct answer: Only when directed by the FDNY Incident Commander and the elevator is designated for occupant evacuation use
Elevators may only be used for occupant evacuation when an FDNY Incident Commander specifically authorizes it, such as in buildings with occupant evacuation elevators (OEEs).
Question 5: What must the FLSD do after every fire alarm activation, whether real or false?
- Complete an entry in the fire safety log documenting the event, time, and actions taken (Correct answer)
- File a police report for false alarms
- Notify all tenants in writing within 24 hours only for confirmed fires
- Reset the alarm panel and take no further action if the cause was determined to be false
Correct answer: Complete an entry in the fire safety log documenting the event, time, and actions taken
NYC Fire Code requires the FLSD to log every alarm activation, including false alarms, with details of the response and findings.
Question 6: A new tenant moves in and their staff have not received fire safety training. What is the FLSD's obligation?
- Ensure the new occupants receive fire safety instruction, including evacuation routes and procedures, before or shortly after occupying the space (Correct answer)
- Provide written materials only with no follow-up required
- Wait until the next scheduled annual drill to train the new occupants
- Training new tenants is solely the responsibility of the tenant's own management
Correct answer: Ensure the new occupants receive fire safety instruction, including evacuation routes and procedures, before or shortly after occupying the space
The FLSD is responsible for ensuring all building occupants, including new tenants, are trained on fire safety procedures in a timely manner.
Question 7: During a high-wind event, the FLSD is notified that a rooftop door has been left open. Why is this a fire safety concern?
- Open rooftop doors can pressurize stairwells with outside air, disrupting smoke control systems and making stairwell egress more difficult (Correct answer)
- Rooftop doors are required to remain open during high-wind events per FDNY code
- It is only a security concern, not a fire safety issue
- Wind entering from the rooftop helps ventilate smoke from lower floors
Correct answer: Open rooftop doors can pressurize stairwells with outside air, disrupting smoke control systems and making stairwell egress more difficult
An unsecured rooftop door compromises the building's pressurization and smoke control, which is essential for safe stairwell egress during a fire.
F89 FLSD Roles and Responsibilities 5
Which scenario requires the FLSD to submit a revised Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan to FDNY?