1-Manual pull stations are red. Those in Group "B" buildings and Group "R-1" hotels have a
one-inch diagonal white stripe from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. What is
the meaning of the white stripe? Why are these white-striped pull stations found in "B" and
"R-1" properties? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The white stripe indicates that when a
manual pull station is activated, the fire alarm signal will be automatically sent to the Fire
Alarm Control Panel, the Central Station and the Fire Department. Group "B" and "R-1"
properties must have the fire alarm systems monitored by Central Stations; therefore, the
fire alarm does not stay "in-house." Note: The 2008 Fire Code mandated that all buildings
with fire alarm systems have central station monitoring, regardless of whether the manual
pull stations have the white stripe.
2-A smoke detector is designed to detect smoke and activate a fire alarm. Why must area
smoke detectors be located in elevator lobbies? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Area
smoke detectors must be located in elevator lobbies to activate elevator recall. The elevator
lobby area smoke detectors activate because there is smoke in the elevator lobby, hence the
proximity of the smoke to the elevators and their occupants is prioritized and the elevators
recall to the Ground Floor or lowest terminal landing to protect the elevator occupants and
allow them to escape the property. When two smoke detectors are located in elevator lob-
bies, they must both activate to sound the alarm and recall the elevators. They are known as
"cross-over smoke detectors."
3-A "sky lobby" is an upper floor where passengers must transfer from one elevator bank to
another to reach the desired floor. In a two-bank building, will there be a blind shaft on the
bank that services the higher floors? Yes/No? Explain your answer. - ANSWER No. A sky
lobby exists when passengers must transfer from one elevator bank to another elevator
bank to reach the desired floor. The option of getting in the high-rise bank elevators on the
lobby level does not exist. Therefore, the high-rise bank elevators are not express elevators.
In the high-rise bank, the space between the second floor and the sky lobby floor consists of
office space.
1
,4- The FLS Building Evacuation Supervisor is not required to hold a certificate of fitness FLS
Director but must have a certificate of fitness fire guard in the event there is a torch opera-
tions job scheduled when the building has 500 people or less. True or false? Explain your an-
swer. - ANSWER False. The FLS Building Evacuation Supervisor (FLS BES) is not required to
hold a Certificate of Fitness of any category. Because the FLS BES must be available to re-
spond to the Fire Alarm Control Panel when the building has 450 occupants or less and a fire
alarm activates, then it is impossible for the FLS BES to oversee torch operations as a Fire
Guard, even if the FLS BES did in fact have a Certificate of Fitness Fire Guard F-60.
5- The heat that is generated by the sun is transferred via radiation. Why is it not via conduc-
tion? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Heat transfer via conduction requires an interven-
ing medium (direct contact) that allows the heat to transfer from point "A" to point "B." For
example, a metal pipe heated at one end will eventually heat the opposite end and anything
touching the pipe. There is no solid object connecting the sun to Earth. Heat transfer from
the sun is via Radiation (electromagnetic waves).
6- The ball-drip valve in a fire suppression system is located on the first sub-Grade level of a
building. Why is it not located on another level? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The Ball-
Drip Valve is designed to detect when the Lower Check Valve in the system is defective or
has failed completely. It is also designed to drip excess water from the pipe between the Fire
Department Connection and the Lower Check Valve to prevent the water from freezing after
the Fire Department disconnects the fire hoses from the Fire Department Connection.
Hence, the Ball-Drip Valve must be at a level that is lower (Cellar level) than the location of
the Fire Department Connections (street level).
7- aww If a FLS Director is not required to be present in a Group "B" building, then who is re-
quired to be in the building to address fire and non-fire emergencies in the absence of the
FLS Director? And, what determines when a FLS Director is required to be in the building?
Explain your answers. - ANSWER The FLS Building Evacuation Supervisor (FLS BES) is re-
quired to be in the Group "B" property when the Fire and Life Safety Director is not required
to be in the property. A Fire and Life Safety Director is required to be in the property when
there are more than 450 in the entire building or more than 100 people above or below the
Ground Floor, excluding the Ground Floor; and during normal business hours of the building.
8- No fire alarm activation goes directly from an alarm-sending device to the Fire Depart-
ment. In a fire alarm system, where do all fire alarms first report the activation of an alarm-
2
,sending device and why? Explain your answers. - ANSWER All automatic and manual
alarm-sending (peripheral) devices first send the signal to the Fire Alarm Control Panel to
alert the Fire and Life Safety Director that a fire alarm has activated.
9- Area smoke detectors are readily visible and usually appear on the ceiling level of a room.
Duct smoke detectors are also designed to detect smoke. What are duct smoke detectors
and why are they necessary? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Duct smoke detectors are
positioned to detect smoke particles in the duct work associated with the Heat, Ventilation
and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Upon detecting smoke, the duct smoke detectors acti-
vate a fire alarm signal and commences the process of controlling the smoke by closing
smoke dampers and shutting down HVAC fans.
10- In all instances when the system is "off-line" with the central station, what must the FLS
Director do to ensure a Fire Department response and why? Explain your answers. - AN-
SWER The Fire and Life Safety Director must call 911 upon activation of a fire alarm since
being "off-line" prohibits the central station from transmitting the signal to the Fire Depart-
ment. When the system is "off-line", the Fire and Life Safety Director or FLS Building Evacua-
tion Supervisor, as a "Rule of Thumb", must remain at the Fire Alarm Control Panel until the
system is back "on-line".
11- A "drain down" occurs when the building engineers have to drain the water from the
branch lines on a floor in order to perform work on the sprinkler system. Will the fire alarm
activate when the water is drained from the branch lines or when the branch lines are re-
filled with water after the work is completed? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Because of
the location of the Waterflow Switch in the fire suppression system, it will only activate
when the Branch Lines are re-filled. If the Waterflow switch is not disabled upon the drain
down, it will not activate a fire alarm signal, but the Tamper Switch will transmit a signal to
the Fire Alarm Control Panel.
12. What is the purpose of the OS&Y valve? Why is it chained/padlocked in the open posi-
tion even when a Tamper Switch already exists? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The
OS&Y valves cut off water to the fire suppression system, therefore as a precautionary meas-
ure the valves are usually chained/padlocked in the open position even when monitored by
Tamper Switches, this will prevent anyone from physically attempting to close the valve.
3
, 13. Besides asking someone or searching online, where can a person find the name of the
FLS Director in a Group "R-1" hotel? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The Fire and Life
Safety Director's name appears in the Fire Safety and Emergency Action Plan.
14. The stairwell design that allows tenants to travel freely between two or more floors is
known as an access stair or "convenience stair." Why it is critical for all access stairs in the
building to be listed in the Comprehensive Fire Safety and Emergency Action Plan? Explain
your answer. - ANSWER Access stairs are listed in the Fire Safety and Emergency Action
Plan because they are a means of smoke spread to all the floors connected by the access
stairs. Upon a fire condition all the floors connected by access stairs must be in-building relo-
cated or evacuated, depending on the location of the access stairs.
15. If alarm-sending devices are disabled (by-passed) where necessary, for example, due to
construction work, it is also necessary to go "off-line". Is this statement true or false? Explain
your answer. - ANSWER False. When a peripheral device such as a smoke detector is disa-
bled, the smoke detector will not activate a fire alarm signal to the Fire Alarm Control Panel,
therefore a fire alarm signal will not be transmitted to the central station. Hence, there is no
need to take the system "off-line" since the Fire Department will not be responding to the
property.
16. Manual pull stations are programmed to not activate fail-safe door release due to secu-
rity concerns. This then prevents the fire alarm from being transmitted to the Fire Depart-
ment. True or false? Explain your answer. - ANSWER False. The fail-safe door release sys-
tem is mutually exclusive from "taking the system off-line". The activation of a manual pull
station will transmit the signal to the Fire Alarm Control Panel, central station and Fire De-
partment.
17. Elevators recall upon the activation of certain automatic smoke and water-flow detecting
devices. In Phase I of elevator recall, elevator occupants may communicate with a security
officer at the lobby desk via the activation of the elevator's "alarm" button. Is this true or
false? Explain your answer. - ANSWER True. The two-way communication system that is
activated by pressing the "Alarm" button in elevators does not become inoperable during El-
evator Recall Phase I (or Phase II).
4
one-inch diagonal white stripe from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. What is
the meaning of the white stripe? Why are these white-striped pull stations found in "B" and
"R-1" properties? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The white stripe indicates that when a
manual pull station is activated, the fire alarm signal will be automatically sent to the Fire
Alarm Control Panel, the Central Station and the Fire Department. Group "B" and "R-1"
properties must have the fire alarm systems monitored by Central Stations; therefore, the
fire alarm does not stay "in-house." Note: The 2008 Fire Code mandated that all buildings
with fire alarm systems have central station monitoring, regardless of whether the manual
pull stations have the white stripe.
2-A smoke detector is designed to detect smoke and activate a fire alarm. Why must area
smoke detectors be located in elevator lobbies? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Area
smoke detectors must be located in elevator lobbies to activate elevator recall. The elevator
lobby area smoke detectors activate because there is smoke in the elevator lobby, hence the
proximity of the smoke to the elevators and their occupants is prioritized and the elevators
recall to the Ground Floor or lowest terminal landing to protect the elevator occupants and
allow them to escape the property. When two smoke detectors are located in elevator lob-
bies, they must both activate to sound the alarm and recall the elevators. They are known as
"cross-over smoke detectors."
3-A "sky lobby" is an upper floor where passengers must transfer from one elevator bank to
another to reach the desired floor. In a two-bank building, will there be a blind shaft on the
bank that services the higher floors? Yes/No? Explain your answer. - ANSWER No. A sky
lobby exists when passengers must transfer from one elevator bank to another elevator
bank to reach the desired floor. The option of getting in the high-rise bank elevators on the
lobby level does not exist. Therefore, the high-rise bank elevators are not express elevators.
In the high-rise bank, the space between the second floor and the sky lobby floor consists of
office space.
1
,4- The FLS Building Evacuation Supervisor is not required to hold a certificate of fitness FLS
Director but must have a certificate of fitness fire guard in the event there is a torch opera-
tions job scheduled when the building has 500 people or less. True or false? Explain your an-
swer. - ANSWER False. The FLS Building Evacuation Supervisor (FLS BES) is not required to
hold a Certificate of Fitness of any category. Because the FLS BES must be available to re-
spond to the Fire Alarm Control Panel when the building has 450 occupants or less and a fire
alarm activates, then it is impossible for the FLS BES to oversee torch operations as a Fire
Guard, even if the FLS BES did in fact have a Certificate of Fitness Fire Guard F-60.
5- The heat that is generated by the sun is transferred via radiation. Why is it not via conduc-
tion? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Heat transfer via conduction requires an interven-
ing medium (direct contact) that allows the heat to transfer from point "A" to point "B." For
example, a metal pipe heated at one end will eventually heat the opposite end and anything
touching the pipe. There is no solid object connecting the sun to Earth. Heat transfer from
the sun is via Radiation (electromagnetic waves).
6- The ball-drip valve in a fire suppression system is located on the first sub-Grade level of a
building. Why is it not located on another level? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The Ball-
Drip Valve is designed to detect when the Lower Check Valve in the system is defective or
has failed completely. It is also designed to drip excess water from the pipe between the Fire
Department Connection and the Lower Check Valve to prevent the water from freezing after
the Fire Department disconnects the fire hoses from the Fire Department Connection.
Hence, the Ball-Drip Valve must be at a level that is lower (Cellar level) than the location of
the Fire Department Connections (street level).
7- aww If a FLS Director is not required to be present in a Group "B" building, then who is re-
quired to be in the building to address fire and non-fire emergencies in the absence of the
FLS Director? And, what determines when a FLS Director is required to be in the building?
Explain your answers. - ANSWER The FLS Building Evacuation Supervisor (FLS BES) is re-
quired to be in the Group "B" property when the Fire and Life Safety Director is not required
to be in the property. A Fire and Life Safety Director is required to be in the property when
there are more than 450 in the entire building or more than 100 people above or below the
Ground Floor, excluding the Ground Floor; and during normal business hours of the building.
8- No fire alarm activation goes directly from an alarm-sending device to the Fire Depart-
ment. In a fire alarm system, where do all fire alarms first report the activation of an alarm-
2
,sending device and why? Explain your answers. - ANSWER All automatic and manual
alarm-sending (peripheral) devices first send the signal to the Fire Alarm Control Panel to
alert the Fire and Life Safety Director that a fire alarm has activated.
9- Area smoke detectors are readily visible and usually appear on the ceiling level of a room.
Duct smoke detectors are also designed to detect smoke. What are duct smoke detectors
and why are they necessary? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Duct smoke detectors are
positioned to detect smoke particles in the duct work associated with the Heat, Ventilation
and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. Upon detecting smoke, the duct smoke detectors acti-
vate a fire alarm signal and commences the process of controlling the smoke by closing
smoke dampers and shutting down HVAC fans.
10- In all instances when the system is "off-line" with the central station, what must the FLS
Director do to ensure a Fire Department response and why? Explain your answers. - AN-
SWER The Fire and Life Safety Director must call 911 upon activation of a fire alarm since
being "off-line" prohibits the central station from transmitting the signal to the Fire Depart-
ment. When the system is "off-line", the Fire and Life Safety Director or FLS Building Evacua-
tion Supervisor, as a "Rule of Thumb", must remain at the Fire Alarm Control Panel until the
system is back "on-line".
11- A "drain down" occurs when the building engineers have to drain the water from the
branch lines on a floor in order to perform work on the sprinkler system. Will the fire alarm
activate when the water is drained from the branch lines or when the branch lines are re-
filled with water after the work is completed? Explain your answer. - ANSWER Because of
the location of the Waterflow Switch in the fire suppression system, it will only activate
when the Branch Lines are re-filled. If the Waterflow switch is not disabled upon the drain
down, it will not activate a fire alarm signal, but the Tamper Switch will transmit a signal to
the Fire Alarm Control Panel.
12. What is the purpose of the OS&Y valve? Why is it chained/padlocked in the open posi-
tion even when a Tamper Switch already exists? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The
OS&Y valves cut off water to the fire suppression system, therefore as a precautionary meas-
ure the valves are usually chained/padlocked in the open position even when monitored by
Tamper Switches, this will prevent anyone from physically attempting to close the valve.
3
, 13. Besides asking someone or searching online, where can a person find the name of the
FLS Director in a Group "R-1" hotel? Explain your answer. - ANSWER The Fire and Life
Safety Director's name appears in the Fire Safety and Emergency Action Plan.
14. The stairwell design that allows tenants to travel freely between two or more floors is
known as an access stair or "convenience stair." Why it is critical for all access stairs in the
building to be listed in the Comprehensive Fire Safety and Emergency Action Plan? Explain
your answer. - ANSWER Access stairs are listed in the Fire Safety and Emergency Action
Plan because they are a means of smoke spread to all the floors connected by the access
stairs. Upon a fire condition all the floors connected by access stairs must be in-building relo-
cated or evacuated, depending on the location of the access stairs.
15. If alarm-sending devices are disabled (by-passed) where necessary, for example, due to
construction work, it is also necessary to go "off-line". Is this statement true or false? Explain
your answer. - ANSWER False. When a peripheral device such as a smoke detector is disa-
bled, the smoke detector will not activate a fire alarm signal to the Fire Alarm Control Panel,
therefore a fire alarm signal will not be transmitted to the central station. Hence, there is no
need to take the system "off-line" since the Fire Department will not be responding to the
property.
16. Manual pull stations are programmed to not activate fail-safe door release due to secu-
rity concerns. This then prevents the fire alarm from being transmitted to the Fire Depart-
ment. True or false? Explain your answer. - ANSWER False. The fail-safe door release sys-
tem is mutually exclusive from "taking the system off-line". The activation of a manual pull
station will transmit the signal to the Fire Alarm Control Panel, central station and Fire De-
partment.
17. Elevators recall upon the activation of certain automatic smoke and water-flow detecting
devices. In Phase I of elevator recall, elevator occupants may communicate with a security
officer at the lobby desk via the activation of the elevator's "alarm" button. Is this true or
false? Explain your answer. - ANSWER True. The two-way communication system that is
activated by pressing the "Alarm" button in elevators does not become inoperable during El-
evator Recall Phase I (or Phase II).
4
