F80 Practice Exam Questions and Complete Solutions

FIRE SAFETY COORDINATOR RENEWAL EVERY THREE YEARS Approved devices, equipment and systems or combinations of systems used to deter a fire, activate an alarm, extinguish or control a fire, control or manage smoke and products of a fire or any combination thereof, including fire extinguishing systems, fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems and standpipe systems. Fire Protection System - Location: Homeless shelter in Paris, Texas Date: 2009 A 42 bed shelter housing 28 men caught fire due to ignition of a table inside the shelter that was piled high with donated clothing. More than 20 residents evacuated the shelter as a result of smoke and flames after several men attempted to extinguish the flames with pans of water. There was a heavy smoke condition in the shelter, making it difficult to see and even more difficult to evacuate. Five men who lived on the second floor were killed in the blaze. An investigation of the fire determined that the building had no sprinkler system, fire alarms or smoke detectors. Records indicated that the shelter hadn't been inspected for at least five years, even though inspections were required on an annual basis. The shelter was used as a drop-off point for paper products, rags, clothing, furniture and other material. Lessons Learned: Periodic Fire Department inspections should be conducted as required Excess debris and improper storage is a fire hazard Lack of fire prevention devices in the shelter increases the probability of fatal fires Location: Homeless shelter in Bronx, NY Date: December 7, 2012 and December 9, 2012 At this Bronx, NY shelter, improperly stored mattresses were ignited in two separate incidents only two days apart. The first incident occurred when a child was playing with a match, and set a mattress on fire on the second floor of the building. This was a small fire that resulted in no injuries and was quickly extinguished. The second fire started when another child was playing with matches who also ignited a mattress that had been stored in the building's lobby. Smoke and flames from the resulting fire spread into the stairwell and the upper floor hallways. There were no building wide alarms or hallway smoke detectors in the building to notify occupants of the fire. Two building occupants tried to use portable fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire but found them empty and inoperable. With the smoke and flames having filled the hallways, many occupants tried to escape by using the fire escapes. However, occupants reported that some of the fire escapes were broken, having missing steps and jammed ladders. The fire resulted in four adults and two children being seriously injured. It was determined that the mattresses that were involved in these fires had not been properly removed from the building. Instead, they were stacked in the lobby and propped against walls in common areas of the building. It was also determined that the fire escapes were not in good working order, many of the fire extinguishers were not operable, and that the building did not have a fire alarm or sprinkler system. All of these factors contributed to the devastation that resulted from this fire. Lessons Learned: Excess debris and improper storage presents a fire hazard Lack of a building wide fire alarm system will cause significant delays in implementing a building evacuation Fire escapes must be inspected to ensure that they are in working order Fire extinguishers must be visually inspected monthly to ensure that they are in working order Homeless shelter in New York, NY Date: August 28, 2012 A homeless shelter in New York City caught fire and required complete evacuation. The fire started when a lit cigarette left unattended by a tenant ignited a mattress on the fourth floor. The fire was quickly extinguished by the building's sprinkler system. One resident suffered from and was treated for smoke inhalation. Fortunately, the fire was confined to a single apartment. The shelter had recently been fined more than $45,000 by the Department of Buildings for safety violations, including a violation for failure to provide sprinkler protection. Records show that the building had seven active building violations at the time of the fire. Lessons Learned: Periodic Fire Department inspections should be conducted Ignition sources, such as lit cigarettes, should not be left unattended Fire safety education may be beneficial to homeless shelter residents Fire Guards Buildings or portions of buildings occupied or operated to be occupied by homeless persons shall be continuously patrolled by a person holding a certificate of fitness as fire guard. Every area of the building shall be patrolled at least once every hour. Fire guards are responsible for the safety of all building occupants and employees by eliminating fire hazards and assisting in the evacuation of clients in case of a fire emergency. Generally, fire guards are responsible for making sure that fire safety regulations are being complied with in the shelter. They should be knowledgeable of the location and operation of all fire alarm systems in the shelter and should check their condition during their patrols. Fire guards must maintain records of their patrols. Fire guards must patrol the entire homeless shelter at least once an hour. Some shelters assign a fire guard to patrol each floor. For example, if there are four floors in a shelter, depending upon the floor area of each floor, there may be four fire guards on duty at all times, one patrolling each floor. During their patrol they must look for signs of fire and investigate any signs of smoke in the shelter. They must also be on the alert for any fire safety violations and upon discovery, report them immediately to the Coordinator of Fire Safety & Alarm Systems in Homeless Shelters. In many cases, the fire guard will be capable of correcting the fire safety violation during the course of conducting his/her fire guard duties. Ultimately, the Coordinator of Fire Safety & Alarm Systems in Homeless Shelters must ensure that the violation is corrected.