During an inspection, the coordinator finds that contractors painted over a system smoke detector. What is the MOST appropriate next step?

Document the defect, notify the alarm company, and arrange for an authorized replacement

Carefully scrape the dried paint off the device sensing chamber using a rigid wire brush tool

Cover the detector with a plastic bag until the contractors return to fix it

Disable the affected detector zone permanently at the panel to prevent nuisance false alarms

A sprinkler control valve supervisory signal remains active and the vendor cannot respond for 48 hours. What action must the coordinator take regarding this sustained condition?

Treat the condition as an impairment: notify the FDNY and the owner, and put a fire watch in place.

Document the signal in the log book and resume normal duties until the scheduled vendor inspection occurs.

Clear the supervisory signal locally and wait for the vendor without telling anyone about the system.

Physically close the sprinkler valve to prevent accidental water flow until the vendor arrives.

Which statement correctly describes how a standard waterflow switch works in a fire protection system?

It detects water moving through the piping and sends an alarm signal to the control panel

It measures ambient air temperature changes to predict imminent sprinkler head rupture

It continuously monitors the static pressure differential inside the main sprinkler riser valves

It relies on a specialized optical sensor to identify smoke prior to water discharging

During an overnight shift, the primary fire alarm control panel suffers a total power failure, severing the central station tie-in. What is the REQUIRED immediate communication sequence?

Notify the building manager and the central station, then notify the FDNY directly

Start a fire watch immediately and wait until morning to contact the building manager

Call the electrical contractor for repairs before notifying the central station

Request central station to dispatch FDNY prior to assessing the impairment severity

A multi-floor fire occurs in a shelter. When using the one-way voice communication system, what is the most critical priority for the coordinator’s emergency announcements?

Delivering clear, sequenced instructions that tell each affected floor where to go, away from the hazard, without causing panic.

Demanding that FEP staff members immediately use the two-way radios to respond to the central command desk.

Broadcasting continuous updates about the FDNY’s estimated arrival time while instructing all occupants to remain completely still.

Instructing all residents on every floor to evacuate simultaneously using the fastest available stairwells and elevators.

The fire alarm control panel suddenly shows a “COMMUNICATIONS TROUBLE” signal. What should the coordinator do?

Notify the vendor and central station, find the failed communication path, and record temporary safety measures.

Immediately start a full building evacuation because the primary fire alarm system is completely out of service.

Silence the panel and wait up to four hours to see if the network connection automatically restores itself.

Contact the local FDNY dispatch office directly to request a maintenance unit be sent to repair the panel’s wiring.

A carbon monoxide detector connected to the panel stays in alarm and cannot be reset. What should staff assume?

Carbon monoxide may still be present in the shelter

The detector itself is faulty and should be replaced

The panel battery is low and needs a charge

The detector is dusty and needs a cleaning

After a fire alarm in a shelter is reset, the air handling fans in the alarm area are still off. What is the usual reason?

They need a separate Fan Restart switch, usually at the FACP

The fans stay off until the next annual system test

The central station company must restart them by remote signal

Each duct smoke detector must be replaced first

What happens when an elevator lobby smoke detector in a shelter activates?

The elevators are recalled to the designated landing

The elevators stop at whatever floor they are on

The elevator doors lock shut on the alarm floor

The elevators keep running so residents can get out faster

Which fire alarm task may an F-80 holder perform in a shelter?

Visual inspections of the initiating devices

The annual test of all the manual pull stations

Repair of a fault on an alarm circuit

Replacement of an activated heat detector

The coordinator finds that the shelter’s central station transmitter is not working. What should the coordinator do?

Report it to the central station company and log it

Repair the transmitter and note the repair in the log

Wait for the next vendor visit to have it looked at

Unplug the transmitter until a new one is installed

A duct smoke detector senses particles of combustion in the HVAC air duct. What does it do when it activates?

It shuts down the fan of the HVAC air system

It turns the fan up to clear out the smoke

It opens the duct so the smoke vents outside

It sends only a trouble signal to the panel

You are here · Zone F · Alarm devices

Alarm devices: what starts an alarm and what announces it

Alarm devices are the parts of a fire alarm system outside the panel. Some start an alarm, such as detectors and pull stations. Some announce it, such as horns, strobes and speakers. A transmitter sends it on to the central station. In a New York City shelter, the holder of the F-80 Certificate of Fitness must know where each device is and how it works (Source: Study Material §10).

Plan ref F4 concept roomsUpdated October 25, 2026

How a pulled handle reaches the FDNY

Figure 1 The central station transmitter sends the building’s signals to an FDNY-approved central station, which passes them to the FDNY (Source: Study Material §10.12). Keeping the transmitter working at all times is the coordinator’s job; the central station page covers what to do when it fails.

FDNY — Bureau of Fire Communication

Devices that start an alarm

Initiating devices in the Study Material, sections 10.3 to 10.6

Device	What sets it off	Reset and notes
Area smoke detector	Visible or invisible particles of combustion	Resets from the panel once the cause is cleared. Needs regular cleaning and maintenance.
Beam detector	Smoke breaking a light beam across a large area	Used where spot smoke detectors are not practical.
Rate-of-rise heat detector	Room temperature climbing 12° to 15°F per minute	More sensitive than fixed temperature. Restores itself; no replacement needed.
Fixed-temperature heat detector	A fusible element melting at a preset temperature	Normally replaced after it activates. Intelligent models usually reset.
Manual pull station	A person pulling the handle, in one step or two	Reset at the station, then at the FACP, only when the FDNY says so. A key may be needed.
Carbon monoxide detector	Carbon monoxide at or above the alarm level	Required in any building with gas or oil burning equipment.

Dust sets off smoke detectors too: sheetrock dust, wood cutting and floor sanding are the Study Material’s examples (Source: Study Material §10.1). Protect detectors during construction. Smoke vs heat detectors explains where each kind belongs.

Pull stations, horns and voice

Pull stations installed or relocated after April 1, 1984 should have the handle about 4 feet from the floor, within 5 feet of the exit doorway. They must never be blocked (Source: Study Material §10.4). A double-action break-glass station needs at least one spare glass plate per box, stored on the premises. Manual pull stations covers single and double action.

Before 2008, a white stripe across a pull station meant it sent a signal to the central station. Systems designed under the 2008 Building Code transmit anyway, so newer stations have no stripe. In an older building, you still need to know which stations transmit and which do not (Source: Study Material §10.4).

Notification devices are horns, strobes, horn-strobes, speakers, speaker-strobes, and gongs or bells (Source: Study Material §10.10). A general alarm sounds every device in the building. A selective alarm sounds only the floor of alarm and the floors directly above and below it.

Shelters usually have one-way voice communication, and the coordinator makes sure it works at all times. It is for fire and drill purposes only. A shelter-wide notice about anything else goes over the regular public address system (Source: Study Material §10.11). Horns, strobes and voice shows how announcements move the right floors.

The sprinkler system ties in through its water flow detector and supervised valves. What the coordinator checks on those systems is on sprinklers and standpipes.

Before you read a device stem, look over its options. When two of them are true of some device, the stem only decides which device you are on; the other option usually describes its neighbor in the table above.

Checkpoints for Zone F: Alarm devices

Checkpoint round

0 of 12 checked · 0 cleared

Practice questions written for study, not taken from the test. The real F-80 is a multiple-choice test on a touch-screen computer at FDNY Headquarters.

Look at all four options first. Most of them name a device, an action or a certificate; then find the one the stem actually describes.

How the checkpoint round works

Read the options first and rule out the ones that break a rule, then pick from what is left. After you answer, the debrief explains every option and scores your strikes. Keys: 1–5 or A–E answer, Shift with a number rules that option out, the arrow keys move.

Checkpoint 1 of 12

Checkpoint 01
During an inspection, the coordinator finds that contractors painted over a system smoke detector. What is the MOST appropriate next step?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: Defective devices are repaired or replaced by an authorized technician; the coordinator reports it to the alarm company.
2. BScraping a detector is servicing it, which only S-97 or S-98 holders may do, and it can ruin the sensor.
3. CBagging a detector blocks it completely, so that area loses smoke detection.
4. DPermanently disabling a zone leaves the area unprotected, and coordinators may not modify the system.
Checkpoint 02
A sprinkler control valve supervisory signal remains active and the vendor cannot respond for 48 hours. What action must the coordinator take regarding this sustained condition?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA closed or tampered control valve can leave sprinklers dry; it must be resolved, not parked for 48 hours.
2. BCorrect: A supervisory condition must be resolved immediately; when it cannot be, the system is out of service and impairment steps apply.
3. CClearing the signal without notice hides a possibly closed valve from everyone who needs to know.
4. DClosing the valve shuts off the sprinklers, which turns a warning into a full impairment.
Checkpoint 03
Which statement correctly describes how a standard waterflow switch works in a fire protection system?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ASprinkler heads respond to heat themselves; a waterflow switch does not measure air temperature.
2. BPressure monitoring is a supervisory switch’s job; the waterflow device responds to flowing water.
3. COptical smoke sensing is what a smoke detector does; a waterflow switch has no smoke sensor.
4. DCorrect: A sprinkler water flow detector signals when water flows through the system, and that alarm goes to the panel.
Checkpoint 04
During an overnight shift, the primary fire alarm control panel suffers a total power failure, severing the central station tie-in. What is the REQUIRED immediate communication sequence?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA dead panel is an out-of-service system; waiting until morning to tell anyone breaks the notify-immediately rule.
2. BRepairs come after the notifications; the FDNY must hear about an out-of-service system right away.
3. CDispatching the FDNY as if to a fire misuses the alarm path; this call is a notice of an impairment.
4. DCorrect: A required system that goes out of service is reported to the owner and the FDNY at once, and the central station must know too.
Checkpoint 05
A multi-floor fire occurs in a shelter. When using the one-way voice communication system, what is the most critical priority for the coordinator’s emergency announcements?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: The one-way voice system is there to warn and instruct occupants, so the message must tell them clearly where to go.
2. BStaff radio check-ins are a separate channel; the PA message is for the occupants.
3. CTelling everyone to stand still in a multi-floor fire keeps people in danger and wastes the PA.
4. DElevators are not for use in a fire unless the FDNY says so, and sending every floor at once jams the stairs.
Checkpoint 06
The fire alarm control panel suddenly shows a “COMMUNICATIONS TROUBLE” signal. What should the coordinator do?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA communications trouble means signals may not reach the central station; the alarm itself can still work locally.
2. BCorrect: The central station transmitter must stay operable; a fault is reported to the central station, recorded, and covered until repaired.
3. CSilencing and waiting four hours leaves the shelter’s alarms unmonitored with nobody told.
4. DThe FDNY does not repair panel wiring; repairs are arranged through the alarm or central station company.
Checkpoint 07
A carbon monoxide detector connected to the panel stays in alarm and cannot be reset. What should staff assume?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: until carbon monoxide is ruled out as the cause, treat it as present and follow life safety precautions.
2. BBlaming the device first is the risky guess; CO has to be ruled out before anyone treats it as a faulty unit.
3. CA low battery shows up as a trouble signal at the panel, not as a carbon monoxide alarm that will not clear.
4. DDust is a known cause of false smoke alarms, but a CO alarm that will not reset means CO may still be there.
Checkpoint 08
After a fire alarm in a shelter is reset, the air handling fans in the alarm area are still off. What is the usual reason?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AThe fans are not tied to the test schedule; they shut down on the alarm and need their own restart afterward.
2. BThe central station receives and passes on alarm signals; it does not restart building fans.
3. CDetectors are not replaced to bring fans back; a smoke detector normally resets at the FACP once the condition clears.
4. DCorrect: resetting the alarm does not restart air handling; a separate Fan Restart control, usually at the FACP, does.
Checkpoint 09
What happens when an elevator lobby smoke detector in a shelter activates?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AStopping where they are could leave a car at the fire floor; the detector sends the cars to a set floor instead.
2. BCorrect: activation recalls the elevator cars automatically to the designated landing floor.
3. CThe detector does not lock doors on the alarm floor; its job is to bring the cars to the designated landing.
4. DKeeping the cars in normal service is not what happens; the detector recalls them to the designated landing.
Checkpoint 10
Which fire alarm task may an F-80 holder perform in a shelter?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ATesting devices, including pull stations, is reserved for S-97 or S-98 certified technicians.
2. BRepairing a circuit fault is fire alarm service work, which only S-97 or S-98 holders may perform.
3. CCorrect: an F-80 holder may do the required visual inspections and keep the log books, but not service or test.
4. DReplacing an activated heat detector is done by an S-97 or S-98 holder, as the reset table in the Study Material says.
Checkpoint 11
The coordinator finds that the shelter’s central station transmitter is not working. What should the coordinator do?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: the coordinator reports the problem to the central station company and records it in the alarm log book.
2. BCoordinators are prohibited from performing any repairs on the central station transmitter.
3. CWaiting is out; the transmitter must be operable at all times, and the company must arrange repairs as soon as possible.
4. DUnplugging it would cut the link that sends alarm signals to the central station, which must work at all times.
Checkpoint 12
A duct smoke detector senses particles of combustion in the HVAC air duct. What does it do when it activates?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: Duct smoke detectors sample the air moving through the HVAC duct and, on activation, shut down the system’s fan.
2. BSpeeding the fan up would push smoke through the building; the detector stops the fan instead.
3. CThe detector does not open anything; its job is to sense smoke in the duct and stop the fan.
4. DThe Study Material lists duct detectors with the devices that send an alarm signal, not a trouble signal.

What else an alarm sets off

A fire alarm does more than make noise. The Study Material lists building features the alarm normally activates (Source: Study Material §13.1):

Air handling fans in the alarm area shut down, so the fire gets no fresh air and smoke is not carried through the building.
Smoke dampers open or close to supply fresh air or stop smoke. Fire dampers close when the temperature rises.
Elevator cars are recalled to the designated landing floor.
Hold-open devices on fire doors release, so the doors close by themselves. A door propped with a wedge defeats this.
Sub-systems with their own panel, such as pre-action or deluge sprinklers, report to the main panel and sound the building’s horns and strobes (Source: Study Material §10.9).

Carbon monoxide alarms, the stand-alone kind, are required in most shelters (Source: Study Material §10.5). The difference between an alarm and a detector is a common pair to mix up; the key terms page sorts it out.

Who may touch what

Visual inspections of initiating devices, and keeping the log books: F-80 holders may do these, as may some other certificates (Source: Study Material p. 21).
Service and testing of the fire alarm system: S-97 or S-98 technicians only (Source: Study Material p. 21).
Cleaning smoke detectors every 6 months, and replacing an activated fixed-temperature heat detector: also S-97 or S-98 (Source: Study Material §10.3).
Installing or modifying any fire alarm component: never the coordinator (Source: Study Material §10).
Knowing the inspection and testing schedule, and seeing that it is kept: the coordinator (Source: Study Material §13).

Where the rule is written

Source: Study Material §10.3Smoke, beam, duct and heat detectors.
Source: Study Material §10.4Pull stations: types, height, the white stripe.
Source: Study Material §10.10Notification devices; general and selective alarm.
Source: Study Material §10.12The central station transmitter.
Source: Study Material §13.1Building features an alarm activates.
Source: Study Material p. 21Who may inspect, and who may service and test.

Concept rooms off Zone F

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