Concept · Zone F · Alarm devices
Manual pull stations: single or double action, and what happens after a pull
A manual pull station lets anyone in the building start the fire alarm by hand. The Study Material calls it the most effective way to warn occupants and employees of a fire. Pull stations come in two types, single action and double action, and usually sit near the exits. Detectors start an alarm on their own; the alarm devices page has those.
Plan ref F2Updated October 25, 2026
What a pull station is for
The pull station is the one initiating device that depends on a person. That is why the Study Material puts training first: all building occupants and employees must know how to activate the stations. The coordinator and the FEP staff must know how to operate each station on the premises by hand (Source: Study Material §10.4).
The glossary calls it a manual fire alarm box: any manually operated device used to start an alarm signal (Source: Study Material §2). A question can use either name.
A pull starts the alarm at the panel. What residents then hear and see depends on how the panel sends it out, floor by floor or building-wide. The horns, strobes and voice page covers that part.
Pull station round
Checkpoint round
0 of 6 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.
Read all four options before the stem. Where they differ by a single word or figure, that difference is the whole question.
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 6
Checkpoint 01
A resident accidentally activates a manual pull station. After the investigation, the coordinator finds the station is jammed. What is the correct procedure?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- ACutting wiring is modifying the system, which a coordinator may not do, and it disables that station.
- BHiding the event fails recordkeeping and leaves a damaged device unreported.
- CCorrect: A jammed station is a device out of service, so record it, protect the area as the impairment rules require, and have the alarm company repair it.
- DForcing the handle can break the device; stations are reset with the proper key, and the panel only when the FDNY directs.
Checkpoint 02
A manual pull station in a shelter corridor is entirely blocked by a large, heavy supply cabinet. What is the most appropriate action for the coordinator?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- AA fire watch is for systems out of service; here the fix takes minutes, so move the cabinet.
- BCorrect: Manual stations must never be blocked or obstructed, and moving the cabinet clears the hazard right away.
- CWaiting for the next shift leaves the station blocked; fix it now, then record it.
- DThe station is where it belongs; the cabinet is the problem, and moving a station is a costly fix to the wrong thing.
Checkpoint 03
What makes a manual pull station a double action station?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- ACorrect: the user must first lift a cover, open a door or break a glass, and only then pull the lever.
- BPulling twice is not the idea; the two steps are getting past a cover or glass and then operating the lever.
- CWhere a station sends its signal has nothing to do with single or double action; it is about the steps to activate it.
- DSome stations of either type need a key to reset; that is about resetting, not about how the alarm is started.
Checkpoint 04
A shelter has double action break-glass pull stations. What does the Study Material require for spare glass plates?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- ACounting by floor is too few when a floor has several boxes; the rule is counted per fire alarm box.
- BCorrect: the coordinator keeps at least one spare plate for each fire alarm box, stored at the shelter.
- COne plate for the whole building falls short, and spares must be stored on the premises, not with a vendor.
- DWaiting for a vendor leaves a broken station; the rule requires spare plates readily available on site.
Checkpoint 05
A manual pull station in a shelter is being relocated. Where should it be installed?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- AThe two numbers are swapped: the handle height is about 4 feet, and the distance to the exit door is within 5 feet.
- BThe height is right, but 10 feet is too far; the station must be within 5 feet of the exit doorway opening.
- CThe distance is right, but 3 feet is too low; the handle should be about 4 feet from the floor.
- DCorrect: about 4 feet up keeps the handle easy to reach, and within 5 feet of the exit door puts it on the way out.
Checkpoint 06
A pull station was activated, and an FDNY representative has told staff they may reset the alarm. How is the system reset?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- ACorrect: The alarm cannot be reset at the pull station only; the station goes back to normal (a key may be needed), then the main panel is reset.
- BResetting the station alone does not clear the alarm; the system must also be reset at the main fire alarm control panel.
- CIf the station is still pulled when the panel is reset, another alarm is generated, so this order fails.
- DAn activated station is not broken; it is returned to its normal position, often with a key, not replaced.
Single action, double action and the stripe
- Single action station
- One step. The cover itself works as the lever: pulling it down closes a switch inside and sends the alarm.
- Double action station
- Two steps. First you break a glass, open a door or lift a cover. Then you operate the switch or lever behind it.
- Break-glass station
- A double action type where a small pane of glass is broken, sometimes with a small metal mallet. At least one extra glass plate is kept for each fire alarm box, stored on the premises.
- White stripe
- On older stations, a stripe showing that the station sends a signal to the central station company.
Two dates that explain the wall
- April 1, 1984
Placement rule
Stations installed or relocated after this date: handle about four feet above the floor, within five feet of the exit doorway opening.
- Before 2008
The white stripe
A white stripe across a station meant it would send a signal to the central station company.
- 2008 Building Code
Stripe no longer required
Any fire alarm system designed under the 2008 code transmits to the central station company. Newer stations may carry no stripe.
- Your building
Know which ones transmit
An older building can have both kinds. The coordinator should know which stations send a signal to the central station and which do not.
Back to normal after a pull
Getting back to normal is slower than the pull. The alarm cannot be reset at the pull station alone. The station is returned to normal, then the alarm is reset at the main fire alarm control panel, and a key may be needed at the station. Building staff reset only after a Fire Department representative instructs them to (Source: Study Material §10.4).
The panel side of that reset, and why silence and reset each wait for the FDNY, is on the acknowledge, silence and reset page.
Stations must never be blocked or obstructed. A station hidden behind stored items cannot do its job in the first minute of a fire.
Also on the App Store
F-80 runs on iPhone and iPad. Everyone else: the knowledge checks on this site are free, no sign-up.