Getting certified
How to become a fire safety coordinator in a NYC shelter
A fire safety coordinator in a NYC homeless shelter is the person who holds the FDNY F-80 Certificate of Fitness for that building. The owner names a competent staff member, who finishes a school course and the FDNY test. Every homeless shelter needs one (Source: FDNY F-80 page, as of October 2026).
Plan ref 6.3Updated October 25, 2026
Who the coordinator is
The Study Material calls the job Coordinator of Fire Safety and Alarm Systems in Homeless Shelters. The NYC Fire Code calls the same person the FEP shelter coordinator. FEP means fire and emergency preparedness.
All homeless shelters need one. So does any building that must have a one-way voice communication system and holds more than 15 people for more than 30 days, emergency shelters included. The number comes from the Certificate of Occupancy. A building rated for more than 15 needs a coordinator even on a night with fewer residents (Source: Study Material p. 15).
Someone with an F-80 is on site at all times. When the coordinator is off, a deputy coordinator is there instead, and the deputy also holds an F-80 (Source: Study Material §4).
The certificate is premise-related: it is valid at one location, for the person it names. You can be certified at two shelters at once; a third needs a variance from the FDNY (Source: Study Material p. 5).
Picked for the job without asking for it
Your director may have chosen you because you already work nights, not because you know alarm panels. The route is ordered in your favor. The school course comes before the FDNY test. And the person who signs your F-80 application must watch you work the panel first. You practice in your own lobby long before you sit at the touch screen.
The coordinator role zone turns these duties into practice questions. Other certificates work beside you in the same building; shelter certificates compared sets them side by side.
The duties, person by person
Coordinator duties and the people the coordinator directs, from Study Material §4
| Who | Duty | Rule | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinator, always | Be present at the shelter at all times. Know the emergency preparedness plan and be able to carry it out. | Source: Study Material §4 | A new resident asks where the second exit is; you know the route from the plan. |
| Coordinator, at the panel | Make PA announcements, acknowledge signals, put the system on and off line, silence tones after FDNY authorization, reset the fire command center. | Source: Study Material §4 | You can show the deputy which switch speaks to each stairway. |
| Coordinator, when responders arrive | Tell arriving emergency responders what happened and what has been done, then follow their directions. | Source: Study Material §4 | You meet the first engine company in the lobby and name the floor in alarm. |
| Coordinator, with staff | Run drills and staff training as the Fire Code requires; supervise the deputy, the fire guards and other FEP staff. | Source: Study Material §4 · drills monthly on each shift, Source: Study Material §7.3 | The overnight drill this month is on your calendar, and so is the evening one. |
| Coordinator, on schedules | Know where every fire alarm system is and how to run it; know the inspection and testing schedule and see that it is kept. | Source: Study Material §4 | A service visit is due; you check the last entry in the log book. |
| Deputy coordinator | Carry out every coordinator duty when the coordinator is absent. Holds an F-80. | Source: Study Material §2 | Covers the weekend while the coordinator is off. |
| Fire guards | Patrol every area of the shelter at least once an hour and keep patrol records. | Source: Study Material §4.1 | A guard reports a blocked corridor to you on the 2 a.m. round. |
| Shelter owner | Designate a competent person for the F-80 and keep enough staff on site to carry out the plan. | Source: Study Material §4 | Names the coordinator and the deputy in the plan. |
What the coordinator does not do: install or modify fire alarm components (Source: Study Material §10), or repair the central station transmitter (Source: Study Material §10.12).
Who completes Section C of your F-80 application form?
- AThe instructor who taught your school courseOut in round 2
- BA notary public, who watches you signOut in round 2
- CYour employer, shelter director or DHS representative who watched you do the tasksKeep
- DAn FDNY inspector on the day of your testOut in round 1
- Round 1 — rule out D.The form is uploaded with your application, before you book. The FDNY is not at your shelter to fill it in.
- Round 2 — rule out A and B.Both sound right: the school teaches the panel, and the form is notarized. But the instructor never sees you at your own panel, and a notary only confirms the signature.
The employer, shelter director or DHS representative who personally watched you do the listed tasks.
From shelter staff to coordinator
Be named by the owner
Your employer, director or DHS signs your papers, so the route starts with them.
Learn the panel at work
Section C of the F-80 application form is where the signer confirms they watched you do the panel and elevator tasks.
Finish the course and the papers
The full order, with fees, is on how to get the F-80.
Pass the FDNY test
Fifty multiple-choice questions, 75 minutes, 70% to pass, at FDNY Headquarters (Source: Study Material p. 6).
Keep the card on your shift
Your original card must be available for FDNY inspection during your work shift (Source: Study Material p. 15).
Where this comes from
- FDNY F-80 Notice of Exam and Study Material, rev. January 2026Checked October 25, 2026
- FDNY F-80 certificate pageChecked October 25, 2026
- NYC Business: Certificate of Fitness F-80Checked October 25, 2026
- FDNY F-80 Application FormChecked October 25, 2026
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.