A large fire requires a full evacuation, and the coordinator hands out tasks. Which duty must the coordinator keep and not give to an FEP staff member?

Supervising fire alarm panel operations and acting as the primary liaison to the FDNY

Maintaining the standardized headcount of evacuated residents at the exterior assembly area

Securing the secondary exit doors to prevent unauthorized building re-entry

Guiding visually impaired occupants down the designated emergency stairwells

A sprinkler system is taken out of service for planned maintenance. Which statement correctly splits the duties between the impairment coordinator and the fire guards?

The impairment coordinator authorizes and notifies FDNY; fire guards patrol

The fire guards authorize the shutdown, and the coordinator patrols

The impairment coordinator patrols for the whole outage, so no fire guard is needed

The fire guards notify the FDNY, and the coordinator only keeps the records

Heavy smoke is reported on the third floor. The shelter director tells the coordinator to delay evacuation until maintenance investigates. What does the law require the coordinator to do?

Override the director and immediately start the evacuation procedures in the plan

Comply with the director’s order while documenting the delay in the safety log book

Conduct a personal investigation of the third floor prior to overriding the director

Wait for maintenance to confirm the smoke source before activating the alarm

Which action shows a serious failure in managing the incident after the FDNY arrives at a shelter emergency?

Continuing to manage the incident independently after the FDNY assumes command.

Handing over command while staying available to answer questions.

Carefully documenting all instructions provided by the incident commander.

Acting as the primary liaison between shelter staff and the arriving FDNY.

A shelter’s Certificate of Occupancy allows 40 persons, but only 12 people are inside tonight. Is an F-80 coordinator required?

Yes, because the lawful occupancy is more than 15

No, because fewer than 15 persons are inside tonight

Only if the shelter has been open for over a year

Only during hours when more than 15 are present

The coordinator is absent from the shelter for a shift. Who must be present and perform the coordinator’s duties?

A deputy coordinator who also holds an F-80

The senior fire guard, who holds a fire guard certificate

The shelter director, as the person in charge

Any trained FEP staff member named in the plan

An F-80 holder works only in homeless shelters. Which separate certificate of fitness is this person exempt from obtaining?

S-95, Supervision of Fire Alarm Systems

F-89, Fire and Life Safety Director

W-96, for the annual extinguisher check

Fire guard, for the hourly shelter patrols

Who is responsible for designating a competent person to be certified as the shelter’s F-80 coordinator?

The school that gave the course

The FDNY inspector for the area

During the work shift, which document must the coordinator have available for inspection by the FDNY?

The original Certificate of Fitness card

A photocopy of the Certificate of Fitness card

The school graduation diploma from the course

The notarized F-80 verification letter

A manager, not the coordinator, makes changes to the shelter’s emergency preparedness plan. What does the Study Material require of the coordinator?

Know when the changes are made and what they involve

Nothing, since plan changes are only the owner’s job

Sign each change before the plan can be used again

Wait for the next fire drill to learn what changed

You are here · Zone A · Coordinator role

The F-80 coordinator’s role: who must be on site and what they do

The F-80 coordinator is the person who answers for fire safety in a homeless shelter. That person is in the building at all times, runs the fire alarm control panel, and leads the drills, the training and the fire guards. The F-80 Certificate of Fitness is the credential that role requires in New York City (Source: Study Material §1.1).

Plan ref AUpdated October 25, 2026

Where a coordinator is required

Section 1.1 of the Study Material sets the scope. Every homeless shelter needs a coordinator. So does any building that must have one-way voice communication and is occupied by more than 15 persons for more than 30 days. Emergency shelters are included (Source: Study Material §1.1).

The certificate is premise-related: it is valid at a specific location and only for the person it was issued to (Source: NYC Business F-80 page). How long the card lasts and how renewal works is on how long the F-80 is valid.

Getting the certificate takes a course, notarized papers from your employer and a test at FDNY Headquarters. The full route is on how to become a shelter fire safety coordinator.

Which certificate the alarm system calls for

Certificate of Fitness by fire alarm system or building, Study Material section 1

Fire alarm system or building	Certificate
Two-way voice communication with warden phones	FLSD (F-89/T-89)
Commercial or mixed-use high-rise building	FLSD (F-89/T-89)
Hotel with 50 or more sleeping rooms above the ground floor, one- or two-way communication	FLSD (F-89/T-89)
Homeless shelter that does not require an FLSD	F-80
One-way communication (public announcement), no FLSD or F-80 required	F-53
No voice communication, no FLSD, F-80 or F-53 required	S-95

Each lower row applies only when no row above it does (Source: Study Material §1). A shelter with two-way voice moves up to the FLSD rows; F-80 vs F-89 explains what changes. How F-80 and the alarm supervision certificate overlap in a shelter is on F-80 vs S-95.

The fire guards the coordinator directs

Shelter areas are patrolled continuously by people who hold a Certificate of Fitness as fire guard. Every area is patrolled at least once every hour (Source: Study Material §4.1). Some shelters put one guard on each floor.

On patrol, fire guards look for signs of fire and check any smoke. They watch for fire safety violations and report them right away. They keep records of their patrols and help move residents out in a fire. A guard can often fix a violation on the spot.

The shelter patrol is not the same job as a fire watch for a system that is out of service. Fire guard vs fire watch separates the two, and F-80 vs F-01 and F-02 shows which fire guard certificate covers each one.

Supervising is not servicing

The F-80 lets you supervise the alarm system in a shelter. It does not let you install or modify any component of it (Source: Study Material §10). Service and testing belong to S-97 or S-98 technicians (Source: Study Material p. 21). If an option has the coordinator rewiring, replacing or reprogramming something, strike it first.

Reading a role question

Look at the four options before you settle into the story. When they list four people, such as the coordinator, the deputy, a fire guard and someone from management, the stem only has to supply the task. Find that task word, whether panel, patrol or plan, and keep the person section 4 gives it to.

Options can also swap certificates that sound alike. The F-80 coordinates a shelter. An FLSD runs a building with two-way voice. The S-95 supervises alarm systems with no voice. Fire guards hold their own certificates. Note the building type before you compare certificate numbers.

The FDNY can deny, not renew, suspend or revoke a certificate for misconduct. Misconduct includes not properly doing the duties, false statements and cheating on a test. Not telling the FDNY about a new home address or work location counts too (Source: Study Material §1.2).

Checkpoints for Zone A: Coordinator role

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.

Scan all four options first. In this round, two of them often name the right task with the wrong person.

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
A large fire requires a full evacuation, and the coordinator hands out tasks. Which duty must the coordinator keep and not give to an FEP staff member?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: The coordinator reports to the panel, runs it, and briefs arriving responders; floor tasks go to FEP staff.
2. BHeadcounts at the assembly area are routine FEP staff work in drills and in real events.
3. CControlling re-entry can be assigned; it does not need the coordinator in person.
4. DAssisting residents with special needs is assigned in the plan to designated staff.
Checkpoint 02
A sprinkler system is taken out of service for planned maintenance. Which statement correctly splits the duties between the impairment coordinator and the fire guards?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AAuthorizing removal from service is the impairment coordinator’s job, not the fire guards’; patrol is the guards’ job.
2. BPatrol is the fire guards’ job; the impairment coordinator may cover only the first 4 hours, in areas of 50,000 sq ft or less.
3. CGuards carry a way to call the FDNY for a fire, but reporting the outage is the impairment coordinator’s duty.
4. DCorrect: The impairment coordinator authorizes the shutdown and notifies the FDNY and others; certified fire guards do the patrols.
Checkpoint 03
Heavy smoke is reported on the third floor. The shelter director tells the coordinator to delay evacuation until maintenance investigates. What does the law require the coordinator to do?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ANo one may delay the response to a fire, and writing the delay down does not make it safe.
2. BCorrect: Reported smoke is treated as a fire; the coordinator implements the plan and has 911 called, and no directive may delay that.
3. CChecking the floor yourself first delays protecting the people already near the smoke.
4. DWaiting for maintenance to confirm smoke is exactly the delay the rules forbid.
Checkpoint 04
Which action shows a serious failure in managing the incident after the FDNY arrives at a shelter emergency?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: Once the FDNY takes command, the coordinator follows its directions; running a separate operation splits command.
2. BStepping back while staying available with building information is what the role calls for.
3. CRecording the incident commander’s instructions is sound practice, not a failure.
4. DServing as the go-between for staff and the FDNY is part of the coordinator’s job.
Checkpoint 05
A shelter’s Certificate of Occupancy allows 40 persons, but only 12 people are inside tonight. Is an F-80 coordinator required?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AThe count inside tonight does not decide it; the Certificate of Occupancy does, and here it allows 40.
2. BCorrect: the Certificate of Occupancy sets the occupancy, and above 15 persons a coordinator is required even on a quiet night.
3. CNo one-year rule exists; the Study Material speaks of more than 15 persons for more than 30 days, set by the Certificate of Occupancy.
4. DThe requirement does not switch on and off with the headcount; it follows the lawful occupancy on the Certificate of Occupancy.
Checkpoint 06
The coordinator is absent from the shelter for a shift. Who must be present and perform the coordinator’s duties?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA fire guard patrols and reports; a fire guard certificate does not let that person stand in for the coordinator.
2. BBeing in charge of the shelter is not enough; the person covering must be a deputy coordinator.
3. CCorrect: a deputy coordinator covers the absence, and the deputy must hold an F-80 certificate too.
4. DTraining alone is not the test; only a deputy coordinator with an F-80 may perform the coordinator’s duties.
Checkpoint 07
Without applying for a variance, at how many homeless shelter locations can an F-80 holder be certified at one time?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AOne is too low; the Study Material allows a second shelter location without a variance.
2. BCorrect: the F-80 is premise-related, and two shelter locations is the limit before a variance is needed.
3. CThree or more locations is exactly the case that needs a variance request to the FDNY.
4. DThe F-80 is premise-related, not citywide, so it does not cover every shelter in the city.
Checkpoint 08
An F-80 holder works only in homeless shelters. Which separate certificate of fitness is this person exempt from obtaining?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ANo exemption here; a two-way voice system may require the coordinator to get an additional FLSD certificate.
2. BThe annual extinguisher check is done by a W-96 holder; the F-80 does not replace that certificate.
3. CHourly patrols are done by a person holding a fire guard certificate; the F-80 exemption is about a different certificate.
4. DCorrect: the Study Material exempts F-80 holders who work in shelters only from a separate S-95.
Checkpoint 09
Who is responsible for designating a competent person to be certified as the shelter’s F-80 coordinator?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: the shelter owner picks a competent person, and the Fire Department then certifies that person.
2. BThe school trains and issues a graduation diploma; it does not choose who serves as the shelter’s coordinator.
3. CThe FDNY certifies the person and may inspect, but it does not pick the coordinator for the shelter.
4. DA fire guard works under the coordinator’s direction and has no role in choosing the coordinator.
Checkpoint 10
During the work shift, which document must the coordinator have available for inspection by the FDNY?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA copy is not what the rule names; the Study Material asks for the original card.
2. BThe diploma is needed to sit the exam and is valid one year for that; it is not the card shown on shift.
3. CCorrect: the original card must be on hand for FDNY inspection while the coordinator is on shift.
4. DThe verification letter is part of the exam application, not the document shown during a shift.
Checkpoint 11
In a shelter, who supervises and directs the duties of the deputy coordinator, the fire guards and the other FEP staff?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AThe director runs the shelter, but the Study Material gives this fire safety supervision to the coordinator.
2. BA central station company receives alarm signals and reports them to the FDNY; it does not direct staff.
3. CAn inspector checks that the rules are followed on visits; directing the FEP staff day to day is not an inspector’s job.
4. DCorrect: the coordinator supervises and directs the deputy, the fire guards and the rest of the FEP staff.
Checkpoint 12
A manager, not the coordinator, makes changes to the shelter’s emergency preparedness plan. What does the Study Material require of the coordinator?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AThe owner oversees the plan’s review, but the coordinator still has to know about every change.
2. BThe Study Material asks for the coordinator’s awareness of changes, not a signature on each one.
3. CWaiting for a drill means running a plan the coordinator does not know; the coordinator must know the changes as they happen.
4. DCorrect: Whoever makes the changes, the coordinator must be aware of when they are made and what they entail.

The nine duties

Coordinator duties in the Study Material, section 4 (rev. January 2026)

Duty	What it asks	Rule	On a shift
1 · Be on site at all times	Be present at the shelter at all times. When the coordinator is away, a deputy coordinator is present and does the duties.	Source: Study Material §4	On your day off, the deputy on shift runs the panel and answers to the FDNY.
2 · Know the plan	Know the emergency preparedness plan and be able to carry it out in a fire or a non-fire emergency.	Source: Study Material §4	A gas smell on the second floor: you know which part of the preparedness plan applies.
3 · Run the panel	Report to the fire alarm control panel and be able to show each task: announcements, acknowledging signals, taking the system off-line and back, talking to FEP staff, silencing tones after the FDNY authorizes it, resetting.	Source: Study Material §4	An alarm at 3 a.m.: you report to the panel first. The controls are on the fire alarm control panel page.
4 · Brief the responders	Tell arriving emergency personnel what the emergency is and what has been done so far, then follow their directions.	Source: Study Material §4	The first engine pulls up: you give the floor, the signal and who may still be inside.
5 · Know every alarm system	Know where each fire alarm system in the shelter is and how to operate it yourself.	Source: Study Material §4	A sub-system panel in the kitchen is part of this, not only the lobby panel.
6 · Keep the test schedule	Know the inspection, maintenance and testing schedule for the alarm systems and see that it is kept.	Source: Study Material §4	The service company is due this month. You check that it came and that the work is in the log book.
7 · Drills for occupants	Conduct drills so occupants learn the shelter’s fire safety features, the exits and what to do in a fire or a non-fire emergency.	Source: Study Material §4	The procedure is on the drills page.
8 · Staff training and Fire Code drills	Conduct staff training and the fire and non-fire emergency drills the Fire Code requires.	Source: Study Material §4	The refresher session for the night shift is on your calendar, and in the log book after it runs.
9 · Direct the team	Supervise and direct the deputy, the fire guards and the other FEP staff.	Source: Study Material §4	You assign each fire guard a floor and check that the patrol records are kept.

Occupancy, deputy, card and other specifics

Who, where and which card, from the Study Material and the NYC Business F-80 page

Point	What the source says
Which occupancy count decides	The lawful occupancy on the Certificate of Occupancy. More than 15 means a coordinator is required, even if fewer people are inside at a given time (Source: Study Material §1.1).
The deputy	Must also hold an F-80 Certificate of Fitness (Source: Study Material §2).
Shelter locations	At most two shelters at the same time without a variance (Source: Study Material p. 5).
S-95	An F-80 holder who works in shelters only does not need a separate S-95 (Source: Study Material p. 15).
Card on shift	The original Certificate of Fitness card, available for FDNY inspection during the shift (Source: Study Material p. 15).
Who picks the coordinator	The owner designates a competent person to be certified (Source: Study Material §4).
Plan changes	Whoever edits the plan, the coordinator must know when it changes and what the changes involve (Source: Study Material §5).

Rules as printed in the Study Material revised January 2026, checked October 2026.

Where the rule is written

Source: Study Material §1.1Where a coordinator is required, and why the Certificate of Occupancy count decides.
Source: Study Material §4The coordinator’s nine duties and the panel tasks.
Source: Study Material §4.1Fire guards and the hourly patrol.
Source: Study Material §1.2Denial, non-renewal, suspension and revocation.
Source: NYC Business F-80 pagePremise-related: one location, one person (checked October 2026).

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