Concept · Zone H · Out of service
Fire guard or fire watch: the shelter patrol and the out-of-service patrol
In a shelter, the fire guard patrol is the normal state: it runs around the clock even when every system works. A fire watch is the extra patrol that starts because a required fire protection system is out of service. What happens to the system during the outage, from the first call to the tags, is on the out-of-service page; this page keeps the two patrols apart.
Plan ref H1Updated October 25, 2026
Why the two names blur
The Study Material defines a fire guard as a certificate holder trained in and responsible for keeping a fire watch (Source: Study Material §2). So the same person can stand both patrols. What differs is the reason for the patrol and the rules attached to it.
The shelter patrol comes from the building’s use. Buildings occupied by homeless persons are continuously patrolled by a certificate holder as fire guard (Source: Study Material §4.1). Those guards look for signs of fire, check the condition of the alarm equipment, report fire safety violations to the coordinator, and help with evacuation.
The fire watch comes from an outage. When a required system is out of service, the FDNY is notified right away, and the building is evacuated or a fire watch is kept, unless the FDNY directs otherwise (Source: Study Material §14). Whether the outage was scheduled does not change that call; the planned vs unplanned outages page explains why.
One stem, four moves
Every system in the shelter is working. On a night patrol, a fire guard finds a stairwell door held open with a wedge. What does the Study Material expect next?
Struck first: Call the FDNY and ask for a fire watch to start, Leave it for the day shift supervisor. A fire watch is for a system that is out of service. Here every system works, so the wedge is a fire safety violation. Leaving it for the day shift keeps the hazard in place all night.
Keep
Report it to the coordinator right away, and correct it if the guard can
Drops out last
Note it in the patrol record at the end of the shift
That leaves two options that both deal with the door. The patrol record waits until the end of the shift, and section 4.1 says violations are reported to the coordinator immediately. So the guard reports it at once and often fixes it on the spot; the coordinator makes sure it is corrected (Source: Study Material §4.1).
Checkpoint round: which patrol is it?
Checkpoint round
0 of 8 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 the options first: half of them usually belong to the other patrol. Strike those, then check the stem for a working building or a system out of service.
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 8
Checkpoint 01
A sprinkler system is out of service for 48 hours. Regular staff kept the fire watch for the first few hours. What is required for the rest of the time?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- ANotification does not end a fire watch; it runs until the system is back in service.
- BThe alternative to a fire watch is evacuating the building; a staged partial move is not that, and the patrols cannot just stop.
- CCorrect: Trained staff may cover only the first 4 hours, and only for areas up to 50,000 sq ft; after that a certified fire guard takes over.
- DUncertified staff are allowed only for the initial period, and 48 hours goes well past it.
Checkpoint 02
Because the whole fire alarm system has failed, a fire watch is put in place. How must the coordinator plan the patrol routes to meet the fire watch rules?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- APatrols only at shift change leave hours with no one watching; the affected areas need a patrol at least every hour.
- BA fire watch is a patrol, not a fixed post; guards standing at the exits never see the rest of the impaired area.
- CSkipping sleeping areas leaves the places where residents are most at risk unwatched.
- DCorrect: Fire guards with a C of F must cover every area where the system is out at least once an hour, and no single guard covers more than 50,000 square feet.
Checkpoint 03
A shelter’s sprinkler system goes out of service at night for a repair expected to take two days. Which staff member may keep the fire watch?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- AA fire guard’s only duty is patrol, so someone tied to the panel cannot also be the fire watch.
- BKnowing the plan is not a certificate, and someone repairing the system cannot patrol at the same time.
- CCorrect: The fire watch is kept by a certified fire guard whose only job is patrol, with a way to notify the FDNY; the radio covers that.
- DNo certificate and no assigned means of notification, so this person cannot be the fire watch.
Checkpoint 04
A fire alarm system is out of service for a long repair, and a fire watch is in place. Besides patrolling and logging the patrols, the fire guards MUST:
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- AA fire watch means constant patrols of the affected area; standing at one door watches none of it.
- BPatrols are recorded as they happen; a summary after the shift leaves gaps and no timely alert.
- CGuards may fix simple violations they find, but repair authority is not a requirement of the watch.
- DCorrect: Fire guards must carry at least one approved way to notify the FDNY, since the system that would call for help is down.
Checkpoint 05
The alarm system is out of service for six hours. The coordinator must assign a fire watch. Which of the following assignments breaks the FDNY fire watch rules?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- AA fire guard C of F holder with a phone to call the FDNY is exactly what a fire watch needs, so this assignment is fine.
- BCorrect: A fire watch is a fire guard’s only duty; this worker holds no fire guard certificate and is busy with hot work, so the assignment breaks both rules.
- CA fire guard hired for the affected floors is a proper choice, since patrolling the impaired area is the whole job.
- DPatrolling only the impaired area is what a fire watch requires, so this assignment meets the rule.
Checkpoint 06
While auditing an active fire watch during a sprinkler impairment, the coordinator observes security personnel monitoring the affected floors solely via closed-circuit television cameras. What is the immediate corrective action?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- ACorrect: A fire watch is constant in-person patrols of the affected area; cameras cannot replace a guard who can smell smoke and act.
- BRecording the feeds does not turn camera viewing into a patrol.
- CMore frequent camera checks are still not patrols, and patrols are what the rule requires.
- DLighting the perimeter does nothing for the inside floors where the sprinklers are out.
Checkpoint 07
All fire protection systems in a homeless shelter are working. How often must a fire guard patrol every area of the building?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- ACorrect: shelter patrols are continuous, and each area must be covered at least once every hour.
- BTwo hours is too long; the hourly rule applies even when no system is out of service.
- COne round per shift is far too few; the rule sets an hourly round for every area.
- DThe patrol is continuous, day and night, whenever the shelter is occupied.
Checkpoint 08
A sprinkler outage affects 100,000 square feet of shelter floor area for two days. What is the minimum number of C of F fire guards for the fire watch?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
- AOne guard may cover at most 50,000 square feet, so a single guard is not enough here.
- BCorrect: the limit is 50,000 square feet per fire guard, and 100,000 divided by 50,000 is two.
- CThree would be needed only if the affected area were larger than 100,000 square feet.
- DFour guards would cover up to 200,000 square feet, which is more than this outage needs.
Two patrols, side by side
Shelter fire guard and fire watch in the Study Material (rev. January 2026)
| Point | Shelter fire guard | Fire watch |
|---|---|---|
| Starts when (differs) | Always, while the building is used as a shelter | A required fire protection system is out of service |
| Ends when (differs) | It does not end while the shelter is occupied | The system is back in good working order; kept 24 hours a day until then |
| How often | Every area at least once an hour (§4.1) | Every affected area at least once an hour (§14.3) |
| Other duties (differs) | Yes: hazards, violations, alarm equipment, evacuation help | None: constant patrol and watching for fire is the only duty |
| Way to reach the FDNY (differs) | Not set out in section 4.1 | At least one approved means of notifying the department |
| Who may stand it (differs) | A certificate holder as fire guard | Certificate holders as fire guard; for the first 4 hours, up to 50,000 sq ft, the impairment coordinator or a trained person |
| Size limit (differs) | Depends on floor area; some shelters post one guard per floor (§4.1) | No guard patrols more than 50,000 sq ft of floor area |
| Record (differs) | The guards keep records of their patrols | A log book entry for fire watch patrols |
Shaded rows marked ≠ are the points where Shelter fire guard and Fire watch differ.
From Source: Study Material §4.1, Source: Study Material §14, Source: Study Material §14.3 and Source: Study Material §16. The FDNY on scene can direct more fire guards.
Records, and the certificates behind them
Both patrols leave a trail. Shelter fire guards keep records of their patrols, and fire watch patrols get their own log book entry (Source: Study Material §16). The log books page covers format and retention.
Which Certificate of Fitness each patrol needs is a separate question from the F-80 itself. The F-80 is the coordinator’s certificate. See F-80 vs the F-01 and F-02 fire guard certificates for the guards’ side.
Where the rule is written
- Source: Study Material §4.1The shelter patrol: continuous, every area hourly, records kept.
- Source: Study Material §14.3The fire watch: who may stand it, the 4-hour and 50,000 sq ft limits.
- Source: Study Material §16Fire watch patrols are a required log book entry.
Both patrols, one practice round
The free practice round on this site mixes patrol questions with the panel, drills and out-of-service rules.