During daily rounds, the coordinator notices resident belongings blocking a properly mounted fire extinguisher. The extinguisher’s monthly tag was last signed 15 days ago. What must the coordinator do?

Clear the belongings so the extinguisher is unobstructed and accessible

Wait until the next monthly inspection to move the belongings

Perform a new monthly inspection and sign the tag again

Document a missing monthly tag entry, since the last one is older than thirty-one days

During a monthly check, the coordinator finds a fully charged extinguisher standing on the floor in a hallway corner, unblocked. What is its status?

Deficient, as it is not properly mounted off the floor

Failing, requiring immediate certified vendor repair before reuse

Deficient, due to an expired hydrostatic test

Passing, provided the gauge is in the green

A staff member puts out a small trashcan fire with a portable extinguisher. Beyond making sure the area is safe, what follow-up steps are required for the used extinguisher?

Log the use, notify management, and schedule recharge or replacement service

Discarding the empty cylinder in the regular building refuse bin

Returning the partially used extinguisher to its designated hook

Holding the unit in the office without creating a record

During a routine patrol, a maintenance worker offers to fully recharge an empty portable fire extinguisher using in-house supplies. What is the MOST appropriate response by the coordinator?

Remove the extinguisher from service and arrange for a certified extinguisher company to recharge it.

Tag the extinguisher as temporarily out of service and document the in-house recharge in the log.

Place the empty extinguisher back on its bracket until the annual maintenance inspection is scheduled.

Allow the maintenance worker to recharge the unit only if they use the correct chemical agent.

The coordinator is reviewing the monthly inspection tags on portable fire extinguishers. Which combination of information MUST be on a properly completed monthly tag?

The date of the check and the name or initials of the person who did it, recorded on the back of the tag.

The manufacturer serial number, total weight of the cylinder, and the exact location of the extinguisher.

Date of original purchase, warranty expiration date, vendor contact information, and the last hydrostatic test date.

Date of the annual service, signature of the building owner, and the name of the designated fire guard.

During a visual inspection, a coordinator finds a portable fire extinguisher with a small puncture mark on the cylinder body. The correct response is to:

Remove it from service immediately and attach a conspicuous out-of-service tag.

Leave the extinguisher in place but properly document the cylinder damage in the fire safety log book.

Schedule an authorized vendor to inspect it next month while keeping it available for emergency use.

Test discharge a small amount of the dry chemical to ensure the cylinder maintains structural integrity.

An Air Pressurized Water (APW) extinguisher hangs in a shelter dormitory. On which fire should staff use it?

A grease fire on a kitchen stove

A space heater still plugged in

Spilled gasoline in a boiler room

A shelter kitchen’s electric fryer catches fire. Before staff use the Class K extinguisher on it, what should they do?

Turn off the power to the fryer

Pour water on the oil to cool it

Shake the extinguisher to mix the agent

Move the fryer away from the wall

Where must portable fire extinguishers in a shelter be placed?

In plain view along normal travel paths

Inside a locked cabinet in the staff office

In a storage room away from the residents

Behind the front desk for staff use only

You are here · Zone I · Extinguishers

Portable fire extinguishers in a shelter: placement, checks and limits

A portable fire extinguisher is for a small fire, used by someone who still has a clear way out. In a shelter the F-80 coordinator makes sure each unit hangs at the right height, stays easy to reach, gets a monthly quick check and is serviced every year by a W-96 holder (Source: Study Material §15, Source: Study Material §15.3).

Plan ref I3 concept roomsUpdated October 25, 2026

What section 15 asks of the coordinator

Three things: know the types of extinguisher, know how to operate them safely, and know when each one should be used. The labels and classes are on the classes of fire page, and the four motions are on the PASS method page.

Call 911 for any fire. An extinguisher keeps a small fire from growing. It is not meant for a large or spreading fire, and it is used only when a way out is clear of fire. Once a fire spreads, the building’s extinguishing systems and trained firefighters take over (Source: Study Material §15).

The instructions printed on the side of each unit describe how to use it. A unit that has been discharged must be fully recharged or replaced before it is used again.

The shelter fires in the Study Material show why the checks matter: in one of them, the extinguishers people reached for did not work. The shelter fire hazards page tells that story.

Whose job each check is

Extinguisher duties in the Study Material

Who	Duty	Rule	In practice
Owner	Selects the person who does the monthly quick check.	Source: Study Material §15.3	The night supervisor is named for the dormitory floors.
Monthly checker	Runs the quick check every month and records it.	Source: Study Material §15.3	A unit by the dining room door has its seal intact and reads fully charged.
W-96 holder	Inspects every unit at least once a year and puts on a new tag.	Source: Study Material §15.3	Works for a company on the FDNY list that the tag’s QR code opens.
F-80 coordinator	Knows the types and how to operate them, and keeps every unit checked and in place.	Source: Study Material §15	New staff ask which unit to use near the kitchen. You can show them, and say why.

The monthly quick check

The extinguisher is fully charged
It is in its designated place
It has not been used or tampered with
No visible damage or condition that would stop it from working

A tag can be fake

The FDNY recognizes only its standard extinguisher tag. A real tag has a hologram strip 3 inches long and ¼ inch wide that changes color as you move it, and a QR code that opens the FDNY’s current list of extinguisher companies. If a tag cannot be verified these two ways, tell your supervisor (Source: Study Material §15.4). Tag colors change every few years, so an old photo of a tag proves nothing.

Checkpoints for Zone I: Extinguishers

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. When two of them differ by one number or one place, the rule you need is in that difference; strike the others, then read the 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 12

Checkpoint 01
During daily rounds, the coordinator notices resident belongings blocking a properly mounted fire extinguisher. The extinguisher’s monthly tag was last signed 15 days ago. What must the coordinator do?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA blocked extinguisher is a problem now; waiting weeks leaves it out of reach in a fire.
2. BThe monthly check was done 15 days ago; the issue is access, not the tag.
3. CThe tag was signed 15 days ago, so it is current and there is no missing entry to record.
4. DCorrect: Extinguishers must be readily accessible along normal paths of travel, so the blockage is removed right away.
Checkpoint 02
During a monthly check, the coordinator finds a fully charged extinguisher standing on the floor in a hallway corner, unblocked. What is its status?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ASitting on the floor is a mounting problem the shelter can fix; the unit itself does not need vendor repair.
2. BNothing in the question points to a hydrostatic date; the visible problem is where it sits.
3. CCorrect: The bottom of an extinguisher must be at least 4 inches off the floor, so no extinguisher may sit on the floor.
4. DA good gauge does not fix placement; an extinguisher on the floor fails the mounting rule.
Checkpoint 03
A staff member puts out a small trashcan fire with a portable extinguisher. Beyond making sure the area is safe, what follow-up steps are required for the used extinguisher?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA used extinguisher goes back for recharge or replacement, not in the trash.
2. BCorrect: A discharged extinguisher must be fully recharged or replaced before it is used again, so it is logged and sent for service.
3. CA partly used unit may not work next time; it must be recharged or replaced first.
4. DKeeping it off the wall with no record leaves a gap nobody knows about.
Checkpoint 04
During a routine patrol, a maintenance worker offers to fully recharge an empty portable fire extinguisher using in-house supplies. What is the MOST appropriate response by the coordinator?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ATagging it does not make an in-house recharge acceptable; servicing goes to a certified company.
2. BAn empty extinguisher on its bracket looks ready but fails the moment someone grabs it.
3. CCorrect: Extinguishers are serviced by W-96 holders from approved companies, and a discharged unit must be recharged before reuse.
4. DThe right chemical is not enough; the person doing the work must be certified for it.
Checkpoint 05
The coordinator is reviewing the monthly inspection tags on portable fire extinguishers. Which combination of information MUST be on a properly completed monthly tag?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ASerial number, weight and location are not what the monthly record needs; it records when and who.
2. BPurchase, warranty and vendor details are not part of the monthly quick check record.
3. CThe annual service goes on a new tag from the W-96 holder; the monthly record needs the check date and the inspector.
4. DCorrect: The monthly quick check record must show the inspection date and the inspector’s name or initials, kept on the back of the tag.
Checkpoint 06
During a visual inspection, a coordinator finds a portable fire extinguisher with a small puncture mark on the cylinder body. The correct response is to:
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ADocumenting the damage is fine, but a punctured cylinder cannot stay on the wall as if it still works.
2. BA damaged unit left in service for a month gives false confidence; it could fail or rupture when someone grabs it.
3. CCorrect: Obvious physical damage fails the monthly quick check, so the unit comes out of service and is tagged until it is repaired or replaced.
4. DDischarging it proves nothing about the cylinder and empties it; a discharged extinguisher must be recharged or replaced before use.
Checkpoint 07
A shelter is hanging a 10 lb ABC extinguisher on a wall. At most, how high above the floor may the top of the extinguisher be?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ACorrect: a unit of 40 lb or less may have its top up to 5 feet above the floor.
2. BThe 3.5-foot limit is for hand-held units heavier than 40 lb, not a 10 lb unit.
3. CFour feet is the rough height of a pull station handle, not the extinguisher limit.
4. DSix feet is above the limit; the top of a light unit may be no higher than 5 feet.
Checkpoint 08
A hand-held extinguisher weighs more than 40 lb. What is the highest the top of it may be mounted above the floor?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AFive feet is the limit for units of 40 lb or less; a heavier unit must hang lower.
2. BThree feet is lower than needed; the Study Material sets the limit for heavy units at 3.5 feet.
3. CFour feet is too high for a unit over 40 lb.
4. DCorrect: a hand-held unit over 40 lb may have its top no more than 3.5 feet above the floor.
Checkpoint 09
What is the smallest gap allowed between the bottom of a mounted fire extinguisher and the floor?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. ATwo inches is too close; the minimum gap is larger than that.
2. BCorrect: the bottom must be at least 4 inches above the floor, so an extinguisher never sits on the floor.
3. CSix inches would be allowed, but it is not the minimum; the smallest gap is less.
4. DTwelve inches meets the rule, but the minimum gap is much smaller.
Checkpoint 10
An Air Pressurized Water (APW) extinguisher hangs in a shelter dormitory. On which fire should staff use it?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AWater on burning grease is dangerous; cooking oil and fat fires call for a Class K unit.
2. BCorrect: an APW is a Class A water unit, for ordinary combustibles such as cloth, paper and wood only.
3. CA plugged-in heater is a live electrical fire; water conducts, so it needs a C-rated agent.
4. DGasoline is a Class B fire; water does not cut off the vapors and can spread the burning liquid.
Checkpoint 11
A shelter kitchen’s electric fryer catches fire. Before staff use the Class K extinguisher on it, what should they do?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AWater on burning oil can make it splash and spread; it is never the first step.
2. BShaking is not a step the Study Material gives; follow the instructions painted on the unit.
3. CCorrect: some Class K agents conduct electricity, so they are used only after the appliance power is off.
4. DMoving a burning fryer risks spilling hot oil and spreading the fire.
Checkpoint 12
Where must portable fire extinguishers in a shelter be placed?
Rule out what you can with the ✕ buttons, then choose. The debrief for every option opens here.
1. AA locked cabinet makes the unit slow to reach; extinguishers must be immediately available.
2. BStorage rooms are off the normal paths people use, so the unit would be hard to find in a fire.
3. CKeeping units behind a desk hides them; they must be easy to see and reach.
4. DCorrect: extinguishers go in conspicuous, readily accessible spots along normal paths of travel.

Mounting heights and placement

Where a portable fire extinguisher may hang

Unit or rule	Limit
Weighs 40 lb or less	Top no more than 5 ft above the floor
Hand-held, weighs more than 40 lb	Top no more than 3.5 ft above the floor
Any unit	Bottom at least 4 in above the floor, so never standing on the floor
Location	Conspicuous, easy to reach and along normal paths of travel

From Source: Study Material p. 59–60.

Short answers on extinguishers

Which extinguisher will I see most often?

The ABC dry chemical unit. It is the most commonly sold type and is often the main extinguisher in offices, hotels, theaters and classrooms. It is usually red and weighs 5 to 20 lb (Source: Study Material §15.1).

Does the annual service replace the monthly check?

No, both happen. The person the owner selects does the quick check each month. At least once a year a W-96 holder inspects the unit and replaces the tag (Source: Study Material §15.3). The extinguisher tags page shows what each record holds.

Can staff use an extinguisher on a burning e-bike battery?

No. The Study Material says fire extinguishers do not work on lithium-ion battery fires (Source: Study Material §19). The battery rules are on the shelter fire hazards page.

Concept rooms off Zone I

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