F-02 Fire Guard for Shelters: The Job and the Exam

The F-02 is the New York City Certificate of Fitness for fire guards who work in homeless shelters. The FDNY's booklet calls it "Fire Guard for Shelter (Citywide)." It is a different job from a typical fire watch post. A shelter fire guard patrols every day, whether or not anything is broken, and also covers out-of-service situations. This guide explains the role as the FDNY's study booklet describes it, then sets out the exam under the booklet's July 2026 revision.

Who needs the F-02

The booklet says buildings operating as emergency shelters must have fire guards on the premises at all times. It notes that shelter fire guards carry a wider span of responsibility than fire guards in most other occupancies. F-02 holders are qualified to work in shelters with homeless occupants on a daily basis, to perform the hourly patrols, and to perform fire watch when a fire protection system is out of service.

How the F-02 relates to the F-01 comes up often:

• According to the booklet, F-02 holders do not need a separate F-01 (Citywide Fire Guard for Impairment) to work in a shelter.
• F-02 holders can perform F-01 duties in shelters only. Within a shelter, the F-02 covers all fire guard duties.
• The F-02 is a citywide certificate, so it is not tied to one shelter building.

If you also want to work fire watch outside shelters, that calls for the F-01. See our guide on how to get the F-01, or which certificate you need.

What the job involves

The booklet lists the core responsibilities of a shelter fire guard. In plain terms:

• Know the shelter's fire alarm system and its emergency preparedness plan.
• Patrol all areas of the shelter at least once an hour.
• Patrol any area affected by an out-of-service fire protection system, keeping constant watch for fire.
• Keep a record of patrols.
• Report any fire to the FDNY at once, and notify the shelter's emergency preparedness staff.
• Help evacuate occupants and staff during drills and real emergencies.
• Know where the portable fire extinguishers are and how to use them.
• Carry out other fire safety duties your supervisor assigns.

Who you report to

The booklet says F-02 holders are generally supervised by an F-80 holder (Coordinator of Fire Safety and Alarm Systems in shelters), an F-89/T-89 holder (Fire and Life Safety Director), or the impairment coordinator. When no one has been designated, the building owner counts as the impairment coordinator. Your supervisor assigns your patrols, and you take instructions from them.

Your orientation

Even if you already know the building, the booklet says you should get an orientation from your supervisor, or another responsible person the owner designates, when you start. It must cover the shelter's emergency preparedness plan. The booklet suggests going through practical questions together. Do you have a working cell phone? Where are the extinguishers? Where are the pull stations? Who do you call about a hazard? Is any alarm, sprinkler or standpipe system out of service? Two answers have a direct consequence. If you have no working phone, you get one before starting patrols. If your area has no extinguishers, you carry one with you.

The hourly patrol

The booklet says every area of the shelter must be patrolled at least once every hour, whether or not there is an out-of-service condition. Some shelters give each guard an area, such as one floor each. On patrol the booklet expects you to:

• Check exits, stairways and hallways. They must be free of obstructions. While the shelter is occupied, exit doors can't have locks, bolts or chains. Any you find must be removed at once and reported to the building owner.
• Check doors. Fire doors must work. Hold-open devices and automatic closers must operate properly, and a fire door whose closer is out for repair stays closed.
• Check exit signs and emergency lighting. They should be lit, and you report any battery emergency light that isn't working.
• Look for ignition sources throughout the premises, and enforce the no-smoking rule (vaping included). The booklet notes that bathrooms, hallways and stairwells deserve particular attention.
• Watch for trash buildup, which must be removed promptly to an approved outdoor location.
• Check sleeping areas. The booklet warns that extinguishers, smoke and CO detectors, and sprinkler heads are sometimes tampered with or painted over there.

Typical causes of fire in shelters

The booklet lists the hazards it sees most often. They include overloaded extension cords, outlets and power strips; unattended or prohibited microwaves; misused portable heaters; unattended candles; hot plates; halogen lamps; unattended cigarettes or smoking in prohibited areas; and unattended or misused ovens and stoves. It also lists common problems. These are poor recordkeeping, not knowing what to do when a system is out of service, storage blocking hallways and stairwells, and fire-rated doors propped or tied open. Its photos show doors wedged open with an extinguisher or a doorstop, both of which it labels illegal.

When a fire protection system is out of service

The booklet treats this differently from an ordinary fire watch. When a required sprinkler, fire alarm or standpipe system in a shelter is out of service, fire watch must be provided by F-02 holders. If there are none, the building should be evacuated. The impairment coordinator decides whether to evacuate or continue with a fire watch.

Because shelter guards are already patrolling continuously, the booklet says additional fire guards are not required when a system goes out of service. The guard who normally patrols that area can carry on, paying special attention to the hazard. FDNY personnel on scene can give further direction. The booklet also gives a recommended staffing ratio for fire watch: at least one certified fire guard for every 250 occupants. For the general rules on impairment fire watch, see fire guard duties during an impairment.

The patrol record

According to the booklet, the written fire watch patrol record must be kept on the premises (or another approved location) for at least 3 years, and must be shown to the FDNY on request. You sign it. It should record:

• the number of patrols or fire watch inspections,
• any defects found,
• any violations noticed, and
• the date, and your name, Certificate of Fitness number and signature.

When there is a fire

The booklet's notification sequence is: call 911 (or the borough FDNY dispatcher number), use the pull station if there is one to alert occupants, and notify the designated building staff, such as the F-80 or F-89/T-89 holder or the owner. Occupants on the fire floor and the floor above face the most danger and are evacuated first. Tell people to stay calm and move to the nearest exit, and steer them away from the elevators.

The F-02 exam (July 2026 booklet)

The F-02 booklet now carries the revision line "Revised July 2026 (Questions/Test Timing)." As that line says, the revision touched the question count and test timing, so older study guides may quote different figures. The current Notice of Exam says:

Fact	July 2026 booklet
Questions	25 multiple choice
Time limit	38 minutes
Passing score	At least 70%
Format	Touch-screen computer at FDNY Headquarters, 9 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn
Alternative issuance (AIP)	None: you must pass the computer exam
Special renewal requirements	None

By simple arithmetic, 18 correct out of 25 clears 70% (17 would be 68%). You must apply and pay online before arriving, each attempt needs its own application and payment, and same-day retests aren't allowed. The booklet's study section states that F-02 certificates are valid for three years from issuance, and that renewal is at the commissioner's discretion. The material itself covers the topics above, plus fire alarm devices, sprinklers, standpipes, extinguisher types and tags, tents, and lithium-ion battery safety. For the day itself, see exam day.

A practice question to check yourself

This question is original, written for this guide. It is not taken from the real exam.

A shelter's sprinkler system on the third floor goes out of service. The F-02 fire guard who normally patrols that floor is on duty. According to the study material, what generally happens?

1. The shelter must hire an additional F-01 fire guard for the third floor.
2. The guard continues patrolling the area, paying special attention to the hazard, as directed by the supervisor.
3. Patrols on the third floor stop until the system is repaired.
4. The guard must evacuate the whole building immediately on their own authority.

Answer: B. The booklet says shelter guards already patrol continuously, so extra fire guards are not required. The usual guard keeps patrolling with special attention to the impaired area. The decision to evacuate rests with the impairment coordinator.

Next step

Download the current F-02 booklet from nyc.gov and make sure it shows the July 2026 revision line. Then test yourself on the F-02 practice page, which has free sample questions and timed mocks at the current 25-question, 38-minute length. Full access is on the pricing page.