How should crews respond to smoke or fire in the cabin or cockpit?

• A. Don oxygen, locate the source, limit oxygen usage to minimize risk, and follow QRH.
• B. Turn off oxygen to save resources and continue as normal.
• C. Ignore and continue flight until landing.
• D. Open all doors to vent smoke.

Answer: (B)

When smoke or fire breaks out, your first priority is the crew’s ability to breathe and to act. The recommended response is to don oxygen, locate the source, limit oxygen usage to minimize risk, and follow the QRH. Donning oxygen protects you from smoke inhalation so you can think clearly and operate the airplane. Locating the source quickly helps you decide the right mitigation steps—whether it’s isolating a circuit, shutting off a system, or deploying fire suppression as directed. Limiting oxygen usage focuses resources where needed and helps reduce the spread of heat and smoke, while still keeping essential breathing air for the crew. Following the QRH ensures you apply standardized, tested procedures in the correct order and communicate properly with the rest of the crew and air traffic control.

Choosing to turn off oxygen and continue as normal would leave the crew unable to breathe and would not address the fire or smoke quickly enough. Ignoring the situation and pressing on to landing risks rapid deterioration of conditions in the cabin or cockpit. Opening all doors to vent smoke in flight would cause uncontrolled depressurization and can spread smoke and hazards throughout the airplane, making the situation worse rather than better.