| When we see a news story about people who | | | | To prevent this situation from happening, |
| lost their lives trying to escape from a large | | | | responsible building owners improve upon the |
| commercial or residential building that was on fire, | | | | evacuation safety offered by an evacuation plan |
| we typically assume that the fire progressed to | | | | and emergency backup lighting by implementing |
| the point where evacuees didn't have viable | | | | luminous fire safety signs and egress markings in |
| escape options. But the truth behind many fatal | | | | accordance with the International Building Code |
| building fires is that building occupants did have | | | | (IBC) and the International Fire Code (IFC). The |
| time to evacuate the building; they just didn't | | | | IBC applies to new construction and has been |
| have an efficient means of doing it. When a large | | | | adopted by all 50 states; the IFC applies to both |
| commercial or residential R1 building catches fire, it | | | | new construction and existing buildings and has |
| occupants are instantly limited to seeking escape | | | | been adopted by at least 42 states. In states |
| through its vertical exit enclosures and exit | | | | that have adopted the codes, all commercial and |
| passageways, and the egress safety components | | | | residential R1 buildings that contain occupancy at |
| with those enclosures and passageways play a | | | | above 75 feet from the lowest level of fire |
| large part in whether an evacuation goes | | | | department vehicle access are legally bound to |
| smoothly or results in casualties. So, what kind of | | | | IBC and IFC guidelines. |
| enclosures and passageways are prone to danger | | | | If you own a large commercial or residential |
| in the event of fire? | | | | building in a state that has not adopted a version |
| To answer this question, it helps to begin by | | | | of the IFC, implementing IFC recommendations |
| describing what is typically considered sufficient | | | | for building safety signs and egress markings is still |
| emergency preparedness in the event of a fire. | | | | key to ensuring the safety of your building |
| For many building owners, having a well-rehearsed | | | | occupants, as well as protecting your self from |
| evacuation plan in place and having exit stairwells | | | | the bad press and legal action that can result |
| that are equipped with emergency backup lighting | | | | when evacuations don't go as planned. |
| qualifies as emergency preparedness. But there | | | | Furthermore, implementing the code's egress |
| are two problems with this scenario. For one, | | | | system guidelines is simple and economical. In |
| emergency back up lighting does not perform well | | | | addition to purchasing inexpensive |
| in the presence of smoke; instead of illuminating | | | | photoluminescent safety signs for each level of an |
| stairwells as it would in the event of a simple | | | | exit enclosure, building owners need only purchase |
| power outage, its lamps become like headlights in | | | | luminous egress markings in the form of |
| the fog, which leads us to the second problem. As | | | | photoluminescent tape and apply it to the |
| evacuees rush into stairwells and lose their visual | | | | following egress components according to IFC |
| bearings, an evacuation plan can easily turn into a | | | | guidelines: handrails and handrail extensions, stair |
| stampede where people die from the evacuation | | | | edges, landing edges, obstacles, doorframes, door |
| and not the fire. | | | | hardware and floor areas. |