How To Ensure Your Fire Escape Meets Local Building Codes
Whether you’re new at building management or a longtime landlord, you know that commercial properties can be prone to fire risks. These risks can lead to injuries, loss of life, property damage, and legal consequences.
The fire escape is a much-needed exit route for building occupants and visitors in an emergency. Because fire escapes are necessary for safety, property managers must keep these structures compliant with local codes. Wondering how to ensure your fire escape meets local building codes? Learn the codes and rely on fire safety professionals for thorough installations, inspections, and repairs.
Understand Fire Escape Standards and Codes
Learning the codes is the first step to keeping your fire escapes compliant with regulations. Fire codes and building regulations vary by region, city, and state, so consult resources provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for your area’s standards.
Your city may require periodic building checks to determine compliance with these codes. Buildings that fail to meet the standards can face temporary closure until all the necessary upgrades are made or face permanent closure in severe cases. Knowing your local building codes allows you to pass inspections and keep your property open and operating.
Know the Details That Comprise the Codes
Local and national codes provide a clear checklist of the expectations your building must meet. This allows you to develop a clear outline for achieving these standards when building or renovating your property. Fire escape codes typically include specifications for the following factors.
Construction Materials
An effective fire escape you can trust to work in an emergency is constructed with materials that can withstand heat and resist burning. For this reason, it’s common for fire escape installers to rely on fire escapes made of steel, cast iron, and other noncombustible materials.
Width and Capacity
Fire escapes must have enough width to accommodate all building occupants and visitors. It’s a plus if they have additional space for ease of movement, especially if you run a high-occupancy building.
Plan a Professional Assessment
Once familiar with your region’s fire escape codes, be proactive and have professionals inspect your building to confirm it meets all safety requirements. Professionals know the codes and can offer insights that untrained eyes might miss.
At Maximum Fire Escapes, our experts stay up to date on regulations and adhere to them when providing fire protection services. We conduct thorough inspections and provide detailed reports that allow you to uncover any:
Rust or corrosion
Loose bolts and fittings
Cracked support beams
Sagging steps
Other structural weaknesses
Finding and addressing potential safety hazards or code violations early allows you to schedule repairs and replacements as soon as possible, preventing your structure from worsening.
Regular Repairs and Inspections Lead to Longevity
Our experts at Maximum Fire Escapes understand the nuances of local codes and install fire escapes to meet them, reducing future concerns. Calling on our team to make routine fire escape inspections of your system is an integral part of maintaining your fire escape for longevity.
Fire escapes last when we can promptly repair or replace damaged parts. A well-installed, routinely cleaned, and regularly inspected fire escape won’t deteriorate because of wear and tear as quickly as an aging, neglected fire escape.
Pro Tip
Schedule expert inspections at least twice a year and keep records of all maintenance activities to track the fire escape’s condition over time.
Keep Routes Clear
Fire escapes must always remain clear of obstructions. In an emergency, the last thing you need is storage items or debris cluttering your fire escapes. These obstacles block tenants’ and visitors’ access to a safe and quick exit. For this reason, clutter around your fire escapes is a safety code violation.
Encourage tenants and visitors to keep these areas tidy by implementing the following policies and guidelines:
Display notices explaining the codes to tenants
Post signs around fire escapes reminding people to keep pathways clear
Impose fines and other penalties for those who repeatedly block fire escapes
Keep Routes Accessible, Too
In addition to making sure all pathways and exits are clear and easy to reach, you must guarantee that people of all abilities can use fire escapes. Ask professional fire escape installers to add handrails and nonslip surfaces. These features make the escape safer for all occupants, including those with mobility challenges.
Place Proper Lighting Around Your Fire Escape
While having your fire escape installed, repaired, or replaced, make sure occupants and guests can see it clearly in emergencies. The escape route must have adequate lighting to guide people when evacuating.
For this reason, building codes may mandate that you include emergency lighting and signs around your fire escape. To guarantee your fire escape’s visibility and accessibility, keep clear, illuminated exit signs posted near all access points.
Maintain Updated Records of Work Completed on Your Fire Escape
Keep records of all fire escape inspections, repairs, and upgrades. Documentation helps you keep up with the condition of your fire escape and its safety features. Plus, should any disputes arise, these records demonstrate your commitment to maintaining a compliant, safe fire escape.
Records can also help you seamlessly upgrade your fire escape if building codes change. You could refer to your documentation and determine the last upgrades and repairs and when they occurred. This way, you have a clear starting point if further modifications are necessary.
Conduct Regular Emergency Drills
When determining how functional your fire escape is, you can involve everyone by holding routine evacuation practices. Regular fire drills allow you to test your fire escape system and see how well building occupants know how to use it.
Simulating different emergency scenarios during the day and at night helps you answer the following questions:
How many people can safely use the fire escape at once?
Are doors, windows, stairways, and ladders fully operational?
Do occupants know where the exits are?
Are there better places to install fire escapes than their current positions?
Reflecting on these questions can help you examine the safety and efficiency of your fire escape system and layout. These drills help residents, visitors, and employees become familiar with the fire escape process, making evacuation smoother in an emergency.
Partner With Professional Fire Safety Experts
We at Maximum Fire Escapes know the regulations and can ensure your fire escape meets local building codes. Consult with us to schedule regular inspections, repairs, and replacements. Use our comprehensive reports to prevent violations, avoid costly repairs, and improve overall safety.