THE WTC AND NATIONAL CODES
In all likelihood, national codewriting bodies will examine the WTC bombing incident very closely. The review of revelations arising from the WTC incident need to be addressed as new code provisions, as well as verification of inadequacy/ inappropriateness of existing code text, will be a necessary charge of a national code-analysis committee.
- Redundancy of fire protection systems. The need for a multilayer approach to fire protection is quite evident. “Backup” features are important, since we don’t get a second shot. For example, normal lighting fixtures are backed up by emergencylighting fixtures powered by emer-
- gency generators, which, in turn, are backed up by battery-pack light fixtures. Cost concerns pale when the effects of the absence of such redundancy become strikingly apparent during an incident.
As a related issue, a proper mix of “passive” and “active” fire protection features are called for. A building with totally automated fire protection equipment places great reliability requirements on the equipment.
- Fire safety ancl security. Fire safety and security issues are becoming increasingly intertwined. In some cases, fire safety and security concerns are not in agreement. Model building code organizations must tackle this “hot potato”—it won’t go away.
- Defend-in-place strategy. The high-rise “defcnd-in-place” strategycanonized in fire protection texts failed during the WTC incident when building occupants began to selfevacuate. Human behavior characteristics must find their way into the model codes. People do not always react as we would like them to.
- Stairwell design and use. Numerous issues concerning stairwell design and use at the WTC must be addressed. Stairwell widths were in-
- adequate at certain points due to occupant overload caused by multiple-floor evacuations. Do the model building code stairwell requirements anticipate large portions of buildings or entire buildings being evacuated? Do the stairwell provisions take into account the types of people using the stairs and their differing rates of descent?
Continuity of stairwell egress paths is important —the stairwells should provide a continuous path directly to the outside. Model building codes allow’ for discharge of 50 percent of exit stairwells into a fully sprinkler-protected office building lobby. How about when the lobby is heavily charged with smoke, as in the case of the WTC?
- Terrorist design issues. Building codes should consider acts of terrorism in the design of “significant” buildings. Such design requirements could include glazing specifications, separation of critical building equipment (emergency generators and wiring for public address and alarm systems, for example), building access, and other features affecting safety and operations. Some terrorism issues directly involve/affect fire protection features.
