USFA Eyes Code Use to Save Lives
A program to improve life safety through code enforcement in public occupancy buildings will be developed by the United States Fire Administration.
According to Gordon E. Vickery, USFA administrator, the program to be devised for use by fire departments will emphasize “a short-term payoff with delivery as soon as possible.” The program will develop techniques that can be used locally to improve fire and life safety in such occupancies as cheap hotels, residential hotels, halfway houses, boarding houses, housing for the elderly and nursing homes.
Program objectives
The USFA identified six specific program objectives:
- Give the fire chief guidance on how to shape and target inspection programs through the use of the national fire incident reporting system (NFIRS) and other data sources.
- How to become aware of illegal occupancies (nursing or rest homes operating without fire department knowledge or approval) and how to assure prompt and proper occupancy classifications, including licensing and initial inspections.
- How to assure fire-coordinated responsibility for continued inspections by various departments (cross-training. task force, annual inspections, etc.).
- Once code deficiencies are identified, how to prevent citations from being flouted (close buildings with imminent hazards, guidance on economically viable code-complying alternatives, improved prosecution, followup inspections).
- How to take advantage of increased political awareness after specific tragedies to immediately inspect and correct deficiencies in similar occupancies.
- Advise a fire chief how to evaluate and improve his code enforcement program by using NFIRS data.
Handbooks planned
“These projects will result in handbooks, to be used by Inspectors and chiefs to improve code enforcement,” Vickery explained. “We plan to immediately identify, evaluate and promote existing inspection manuals, guidelines evaluate and promote existing inspection manuals, guidelines and checklists for public occupancy buildings. By using successful programs, we hope to demonstrate how to effect improved code compliance and obtain a reduction in both life and property losses.
This project will be a joint effort by USFA’s major program areas. While the National Fire Data Center will have primary responsibility, the Office of Planning and Education and the National Fire Academy will also participate.
Concurrently with the code and enforcement effort, a second program will be directed at the protection of occupants after a fire has started.
The traditional action of completely evacuating a building no longer seems valid for some structures and must be reevaluated, Vickery stressed.
Areas of refuge
It can take hours to evacuate some high-rise buildings, he pointed out, and because of problems associated with the young, the elderly and the handicapped, the only feasible solution is to provide areas of refuge in a building where these persons can sit out the fire or wait for rescue by the fire department.
“We will work toward developing a method to determine whether any given building can or should be safely evacuated,” Vickery stated. “Development of this method is critical because an area of refuge must be provided if evacuation is not possible.
“Technical and code-related problems associated with creating and locating areas of refuge within new or existing buildings need to be identified,” Vickery said.