:fire_engine: :fa_building: :fire: Fire inspection
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I have a fire marshal inspection tomorrow, and I have a conference room with multiple exits. Two of the exits go to a hallway, and one of them goes directly outside. The one that goes directly outside is a double-door, but I just tested them and one of them is locked. Is this going to be a problem for the inspector?
Also, there's a standpipe outside the building, and there's a big "mario pipe" (it must be like 24 inches in diameter, and green) next to it. The cover on it is loose, and the pipe looks like it's full of water. Clearly a safety problem (since we deal with kids, especially). But: what is the pipe for? Is it supposed to be locked with any special hardware or just nuts and bolts or just a padlock?
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Is this going to be a problem for the inspector?
In my experience, if it is, he will tell you so, and that he'll come back in, say, a week for a re-check.
But: what is the pipe for?
You would really need to ask building management that.
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You would really need to ask building management that.
Ok. I hoped it would have a common name/purpose, since it's basically a manhole next to a standpipe. I'll have to look at the building plans.
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The one that goes directly outside is a double-door, but I just tested them and one of them is locked. Is this going to be a problem for the inspector?
Depends how many people are expected to use that door in case of a fire and your local fire codes. I once worked in a place where the minimum hallway width was 12 feet for our building that that had an occupancy limit of 150. At both ends of that 12 foot wide hallway was a single 36 inch door.
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This post reminds me of a Mitch Hedberg quote:
If you're flammible and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit.
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Ok. I hoped it would have a common name/purpose, since it's basically a manhole next to a standpipe. I'll have to look at the building plans.
Well, I'm just saying that I don't personally know, but the people most likely to know are them.
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Changed the topic title to indicate this was not a flame-war
Yeah, usually fire inspectors are pretty good about not shutting you down on the spot or something. Unless you have a track record of failing fire inspections...
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Meh, I usually avoid those if possible
I only clicked this one cause I was curious what on earth kind of flamewar we could have about fire inspections :P
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kind of flamewar we could have about fire inspections
we can have a flamewar about anything we want!
https://what.thedailywtf.com/t/fire-fire-fire-through-the-fire-and-flames-fire-fire-fire/54768/1
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We carry on. Uh, yeah, not sure where that came from. Anyways....
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The one that goes directly outside is a double-door, but I just tested them and one of them is locked. Is this going to be a problem for the inspector?
Not if it's one of those that will automatically open when electricity is out. (I've seen one of these in a previous company)Btw, as long as the inspector see the ratio of exit to the number of people in your company is adequate, one or two exit that doesn't count as "emergency exit" doesn't matter.
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we can have a flamewar about anything we want!
I actually found it even more interesting that your flamewar thread immediately started generating legitimate discussion -- and on a completely different topic, to boot.
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flamewar topic?
i just created that to get that song out of my head and into yours! :-P
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It didn't work... all that topic got into my head was food.
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my end worked.
fine a bug report if yours didn't
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Btw, as long as the inspector see the ratio of exit to the number of people in your company is adequate, one or two exit that doesn't count as "emergency exit" doesn't matter.
As long as the locked exits aren't clearly marked as "Emergency exit". You don't want to be the one trying to open a locked door when there's a stampede of panicked cow-orkers behind you.
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As long as the locked exits aren't clearly marked as "Emergency exit".
What we tend to do is to make locked exits that have a push bar on the inside that unlocks the door. It also immediately sets the fire alarm off (unless in some special mode, I guess).
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That's different.
I would call that a "one-way door" or basically what a proper emergency exit should be.
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what a proper emergency exit should be
Well yeah. Don't know why places try to use ordinary doors (when the door isn't also a normal egress) with all the problems that they can have.
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What we tend to do is to make locked exits that have a push bar on the inside that unlocks the door. It also immediately sets the fire alarm off (unless in some special mode, I guess).
This door is basically one of those. It's like the right set in:
http://www.maglocks.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/5/1581s_install.jpg
but probably without some of the fancier electronics. I'm not sure off-hand. The left door opens but the right one is locked. Even the push bar won't open it.In any case, the fire inspector came by and had 3 minor issues to deal with: ceiling tiles, and some people had messy offices.
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This is a good thing. Inspectors that find nothing wrong usually start digging into things, either to find something, anything wrong... Maybe they think you have something to hide.
Either way, an inspection with minor, fixable stuff is good :)
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I feel like sometimes they feel like they need something, anything, on their report, so that their boss doesn't begin to suspect they're just heading to the nearest bar and writing a report that says all's clear.
