Saturday 26 October 2013

How NY Would Comply With NYC Local Law 26

By Kelly Wood


Following the tragic events of September 11 in New York, there have been many positive changes around the city. There have been some lessons learned the hard way about how things need to be done from now on. One of those is the manner in which a buildings design could help people to navigate their way out. In order to comply with NYC local law 26 various codes have been enforced.

When the September 11 attacks took place the city and the rest of the country was in shock. People did not know how to react to what was happening. For the people who were actually stuck inside of the buildings that day it was even worse. For the most part they knew how to exit a building, but nobody knew what to do when the rest of the building had no idea what to do.

One of the reasons that law 26 is on the books is to make sure that every building owner has done everything possible to make sure that everybody, even people visiting their building for the first time know how to get out. Not everybody takes the time to read an exit plan or an emergency placard on the wall. Most people never even find such a thing.

These things allow for people to still see the markings if there is no lights on or if the power has been knocked out. These markings also can still be seen if there is smoke or other things in the air preventing proper visibility. These and other measures have been taken to make sure that no matter what is happening people can find their way out of a building.

Photoluminescent tape and paint is required to be utilized when installing such improvements in hallways, corridors, and all exits. These areas must be marked as clearly as possible so that people have every possible opportunity to escape in any possible disaster situation. This does not make getting out a guarantee but it gives everybody the best chance possible.

When people walk into a building, especially for the first time, they can get turned around very quickly. This gets multiplied by a hundred times when there is danger. When people are scared they panic and when they panic they do not act in a manner in which they normally would. They would need these markings to be bright and large.

These improvements are a matter of life and death and no amount of posturing will ever change that fact. The people who live in this city have a right to be as safe as possible while they are inside any building or structure that has the right to operate and profit from the people within the city. They have a responsibility to provide safe passage.

In order to comply with NYC local law 26 owners will be given all the assistance they need and the officers enforcing these codes will also be on hand at all times to make sure these improvements are made. This is not something that we are doing to improve the looks or aesthetics of any structure as this is strictly a safety measure.




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