Condo Media - June 2022 - 18

LESSONS LEARNED
E
18 CONDOMEDIA June 2022
Each of these tragic events serve as a reminder why
many safety and security practices and procedures
are in place at residential properties. They also provide
boards the opportunity to establish impactful
measures at their properties if they are not already in
place. Such measures will greatly reduce the likelihood
and impact of a catastrophic event at a property if one
should occur.
The fi re at the Twin Parks North West high-rise
residential building in New York illustrates some
key points. During that incident, 17 people died and
dozens of people were injured. The fi re was started by a
malfunctioning space heater being used in a residential
unit as a supplemental heat source. Residents evacuating
the unit where the fi re started did not close their
unit door behind them upon leaving, allowing smoke
to escape the unit. Additionally, several malfunctioning
doors allowed smoke to fi ll the stairwells, which were
the only evacuation routes available. The building was
not equipped with a fi re suppression sprinkler system.
It was reported that excessive past false activations of
the building's fi re alarm system created complacency
amongst many residents who were slow to react to the
alarm and evacuate the building.
Using this incident as an example, overlap can be
noted between a building's fi re and life safety program
and security initiative. A fi re and life safety program
in a residential building is made up of three distinct
groups of measures.
●First is the technology that monitors, alarms, and
triggers a fi re, heat, or smoke event. This includes
the fi re alarm system, heat detectors, smoke detectors,
sprinkler system, and automatic fi re doors, as
well as the maintenance, testing, and monitoring
of these components.
● The second relates to how staff and building
residents respond to this warning technology,
such as staff response procedures, written evacuation
plans, and resident awareness. It's imperative
that training and education inform residents on
what to expect and what they should and should
not do should a life-threatening event occur.
● The last group is made up of actions a property
can take that might not fi t neatly into the fi rst two
categories above but that can have a signifi cant
impact on the prevention of and potential impact
of fi re-related events.
Examples of measures from these groups would
include the following:
building checks
Building checks may be conducted by a security or front
desk staff person who checks to make sure doors are secure
or no suspicious activity is taking place in a particular area.
They may be conducted by a member of maintenance staff
who ensures all lighting is working properly or there are
no water leaks. They may be conducted by a member of the
management team who checks for damage to common areas
or building cleanliness. During these checks, there are many
conditions that could have impact on a building's fi re and life
safety program. Some examples include:
STORAGE AREAS
Are storage areas appropriately
designated by code? Are mechanical
spaces being used for storage? Are fl ammable items being stored
and, if so, are they being stored appropriately? Do storage areas
have appropriate signage? Are items encroaching on any
components of the fi re alarm or sprinkler system? Does clutter
prevent ease of access or egress? Does the property have
well-drafted and communicated rules regarding resident
storage? How are violations of these rules addressed?
STAIRWELLS
Are stairwells checked on a regular basis, are
they free from clutter, are they well lit, and is
appropriate signage in place related to fl oor level and egress
level? Do stairwell doors close and latch after use? Are the
ground-level perimeter discharge doors clear of debris?
Are stairwells in compliance with code regarding access into
the stairwell from each fl oor and access from the stairwell
back onto a fl oor? Are stairwell doors improperly secured in
an effort to increase security? If so, this practice may be in
stark violation of code and be creating signifi cant risk.
HALLWAYS
Are hallways checked on a regular basis? Are they
free from clutter that would hinder an evacuation?
Are incoming packages left in hallways outside resident unit
doors? Is proper signage and evacuation routes posted?
Condo Media - June 2022

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