DOB Findings and Recommendations for WTC, Feb 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Recommendation 8. Work with the Department of City Planning to exclude floor area of “fire towers” from Floor Area Ratio (FAR) calculations to encourage their use.

9. Mandate protected vestibules at elevator lobbies in newly constructed occupancy group E buildings greater than 75 feet.

4.2.5 Evacuation of People with Special Needs Attention to evacuation for those with special needs was addressed, and groups representing this constituency submitted information or made presentations during Working Group deliberations.

People with disabilities (both temporary and permanent) would benefit along with the general population from code revisions recommended by the group, however, the largest impact would be felt from the conscientious development and use of Fire Safety Plans, the primary locus of evacuation information and procedures for individual buildings. The development of "Phase III" elevators will have a significant impact on this issue.

4.3 Fire Protection J Active and passive fire protection systems are a significant part of any building design. The Fire Protection Working Group studied their design, construction and operating requirements and other related issues. They also reviewed two important agency operational issues: the delivery of building information to first responders and the assurance, through controlled inspection, that passive fire control systems remain intact. The issues studied by the Fire Protection Working Group can be divided into the following general categories: • passive and active fire protection systems • enhanced emergency communication • fire safety personnel and operations

4:3.1 Passive and Active Fire Protection Systems

Passive fire protection can only work properly when it has remained intact on the building elements to which it was applied. Fire proofing can be compromised or dislodged over time due to local renovations, alterations, or other construction activities. As spaces in buildings are being renovated, the Task Force recommends requiring a controlled inspection to ensure , that all fireproofing is fully intact on all structural members exposed by the renovation. The controlled inspection shall be signed and sealed by either a licensed architect or engineer and shall be filed with the NYC Department of Buildings prior to the issuance of a Building Permit. This new requirement would be applicable to buildings in occupancy group E and can be adopted into the present Chapter 16: Inspection of Existing Structures During Construction Operations.

The retrofitting of sprinklers in high rise commercial buildings is an issue of great importance to i the Department of Buildings, Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and Public Forum participants. Experiential evidence suggests that compartmentation and smoke alarms do not provide the same level of fire protection as compared to fully outfitted sprinkler systems in high-

Page 22 WTC Building Code Task Force February 2003 Findings and Reeximmendations

NYC-WTC_000166508