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Tenant Handbook

Building Emergency Features

The building emergency features are described below.

 

Fire Alarm Signal

If a fire emergency occurs in the building, the horns will sound, giving off short whoops throughout the building.

If the horns sound, the building should be evacuated immediately.  Occupants should go to the nearest stairwell and exit the building.  Proper and orderly evacuation is essential.  Additional time needed to evacuate upper floors makes cooperation and precision critical. 

Never assume an alarm signal is false.  In some cases, alarms may turn out to be false, but you should never make that assumption.  In the event of a real emergency, time is of the essence.  Evacuate the building in a safe and efficient manner. 

 

Emergency Exits

Stairwell floor exit doors and tenant entrance doors are normally locked from the stairwell side.  Upon any alarm condition, the stairwell doors will automatically unlock.  This will allow access onto any floor in case crossover from one stairwell to the other is required.

It is important for occupants to proceed out of the way of incoming emergency personnel and to stay a minimum of 300 feet from the building.  Tenant Floor Wardens will take a head count at each designated evacuation area.

 

Manual Alarms

The horns and strobes may be activated by pulling one of the red alarm boxes located adjacent to the exit stairwells.  This activates an alarm at the Fire Alarm Panel located in the lobby and sends a signal to an outside monitoring company.

 

Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors are located throughout the building in the heating, air conditioning and ventilation system ducts, elevator lobbies and corridors.  Activation of any smoke detector will activate the audible and visual alarm.  Activation of the elevator lobby smoke detectors will recall all elevators in the building and return them directly to the lobby. 

 

Sprinklers

Located in the ceilings, the sprinkler system is always full of water and is backed-up by a diesel generator.  Each sprinkler head is activated when its heat responsive element releases at a temperature of approximately 165o F.  Each sprinkler head has the capability of delivering approximately 25 gallons of water per minute. 

Activation of a sprinkler head will activate the visual alarms throughout the building. This activates an alarm at the Fire Alarm Panel located in the lobby and sends a signal to an outside monitoring company. 

 

Elevators

Elevators penetrate all floors that they service.  By creating this penetration per floor, a vertical shaft becomes established.  As heat from a fire rises (chimney effect), an induction is created in the elevator shaft.  If a person enters an elevator that stops on a floor and the doors open, the fire will enter into the shaft due to this induction and attempt to rise up the shaft. 

Elevators are operated by electricity, and if the fire is electric in origin, the power may be cut off, potentially trapping anyone in the elevator.  Induction would still occur and the shaft would fill with smoke, eventually penetrating and filling the cab as well.  This is precisely why elevators should never be used as a means of exit during a fire emergency.