New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-06
NEW REQUIREMENTS
In FACTORY PLACES
Fire Drill Alarms and
Stairway Enclosures
Among Them.
p. J. M'KEON ISSUES
BOOKLET ON SUBJECT
In Many Cases Fire Escapes
Are Legal Means of
Exit.

Recent developments in the enforce
ment of the labor law deal with fire
drill alarms. stairway Enclosures, SUI
perfluous exits and fire escapes. A
bulletin issued by Peter Joseph Nc
Keon, consulting engineer, furnishes
property owners and real estate man
ayers with information regarding new
requirements
The fire drill alarms required in
buildings by the labor law are now
being ordered by the Bureau of Fire
Prevention of the Fire Department,
which is directing owners TO install an
alarm system which will operate the
fire drills required 20 be held once a
month by employers. These orders af-
feet buildings which are more than two
stories in height and in which there
are more than twenty-five persons en-
ployed above the ground floor. The
fire drill alarm is an instance OF dual
jurisdiction. wherein the industrial
board of the Labor Department makes
the regulations, while the Bureau of
Fire Prevention of the City Fire De-
partment issues the orders and en-
forces the requirements according TO
Section S3-A of the labor law.
The fire drill alarm system includes
considerable electrical signalling APP
paratus; it should be laid out with
regard TO the permanent exit facilities;
il should assist the carrying out OF
the fire drill and should be designed
to meet the emergency conditions ere
ated by an actual fire. AS the fire drill
alarm system is only one item of the
complete fire prevention system for a
building, it should not be handled in
dependently or without regard TO the
other parts of the system. For these
reasons it deserves careful study and
planning by fire prevention engineers
as much as any other feature of a
building in order TO have it fit in with
the rest Of the fire prevention system.
The advantage of employing an en-
gneer is that he prepares plans and
specifications, eliminates unnecessary
or inadequate equipment, exercises SUI
pervision of the work, thereby provd-
ing check upon the contractor, and
in general insures permanent compll-
ance with the law and department reg
ulations.
proof or fire resisting partitions Is now
being ordered by the Department Of
Labor, in accordance with the definition
of these technical terms by the Indus
trial Board. The stairways are the
principal means of escape in nearly all
buildings. while the number of work
people who may be employed on each
floor largely depends upon their capac-
ity. This makes it advisable to have
any improvement of stairways properly
designed. so that the building will re-
ceive the fullest credit according to
the requirements Of the law. In dealing
with no other feature of the labor law
are the services of an expert of more
value, because, in addition TO the labor
law requirements, there must be con-
sidercd the structural regulations Of
the Bureau of Buildings, the necessi-
ties of the Fire Department for fire
extinguishing and the jurisdiction Of
the insurance interests in the matter
of increases or reductions of the lnsur-
ance rates on buildings and their con-
tents.
Outside fire escapes which are not
part OF the regular exit facilities of
a building are subject to the fire escape
provisions oft he law. AS these fire es-
capes may be superfluous means OF exit,
the owner has the option of removing
them, but this step is undesirable. be-
cause the Fire Department needs these
fire escapes as an assistance IN its eX-
tinguishing operations. AS a result OF