§ 401-07 Fire and Non-Fire Emergency Drills.
RCNY § 401-07
(a)Scope. This section sets forth standards, requirements and procedures for conducting fire and non-fire emergency drills required by FC 401.7 in all Group B and all Group R-1 occupancies required by 2014 FC Chapter 4 to have an emergency preparedness plan and an FLS director (or a Fire Safety Director transitioning to an FLS director), and in all homeless shelters similarly required to have an FLS director or an FEP coordinator. As defined in FC 402.1, the term nonfire emergency includes an actual or threatened hazardous materials release (including a carbon monoxide incident); actual or threatened explosion; area power blackout or building power failure; active shooter, civil disturbance, terrorist action or other law enforcement incident; medical emergency; a weather emergency or other natural disaster; or other emergency that affects the premises or the safety of the building occupants.
(b)General Provisions.
(1)Qualifications. Pursuant to FC 401.4.5.1 and 401.5.5.1, a fire or non-fire emergency drill conducted for purposes of compliance with FC401.7 shall be conducted by a person holding a certificate of fitness as an FLS director, FEP coordinator or drill conductor. A fire or non-fire emergency drill conducted by a drill conductor in a building or occupancy required to have an FLS director or FEP coordinator shall be conducted under the personal supervision of such FLS director or the general supervision of the FEP coordinator.
(2)Timing, frequency and participation. Pursuant to FC 401.7.3, drills shall be scheduled to maximize the participation of required building occupants. The frequency of drills, and the building occupants required to participate, shall be as set forth in FC Table 401.7.6. The nonfire emergencies set forth in 3 RCNY § 401-07(a) shall be addressed in one or more non-fire emergency drills conducted over the course of a single calendar year.
(3)Method of instruction. Drills shall be conducted through live instruction. Use of visual enhancements is encouraged, as set forth in 3 RCNY § 401-07(c).
(c)Presentation Requirements and Techniques.
(4)Persons who require assistance. Building occupants who have identified themselves (in accordance with the building's emergency preparedness plan procedures) as having disabilities or functional or other special needs and who may require assistance in the event of an emergency shall be encouraged to participate in drills. Their participation will aid in identifying and addressing their needs in advance of the emergency. Where such building occupants are not able to participate in a drill, alternative arrangements shall promptly be made by the emergency preparedness staff of the building or occupancy to suitably communicate to such persons the information presented during the drill and to evaluate whether and how their functional needs can be met. Questions or concerns that cannot be answered or addressed during the drill should be communicated by the presenter to the FLS director or other emergency preparedness staff for review and followup with the building occupant.
(d)General Drill Content. Pursuant to FC 401.7.1, drills shall be conducted to enhance the fire and non-fire emergency preparedness of building occupants, including building staff and employees of building tenants. Drills shall serve to familiarize building occupants as to the proper actions to take in the event of a fire or non-fire emergency, and fire prevention measures appropriate to the occupancy. Presenters shall incorporate the following basic information in their presentation, with elaboration appropriate to the building or occupancy.
(5)Compliance with directions of emergency preparedness personnel. The presenter shall communicate the following information to building occupants: (A) Explain that building emergency preparedness staff are trained to keep building occupants informed of developments that affect their safety. In the event of an incident affecting building occupant safety, the emergency preparedness staff are trained to announce what happened, where it occurred, what actions need to be taken and why. (B) Emphasize the importance of listening for announcements and directions. (C) Encourage building occupants to comply with the directions of building emergency preparedness personnel, who are trained and in the best position to assess the safest response, but explain that building occupants should exercise their own best judgment if they are in immediate jeopardy, taking into consideration all known information and the guidance they are being given. For example, in a fire, direction may be given to evacuate a building through a designated stairwell or exit, but if a building occupant assesses that he or she cannot safely reach that stairwell or exit, the building occupant must exercise his or her own best judgment as to the safest course of action.
(6)Persons who require assistance. The presenter shall address the functional needs of persons who will require assistance in evacuating from the building or relocating within the building by: (A) explaining to drill participants who have such needs that they should: (1) identify themselves to the emergency preparedness staff of the building or occupancy in accordance with the building's emergency preparedness procedures, so that the emergency preparedness staff is aware of their needs and take their needs into consideration. Explain what those procedures require; and (2) introduce themselves to floor wardens, searchers or other emergency preparedness staff, and co-workers willing and able to provide emergency assistance, and inform them of their functional needs; (B) reminding all drill participants, including those who currently do not have any functional needs that the procedures for persons with functional needs could be applicable to them in the event that they become even temporarily disabled by injury or illness; and (C) encouraging all drill participants to communicate to co-workers on their floor who are deaf or have limited hearing emergency notifications made through the fire alarm system or other public address system.
(e)Fire Drills.
(f)Non-Fire Emergency Drills.
(g)Recordkeeping. The emergency preparedness staff of the building or occupancy must maintain a record of each emergency preparedness drill that is conducted, including the following information: (1) The date and time of the drill.
(7)Lessons learned from the drill, including any issues encountered in the conduct of the drill that need to be addressed, such as non-participation of building occupants; communications with building occupants or emergency preparedness staff; or impediments to egress.
(8)An outline of the drill content.
(9)If an evacuation drill was conducted, the weather conditions and time required to accomplish the evacuation. The drill conductor, if not a member of the emergency preparedness staff of the building or occupancy, shall maintain a record of each drill, the location of each presentation, the problems encountered, and an outline of the drill content. (Added City Record 10/16/2018, eff. 1/1/2019; amended City Record 9/20/2023, eff. 10/20/2023)
