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QUESTION

What are the fire code requirements for smoke control system inspections?

1:00:00

·

165 sec

Assistant Chief Kevin Woods explains the New York City Fire Department conducts two types of smoke control system inspections: uniformed and technical.

Uniformed inspections are carried out by firefighters who examine building exteriors, hallway housekeeping, detectors, and cellars for structural stability and potential hazards.
Technical inspections involve fire prevention experts focusing on specific features like smoke controlled dampers.
The fire department inspected over 78,000 buildings last year, including both complaint-based and mandatory inspections.
Inspections are conducted without withdrawing resources from fire protection services for the community.
Issues such as life safety, structural stability, and proper maintenance are key focus areas during these inspections.

Joann Ariola

1:00:00

So for the fire department, what is the current fire code requirement for the inspection of smoke smoke controlled dampers and any other type of smoke controlled within an apartment.

Kevin Woods

1:00:17

Right now, the there's 2 different types of inspections.

1:00:22

The firefighters, those are uniformed inspections.

1:00:25

Then you have fire prevention, who are the technical experts with fire dampers.

1:00:32

And such items as that.

1:00:35

For a uniformed inspection, what we do is we we try to get a responsible person.

1:00:42

Let's say it's either Twin Parks or if it's a non fireproof building like we witnessed last week in Harlem, that's a six story building brick with fire escapes, very common building in New York City.

1:00:53

We first examined the exterior of that building.

1:00:55

We'll look for life safety issues such as the fire escape.

1:00:59

These buildings, most of them in the city are over a hundred years old, and we look to see if those fire escapes are maintained properly.

1:01:08

Then we walk through the front door, and we investigate the housekeeping in the hallway.

1:01:13

We look for the CEO detectors.

1:01:15

We look for smoke detectors.

1:01:17

We try to make our way into the cellar.

1:01:19

The cellar is crucial for us as far as an inspection.

1:01:23

We look for structural stability.

1:01:24

We we are experts We respond to many gas and electrical emergencies.

1:01:29

So we may call HPT and DOB for maybe somebody that's tapped into a gas main.

1:01:36

And these we look for housekeeping in that cellar.

1:01:38

We look to see if there's anything too close to the boiler.

1:01:41

And again, we look for that structural stability.

1:01:43

At the same time, we're trying to familiarize ourselves within these buildings.

1:01:49

So last year, the fire department inspected just a uniform side, inspected over 78,000 buildings.

Joann Ariola

1:01:57

78,000.

Kevin Woods

1:01:58

78,000.

1:01:59

Right?

1:01:59

So 42,000 are based on ribos, and another 35,000 just mandatory inspections that we have, like like complaints.

1:02:09

Whenever we receive a complaint, we we go out there and we we investigate.

1:02:14

Usually depending on the severity of the complaint.

1:02:16

Like, we had a complaint last night where we had to vacate an area with that had 46 beds.

1:02:22

Right?

1:02:22

So complaints vacates.

1:02:25

So we'll us or DOB may be a combination.

1:02:28

We do surveillance.

1:02:30

Right?

1:02:30

These are these are inspections.

1:02:32

And at the same time, our units are 350 plus fire companies.

1:02:37

We're in service.

1:02:38

At all times.

1:02:39

So we're not taken away from the protection of your community by inspecting these buildings.

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Does the New York City Fire Department use self-certification by building owners for fire prevention?