Regulating High-Rise Safety: The NYC Emergency Action Plan

Introduction: In 2006, a new rule was passed in NYC that affected high-rise business occupancies, entitled “Office Building Emergency Action Plans” (3RCNY µ6-02). This new rule established procedures and requirements for the orderly evacuation of occupants from office or group E buildings due to numerous types of natural or man-made disasters.

The Emergency Action Plan (EAP) must include provisions for the following: shelter-in-place, in-building relocation, partial or full evacuation, as a result of different emergencies occurring within the building or in the vicinity.

A key element of the plan is the certification of the Emergency Action Plan Director (EAPD) (3 RCNY µ9-08), entitled, “Training Courses for Fire Safety/Emergency Action Plan Directors”.

Methods: EAPDs receive special training and must be certified before they can assume EAPD responsibilities. Training is provided through 7-hours of classroom instruction.

Results: To date, 509 individuals completed training and 445 passed the exam. EAPDs are now preparing their buildings for on-site exams after which their buildings will be fully compliant with local law 6-02.

Conclusion: Training and education of EAPDs is a feasible approach to preparing high-rise occupancies for response to numerous disasters. This rule provides guidance to other cities concerned about the safe and effective evacuation of high-rise occupants.