|
|
 |
 |
The reforms would make buildings safer, but the Fire Department and the fire unions are on opposite sides in a battle over two competing plans to change city building codes and so are the City Council and the mayor's office. NY1's Amanda Farinacci explains in the following report.
When Larry Silverstein began construction on 7 World Trade, he wanted to design a building to surpass New York's antiquated building code, so the developer followed both national and international safety standards to make his building what he calls the safest in the world.
Now, the city is trying to update its code for the first time since the 1960s. Tuesday, the National Fire Protection Association offered its plan, featuring more smoke detectors, wider stairways, more room from floor to ceiling, and detailed descriptions of fire protection systems – all based on concerns raised by construction workers and first responders:
"Anybody who has a legitimate interest in public safety should have a say in how these codes are developed," said NFPA executive director Jim Shannon.
"Compared to any other available model building code, NFPA's codes requires greater protections against fires for columns and beams in high rise buildings," said ACORN director Bertha Lewis.
Supporters say the plan is backed by a majority of the City Council, but it's relatively new, and used only in two cities nationwide. A mayoral panel is instead recommending the city adopt the International Building Code, or IBC, now used in 44 states.
"The differences lie in the proven track record of the IBC, ICC, and in the kind of depth of support and strength of support that they offer that we don't feel is matched by the NFPA," said Department of Buildings commissioner Patricia Lancaster.
Supporters of the IBC say their code is more streamlined and works better for New York because it allows amendments specific to the needs of the city:
"There are so many needs; there are so many construction needs; there are so many safety needs, in a city like New York with its density," said Sally Regenhard of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign.
Under this plan, standards would be updated every three years to accommodate changing times. It has the support of Fire Department brass, but fire union leaders say the NFPA is better because it requires buildings to withstand intense fire for four hours, not three as in the IBC model.
"That's critical," said UFA president Stephen Cassidy. "It's 33 percent longer. We believe that's one of the key components, but they also have many advantages vis-à-vis egress and we found that that was a large problem on 9/11, when you have to evacuate large amount of people quickly."
No word on how much either plan would cost to implement.
But the issue is far from over and with strong support on both sides, it remains to be seen exactly what the new code will look like.
– Amanda Farinacci
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
