§ 16.24.530. Fire safety requirements—Means of egress.

A.

General. A safe, continuous, and unobstructed means of egress shall be provided from any point in a building or structure to the public way, in accordance with the requirements of the building code and fire code as adopted by the metropolitan government.

B.

Emergency Escape and Rescue Openings. Basements with habitable rooms and every sleeping room shall have at least one openable emergency escape and rescue window or exterior door opening. Where openings are provided as a means of escape and rescue, they shall have a sill height of not more than forty-four inches. The net clear opening dimension required by this chapter shall be obtained by the normal operation of the window or door opening from the inside. Escape and rescue window openings with a sill height below the adjacent ground level shall be provided with an approved window well.

C.

Minimum Net Clear Opening. All emergency escape and rescue openings shall have a minimum net clear opening of four square feet.

D.

Minimum Net Clear Opening Height. All emergency escape and rescue openings shall have minimum net clear opening height twenty-four inches.

E.

Minimum Net Clear Opening Width. All emergency escape and rescue openings shall have a minimum net clear opening width of twenty inches.

F.

Operation. Required emergency escape and rescue openings shall be operational from the inside of the room or space without the use of keys or special tools, knowledge, or effort. Bars, grilles, grates, or similar devices are permitted to be placed over emergency escape and rescue openings provided the minimum net clear opening size complies with the building code and such devices shall be releasable or removable from the inside without the use of a key, tool, or force greater than that which is required for normal operation of the escape and rescue opening. Where such bars, grilles, grates, or similar devices are installed in existing buildings, smoke detectors shall be installed in accordance with Section 16.24.550.

G.

Aisles. The required width of aisles in accordance with the fire code shall be unobstructed.

H.

Locked Doors. All means of egress doors shall be readily openable from the side from which egress is to be made without the need for keys, tools, or special knowledge or effort, except where the door hardware conforms to that permitted by the building code.

(Ord. BL2001-585 § 1 (part), 2001)