Requirements for the NEW Fire and Emergency Preparedness Guide
Changes made to the Fire Code this year will require buildings to prepare and distribute a new Fire and Emergency Preparedness Guide (“FEP”), entitled “New York City Apartment Building Emergency Preparedness Guide,” which will replace the Fire Safety Guide that buildings have been distributing since 2000.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW GUIDE AND THE OLD GUIDE
Part I of the new guide, the Building Information Section, is very similar to Part I of the old guide. It still consists of a form that is completed by the owner for each building describing the building’s construction, fire protection systems, means of egress and other information specific to the building. The new form will also require the owner to indicate whether there is an emergency voice communication system in the building. Part I of the new FEP can be found here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/fdny/downloads/pdf/codes/building-information-form.pdf
Part II of the new guide is designed to educate building occupants how to prepare for and protect themselves in the event off ALL emergencies, not only fire emergencies. The new guide also helps facilitate emergency preparedness planning for individuals unable to evacuate the building independently; It explains how they should develop individualized evacuation plans and form a network of support to assist them if necessary. Part II of the new FEP can be found here: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/fdny/downloads/pdf/codes/nyc-apartment-building-emergency-guide.pdf
The other changes impact how and when the guide must be distributed. Starting October 1, 2018, the new Fire and Emergency Preparedness Guide must be distributed:
- To apartment building residents at time of their occupancy (when they first move into the building)
- Building wide during 2019 when the building was slated to distribute the Fire Safety Guide
- Building wide every three years subsequently.*
The plan may be distributed electronically (by e-mail or other electronic transmission) to residents and building staff that have provided e-mail addresses for the purposes of receiving building communication.
*During the off-years when you do not need to do a building-wide distribution of your full plan, you must distribute a short informational bulletin (4 pages or less) which highlights and reinforces important and timely fire safety or emergency preparedness messages. Your informational bulletin must remind residents to familiarize themselves with the contents of the full guide and tell them how to obtain a copy if they do not have one.
