There are many building regulations in the State of Florida that help to determine exit routes in commercial and residential buildings. All construction project drawings are filed with the local building department to ensure that all plans comply with the local building code. Depending on where in the United States, or globally, your next project is located, different exit regulations may apply.
All florida building code egress requirements are compiled by the International Building Code (“IBC”) Committee and have a preface to each of the chapters discussing local conditions. For example, the Florida Building Code, Residential has an explanation of the participation of the local IBC Committees. By understanding how the chapters are compiled, international projects become more manageable. There is now a theme for the IBC Chapters in Florida and it is recommended that the international leaders of the architectural field plan on having their project plans reviewed by an expert builder or lawyer in Florida whenever they plan on submitting their drawings for permitting. Most likely, the permitting office will not give detailed assistance. Regardless, important details will be missed whenever the draftsman or architect does not go over the plans with an experienced expert.
One of the most difficult issues to address with new construction is “egress”. That is, the ability of a person to leave the building in the event the building becomes unsafe. Planning for egress often requires the architect to place a “safe area” at the core of the building that has additional support and exits. Often, a building’s safe area is located around stairwells while elevators must often have inoperable locks, or be locked to prevent use during a fire.
Florida Statutes, Title XXXIII, Chapter 553, Section 553.73(2)(b), explains the following: (b) The Florida Building Code shall regulate a building for the strength, capacity, stability, resistance to weathering, soundness, sanitation, light and ventilation, egress facilities, energy efficiency, flood resistive construction, accessibility and usability for persons with disabilities, and the public health, safety, and welfare. Such requirements shall be means of achieving safe buildings, which, unless designed and constructed otherwise, will reasonably resist hazards such as structural collapse, falling or flying objects, impact of missiles, fire, earthquake, ground vibration, termites, and other known electrical, mechanical, and plumbing hazards, including excessive radon gas. For instance, one of the more common examples of improper exit planning arises when there is only one way out of the building, and that way out is blocked. Having an additional exit marked out on the construction plans can mean the difference between avoiding a catastrophe and losing lives of innocent victims.
The Florida Building Commission was created for the purpose of propelling state building codes in terms of developing cost-effective and efficient codes for the citizens of the state. Once these codes are developed, they are adopted by the Legislature. Thus, they are state regulations for all to follow just like code enforcement in most counties. In Florida, each county is presumed to have knowledge of Florida Building Codes, and those codes must be adhered to when designing new buildings.
The benefit to having an in-house expert review the plans for design flaws is evident. Not only does the review assist with planning compliance, but it also promotes business for companies wishing to expand into the Florida market. The many contractors involved with building a structure there understand what the building officials are going to look for before the plans are released for bidding. Thus, the bids will be helped by internally reviewing the plans for egress violations.
When selecting online support and education on The Florida Building Egress Code, it is important to rely on those on the ground in Florida. Hiring a consultant to help with the process of reviewing the plans is always helpful. Many private industries also have egress experts that specialize in analyzing plans for properly maintaining fire exits.
For more information on building codes and regulations, you can visit Wikipedia’s Building Code page.
