With focus on building security, fire safety is sometimes ignored

Real Estate Weekly, Feb 20, 2002 by Elaine Misonzhnik

James Kennedy, President Kennedy Fire Safety Consulting, Inc.

Most property owners have been very conscientious about tightening security at their buildings following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, but what has often been ignored is fire safety and evacuation proceedings. And according to James Kennedy, president of Kennedy Fire Safety Consulting, Inc., teaching people what to do if a terrorist attack happens is just as important as preventing it. In fact, Kennedy is concerned not only about the possibility of terrorism, but about less advertised, everyday fires that often end up killing scores of people just because those people did not know what to do.

"I spent 12 years in a Midtown fire department, so I knew all the mistakes people in Manhattan were making when it came to fire safety," Kennedy says. "'But after September things got dramatically worse. People are so concerned about security, they pay no attention to getting out."

One of the more disturbing things Kennedy has seen in the past few months is property managers' attempts to block all the fire exits in their buildings to keep intruders out. What they fail to realize, however, is that they are simultaneously locking their tenants in.

"Because of heightened security, high-rise owners have started locking all the fire doors to keep people out, but in case there is a fire, the workers are tapped," he says. "In addition, the security people, the ones that should be evacuating people from the building, often don't know where those fire exits are. I was speaking to a man who has been working as a security guard on Wall Street for the past two months and he doesn't even know how many floors his building has. It's a recipe for disaster."

These were some of the reasons Kennedy, who has spent 23 years with the New York City Fire Department, decided to open a fire safety consulting firm about a year ago. He now inspects high-rise buildings, hotels, and restaurants for possible fire violations, trains the building management and security staff on evacuation proceedings, and teaches the office tenants what to do in case of an emergency.

"The first thing people in New York do when there is a fire is go to the elevators," he explains. "That is the worst possible thing you can do because when there is a fire the power often goes out and you'll end up tapped. In some buildings the elevators are immediately called to the lobby after the fire alarm, so you'll be standing there pushing the elevator button and wasting the valuable time you have to get away."

Some of the other mistakes New Yorkers are likely to make in an emergency were sadly brought to light during the World Trade Center attacks. One is that business tenants should know the location of not just one, but all the fire exits on their floor -- in case one stairway is on fire, they will still have a way out. And another is going to the roof, making it virtually an impossible task for the Fire Department to save them.

"Getting to the roof is strictly Hollywood," Kennedy says. "You never evacuate up because your chances for survival are diminished with every floor that you take. The tallest ladder FDNY has is 10 stories high. So if you are standing on top of a 50-story building you have a big problem.

And despite popular belief, the helicopters won't come to get you -- it's extremely difficult to land a helicopter on top of a skyscraper, especially in such a densely built city as New York. Doing so would mean risking the lives of the crew and of all the people on the street level because the chances of a crash are so high.

"The truth is that in a lot of these buildings the Fire Department doesn't want you to leave," Kennedy explains. "If the fire is below you and you can't get out you are better off staying where you are. Always evacuate down or horizontally. And what I always tell my family is wherever you are, whether you are in an office building or checking into a hotel, count the number of doors to the fire exits on each side of the floor. If there is a fire, you wouldn't be able to see -- you'll have to find your way out by touch."

There are many other things tenants can do to improve their chances in an emergency, but Kennedy believes that the responsibility for evacuation ultimately rests with the building staff.

"What you have to do depends largely on where you are -- in an office building, in a high-rise, at a shop ping center, -- and what kind of a fire it is," he says. "That's why I am trying to get the word out that I do exist and train people, especially the security personnel. They are the ones that have to know the building inside out, especially when the smoke fills the air, there is panic, and people can't see. And one major benefit for the building owners if they make sure that they don't have violations is that they won't have a lawsuit. If they have a clean building and a trained staff, even if something happens, they wouldn't be held accountable."