New York Property Insurance Underwriting Association is your
fire insurance company.
You have purchased this insurance to provide financial
protection in the event of a fire. No one wants to experience the loss of life,
injury and disruption that a fire can cause. We have designed this brochure to
highlight fire prevention methods for property owners and operators of hotels,
lodging houses and rooming houses.
Many of the issues that concern owners and operators of these
occupancies involve life safety and emergency egress. These include sufficient
and marked exits, accessible fire escapes, and installation of sprinkler systems
in public hallways. Because of the significant potential
of loss of life, building departments, fire departments and other government
regulators have comprehensive code requirements for hotels, lodging and rooming
houses. These codes are the result of careful analysis of actual fires which
have occurred over the years. Work necessary to adhere to code requirements
should not be considered a burden for managers and workers who have busy and
stress-filled days. Code adherence should be considered a way to prevent injury,
maintain property, and safeguard jobs..
A checklist is provided to help you identify potential hazards in your
premises. This checklist is by no means comprehensive, and is not intended as a
substitute for knowing and understanding applicable codes and regulations.
Please use the checklist to recognize what you need do to decrease the potential
of fire.
Regularly inspect rooms in order to determine the following:
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Are there use of hot plates or other cooking equipment? Enforce a policy
strictly forbidding cooking in rooms. Supervise common cooking areas and
maintain them.
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Are tenants adhering to reasonable housekeeping standards? Identify
tenants who may store unreasonable amounts of clothing, newspapers or
combustible materials. Take action to eliminate the hazard.
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Is there evidence of careless smoking – burnt sheets or carpets, cigarette
butts on the floor? Provide metal ashtrays.
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Have tenants disabled smoke alarms? This may indicate the use of cooking
equipment.
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Are halls maintained free of debris? Provide metal trash containers with
lids.
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Are doors self-closing to prevent the spread of fire?
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Are stairways kept clean?
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Is the roof accessible to tenants? Prohibit use of the roof to prevent the
accumulation of debris.
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Are shaft ways free of any debris accumulation?
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Is the sprinkler system in the building maintained? (Contact NYPIUA for
additional information concerning sprinklers.
