Can i hang out on my fire escape

Stories about people climbing out onto fire escapes and falling to their deaths— one such incident occurred earlier this month—also occur with some regularity. Disconcertingly, it is impossible to tell based on the age of a building how safe its fire escape might be. Due to changes to the building code in that halted the construction of external fire escapes, all of the existing ones are at least half a century old. The oldest among them, which began to appear in the mid-late 19th century, are made of wrought iron, which, according to Lombardi, makes them very fragile.

The newer ones are made of steel, which is sturdier. However, if the structural integrity of fire escapes is something that keeps you up at night, you can at least take comfort in the fact that incidents of fire escapes breaking are few and far between.

That statistic only includes incidents where the DoB was called, not incidents where just the police were called, as may be the case when someone slips and falls. The law requires landlords of buildings over six and a half stories in other words, six stories plus a basement to hire a licensed professional—either an architect or an engineer—to inspect the fire escapes every five years.

For buildings that are six stories or smaller, no such specific requirements exist, beyond property owners being required by code to maintain their buildings in safe condition. Regardless of how frequently your building is inspected, however, no one should necessarily feel comfortable cavorting on their fire escape, smoking cigarettes and wooing the sister of their rival gang leader.

Their purpose is to be a second means of egress. The changes to the building code made it essentially illegal for new buildings to be constructed with exterior fire escapes; fireproof interior stairwells, equipped with sprinklers, are now favored instead.

And architects like Lombardi prefer to remove them entirely in situations where the law permits. Already a member? Sign in here. Access to timely real estate stock ideas and Top Ten recommendations. Learn More. Real estate has long been the go-to investment for those looking to build long-term wealth for generations. Let us help you navigate this asset class by signing up for our comprehensive real estate investing guide.

High-rise dwellers in urban centers have to make do with whatever tiny bit of outdoor space they may have -- and that very much includes rooftops and fire escapes. While they may not be safe to hang out on, they are sometimes people's only view of the great outdoors.

For people looking to maximize every square inch of living space, a DIY fire escape project might be just the right rehab project for early summer. There's not much space to fill -- with the general guideline being that you should leave more visible metal than decorated space. But even one or two cool ideas could liven up the whole vibe. Keeping those constraints in mind, here are a few ideas for a visually appealing fire escape where you can escape the indoors for short times without leaving your building.

Place them around the perimeter, either in shelves that affix to the building structure or planters that hook to the fire escape railing. Plants should be within arm's reach for easy regular upkeep. Container gardens are also an interesting option in this era where more and more people look to grow their own food.

Your choices should depend on the climate, the size of the fire escape and what's legal in your city. Again, keep in mind that putting furniture out on the floor part of the fire escape is illegal -- it impedes the path of emergency exit, which is its true purpose.

Some people get around this by finding shelves that hook onto the railing. On shelves, place outdoor dining accouterments, decorative objects, plants, a mist sprayer, etc. Fire escapes are not installed on new residential buildings thanks to a building code change. Instead, buildings must have internal stairwells and an alarm or sprinkler systems. Buildings built before can have their fire escapes removed, but your landlord has to prove that there is another way to exit the building in an emergency.

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