This article governs emergency reporting, planning and preparedness
for buildings occupied or designed to be occupied to provide emergency
shelter for more than 10 homeless persons for more than 30 days in
a year.
A copy of the emergency preparedness plan shall be maintained
on the premises and kept readily available for inspection at all times.
The Fire Department may require that the emergency preparedness plan
be maintained at an approved location on the premises in an approved
first responder box secured by a Citywide standard key to ensure availability
of the plan at all times.
Emergency preparedness plans shall be reviewed and updated as necessitated by changes in staff assignments, use or occupancy, or the design and arrangement of the premises, but at least annually. An entry shall be made in the log book required by §
59-316 documenting such review, and indicating the general nature of any amendments to be made to such plan. Submission of an amended emergency preparedness plan shall not be required solely by reason of staffing changes. Fire and emergency preparedness guides and notices shall be reviewed prior to each distribution required by this article or the rules, and shall be revised within 60 days of any change in building construction or service equipment materially affecting the content of such guide or notice.
The preparation of an emergency preparedness plan shall constitute
an operational requirement. Except as otherwise provided in this section,
owners and operators of new buildings and occupancies required by
this chapter to have an emergency preparedness plan shall prepare
such plan and submit it to the Fire Department for approval prior
to legally occupying the structure. Owners and operators of existing
buildings and occupancies shall prepare such plan and submit it to
the Fire Department for approval within three months from the promulgation
of rules implementing such emergency preparedness plan provisions
of this article.
Any building or occupancy that prior to the effective date of
this section obtained Fire Department approval of the voluntary installation
of a fire alarm system with two-way voice communication and was required
to provide a fire safety warden or other specified emergency preparedness
staffing shall maintain such staffing unless a higher level of staffing
is required by this article.
Buildings and occupancies required to have an emergency preparedness
plan pursuant to this article shall maintain a log book in accordance
with this section. Such log book shall be kept on the premises and
available to Fire Department personnel if requested.
All owners, employers of building occupants (including lessees
of tenant spaces and similar occupancies) and building occupants shall
cooperate in the development and coordination of emergency preparedness
plans, including designation of building occupants to assist in the
implementation of such plan.