Building Safety Signs and Egress Markings According to the IBC and IFC

When we see a news story about people who lost their lives trying to escape from a large commercial or residential building that was on fire, we typically assume that the fire progressed to the point where evacuees didn't have viable escape options. But the truth behind many fatal building fires is that building occupants did have time to evacuate the building; they just didn't have an efficient means of doing it. When a large commercial or residential R1 building catches fire, it occupants are instantly limited to seeking escape through its vertical exit enclosures and exit passageways, and the egress safety components with those enclosures and passageways play a large part in whether an evacuation goes smoothly or results in casualties. So, what kind of enclosures and passageways are prone to danger in the event of fire?

To answer this question, it helps to begin by describing what is typically considered sufficient emergency preparedness in the event of a fire. For many building owners, having a well-rehearsed evacuation plan in place and having exit stairwells that are equipped with emergency backup lighting qualifies as emergency preparedness. But there are two problems with this scenario. For one, emergency back up lighting does not perform well in the presence of smoke; instead of illuminating stairwells as it would in the event of a simple power outage, its lamps become like headlights in the fog, which leads us to the second problem. As evacuees rush into stairwells and lose their visual bearings, an evacuation plan can easily turn into a stampede where people die from the evacuation and not the fire.

To prevent this situation from happening, responsible building owners improve upon the evacuation safety offered by an evacuation plan and emergency backup lighting by implementing luminous fire safety signs and egress markings in accordance with the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Fire Code (IFC). The IBC applies to new construction and has been adopted by all 50 states; the IFC applies to both new construction and existing buildings and has been adopted by at least 42 states. In states that have adopted the codes, all commercial and residential R1 buildings that contain occupancy at above 75 feet from the lowest level of fire department vehicle access are legally bound to IBC and IFC guidelines.

If you own a large commercial or residential building in a state that has not adopted a version of the IFC, implementing IFC recommendations for building safety signs and egress markings is still key to ensuring the safety of your building occupants, as well as protecting your self from the bad press and legal action that can result when evacuations don't go as planned. Furthermore, implementing the code's egress system guidelines is simple and economical. In addition to purchasing inexpensive photoluminescent safety signs for each level of an exit enclosure, building owners need only purchase luminous egress markings in the form of photoluminescent tape and apply it to the following egress components according to IFC guidelines: handrails and handrail extensions, stair edges, landing edges, obstacles, doorframes, door hardware and floor areas.