Appeal 24972

1006.1

The number of exits required within the means of egress system shall comply with the provisions of Section 1006.2.

The Owner requests approval to remove an existing fire escape from the east side of the building.

The proposed scope includes eliminating the existing fire escape from the building’s egress system and removing it from the building.

Additionally, the Owner proposes to install panic hardware on any existing stairway doors that do not currently have it. They also propose to provide barrier gates at the lowest landing levels per Section 1023.8, to prevent occupants from unintentionally continuing to the basement.

Note that all required exit signage pre Section 1013 is currently provided.

The existing fire escape is currently considered part of the means of egress system, although it is no longer required since the remainder of the means of egress system meets or exceeds code requirements.

The fire escape has also provided a means of unauthorized entrance to the building, which has been accepted by Portland Fire and Rescue as rationale for removal of fire escapes and counterbalanced stairs. Reference document 'FIR 2.08 - Fire Escapes', published April 30,2020.

Egress from all floors will still meet all applicable Chapter 10 requirements if the fire escape is removed. The building currently exceeds code requirements for the number of exits required and exit capacity, and meets all requirements for common path of travel, exit separation, dead-end corridors, and exit travel distance. See information below.

The building has a standpipe system serving all floors, smoke detectors, and a monitored fire alarm system with pull stations at each exit.

The proposed addition of panic exit hardware at the stairs and barrier gates at the bottom landing will improve the overall safety of the egress system, well beyond what the fire escape currently provides.

Occupant Load:
Classification B: 1/150 GSF
GSF per Floor: 5,470
Occupant Load per Floor = 5,470/150 = 37
(1) exit required based on occupant load

Exit Capacity: Egress Width: Stairways:
Minimum width w/o sprinklers: 0.3” per occupant x 37 occupants = 11.1” total
Provided width = 12’-0” / 144” ( three stairs at 4’-0” each)

Exit Capacity: Egress Width: Doors:
Minimum width w/o sprinklers: 0.2” per occupant x 37 occupants = 7.4” total
Provided width = 108” (three doors at 3’-0” each)

Exit Capacity: Egress Convergence: Doors
Minimum width w/o sprinklers: 0.2” per occupant x 37 occupants x 2 = 14.8” total
Provided width = 108” (three doors at 3’-0” each)

Egress Path: Common Path of Travel:
B Occupancy w/o sprinklers & Occupant Load > 30 : Max travel distance = 75’
Two exits required based on common path of travel

Egress Path: Exit Configuration:
Minimum separation w/o sprinklers = 1/2 maximum diagonal
Maximum diagonal = 148’/2 = 74’ minimum separation
Actual: minimum separation = 119’

Egress Path: Dead-end Corridors:
B Occupancy w/o sprinklers: Maximum dead-end corridor = 20’
Actual maximum dead-end corridor = 15’

Egress Path: Exit Travel Distance:
B Occupancy w/o sprinklers: Maximum exit access travel distance = 200’
Actual maximum exit access travel distance = 175’

See the included exit plans for information, including a listing of relevant code sections and documentation showing compliance with each.