BY DONNA KLEIN, nyarm

On Wednesday, September 27, 2000 the New York Association of Realty Managers (NYARM) resumed its monthly membership meeting schedule with lunch at Tavern on the Green. The more than 100 members and friends convened to hear First Deputy William Feehan of the New York City Fire Department explain, in detail, the latest rules and regulations issued by his agency.

LOCAL LAW 10

These regulations, according to the Commissioner, are an outgrowth of Local Law 10 of 1999 which requires the installation of sprinklers in all new residential buildings with more than four (4) dwelling units. The issuance of this law was a direct result of two very public fires. The first fire, dubbed the "McCauley Culkin fire," because the fire started in the apartment of the Culkin family, was in December, 1998. The fire started on the 19^th floor of a 51-story building. The Culkin's nanny responded correctly by alerting the family and moving everyone out of the apartment swiftly. Unfortunately, they left the front door to the apartment open, feeding oxygen to the flames. If the door had been closed the fireproof, steel door would have contained the fire and given the firefighters the few extra minutes they needed to get to the building and do their job. When the smoke cleared, four residents of that building perished. Commissioner Feehan added that if the building had a fire sprinkler and public address system those lives would certainly have been saved.

That fire came on the heels of another very public catastrophe when a Brooklyn senior citizen housing center near Starrett City went up in flames claiming the lives of three firefighters. "The greater tragedy of that fire," stated Feehan, "was that this was a building equipped with a sprinkler system." Unfortunately for those three men, it was inoperative. The valve supplying water to the system had been shut off after a paint job, seven or eight years prior.

"We know that sprinklers save lives," claimed Feehan. So, Fire Department Commissioner Thomas Van Essen went to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and told him "we thought we needed a law that residential buildings in New York City had to be sprinklered."

SPRINKLERS

The FDNY's original thought was that ALL buildings had to be retrofitted, old as well as new construction. "And then people from the 'real' world talked with us and we realized we had to rethink this thing." A compromise was reached and thus Local Law 10 was written for new residential construction of four or more units. The FDNY wanted private homes included in the Law. But, those who support affordable housing convinced the City that adding fire sprinklers to the cost of these new homes would price them out of the market. Thus, the legislation went forward for high rise residential and new construction of four or more units only.

FLOW TESTING

Part of the law requires that existing sprinkler systems be "flow tested" by a licensed plumber or a licensed fire suppression contractor. This testing must be done every 30 months and every other test (every 60 months or five years) must be witnessed by a FDNY representative.

FIRE SAFETY PLAN

The third part of Local Law 10, and the part that is impacting on real estate managers, is the fire safety plan that must be prepared and distributed to a building's staff and tenants. The plan must be placed in a section of the building that is accessible to the tenants such as the mailbox area and on the inside of the apartment doors. Feehan reported, that the posting of the notice on the inside of the apartment door is commanding a great deal of concern from tenants who find it unappealing at the least to have a notice tacked on the inside of their doors as if they lived in a hotel.

The Fire Department continues its dedication to getting legislation passed for installation of sprinklers in new construction of one and two family homes. Feehan admits that retrofitting old construction would be an extremely difficult and expensive proposition but he confided that he would be happier if old construction were included.

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS

In answer to a question posed by a member of the audience Feehan confirmed the rumor that the Department of Buildings may merge with FDNY. "I think there is a lot to be gained by, if not a merger of our agencies, at least the development of a data base" which would provide both departments with the information necessary to run efficiently. Too often the Fire Department is not aware of outstanding violations, lack of sprinkler and safety systems, inconclusive test results, etc. when they set off to fight a fire. This information is vital to securing the safety of the residents and firefighters at any given emergency. "A data base that we can share would be a quantum leap forward for us," declared Feehan.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

William M. Feehan has been a member of the uniformed force of the New York City Fire Department since 1959. He has served in all levels of command and management. He has been involved in the realignment and reorganization of the Marine Division; reorganization of the Bureau of Fire Prevention which resulted in an additional $20 million in annual fees and the operational management of the Roster Staffing System which saves more than $40 million per year.

As First Deputy Commissioner all labor relations are within his authority and responsibility. His experience at emergency operations includes the World Trade Center explosion, the LaGuardia Air Crash and the 14^th Street subway derailment.