What's happening
This bill requires high-rise building owners to create and maintain emergency evacuation plans specifically addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities.
Why it matters
Improves safety for people with disabilities. The bill mandates that emergency plans in high-rise buildings must specifically address evacuation procedures, assistive technology, and designated rescue areas for individuals with disabilities, increasing their chances of safe evacuation during emergencies.
Promotes accountability and regular updates. Building owners are required to update their evacuation plans annually, notify occupants about these provisions, and file updated plans with the Department of State, ensuring ongoing compliance and relevance.
Protects privacy while ensuring access. The required list of individuals needing assistance during emergencies is to be maintained solely for evacuation purposes and not shared otherwise, balancing safety needs with privacy concerns.
Ensures accessible information. Plans must be available in large print and Braille upon request, and stored in easily accessible locations for first responders, helping both people with disabilities and emergency personnel respond effectively.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Evacuation Plans for Disabled Residents
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
15 Co-sponsors
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Recommitted to codes
- Ordered to third reading cal.449
- Returned to assembly
- Died in senate
- Referred to housing, construction and community development
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Advanced to third reading cal.164
- Reported
- Reported referred to codes
- Referred to governmental operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Evacuation Plans for Disabled Required
In Assembly Committee · Codes · Sponsor Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6287
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 2, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. BARRETT, WEPRIN, TITUS, PAULIN, ORTIZ, ROSENTHAL, KAVANAGH, ABINANTI, BENEDETTO, JAFFEE, CUSICK, SIMON, M. G. MILLER, SEPULVEDA -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABBATE, COOK, CYMBROWITZ, GLICK, GOTTFRIED, HIKIND, HOOPER, MAGEE, PERRY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing and maintaining an emergency evacuation plan for individuals with disabilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding two new sections 378-a and 378-b to read as follows:
§ 378-a. Standards for emergency planning and preparedness. 1. The state fire prevention and building code council shall update chapter four of the New York state fire code, titled "Emergency planning and preparedness", to ensure emergency evacuation drills, fire safety and emergency evacuation plans, employee training and response procedures, hazard communication, and use and occupancy-related standards address the needs of individuals with disabilities. The process of updating chapter four of the New York state fire code as it pertains to the needs of persons with disabilities shall be done in consultation with the independent agency as described in subdivision (b) of section five hundred fifty-eight of this chapter.
2. The state fire prevention and building code council shall promulgate regulations to require the following elements to be included in each emergency evacuation plan:
(a) procedures for evacuating individuals with disabilities;
(b) a list of individuals with disabilities who have notified the owner that they are disabled and would require assistance in the event of an emergency. The list shall include the floor and room number that the individual with a disability occupies within the building. Such list
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02752-01-7
A. 6287 2
shall only be maintained for the purpose of an emergency evacuation, and shall not be disseminated for any other purpose;
(c) a notification mechanism to the occupants that a list of persons with disabilities in need of assistance in case of an emergency exists and is maintained by the owner and the method by which occupants can place their name on such list;
(d) the location and type of evacuation assistance devices or assistive technologies that are available within the building; and
(e) areas of rescue. These areas shall be identified by signs that state "Area of Rescue Assistance" and display the international symbol of accessibility. Lettering must be permanent and comply with federal Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.
§ 378-b. Emergency evacuation plan. 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, it shall be the duty of every owner of a highrise building, as defined in section four hundred three of the building code of New York state, to establish and maintain an emergency evacuation plan as provided for in regulations issued pursuant to section three hundred seventy-eight-a of this article.
2. Such owner shall make the plan available in a large-print document (18-point font size or larger) and Braille (Grade II) upon request to:
(a) local law enforcement and fire safety personnel; and
(b) employees, tenants, or guests located in the high-rise building.
3. A copy of such plan shall be maintained at all times in a place easily accessible by law enforcement and/or fire safety personnel, including but not limited to the management office, the security desk, in the vicinity of the firefighter's elevator recall key, the life safety panel, or the fire pump room. In the absence of any of the locations listed in this subdivision, a copy of such plan shall be posted in the front entry of the building.
4. On an annual basis, every high-rise building owner shall update such emergency evacuation plan and provide occupants with a notice detailing the provisions of the emergency evacuation plan.
5. A copy of such plan shall be filed with the department of state within one year of the effective date of this section, and an updated emergency evacuation plan shall be filed with the department of state annually thereafter.
6. Owners located in municipalities with a population of over one million are exempt from developing such plan if such municipalities have ordinances, rules, codes or regulations that establish emergency evacuation procedures specifically for people with disabilities in high-rise buildings.
7. Knowing failure to comply with any provision within this section shall be punishable by a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that high-rise building owners shall have one year from the effective date of this act to establish an emergency evacuation plan.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.