than in the manner directed, such conduct shall be deerned a misdemeanor. § 174. Liability of city. Nothing contained in this act shall be deemed to make the city liable for the support or relief of any poor person when it is not otherwise so liable. MUNICIPAL REGULATIONS IN REGARD TO FIRE PROTECTION IN INSTITUTIONS. * * tion for the care or treatment of individuals * shall be provided with such good and sufficient fire escapes, stairways, or other means of egress in case of fire as shall be directed by the superintendent of buildings. The owner or owners of any building upon which a fire escape is erected shall keep the same in good repair and properly painted. Fire escapes on the outside of buildings shall consist of open iron balconies and stairways. * * * The stairways shall be placed at an angle of not more than sixty degrees, with steps not less than four inches in width and twenty inches in length, and with a rise of not more than nine inches. The balcony on the top floor, except in case of a front fire escape, shall be provided with a goose-neck ladder leading from said balcony to and above the roof. The balconies shall be not less than three feet two inches in width, and placed where directed by the superintendent of buildings, at each story above the ground floor. There shall be a landing not less than twenty-four inches wide at the head and foot of each stairway. The stairway opening on each platform shall be of a size sufficient to provide clear headway. Except that on existing buildings as much headway shall be provided as possible. The floors of balconies shall be of wrought iron or steel slats not less than one inch by one-quarter of an inch, placed on edge not more than one and one-half inches from center to center, and well secured to balcony framework, and have at least two rows of separators on three-eighths-inch rod. The openings for stairways in all balconies shall be not less than twenty-one inches wide and such openings shall have no covers of any kind. The platforms or balconies shall be constructed and erected to safely sustain in all their parts a safe load at a ratio of four to one, of not less than eighty pounds per square foot of surface. The outside rail shall extend around the entire length of the platform and in all cases shall go through the wall at each end, and be properly secured by nuts and four-inch square washers at least three-eighths of an inch thick, and no top rail shall be connected at angles by cast-iron. The top rail of balconies shall be one and three-quarters inches by one-half inch of wrought iron, or one and a quarter inch angle iron three-sixteenths inch thick. The bottom rails shall be one and one-half inches by three-eighths of an inch wrought iron or steel, or one and a half inch angle iron, one quarter inch thick, well leaded into the wall. The standards or filling-in bars shall be not less than one-half inch round or square wrought iron or steel, well riveted to the top and bottom. rails and platform frame, or such other system of diagonal filling as shall be acceptable to the superintendent of buildings. Such standards or filling-in bars shall be securely braced by outside brackets at suitable intervals, and shall be placed not more than six inches from centers, except in cases where diagonal filling is used; the height of railings shall in no case be less than three feet. The stairways shall be constructed and erected to fully sustain in all their parts a safe load at a ratio of four to one of not less than one hundred pounds per step, with the exception of the tread, which must safely sustain at said ratio a load of two hundred pounds. The treads shall be flat open treads not less than four inches wide and with a rise of not more than nine inches. The stairs shall be not less than twenty inches wide. The strings shall be not less than one-quarter by four-inch bars of iron or steel, or other shape equally strong. The strings shall be securely fastened to the balcony at the top and bottom, and the steps in all cases shall be double-riveted or bolted to the strings. The stairs shall have handrails of three-quarter inch round, or three-eighths by one and one-quarter inch flat wrought iron, or three-sixteenths by one and one-quarter inch angle iron, well braced. The brackets shall be not less than one inch square wrought iron, or one and three-quarter inch angle iron, one-quarter inch thick, well braced; they shall be not more than four feet apart, and shall be braced by means of not less than three-quarters of an inch square wrought iron, and shall extend the full width of the respective balconies or brackets. The brackets shall go through the wall and be turned down three inches, or be properly secured by nuts and six-inch square washers at least one-half of an inch thick. On new buildings the brackets may be set as the walls are being built. When brackets are put on buildings already erected the part going through the wall shall be not less than one inch in diameter with screw nuts and washers not less than six inches square and one-half inch thick. A proper weighted drop-ladder or stairs shall be required in all cases from the lower balcony when the floor of such balcony is more than seven feet above the sidewalk or ground. Nothing embodied under this title shall prohibit the selecting and erecting of a different stair pattern, or any other and different device, design or instrument, which upon tests made under the rules and regulations of the bureau of buildings, in the presence of the superintendent of buildings, prove equally as efficient, permanent and safe external means of escape from fire and smoke as the devices described above. All parts of such fire escapes shall receive not less than two coats of paint, one in the shop and the other after erection. No person shall at any time place any incumbrances of any kind whatsoever before or upon any fire escape, balcony or stair way. It shall be the duty of every fireman and policeman who shall discover any fire escape, balcony or stairway of any fire escape incumbered in any way, to forthwith report the same to the commanding officer of his company or precinct, and such commanding officer shall forthwith cause the occupant of the premises or apartment to which said fire escape, balcony or stairway is attached or for whose use the same is provided, to be notified, either verbally or in writing, to remove such incumbrances and keep the same clear. If said notice shall not be complied with by the removal forthwith, of such incumbrances, and keeping said fire escape, balcony or stairway free from incumbrance, then it shall be the duty of said commanding officer to apply to the nearest police magistrate for a warrant for the arrest of the occupant or occupants of the said premises or apartment of which the fire escape forms a part, and the said parties shall be brought before the said magistrate, as for a misdemeanor; and, on conviction, the occupant or occupants of said premises or apartment shall be fined not more than ten dollars for each offense, or may be imprisoned not to exceed ten days, or both, in the discretion of the court. In constructing all balcony fire escapes, the manufacturer thereof shall securely fasten thereto, in a conspicuous place, a cast-iron plate having suitable raised letters on the same, to read as follows: Notice.— Any person placing any incumbrance on this balcony is liable to a penalty of ten dollars and imprisonment for ten days. All buildings requiring fire escapes shall have stationary iron ladders leading to the scuttle opening in the roof thereof, and all scuttles and ladders shall be kept so as to be ready for use at all times. If a bulkhead is used in place of a scuttle, it shall have stairs with sufficient guard or handrail leading to the roof. Outside iron stair fire escapes or inside fire stairways herein. specified shall be constructed in or upon every building more than two stories in height, and not having more than one means of egress, used as a hotel, tenement house, apartment house, lodging house, factory, mill, office building, hospital, asylum, school or public building. The number and location of such fire escapes and fire stairways shall be governed by the location of the building, its style of construction, size, constructed means of egress, number of inmates and the purpose for which it is used. When inside fire stairways are adopted they shall be constructed entirely of fireproof material, enclosed with fire walls, and shall connect with a passage-way leading directly to the street, without any connection whatever with the basement. They shall have standard fire doors, self-closing, at every landing, which doors must never be blocked or fastened. When outside fire escapes are adopted they shall consist of open iron stairways of not more than forty-five degrees slant, with steps not less than six inches in width and twenty-four inches in length and protected by a well secured handrail on both sides. They shall be connected with each floor above the first, well fastened and of sufficient strength and shall have landings or balconies not less than six feet in length and three feet in width, guarded by iron railings not less than three feet in height, and embracing at least two windows at each story, connected with the exterior by easily accessible and unobstructed openings. The windows or doors to such fire escapes shall be located as far as possible consistent with accessibility, from the stairways and elevator, hatchways or openings and the ladders thereof shall reach to the roof. Drop stairs shall reach from the lowest platform to the ground and shall be hinged and hung with a counterweight suspended to chain or cable with the said weight entirely enclosed in an iron pocket, in which it shall move freely up and down, and the weight of all fire escapes now existing shall be enclosed in such iron pockets. Any other plan of outside iron fire escapes substantially as above required, shall be sufficient, if approved by the fire marshal. Fire escapes shall be kept painted and in good repair and no person shall place any incumbrance whatsoever before or thereon. Binghamton. § 104. Fire escapes. *** Every factory, mill, manufactory or workshop, hospital, asylum or institution for the care or treatment of individuals, * * Shall be provided with good and sufficient fire escapes, stairways or other means of egress in the case of fire as shall be directed by the building inspector. |