City moving towards improved high-rise building safety.

The City's building code will turn 40 next year. As such its time to revamp our buildings safety codes.

New York City has proposed legislation for the city's new construction codes consisting of revisions to titles 27 and 28 and the adoption of a new building code, fuel gas code, and mechanical

All portions of the new construction codes are proposed to become effective July l, 2008.

What is known as the International Code Council has voted to include NYC high-rise evacuation standards to be model for municipalities across country

For safety's sake, NYC is moving toward improved high-rise building safety in the wake of 9/11. The International Code Council (ICC) has voted to revise the International Building Code to include New York City's standard for photoluminescent path markings.

New York was the first major U.S. city to adopt photoluminescent regulations. In 2004, Mayor Bloomberg signed Local Law 26, requiring all high-rise office buildings more than 75 feet tall to be equipped with photoluminescent path markings as recommended by the World Trade Center Building Code Task Force, which was convened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

The International Building Code will now include a similar standard for the installation of the glow-in-the-dark path markings in the stairwells of almost all new high-rise buildings more than 75 feet in height, as already required by Local Law 26 for roughly 1650 Class E Office properties.

Photoluminescent Egress Guidance Systems are designed to glow in the dark when lighting fails or smoke obscures overhead lighting. Photo-luminescent path markings enable people inside buildings to safely use buildings staircases in the event of an emergency evacuation.

ACcording to Patricia Lancaster, Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner, "As more cities move to build high-rise commercial towers, it is important to standardize the system of symbols and signage that help people find their way out in the event of an emergency ... "A calm, organized evacuation can save lives. With more buildings across the country using photoluminescent materials, building occupants will be better protected from trips and falls commonly found to occur in dark stairwells during emergency evacuations."

The ICC is dedicated to building safety and fire prevention. ICC develops codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the codes developed by the ICC.