Daryl,
To bring things together on this topic from the other thread, as well as this one, there was a post on the other one which identified two separate issues:
1) Is unobstructed egress required from an existing building?
2) How can we convince owners to do something about making egress routes harder to obstruct?
The answer to #1 is yes. I think bollards, which could just be capped pieces of pipe with a baseplate bolted down, located so that the doors can at least swing open, would be effective. Painted stripes will wear off and will hide under snow. Putting a curb, raised above the level-with-door-threshold surface, in the egress route is just a way to trip people, not good in an exit scenario. "Fire Exit Do No Block" signs would be cheaper than bollards.
For #2, if the owners are truly cheapskates, good luck. The registered letter, turn them in to the fire marshall, etc. approaches are CYA approaches and may guarantee no repeat work, which might not be a bad thing. Wouldn't hurt to call the fire department and just ask how they deal with obstructed exits and mention your concerns, though.
Approach #2a could be a general letter sent to owner/landlord/tenant (as appropriate) at the start of the job after you visit the site and take your as-is photos. "Dear John Doe, when visiting your retail center we noticed that there is nothing in place to prevent vehicles from parking in front of exit doors. This could be very hazardous if there was a fire or other need to quickly evacuate the building. We also noticed that the roof drains could use cleaning, etc. etc. Let them know you're concerned about their building and their tenants. Put a few sample photos with marked-up circles, arrows and notes to point out the problem. Keep a copy of what you sent into your file. Maybe send a copy, with the cc: noted, to your insurance broker (and be sure that "insurance" appears in that CC: name, as a subtle reminder to the owner.)
If you like, tell them how much a sign or a bollard might cost, installed (ask your local sign companies and a few contractors for ballpark prices). They could always put the $100 or so for a bare minimum bollard (each) into the Common Area Maintenance costs and extract it from the tenants ....
For new construction, just put the bollards, or the raised curb and sidewalk, or whatever, into the drawings.
Kind of ironic that they probably can't get their utilities connected without having bollards to protect the meters, but they won't be bothered to protect the exits.
This all assumes that the tenants haven't blocked or locked the exit doors, of course.
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Joel Niemi AIA
Principal
Snohomish WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2014 10:01
From: Martin Hero
Subject: Maintaining Unobstructed means of Egress from the Exterior
I suggest you write a letter to the owner citing life safety concerns and possible violations and send certified mail return receipt.
Notify the local municipality of an ongoing possible life safety code violation.
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Martin Hero AIA
Hero Architects
Forest Hills NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-18-2014 17:41
From: Stephen Wanta
Subject: Maintaining Unobstructed means of Egress from the Exterior
Painting on the pavement? Striped zone or the like; a vocabulary familiar to motorists. Fairly reasonable cost.
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Stephen Wanta AIA
wanta-architect PLLC
New York NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2014 16:52
From: Daryl Bray
Subject: Maintaining Unobstructed means of Egress from the Exterior
This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Retail and Entertainment and Practice Management Member Conversations .
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Does anyone have any specific recommendations for preventing vehicular obstructions at required means of egress? For example, in large retail centers, many times the rear or sides of buildings have egress doors which exit directly onto pavement (no curb, no elevated stoop). There is nothing (short of common sense) to prevent a vehicle from parking alongside the exit door thereby preventing occupants from using that door as a means of egress. Our firm typically provides bollards for this scenario on new construction, but there is nothing specific in the code (that I can find) which REQUIRES anything. Convincing an owner of an existing facility to put bollards in at a door that's been that way for 30 years is difficult. We've recommended adding signage to the exterior side of the door which states "No parking at any time" but some clients even object to that and deem it unnecessary.
Any suggestions or insight would be appreciated - both from a design standpoint and from a risk management standpoint (the architect's liability for NOT providing bollards, signage, etc.).
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Daryl Bray AIA
SGA Design Group, P.C.
Tulsa OK
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