A rescue assistance communication system, or area of refuge, is an integral part of manybuildings. A refuge area is an emergency communication center where individuals are housed in the case of emergency evacuations. These areas not only provide medical aid and physical safety. But they also have methods to communicate with the appropriate authorities or emergency aid.
A good example of this is when there’s a fire or other evacuation emergency and some people can’t use the stairwell. This includes different disable individuals or the elderly. In this case, they wait inside the rescue assistance area until help arrives. Volunteers normally escort people into these areas and make the necessary phone calls. These areas include intercom systems and lights to indicate whether someone has received the call for help or not.
A rescue system wasn’t required until the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) made it mandatory. Now, it is a must for every multistory building and facility to house an area of refuge. This is in accordance with the ideology that people aren’t disabled, the system is. An emergency communication system is very important if you want to ensure safety of the residents. A good rescue assistance system provides aid for all types of impairments. The area must also be accessible to all through ramps and elevators.
The second feature a rescue area must have are audible and visible signals. This lets people with impairments easily get information on whether help has arrived or not. Not only will this info boost confidence and motivation, it also helps calm those who might have anxiety. The ADA now requires that your area of rescue uses a bold sign saying “Area of Rescue Assistance”. Inside should also be clear and simple-worded instructions on how to use the intercom and emergency services. They should especially be readable by those with autism and psychologically underdevelopment.
Every state follows a different set of rules. For this reason, it is important to find out the specific requirements for builders in Chicago. Luckily, we did the hard work for you and gathered all of that information. Below are the areas of refuge requirements for Chicago. The International Building Code (IBC), indicates that all multistory buildings require an area of refuge if the building is:
However, the IBC does not require that you integrate a rescue assistance area if your building has an automated sprinkler system. Or if it is a smoke protected seating area. The code, however, does require you to have a two-way intercommunication system in your area of refuge.
This intercom must grant access to the required locations. Especially the fire department or a central emergency location. The fire department is required to approve the central control center. Moreover, the intercom should have an automated dial-out facility that instantly calls 911 or any other facility. These intercoms need to be user-friendly. They should include bold and visible signals and instructions. An intercom is not required near service elevators which are not meant to be escape or emergency routes. Neither are intercoms required in areas with ramps or anywhere around freight elevators.
Here at NY Engineers, we install only the best intercom system that is in strict accordance to the ADA’s and IBC’s requirements. We make our services as user-compliant as possible.
Intercom : An intercommunication device is usually provided to call to the front desk or to other areas of the building. This system can let volunteers and workers inform other volunteers or customers where the nearest refuge area is. It also lets the refugees communicate with the staff and workers, in case they came to the area on their own. An intercom is a great way to ensure speedy voice calling between the refugees, first responders, and the workers.
At New York Engineers, we design the best intercom system that has the maximum possible taps. Our intercoms let you clearly talk to the other person with zero interruption. The system is integrated deep into the walls so the intercoms don’t fail in the case of a fire or earthquake. We also install emergency fire extinguishing equipment and medical aid to those in need.
Call Station : Our call station is a well-equipped area where the local authorities can be contacted. Usually this is done by the volunteers or helpers. But the refugees can also make the phone call. However, volunteers would know better who to call and ask for help, depending on the situation.
Our engineers are the best at telecommunication. We hard-wire our phones and devices to make them as friendly as possible. We install the phones at a lower height to cater to wheelchair-bound refugees. We also provide a handy list of authorities and fire fighters that will help not only the volunteers but the refugees as well. With our emergency aid system, there is nothing that could go wrong.
Confidence Lights : Confidence lights are indicators of whether a call for help has been received or not. Normally, there are two types of these in every area of refuge. The first is the blinker that indicates whether a call is active or not. This lets people know that help is on their way. The second light indicates that the call for help has been received and first responders are on their way to help. Confidence lights help boost energy and motivation within the refugees. And they help to give reassurance to the deaf or those with vision problems.
At NY Engineers, you get the same confidence by our intricate indicator system. We maintain and install a set of these lights and blinkers. The lights we use are big and visible. This allows people with visionary issues to clearly see the lights. Additionally, we can convert the lights into blinkers to make them stand out more.
Housing Capacity : Finally, the one thing that most people forget is housing capacity. An area of refuge needs to be able to house at least a hundred people, depending on how big the building is. Normally, smaller buildings such as restaurants and hotels need to house up to 50 people. Bigger buildings like mega malls or banks need to be able to house at least 100 people. 150 or 200 is preferred. For hospitals, the amount of people who can’t evacuate safely increases. Thus, this number should be increased to about 300.
With NY Engineers, the math becomes simple. We take handy measurements of your building and suggest an appropriate area for refuge. The size we choose for you is the most optimal, but of course you can expand it any time. We take into account daily customer inflow and suggest a housing capacity based on density of traffic.
When it comes to any building scheme, integrating the scheme properly is much more important. You need to be able to see how the design will plan out, and need to make changes accordingly. Here at NY Engineers, we remain focused on the big picture. We install the best materials and gather the best engineers. And with our arsenal ready, we head off to start the project.
At NY Engineers, experts will contact you and show you a number of plans. From that, you get to choose which scheme best suits your model. We then get to work and integrate the system as quickly as we can. We install wiring and intercom devices, and computerized systems that automatically call 911. With our installation, nothing is bound to go wrong.
Coming up with the best design is the trickiest part. The intricate intercom system is nothing too easy to master. We’ve come a long way in residential and commercial engineering. So we know the dos and don’ts of refuge areas. The designs we make factor all types of disabilities into the system. We take into account the elderly, those disabled from the legs down, blind and deaf individuals, and those with autism. We integrate intercom and communication systems that feature writing in Braille and easy push buttons.
Our system also uses high speed communication to make sure help reaches on time. We can install calming lights, music, and incenses to calm down people with anxiety issues. Our rescue assistance system also includes signs and signals that can guide people to the correct area of refuge in times of crisis.
Staying within budget is why most peopleend up not even integrating a rescue assistance center in the first place. Normally, estate owners will be spending tons of b building material and staff salaries. They will be left with little to nothing to invest on special building systems. However, if you choose NY Engineers, all of your worries will be swept away. Our specialized engineers take into account your annual budget and make plans accordingly.
We order the cheapest yet most reliable given materials, and we use minimal equipment to set it up. Of course, a tighter budget means that some work may be left unfinished. But we will integrate it enough so that the rescue area is fully functioning. We also provide different packages and schemes, so you don’t have to pay all at once. This is why NY Engineers is set apart from the other capitalizing corporates. We stand by our customers through thick and thin.
One of the best parts about choosing NY engineers is that our rescue and assistancecenters are the easiest to maintain. We do not employ complicated wiring or hard to read signs. We make and install equipment which is easy to clean and troubleshoot. We keep the intercom system updated with the latest technology. Moreover, our rescue assistance communication system is user friendly. Which means it can be used by anyone with any type of ability.
This makes our system very trivial and autism-friendly. We take great care to ensure that our systems can be used by anyone who is differently abled. We’ve always stood by our motto to be the most service-oriented engineering company out there.
At NY Engineers, we gather and buy the best and most durable equipment for you. Our communication systems aren’t the cheap kind. We use the correct intercom and voice mail services. The equipment we use has been manufactured only by the best companies in the world. We order the equipment and sell it to our customers at the lowest price. Our equipment provides onsite emergency services and an automated call to 911.
We use next level technology and manufacturer’s guarantee. And we create the most reliable and user-friendly refuge area systems. All our products come with a warranty and are durable. They are water and dust resistant and can survive fires and minor tremors.
