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Show Apartment condominium dwellers need to practice extra fire precautions submitted by , , the P.C. Fire Department It's a fact. It's even more . important to practice fire safety when you live in a multiple-unit dwelling like a condo or apartment. Your firewise attitude affects everyone ev-eryone in your building ... just as your neighbors' fire safety practices or the lack of them-n affect your safety. Multiple-dwelling fire safety safe-ty begins when you first look for your condo or apartment. Are exits accessible and well marked? Do they lead direct-Jy direct-Jy outdoors? Are exit stair-. ways fully enclosed? Does the building appear well maintained? Ask about built-in built-in sprinklers, smoke detectors detect-ors and extinguisher stations. Find out how dependably boxes and trash are removed from the hallways. Once you've moved in, the next step is yours. In a real sense, you and all the residents who share your building hold one another's safety in the balance. Does your landlord post information informa-tion of fire escape planning? Is literature on subjects like smoking in bed, safe use of space heaters, etc., distributed distribut-ed to new arrivals? If not, get in touch with the, landlord and superintendent and ask that a meeting ;Op tenants be called to discuss these issues. Everyone should know what kind of fire alarm system the building' has and what it sounds like. Does the building have an alarm system which ..aifto matically notifies the JJreY department when the alarm sounds? If not, one or' two tenants should be designated to report the blaze after they escape. If your multiple-unit building build-ing is a high-rise, additional precautions are required. , Inow how. many doorways separate your door from the fiearest exit, so you can feel your way out in the dark or in heavy ' smoke, : Know that levators must not be used in a fire emergency take the .stairs" If jyou live on the i upper floor, consider going up, not down, when fire i starts : Just head for the roof, station yourself upwind of the smoke, and wait the fire out. Few high-rise fires get big enough to compromise a roof's structural integrity. (Are rooftop doors locked? Ask your landlord to remove the locks and install alarm panic bars.) All in all, fire-wise apartment apart-ment or condo living is a matter of common sense, just as it is in a detached house. Never forget you share youi building with others ani collectively, each of yoi holds the others' safety in hi: or her hands. |