Departmental Procedures & Guidelines for Inspections, Certifications, Load Testing, Repairs & Painting of Fire Escapes
Inspections by Structural Engineers, Fire Escape Engineers or others acceptable to the Official:
In layman’s terms, the city official is looking for a registered structural engineer or others qualified and acceptable by the Fire/Code Official to do a Critical Examination in lieu of a Live Load Test (criteria submitted or discussed prior to inspection) and issues written verification and certification that all connections are free of internal rust or rot as well as all original hardware (square head bolts or rivet) are reinforced and or replaced in lieu of Live Load Test. All supports (thru-bolts or cemented) into the wall must be verified and certified in lieu of Live Load Test. A fire escape confidence test and tag must be submitted if fire escape passed. The report with photos identifying violations for repairs must include repair criteria submitted to the official for repair vendor to use as a guide during and with engineer oversight of permitted repairs. A Fire Escape Confidence Test and tags identifying certified condition are then submitted. Recommended cycle for live load testing is 20 yrs after total refurbishment or as required by official.
Repairs by Ornamental Ironworkers, Welding Companies or others acceptable to the Official:
In layman’s terms, the city official is looking for a qualified licensed repair vendor to do all work under repair permit (if required) with engineer oversight of repair criteria submitted for approval to the official in lieu of Live Load Test. All connections must be free of internal rust or rot, spot primed and sealed. All worn material repaired and or replaced. All supports into wall reinforced, repaired and certified in a Fire Escape Confidence Test. In lieu of Live Load Test, all square head bolts, rivets and or welded connections must be certified, reinforced and or replaced based on age or condition. All ladders and cantilevers must be balanced and drop 2-3 ft per second, hit the ground and stay down and must lead to a public way. All roof ladders must be secure. No full painting of any fire escape until all spot painted repairs are inspected and certified under engineer oversight and or city official permit sign-off. Full replacement is subject to permits and or possible code upgrade requirements.
Painting by EPA Licensed Renovators (if lead paint is present) or others acceptable to Official:
In layman’s terms, the city official is looking for a paint vendor (EPA Certified Renovator if required) to do all work as per EPA Guidelines due to the fact that all fire escapes older than 1978 are presumed to have lead (EPA) unless identified as no lead or low lead by a licensed lead inspector. Entire building will be notified with signage and all precautions shall be taken to collect paint chips at grade. No sandblasting or power assisted scraping without full fire escape encapsulation under EPA Guidelines. All major connection shall be sealed from water intrusion before during or after painting. All escapes should be spot painted every 3-5 yrs and fully painted every 5-10 yrs or as needed or ordered by a Fire/Code Official.
See PART 1 first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Zroukw5lo
This is PART 2.
Part I is a video on “how to make your own heli stand” for further reference.
Novice to Helis, Jeff Martin, feels the exhilaration of spinning up and feeling the controls of Dave’s Blade 400 on his homemade Helicopter training/test stand.
This is what happened and his reaction.
Again, all helis are “upside down rotary lawnmowers”, so respect this test stand for what it is.
Be careful on the controls and do not abruptly make changes, or you may have a blade strike or something worse.
If you break it on the stand, you would most likely have also broken it OFF the stand too.
Hope this type of device will help you learn faster and easier. Good Luck.
Heli Test/training stand. by Dave Herbert.
Parts Required:
1, 24″x 24″ plywood to make base circle.
1, 24 ” long by 2×2″ wide foam insulator strip (cut to 2x2x2″ squares
1, ¼ x 21″ round Ramin Wood sliding rod.
1, ¾” x 24″ threaded galvanized pipe (Needs to be heavy), so the reason.
1, ¾” floor flange with 4, 1 ½”x 3/16″ long nuts and bolts to attach it to Ply base.
1, 3/8″ x 2 ½” Stove bolt (round head, no slots), 2 large 3/8″ washers and 2 3/8″ Nuts
2, 3 ½” long x ¾” wide, light weight compression springs
1, ½” Long x 1/8″ wood screw
1, 5/16 small holed (1/4″) washer for spring contact point on the bottom of the rod.
1, 3″x 8″ x 3/16″ ply or other strong material for helicopter base mounting plate.
2, ¾” Hose clamps for Ramin wood rod.
1, 1″ Hose clamp for galvanized pipe
1, ¼” x 2 ½ ” long Flat Headed shoulder bolt for holding mounting plate to Ramin rod
1, 12″ long mini bungee cord
8, # 60 rubber bands, 4 each side to mount heli landing gear to plate.
1, 12″ long nylon “chalk” string to make safety harness. Loop over heli frame and mounting plate.
Take your time and follow these instructions carefully.
1. Measure for exact center of the 24″x24″ Plywood base and cut out as large a circle as there is wood. Sand and paint or stain as desired.
2. Drill out the center hole to 3/8″ and bolt in the 3/8″ x 2 ½” stove bolt, (round head down towards floor). Use wide washers and nuts on both sides to adjust the length on the bottom to be 1 ½” out from wood, if using 2 x 2 x 2″ foam blocks.
3. Cut foam then mark 8 even locations on the bottom using an analog clock to guide you. Glue them on with silicone or electric glue as shown in the video.
4. Bolt on the ¾” threaded floor flange directly centered over the Stove bolt, making sure it is absolutely centered.
5. Drill 3/16″ hole, 3″ from the bottom of the 3 /4″ pipe and put in same size nut and bolt and lock washer. The springs rest on this.
6. Screw pipe onto flange, hand tight. Leave the plastic thread protector on the top end. Now the base and Guide Pipe are standing vertically and all should be level and be able to wobble slightly.
7. Drop the 2 springs into the pipe.
8. Cut or fabricate your heli mounting plate from 3/16th ” Ply or other. (3″x8″)
9. Find exact center of this plate and drill a 3/8th ” hole. Measure twice, drill once!
10. Cut Ramin wood dowel to 21″ long, put a ¾” small hose clamp on one end, and make it snug. Then carefully drill a ¼” hole down the center of the rod, 2″ deep.
11. On the other end of the rod, drill a small 1/8th ” pilot hole and screw on the 5/16 ” spring contact washer with the small screw.
12. Drop the 1/1/2″ hose clamp onto the guide pipe, leaving it loose.
13. Now using the Flat headed shoulder bolt, put it through the hole in the mounting plate and thread it into the end of your Ramin Wood rod with the hole. Screw it in so it remains 1″ above the plate. The plate should slide up and down freely and have just a bit of slop to give your helicopter a 15 degree lean in any direction.
Now tighten the smaller hose clamp around the end to keep the wood rod from splitting.
14. Place the second ¾” hose clamp on the rod and just snug it up somewhere near the top one near the mounting plate.
15. Put some petroleum jelly on the other end with the washer and drop the rod into the galvanized pipe. It should spring up and down freely. An extra spring may be necessary for a heavier helicopter.
16. Now mount the small bungee cord to the large hose clamp and tightened it about 1 inch below the threaded end at the top. Make sure it is tight.
17. Attach the other end of the bungee cord to the smaller hose clamp on the rod and adjust the length so the heli can raise no more than 8 inches, and tighten that clamp and bungee hook around the Ramin Rod.
18. Make sure it springs up and down freely and the rod cannot come out the end of the guide pipe, which is the bungee cord’s job.
Finished. Any questions, refer to my video Part I.
Good luck.