View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2014/01/14/317052.htm
A New York City lawmaker is proposing a new fire-safety requirement for high-rise apartment houses after a playwright died trying to flee a blaze in his building.
City Councilman Corey Johnson told The Wall Street Journal the measure would require buildings taller than six stories to have emergency public-address systems. That’s so first responders and building managers can communicate better with residents.
The Fire Department had no immediate response.
Writer Daniel McClung was overcome by smoke in a stairwell after fleeing his 38th-floor Manhattan apartment Jan. 5, when flames swept through a unit 18 floors below.
Fire officials have said residents would have been safe staying in their apartments because of the building’s fireproof design. But some may not have known that.