Safety Features
EMERALD PLAZA at 402 West Broadway is a fully sprinklered 30-story office building with
at clustered hexagonal roof.
Levels include:
G3: Parking, Handicap Parking
G2: Parking, Fire Pump, Main Electrical Room, Engineer’s shop
G1: Handicap Parking, water reservoir, generator, Security Control Room, Engineer’s Office, Janitorial Office
Lobby: Main Entrance, Security Console, Fire Control Room (exterior access only) Ballrooms, Meeting Rooms, Kitchen Hotel Offices, Ballrooms
4 - 30: Tenant Space (Note: There is a 13th Floor)
Roof: Emergency Helicopter Facility
Emerald Plaza’s office tower has a hexagonal configuration. As the office tower rises above
the 15th floor, the building’s hexagonal “pods” begin to terminate. A 100 foot glass atrium
connects office and hotel towers. Access between the office & hotel towers is from the 1st,
2nd and 3rd floors.
There are three levels of subterranean parking under both office and hotel towers (Levels
G3 - G1).
LIFE SAFETY SYSTEMS:
PULL STATIONS: Manual pull stations are located near stairwells and in elevator
lobbies on each floor. To operate - PULL.
STROBE LIGHTS: Strobe or flashing lights are located in corridors, restrooms,
tenant spaces, and in passenger and freight elevator lobbies.
The strobe or flashing lights are designed for the hearing
impaired.
DETECTORS: Smoke detectors are located in elevator lobbies, adjacent to
doors with magnetic door hold openers and in the heating,
ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts. Heat detectors
are located in the mechanical rooms and in the parking levels.
SPRINKLERS: Sprinklers are located throughout the building. Each
sprinkler head is activated when its heat responsive element
releases at a temperature of approximately 165 F. Each
sprinkler head pours out approximately 25 gallons of water per
minute.
FIRE ALARM: When a pull station, smoke detector, heat detector or sprinkler is
activated, the fire alarm will activate. The fire alarm at this
building emits a whoop tone and strobe or flashing light. The
alarm is designed to sound on ONE FLOOR, the floor where the
device is activated and in the stairwells.
Activation of a pull station, smoke detector, heat detector or
sprinkler will also annunciate an alarm at the Fire Alarm Panel
and at an off site monitoring company; unlock stairwell doors
equipped with electric locks; activate stairwell pressurization fan;
and release doors equipped with magnetic door hold openers.
Activation of an elevator lobby smoke detector will recall all
elevators.
Activation of a duct detector will shut down the HVAC system on
the floor of device activation.
FIRE ALARM PANELS: Located in the Fire Control Room. When an alarm is activated,
the panels indicate the type of device activated as well as the
floor of activation. The Fire Alarm Panel is monitored by an off
site company, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Remote panels are located at the Security Console (Lobby
Level) and at the Security Control Room (G1).
STAIRWELLS: The building has two main stairwells:
• Stairwell #1 (East), connects levels Street - Roof and exits
directly outside onto C Street near State Street.
• Stairwell #2 (West) connects Levels 1 - Roof and exits
directly outside onto C Street near Columbia Street.
Both stairwells exit outside onto the 4th floor balcony before
continuing down to the ground level.
Both stairwells have roof access.
Upon any alarm condition, both stairwells are automatically
pressurized. A fan blows air into the stairwell at the bottom with
an exhaust fan at the top of the stairwell. Stairwell pressurization
will minimize the chance of smoke entering the stairwell.
Due to the pressurization, doors may be harder to open and you
will feel the air as you enter. Also the fans are noisy.
Stairwell doors are locked from the stair side for security
reasons. Upon activation of any alarm device, the stairwell
doors on floors 4-30 will automatically unlock.
The stairwells are of a two-hour construction with 90 minute
rated door assemblies. They are the lifeline of a high-rise
building. In an emergency, occupants must use them to
evacuate their floor and the Fire Department will use them to get
to the fire floor. For this reason, NOTHING should ever be
stored in the stairwells.
NOTE: Two Additional Stairwells connect Ground Level with the
2 floor. One is a nd “scissor” stairwells to Stairwell #2 (west) and
exits onto Columbia Street near C Street. The other is a
“scissor” stairwell to Stairwell #1 and exits onto State Street near
C Street.
An interior balcony around the atrium connects the 2nd & 3rd
floors to the hotel. An interior stairway near the shuttle
elevators connects Lobby (atrium) to the 3rd floor.
There are 3 stairwell exits from the parking levels: one exits at
the NW corner (on C Street near Colombia); one at the SW
corner (on Columbia Street) and one at the NE corner (on C
Street near State Street).
ELEVATORS: The building has 10 elevators: 4 low rise elevators, 4 high-rise
elevators, and 2 shuttle elevators which service floors G3 - 3.
Each elevator cab has emergency lights and an intercom system
to the Security Console. To activate the intercom: Press the red
button that says “In Case of Emergency Press Button”.
During a fire: Upon activation of any elevator lobby smoke detector, all
elevators within the bank will recall automatically to the 1st floor.
Elevator doors will open and elevators will shut off. If the smoke
detector on the 1st floor is activated, all elevators within the low
rise bank will recall to the 8th floor; elevators #5, #6 & #8 within
the high-rise bank will recall to the 26th floor and elevator #7 will
recall to the 13th floor.
Elevators are not to be used in a fire emergency. Smoke may
enter the elevator shaft and elevators may stop and open onto
the fire floor. ELEVATORS ARE ONLY FOR YOUR DAILY
CONVENIENCE, THE STAIRWELLS ARE FOR EMERGENCY
USE.
In an earthquake: All passenger elevators will stop momentarily, then move up or
down to the closest floor - opposite its counterweight. Doors will
open at that floor and elevators will remain there until inspected
and reactivated by an elevator mechanic.
In a power failure: All elevators will stop momentarily, the emergency generator will
start up and provide power to one elevator at a time to the 1st
floor; then one elevator in each bank will operate on emergency
power.
AUTOMATIC DOOR Elevator lobby doors on floors 4-30, all stairwell doors, and some
HOLD OPENERS: tenant doors are equipped with magnetic door hold openers.
Stairwell doors will automatically release upon activation of any
alarm device throughout the building and during a power failure.
Elevator lobby doors and tenant doors equipped with magnetic
door hold openers will automatically release upon activation of
any alarm device on that floor and during a power failure. These
are fire rated doors should NEVER be PROPPED OPEN.
COMMUNICATIONS: PA SYSTEM: An Emergency Voice Communication System (PA)
is located in the Fire Control Room for communication to a single
floor, multiple floors or the total building.
INTERCOMS are located in Stairwells #1 & #2 at Levels 6, 11,
16, 21 and 26. The intercoms are connected to the Security
Control Room and to the Fire Control Room. The intercoms are
for emergency use.
EMERGENCY POWER: The building has a generator which powers:
- Emergency Lights in stairwells, elevators, corridors, restrooms, and in the Fire Control Room.
- Elevators - all elevators will return to the 1st floor one at a time, then the continuous use of one elevator (preselected) in each bank.
- Fire Alarm System: Fire Alarm Panels, PA system, audible/visual alarm, stairwell pressurization fans.
- EXIT signs
- Security Console & Security Control Room
SMOKE EVACUATION Windows made of tempered glass which can be broken out by
the Fire Department for smoke evacuation are located
approximately every 50 feet. The windows are identified by a
yellow “T”.
Balconies are located on floors 4, 16, 17, 20 ,21, 24, 25, 26 & 29.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS: Type ABC extinguishers are located in locked cabinets on all
tenant floors. Type ABC extinguishers are for use on fires
involving wood, paper, cloth, rubber, some plastics, oil, grease
and electrical fires.
Be sure to use the right type of extinguisher. Using the wrong
type can cause greater damage and injury. Fire extinguishers
should only be used by those trained to do so
.
EMERGENCY The building has an emergency helicopter facility located on
HELICOPTER the roof. The helipad is for the emergency evacuation of
FACILITY: occupants and for bringing in Fire Department personnel onto
the building.
NOTE: Evacuation by helicopter is the exception to the rule. If
possible, always go DOWN the stairwells. Stairwells are much
safer than helicopters and can accommodate hundreds of
people at one time.