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Access stairs
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A stairway, usually open, serving a number of floors of a common tenant. Also known as convenience stairs.
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Air diffusers
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The air supply outlets of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) into the conditioned space.
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Annunciator panel
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The console at the fire command station which provides audible and visual fire and trouble signals.
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Ansul system
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A dry chemical extingushing system commonly used to protect commercial cooking equipment.
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Asphyxiation
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A harmful changing of the chemical life processes of the body tissues due to a deficiency of oxygen.
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Atrium
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An open area within a building, more than three stories.
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Attack stairway
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A fire stair being used by the Fire Department to gain access to the fire area, where the door between the stairway and fire area is being maintained in an open position.
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Ball drip valve
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The valve located between the siamese and the lower check valve which enables that section of piping to be maintained dry.
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Blind shaft elevators
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Elevators serving the upper areas of a building in a shaft that is not equipped with hoistway doors on the lower floors.
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Booster pumps
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The pumps which supply a gravity or pressure tank in a Hi rise building.
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Boro communications office
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The fire dept. dispatch office of a Boro which receives alarms from various sources and sends out fire companies to respond.
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Building evacuation supervisor
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When the fire safety director is not present in a class "E" office building occupied by less than 100 people above or below the street floor or by less than 500 people in the entire building, an employee trained by the fire safety director will man the fire command station and execute the fire safety plan.
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Central station
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A private alarm company station which receives alarm signals from a location and transmits the alarm to the fire dept.
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Certificate Of Fitness
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A document issued by the Fire Dept. given to a person who has met the qualifying requirements to perform a specific function.
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Certificate Of Occupancy
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A document issued by the building department stating the approved uses and maximum occupancies of spaces in a building.
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Check valve
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A valve in a fire protection system which allows the flow of water in one direction only.
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Class E Building
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The building code designation for a building which primary use is the transaction of business.
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Class J Building
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The building code designation for a building which primary use is for residential purposes.
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Combustible liquids
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Liquids which give off flammable vapors at a tremperature over 100 degrees.
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Compartmentation
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The subdividing of floor areas by fire resistive separations into smaller spaces or compartments.
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Core type Building
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A building in which the elevators, stairway and building support systems are grouped together in one area of the building. This area could be in the center of the building as in a center core building or on one of the sides of the building as in a side core building.
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Damper
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A device to seal off or to control air flow in a HVAC system.
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Elevator control Panel
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A visual display unit located in the lobby to indicate the status and location of all elevator cars and necessary controls for the operation of the cars.
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Elevator machinery Room
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The area where the equipment is located that raises and lowers the elevator car. It can be at the top or bottom of the elevator shaft. In high-rise buildings it is usually at the top of the shaft.
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Evacuation Stairway
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A fire tower or a fire stairs that is remote from the fire area and used for the evacuation of the building occupants. A fire tower is the preferred evacuation stairs.
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Explosive or flammable limits
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The percentage of substance (vapor) in air that will burn if it is ignited. Most substances have an upper (too rich) and a lower (too lean) flammable limit.
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Fail Safe system
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A system where the stairway door unlock upon operation of certain automatic fire detecting devices or manually from the fire command station
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Fire Brigade
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Building employees trained by the FSD to assist in evacuation, provide information to the Fire Commmand Station and extinguish incipient fires upon receipt of an alarm.
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Fire Command Station
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A location in the lobby with communication capability to various parts of the building. The fire Command station shall include a console with capability to monitor fire alarm and fire protection systems in the building.
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Fire partition
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A rated vertical unit or assembly of materials that seperate one space from another within any story of a building.
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Fire point
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The temperature at which a liquid fuel will produce vapors sufficient to support combustion once ignited. The fire point is usually a few degrees above the flash point.
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Fire prevention
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The inspections and maintenance to prevent hazardous conditions from developing
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Fire protection
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The building systems in place to extinguish a fire or limit it's spread.
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Fire protection plan
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A professional engineer's plan to show the fire protection systems and features of a building. For example the sprinkler and standpipe systems and the fireproof doorways would be listed.
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Fire pumps
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The pumps which increase the pressure in a fire protection system
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Fire safety director
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A designated employee holding a certificate of fitness from the Fire Department qualifying him to perform the duties as required.
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Fire safety plan
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A fire safety plan for drill and evacuation procedures
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Fire tower
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An enclosed stairway connected at each story by an outside balcony or fire proof vestibule vented to the ouside.
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Fire wardens
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Employees of a tenant who's duties include providing information to the Fire Command Station and directing evacuation from the floor which they occupy
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Flame proofing
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The treating of a combustible material to make it difficult to ignite, and to restrict the flame from spreading once it ignites
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Flammable liquids
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Liquids which give off flammable vapors at a temperature under 100 degrees
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Flash point
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The minimum temperature at which a liquid fuel gives off sufficient vapors to form an ignitable mixture with the air near the surface. At this temperature the ignited vapors will flash but will not continue to burn.
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Frost proofing
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The insulating and heating of sections of piping on the fire protection systems which are exposed to freezing temperatures.
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Fused
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When a soldered link melts and water flows out of a sprinkler head it is said to have fused.
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Fusibl link
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A device designed to be actuated by an abnormal rise in temperature.
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Gravity tank
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A tank which is elevated to provide water under pressure by way of gravity to a fire suppression system
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Group Stairs
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Seperate stairways which will be found in close proximity to each other
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Hard wire communications
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A system of communications in which wiring physically connects both lobby command post and other areas within the building. Viz.: Points of transmission and reception.
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Heat
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The form of energy that raises temperature. Heat can be measured by the amount of work it does; for example, the amount of heat needed to make a column of mercuty expand inside a thermometer.
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HVAC system
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The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in a building.
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