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The FDNY has recently amended this law to require all building owners to ensure these signs are always present and well-maintained. Here’s what you need to know about the new requirements and how to stay compliant.

What are my requirements?

To ensure the Fire and Emergency Preparedness Notices are always present and in good condition, the FDNY is requiring building owners to:

• Obtain written certification from the tenant or apartment owner that the notice has

been posted by delivering a form to each tenant, to be completed and returned  to the building owner or board, that includes a statement from the Fire Department regarding the importance of the notice;

or,

• inspect each dwelling unit at least once every three years to confirm the presence of

the notice and to replace missing or damaged notices whenever the owner or the building manager becomes aware of a missing or damaged notice, or, in apartment buildings with a cooperative or condominium form of ownership, require the apartment owner to post the replacement notice provided by the board.

In short, the FDNY is presenting building owners with the choice of  having each tenant complete and return a form certifying that the fire safety notice in their apartment is present and in good condition, or inspecting each unit for the fire safety notice once every three years. Depending on the amount of units you have and on your tenants, you may find it easier to send out the forms, or to inspect each unit in person. The good news is that the choice is yours!

What if my tenant does not respond to the notice certification form?

If you’ve decided to send out notice certification forms to each tenant and one tenant has failed to respond by April 30 of that year, you are required to perform an inspection of the apartment to check on the status of the Fire and Emergency Preparedness Notice within the year.

When will the new requirements go into effect?

The amendment to the Fire and Emergency Preparedness Notice requirements was originally intended to go into effect on April 30, 2021. However, in light of the difficulty of performing inspections amid COVID restrictions, the City has pushed off the deadline by a full year. Building owners now have until April 30, 2022 to get those certifications completed or the inspections performed.

Are there any additional requirements?

In addition to checking for the presence and condition of the Fire and Emergency Preparedness Notice in each unit, owners are responsible for the following:

• If there is a change in the building conditions which modify the information in the Fire and Emergency Preparedness Notices, building owners must post this information within sixty days of the change.
• The owner must replace any missing or damaged notices and may charge the building resident the reasonable cost of its replacement.
• The owner must replace a missing or damaged notice in a unit before a change in occupancy, and upon the tenant’s request. The owner may charge the tenant for the cost of replacing the notice.
• The owner or board must maintain a written record of the distribution of the notices and certification forms, or detailed documentation of an inspection program, for a minimum of three years.

What do I need to include in the certification form?

According to the FDNY, the following language must be printed in bold lettering not smaller than 14 point Times New Roman typeface or its equivalent: “Fire Department Notice. Building owners and apartment residents are required to post a small Fire Safety Notice (not larger than 6” x 9,” excluding the frame if framed) on the inside of the main entrance door to your apartment. We regret the intrusion, but the Fire Safety Notice is designed to save your life and those of your family. It contains important information and guidance about what to do in the event of a fire in your building. This information needs to be immediately available to all apartment residents if there is a fire. For additional information, refer to the NYC Apartment Building Emergency Preparedness Guide, which accompanies this notice.

If the Fire Safety Notice is posted, please sign and return the certification confirming its presence. False statements are punishable by law. If the Fire Safety Notice is not posted, please complete and return the form to indicate it is missing and to request that it be posted. Failure to complete and return the resident certification form will require the building owner/manager to inspect your apartment to check on the presence and condition of the Fire Safety Notice. The Fire Safety Notice will be posted at no expense to you unless the notice posted in your apartment at the time you moved in is missing or damaged. Thank you for your cooperation.”

In addition, the form should include a place for the resident’s signature and date under the following certification:  “I hereby certify that the Fire Safety Notice provided by the building owner has been posted and is being maintained on the inside of the main entrance door to my apartment. I understand false statements are punishable by law.”

How can the Jaffa team help me stay compliant?

As always, Jaffa is one step ahead of the NYC compliance maze.

First, we are happy to announce that we will be adding the Fire Safety Notice Resident Certification to our Annual Safety Mailings to be conducted in January, 2022.With the deadline delayed until the end of April, this should give you more than enough time to perform an inspection if it becomes necessary.

Of course, you’ll also need to replace any notices that are damaged or missing. Signage can get pricey, but the Jaffa team’s got a solution! To help cut costs, we’ve arranged discounted bulk pricing on Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness Notices for our clients through www.CodeSignsNYC.com. Why not keep more money in your pocket?

Fire Safety Notice inspections? There’s an app for that! Look out for a Fire Safety Notice inspection module on the upcoming Jaffa deFINEd app to help you store relevant documentation and recordkeeping with ease. Now that’s compliance at your fingertips.

Still overwhelmed by the new requirements?  Give us a call at 718.655.6110 or contact us through our website to see how we can help.

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Last year, the city’s fire department overhauled its erstwhile Fire Safety Guide and replaced it with the 30-page Fire and Emergency Preparedness Guide. As part of Local Laws 114 and 115, building owners are now required to distribute this guide to their tenants every three years.

Now the FDNY is proposing two additional requirements for NYC building owners. No worries, though, as always, Jack Jaffa & Associates has got you covered. We’ll walk you through these anticipated laws and outline all you need to know in order to be compliant.

1. Emergency Checklist

The FDNY, along with the Department of Emergency Management and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, has recently created an Emergency Preparedness and Evacuation Planning Checklist. The purpose of this checklist is to help residents develop their own evacuation plans in case of a fire. The list also highlights exact steps that should be taken during an emergency, including specific information for residents with disabilities, special needs, or limited mobility.

If the proposed regulation passes, the Emergency Checklist will need to be distributed in the same manner as the Fire and Emergency Preparedness Guide.

To comply with this law: You’ll need to distribute the checklist every three years. Keep a careful record of when you’ve distributed the Emergency Preparedness and Evacuation Planning Checklist and the Fire and Emergency Preparedness Guide so you know when you’re due for another distribution of each document.

2. Close Door Signs

In accordance with Local Law 115, owners of multiple dwellings must post notices instructing tenants who are fleeing a fire to close all doors behind them in order to keep the fire and smoke as contained as possible. The proposed regulation will establish the exact design and content of such a sign and require building owners to post the sign in lobbies and on the side of stairwell doors that is visible to the public.

The proposed notice would read as follows:

In a Fire, Close All Doors Behind You!

Keep Fire and Smoke Out of Building Hallways and Stairs.

 Keep Apartment and Stairwell Doors Closed at All Other Times.

Protect Your Neighbors and Your Home!

The message would be accompanied by an image of an open door, with flames behind it.

To comply with this law: You’ll need to obtain multiple copies of the proposed sign and post them in your lobbies and on all stairwell doors, being careful to hang them on the side of the door that is visible to the public.

There’s no need to get stressed about the latest NYC building owner requirements. With Jack Jaffa & Associates, compliance is easy! Give us a call at 718-855-6110 or shoot us an email at info@jackjaffa.com to see how we can help.

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LOCAL NEW YORK CITY BUSINESS BRINGS SAFETY, FUN AND COMMUNITY TO BROOKLYN

Starrett City – Festivities were in the air at Spring Creek Towers in Eastern Brooklyn this past Sunday August 4th. Children and their families gathered on the basketball courts outside the Brooklyn Sports Club on Van Siclen Avenue for the JaffaCares Safety Sunday. There were hundreds of bicycle helmets and over a thousand stove knob safety covers available for residents to collect free of charge.

Mr. Jack Jaffa of Jack Jaffa and Associates who sponsored the day and the giveaways said, “Our mission is all about safety, and this event, just like the others we’ve done before, are the natural outcome of the safety work we do every single day.” State Senator Roxanne Persaud was in attendance as well to show her support for the initiative.

In addition to the giveaways, the NYPD was there registering bikes, and the FDNY had a booth to distribute safety information. A fire truck made an appearance for the children to meet the firemen and to take photos with them and their truck.

The highlight of the day was a high-octane basketball game played with law enforcement and first responders while being coached by the teens of the neighborhood. Mr. Michael Hernandez, formerly of the NYPD and now a local security officer of SCT said of the game, “this was a profound opportunity to be able to interact with the people we’re paid to protect, and the comradery was amazing.”

JaffaCares, the safety-centric philanthropic arm of Jack Jaffa & Associates, creates a wide variety of safety initiatives several times a year, with the next initiative scheduled for Fall.

(Video news coverage credit: News12)

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The day will include a variety of safety-focused initiatives, such as free bicycle helmet and stove safety knob distribution to SCT residents, plus fire safety material presentations from the FDNY and bike registration through the 75th Precinct.

The highlight of the event will be a dynamic basketball match involving law enforcement officers and first responders who will be coached by the youth of the Spring Creek Towers Teen Center, providing an unprecedented opportunity for community youth to interact with law enforcement from a reverse and amicable role. In today’s challenging political environment, this initiative will be the catalyst to bring the awareness that we all need to create community, promote safety and foster love, understanding and peace.

Jaffa’s raison d’etre has always been about caring and about safety and JaffaCares is the natural progression of taking the care Jaffa embodies and bringing that to the community and to the individual. Regarding previous JaffaCares initiatives, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. thanked Jaffa for “doing God’s work” and Councilman Mark Gjonaj expressed his heartfelt sentiments to the press, “as you can see, Jack, you are making a difference in the lives of many”.

This initiative promises to advance Jaffa’s mission of safety and community and serve as a model of how our youth should interact with those in charge of providing for their safety.

Read Press Release here.

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