tdtastic
Active Member
Ummm, ok..... BEFORE I have to dive into the federal regulations to prove a point (not on here but to the uneducated powers-that-be who run my building) someone PLEASE back me up that I'm not on glue:
All public buildings (educational in this case) are required to have battery-powered emergency lighting and exit signage in ADDITION to any gasoline generator that might supply back-up power to said building. RIGHT???
We hosted an event in our space over the weekend where hundreds of people moved into and out of our auditorium and surrounding spaces. In the middle of one of the presentations, our building experienced a complete loss of power. After the usual "few seconds" our gasoline generator did NOT kick in, which would have at least powered my auditorium's house lighting and partial fluorescent lighting in the hallways. For nearly an hour, the whole building was plunged into total darkness. Our staff was totally at a loss of what to do. We got through it but not without many (and justifiable) complaints from the patrons and participants.
I was told that our generator has been on the fritz for a while and that the school is waiting on the funds to be approved in the state capital. Insert massive eye-roll.
I'm livid because we have been allowed to put on shows here when the generator-powered egress lighting and signage has NOT been functional. I was told we no longer have a battery backup system; I was here to witness their removal years ago. This sounds like total crap to me - am I wrong?!? Our campus looses power at least ten times a year -- it's something systemic in the grid where we are. I'm PISSED because someone here has known of the faulty generator and lack up backup for months but has done nothing to help us implement some temporary precautions until our generator is replaced!!! Aside from the flashlight in my pocket I have NO way to light our auditorium in the event of a power loss. I will be stuck with six hundred people freaking out in the dark with no way to address them over a mic and no way to light their way. What can I do in the meantime!?
I have events in here all this week and I honestly fear, knowing what I know now about our egress lighting, that I could be considered complicit if there was an emergency when I knowing let people assemble here when we aren't in compliance with federal egress regulations.
Do I need to calm down about this?! Is this something any of you have experienced? Before I go citing NFPA or OSHA standards I just need assurance that my gut instinct is correct: that regardless of specific regulations, it is completely UNACCEPTABLE that our ENTIRE building be plunged into abject darkness for an indefinite amount of time whenever our building experiences a total power loss. Am I crazy? Am I?
All public buildings (educational in this case) are required to have battery-powered emergency lighting and exit signage in ADDITION to any gasoline generator that might supply back-up power to said building. RIGHT???
We hosted an event in our space over the weekend where hundreds of people moved into and out of our auditorium and surrounding spaces. In the middle of one of the presentations, our building experienced a complete loss of power. After the usual "few seconds" our gasoline generator did NOT kick in, which would have at least powered my auditorium's house lighting and partial fluorescent lighting in the hallways. For nearly an hour, the whole building was plunged into total darkness. Our staff was totally at a loss of what to do. We got through it but not without many (and justifiable) complaints from the patrons and participants.
I was told that our generator has been on the fritz for a while and that the school is waiting on the funds to be approved in the state capital. Insert massive eye-roll.
I'm livid because we have been allowed to put on shows here when the generator-powered egress lighting and signage has NOT been functional. I was told we no longer have a battery backup system; I was here to witness their removal years ago. This sounds like total crap to me - am I wrong?!? Our campus looses power at least ten times a year -- it's something systemic in the grid where we are. I'm PISSED because someone here has known of the faulty generator and lack up backup for months but has done nothing to help us implement some temporary precautions until our generator is replaced!!! Aside from the flashlight in my pocket I have NO way to light our auditorium in the event of a power loss. I will be stuck with six hundred people freaking out in the dark with no way to address them over a mic and no way to light their way. What can I do in the meantime!?
I have events in here all this week and I honestly fear, knowing what I know now about our egress lighting, that I could be considered complicit if there was an emergency when I knowing let people assemble here when we aren't in compliance with federal egress regulations.
Do I need to calm down about this?! Is this something any of you have experienced? Before I go citing NFPA or OSHA standards I just need assurance that my gut instinct is correct: that regardless of specific regulations, it is completely UNACCEPTABLE that our ENTIRE building be plunged into abject darkness for an indefinite amount of time whenever our building experiences a total power loss. Am I crazy? Am I?