From the second assigned reading I have learned that egress is a very important element for fire safety of the building. There are many elements about which architects need to think before the construction of building. The egress requirements are highly dependent on the building occupancy and use. It a wise idea to design multiple exits for the buildings that many people are using such as schools or hospitals. In addition exit route should have illuminated marking in case the power is down during the fire so it can be easily found by the people that are evacuating from the building. As well the emergency lighting should have a separate battery in case the power is down during the fire. As the time is critical during the fire, Exit doors should be clearly marked so people that are escaping from the fire do not confuse the other doors with the exit. The exit doors should always open towards direction of egress. In addition the egress route and stairwells should be fire rated so these won’t catch the fire immediately so, it gives time for the evacuation. The exit also should discharge into a safe space such as a street or alley.

Another aspect that I learned from the second reading was stair design which are very important element of egress. Stairs should be designed in a way that each thread and each riser has uniform dimensions so people can move comfortably between floors. Stairwells should be also fire rated and air pressurized so the smoke and fire does not enter them quickly. The stairwell enclosure should be at least 2hr fire rated for the public buildings. When designing the stairs it is also very important to think about the dimensions of handrails to prevent falling hazard. In addition the width of a landing should be at least the same size as the width of a stair to allow the comfortable passage during the fire evacuation.