Egress distance from indoor water slide stairway top

[Mr. Inspector]

Got this reponse from an architect designing an indoor water park. The subject is egress distance from the top of a open stair tower for a water slide. The top of the stairway has only a landing, I would not consider it a story. The egress distance from the top to the bottom of the stairway is 175', then another 200' to an exit. Sprinklerd B2 construction.

One specific area for your consideration of travel distance is the stair tower. The stair tower is not a part of the building in any way. It is strictly a part of the attraction and historically has always been treated as such. Our egress travel distance to the attraction is well within the code limit of 250’. As we discussed on the phone Thursday morning for the building design to consider travel distance on the stair tower might then open consideration to other issues of design for the stair tower itself such as occupant load and number of points of egress from the stair tower. But because the stair tower is part of the attraction, not part of the building, none of these issues is ever considered as part of the building design. Therefore we ask that this comment be removed as not applicable.

MEANS OF EGRESS: a continuous and unobstructed path of vertical and horizontal egress travel from any occupied portion of a building or structure to a public way...

What do you think?

 

[steveray]

I'd call BS on that.....Never had to fight it, but I am thinking I would....If it is a point inside the building, egress travel applies...They must be using the "200 people on a stair in an emergency could never be a problem" logic......

 

[cda]

I am thinking it makes sense

As he states if you apply travel distance than are you going to apply all other aspects of the code???

Like depending on a design, one might require two ways to exit, than what are you going to do?? Require another stair?

It is done with air traffic control towers

 

[steveray]

I am thinking it makes sense As he states if you apply travel distance than are you going to apply all other aspects of the code???

Like depending on a design, one might require two ways to exit, than what are you going to do?? Require another stair?

Yep.....Or they can ask for a modification...We typically do not do OL for a stair(but kinda tough to ignore when you know it is basically a waitng area), but CPET and TD do apply....Unless there is something in the code that I have not seen them that would exempt them....

 

[Mr. Inspector]

I am applying other aspects of the code to the stair tower. They have to make the stairway wider and and the vertical rise (12') is to high some places on the stair tower. IBC 1021 only requirs at least two exits on a story. I would not consider the top of this stairway a story. But the slide itself could be a second exit.

 

[cda]

Yep.....Or they can ask for a modification...We typically do not do OL for a stair(but kinda tough to ignore when you know it is basically a waitng area), but CPET and TD do apply....Unless there is something in the code that I have not seen them that would exempt them....

as everyone knows, the code does not take into account everything people can imagine

 

[Francis Vineyard]

I am applying other aspects of the code to the stair tower. They have to make the stairway wider and and the vertical rise (12') is to high some places on the stair tower. IBC 1021 only requirs at least two exits on a story. I would not consider the top of this stairway a story. But the slide itself could be a second exit.

Would the amusement device reference standards for gravity rides apply here?

 

[cda]

seems like this would fall in with other indoor playground equipment??????

http://www.fecdirectory.com/images/Used/May/indoor-playground-large.jpg

http://www.eliplay.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/shooting-arena-ballorig-indoor-playground-arnhem1.jpg

not sure if some of these could meet travel distance+