New York City is one of the most populated cities in America and has an extremely high population density. As a result, it also has very strict fire safety policies. Developers need to get fire department approvals from the city for everything from rooftop variances to fire alarm installations and site planning.
When it comes to things like these in business, it’s always best to try and do what you can to streamline the process. Want to expedite your approval as a developer from the FDNY, take a look at these tips to get approved quickly.
Familiarize Yourself, Plan Ahead
As a developer, it pays off to familiarize yourself with the local construction codes and fire codes. A stitch in time is going to save you nine as you are going to most likely be using them as a reference during the project and so it will come in very handy.
On top of being informed, involvement with architects and engineers is important. Be sure to have conversations as you go and early on. This will help you ID possible conflicts early and help you to make sure that you have the right people on the job and that communication is flowing. When something comes up during the design phase, you’ll know what to do and be able to figure out a filing strategy.
Understanding the approval deadlines is also helpful. Developers are going to be able to figure out an entire timeline regarding approvals. That way it’s planned out. Waiting until the end to change a plan or get things cleared with the local authorities can cost a lot of money and time and drastically hinder developing plans.
Understand How the Fire Department Works
Five boroughs are covered by the FDNY. They also have multiple different units when it comes to the Bureau of Fire Prevention. In addition, different units may review and approve various submissions. The unit that looks over rooftop access would be different from one that reviews plans for fire protection. Knowing what to submit and to who and where to get approval is key.
You may need to put in a submittal that may need to go to a different unit depending on the work. Even inspections have differing prerequisites, depending what the work scope is. Understanding procedures well and knowing the code as a team is highly beneficial because it will speed everything along, and the department will appreciate the effort to comply with requirements for Life Safety.
Collaborate With Professionals
To be the best, you have to work with the best. Whether a redevelopment or new building, it’s a good idea to have a person with a high level of expertise on site at the start of a project. This will allow for someone that truly knows that they are doing and CRE teams to check out feedback and get an informed direction and then begin to submit their plans.
A professional with expertise in the field will also be able to keep a development team informed if any standards change, helping everything adapt efficiently. An expert will know how to take a project from beginning to end and ensure that milestones are met along the way. Work with the professionals from the start and a project will go efficiently and it could potentially make the project a lot less expensive. Nexus Consulting is a building code and zoning consulting company with expertise to help our client comply with complex regulations in the building development and construction process.