user1111 wrote:
Three days after a massive fire at the Avalon at Edgewater displaced about 1,000 residents, the real estate company's public relations firm suggested a list of upbeat, praise-filled talking points to the county's top elected official, internal emails obtained by NJ Advance Media show.

There are no apologies to be found in the memo, nor does the email sent by Washington D.C.-based public relations firm Kreab to Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco's communications staff on Jan. 23 acknowledge the challenges displaced tenants face in the wake of the 7-alarm fire, which officials say was accidentally caused by AvalonBay's maintenance staff.

Instead, Kreab suggests that Tedesco praise the billion-dollar real estate trust for its efforts at his press conference later that day, according to emails obtained by NJ Advance Media through a public records request filed with the county.

"You learn a lot about a company and its people during challenging times -- I can tell you AvalonBay really stepped up to the plate to support its residents, the town and others," reads the first talking point suggested to Tedesco.

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ka5ia wrote:
Quote:

Annod wrote:
Does anyone know the sprinkler law in Jersey City? My current place(high-rise) and my previous place(low-rise) have sprinklers in the closets and bathrooms. Is that the law in Jersey City?


Q&A: Should N.J. building codes change in wake of Edgewater complex blaze?
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015 ... of_edge.html#incart_river


http://www.jfahern.com/news/nfpa-13-versus-13r

http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublicatio ... sible-sprinkler-omissions

In a residential building, I don't think sprinklers go by the height of the building but more so by the amount of families/dwellings in the building. I want to say once you go past 3 families/apartments, you are required to have sprinklers. As for whether they are required in closets or bathrooms, I'm not too sure about that. I can try looking it up in the IBC or IFC one of these days. (I work for an architect.)

Annod wrote:
Does anyone know the sprinkler law in Jersey City? My current place(high-rise) and my previous place(low-rise) have sprinklers in the closets and bathrooms. Is that the law in Jersey City?


Q&A: Should N.J. building codes change in wake of Edgewater complex blaze?
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015 ... of_edge.html#incart_river


http://www.jfahern.com/news/nfpa-13-versus-13r

http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublicatio ... sible-sprinkler-omissions

ka5ia wrote:
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Giovanna wrote:
One of the commenters on NJ.com said that firewalls are required between townhouse/condo units (new, wood construction), but since Avalon is an apartment building, those codes don't apply.

I'm pretty sure that a min of 1-hr rated walls are required between units and around staircases in apartment buildings.

I don't know what the code calls for in Edgewater but I do know that this applies to construction in Jersey City and Bayonne.

Giovanna wrote:
One of the commenters on NJ.com said that firewalls are required between townhouse/condo units (new, wood construction), but since Avalon is an apartment building, those codes don't apply.

mfadam wrote:
so what can you do if you live in a wood frame place to minimize potential fires? I guess stoppers if you open up your walls and see balloon framing. Any other ideas?

My guess is the vast majority of JC residents live in homes with wood framing of one sort or another.

Annod wrote:
Insurance requirement could shield Avalon renters

JANUARY 23, 2015, 4:37 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015, 10:39 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD

Most of the tenants whose belongings were destroyed in the Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex inferno this week are expected to recover at least some of their losses through renters insurance, which the landlord requires.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/insur ... -avalon-renters-1.1239042

Annod wrote:
Insurance requirement could shield Avalon renters

JANUARY 23, 2015, 4:37 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015, 10:39 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD

Most of the tenants whose belongings were destroyed in the Avalon at Edgewater apartment complex inferno this week are expected to recover at least some of their losses through renters insurance, which the landlord requires.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/insur ... -avalon-renters-1.1239042

mfadam wrote:
so what can you do if you live in a wood frame place to minimize potential fires? I guess stoppers if you open up your walls and see balloon framing. Any other ideas?

My guess is the vast majority of JC residents live in homes with wood framing of one sort or another.

JGJDNYCJC wrote:
We had a fire-related evac in my building (Gulls Cove) last summer. Turns out, I evacuated my family unnecessarily.

Fire chief came by a few weeks later and explained to us that for steel and concrete structures, each apt is a fire-proof box, as required by code.

So long as the fire isn't on your floor or the ones above or below you, you could in fact stay put and await further instructions. This way not everyone is stampeding to escape the building.

The low rise rental communities are among the worst as they're pretty much all wood.

JadedJC wrote:
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Frank_M wrote:
The larger and taller a building is, obviously the longer it takes to evacuate. Therefore, within a given occupancy class, fire-resistance rating requirements for walls, floors, roofs and partitions increase as allowable building area and height increase.

This is true. In my high-rise we've been instructed by the fire department to actually stay inside our apartments with the door closed and to put a wet towel against the bottom of the door to prevent smoke seeping in. High rises built in recent years have actually been required to meet a very strict code that's designed to contain a fire, if one does break out, to a limited area. There was a case last year of a fire breaking out in a high rise in Manhattan and the two fatalities were a couple who tried to evacuate but were overcome by smoke in the stairwell. The residents who stayed put, even next door to the apartment on fire, were fine.

I love how people here tar all new construction as bad construction - as if wood frame Victorian homes don't burn like matchboxes.

JGJDNYCJC wrote:
Fire chief came by a few weeks later and explained to us that for steel and concrete structures, each apt is a fire-proof box, as required by code.

Frank_M wrote:
The larger and taller a building is, obviously the longer it takes to evacuate. Therefore, within a given occupancy class, fire-resistance rating requirements for walls, floors, roofs and partitions increase as allowable building area and height increase.

Vigilante wrote:
Anyone who has seen the newer construction in downtown JC could tell you how cheap and flimsy the materials are that are used. The only building I would move into is the Hamilton Place building and that's because it was built on the bones of the old St. Francis Hospital.

bodhipooh wrote:
I was equally struck by the quote that "The purpose of those codes is not to prevent the building from burning down, but rather to ensure that there is sufficient time and opportunity for all occupants to exit safely in the event of a fire". I wonder if that is a true statement, or just his opinion, or the imposed "company line" given the recent events.

bodhipooh wrote:
Quote:

Frinjc wrote:
"Edgewater Fire Chief Tom Jacobson said earlier the lightweight, wooden construction of the Avalon Bay complex allowed the flames to spread so rapidly. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, AvalonBay Communities, owners of the complex, said the building met fire and safety codes.

"The purpose of those codes is not to prevent the building from burning down, but rather to ensure that there is sufficient time and opportunity for all occupants to exit safely in the event of a fire," the company wrote. "We are grateful that everyone at Avalon at Edgewater was able to leave the building and get to safety without serious injury."

To those at Avalon Cove, don't worry, in the event of a fire, all of your stuff will burn but you will have plenty of time to exit!! Be grateful of this opportunity!!

I was equally struck by the quote that "The purpose of those codes is not to prevent the building from burning down, but rather to ensure that there is sufficient time and opportunity for all occupants to exit safely in the event of a fire". I wonder if that is a true statement, or just his opinion, or the imposed "company line" given the recent events. Very sobering to know we are not to expect to be able to survive a fire and still have some belongings/property left to our name.

greenville wrote:
Are the Avalon Cove Apartments built the same way? The Edgewater buildings burned before and instead of learning from the previous fire they decided to build it the same way. This is why I do not like newly constructed buildings, since they had higher standards back in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s except for the asbestos and lead paint. Just imagine if this had been at night, we would certainly be looking at many casualties.

Frinjc wrote:
"Edgewater Fire Chief Tom Jacobson said earlier the lightweight, wooden construction of the Avalon Bay complex allowed the flames to spread so rapidly. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, AvalonBay Communities, owners of the complex, said the building met fire and safety codes.

"The purpose of those codes is not to prevent the building from burning down, but rather to ensure that there is sufficient time and opportunity for all occupants to exit safely in the event of a fire," the company wrote. "We are grateful that everyone at Avalon at Edgewater was able to leave the building and get to safety without serious injury."

To those at Avalon Cove, don't worry, in the event of a fire, all of your stuff will burn but you will have plenty of time to exit!! Be grateful of this opportunity!!