SSC are guests at Building Code Reform Bill Signing at City Hall on June 21, 4004 (L) to (R) Jack Murphy, Fire Safety Directors Assn. of NY, Prof. Glenn Corbett, John Jay College, Sally Regenhard, Chairperson, SSC, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Patricia Lancaster, Commissioner, Dept. of Buildings

In the months after the collapse of the Twin Towers, the New York City Department of Buildings created a task force to look into how the city's buildings can be made safer. The panel, called the World Trade Center Building Code Task Force, looked at issues like building design, construction, and evacuation procedures for the city's 5,300 high-rise buildings. In February 2003, the group made 21 recommendations for improving safety.On June 7, 2004, New York City Council passed new building code legislation based on 13 of the 21 recommendations. The council's bill (Intro 126-A) will require that:

• Building owners install emergency exit markings and signs at exit doors and stairs.
  
  
• Sprinklers be installed in all new hi-rise buildings.
  
  
• Existing skyscrapers upgrade their sprinkler systems.
  
  
• Fireproofing be re-inspected after building renovations.
  
  
• Building owners create emergency evacuation plans for non-fire related events like electrical blackouts, hazardous material spills, and other natural disasters."This legislation will go a long way to ensuring the security of generations to come," said Councilmember Madeline Provenzano, chair of the buildings committee.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg signed Intro 126-a, which implements the recommendations of the World Trade Center Task Force, on June 24th  in the Blue Room in City Hall.