Are emergency instructions tailored to events and communicated to building occupants?
High-rise building fire alarm systems are required to have emergency voice communication. Trained emergency personnel assess the emergency and broadcast a variety of specific messages to the occupants. The occupants believed to be in the greatest potential danger are instructed to use the exit stairs to begin their descent. Occupants of other floors might be instructed to stay where they are and await further instruction. In these cases, only occupants on the fire floor and the floors immediately above and below typically receive the announcement through the system. Should the scale of the emergency increase, the announcements can be revised to include additional floors, or the entire building if necessary.

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1. Are building owners/operators required to hold regular emergency drills?
2. Are emergency instructions tailored to events and communicated to building occupants?
3. How can I judge if my building's evacuation plan is adequate for any emergency?
4. If I become trapped, should I break a window? Should I jump?
5. If I have a long stairwell, is it better to go to the roof?
6. If the neighboring high-rise is one fire, should my building evacuate?
7. Is high-rise building evacuation different from other buildings?
8. Procedures for people in wheelchairs or other disabilities that affect mobility?
9. Should my building have any type of exterior escape device?
10. Under what circumstances may I use the elevator safely?
11. What are the key elements of emergency preparedness?
12. What happens when the event is not typical?
13. Will the systems work in a terrorist attack?