Hacker News Reader

They call it fire code inspections. Most commercial places are inspected at least once a year.

You can't have an emergency exit that locks, it must always be openable from the inside. You get huge fines for an emergency exit that is blocked in any way, and the fire inspectors will shut down your business until it is fixed.

The system isn't perfect but it works most of the time, fire deaths in the US are quite rare.

View on HN

Question: how do prisons handle fires under these regulations?

There are specific rules for prisons (as there are for theme parks and haunted houses.) They must have fire detection and a way to unlock if it is detected, and usually there must be someone monitoring the system whenever occupied and ready to enact emergency procedures.

Adding to that, there's special regulations for almost anything. Hotels, work sites, warehouses. The national fire code is quite a tome, and usually local rules are added on top

Reply on news.ycombinator.com