Property & Building Inspection · Task 13 of 19

Life safety study notes

Smoke and CO alarms, egress, fire separation, stairs, guards and garage doors.

Key points

• Smoke alarms: in each bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on each level; replace about every 10 years.
• CO alarms where there are fuel-burning appliances or attached garages.
• Egress windows: about 5.7 sq ft (5.0 at grade), 24 in. high, 20 in. wide, sill no more than 44 in.
• Garage separation: no doors into bedrooms, solid or rated doors, self-closers where required, Type X gypsum under rooms.
• Guards are needed above 30 in.; handrails on stairs with 4 or more risers.
• Test alarms with the test button; report missing or failed alarms as safety items.

Exam tip

life-safety findings belong at the top of the report summary.

Practise this task

Try free life safety practice questions with answers and explanations, or look up terms in the glossary.

These notes are an original study aid and may contain errors. Verify against current IRC, NEC and NFPA editions and your state's standards of practice.