Rhode Island high-rise safety: A guide for your association

What is high-rise safety?

Rhode Island high-rise safety means keeping the building, its safety systems, and its emergency procedures ready before something goes wrong. For boards, that includes staying on top of fire protection, building maintenance, clear exit routes, access control, and resident communication so people know what to do and the property is better prepared for an emergency.
 

Rhode Island high-rise safety laws

High-rise associations need to account for several Rhode Island codes and regulations that affect building safety:

• High-rise definition: Rhode Island defines a high-rise as a building with an occupied floor more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access (510-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.2; IBC 2021 § 202).
   
• High-rise fire alarms: Apartment buildings classified as high-rises must have a fire alarm system installed throughout the building in accordance with Rhode Island fire safety requirements (450-RICR-00-00-8 §§ 30.3.4.1.1, 31.4.1.1, and 11.8.4).
   
• Fire detection: Where complete fire alarm coverage is required, automatic detection includes smoke detectors in common corridors, at the top of stairwells and at stairwell landings on each floor, elevator machine rooms and machine spaces, and elevator landings, along with other required detection throughout the building (450-RICR-00-00-8 § 9.6.2.9).
   
• Emergency communication: Rhode Island's Life Safety Code contains requirements for emergency voice and alarm communication systems in high-rise buildings, including standby amplification for the system (450-RICR-00-00-8 § 11.8.4).
   
• Emergency power: High-rise buildings must have emergency and standby power for specified systems, including fire command centers, fire pumps, emergency voice and alarm communications, certain lighting, and elevators (IBC 2021 §§ 403.4.8.3–403.4.8.4).
   
• Clear exit routes: Buildings must provide a safe, continuous, and unobstructed path from points inside the building to the public way (510-RICR-00-00-6 §§ 6.2–6.3; IPMC 2021 § 702.1).
   
• Fire protection maintenance: Fire detection, alarm, suppression, and related equipment must remain operable in accordance with the Rhode Island Fire Safety Code (510-RICR-00-00-6 §§ 6.2–6.3; IPMC 2021 § 704.1).
   
• Elevator safety: Elevators must be installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with Rhode Island's Elevator Safety Code (260-RICR-30-10-1; R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 23-33).

Common high-rise safety rules for residents

Building rules can support the life safety systems already in place. Depending on the property and governing documents, common high-rise safety rules may include:

• Keeping hallways, corridors, and stairwells clear
   
• Not blocking or propping open fire doors
   
• Following building evacuation and emergency procedures
   
• Using elevators only as directed during an emergency
   
• Keeping personal belongings out of common exit routes
   
• Following rules for grills, candles, smoking, or other potential fire hazards
   
• Registering guests and contractors when required
   
• Following garage and parking access procedures
   
• Reporting damaged doors, alarms, lighting, or other safety equipment
   
• Following balcony and common-area rules
   
• Giving management current emergency contact information
   
• Following building procedures for deliveries and vendor access

The association should base its rules on the governing documents and applicable law while keeping expectations clear enough for residents to follow.
 

High-rise safety tips for board members

1. Understand the 4 phases of emergency planning

   The four phases of emergency planning are mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Let’s take a quick look at how experts define each one:
    
   1. Mitigation: Actions taken to prevent hazards from developing into disasters, or to reduce the effects or mitigate the consequences of disasters or emergencies when they happen.
       
   2. Preparedness: Identifying hazards and developing plans for implementation when emergencies happen and disaster strikes.
       
   3. Response: Taking direct action to protect property, mitigate damage, care for residents, and potentially save lives.
       
   4. Recovery: The process of repair and rebuilding following an emergency or disaster.



2. Focus on mitigation and preparedness

   Your board and management team work together in the mitigation and preparedness phases every day. Your goal is to reduce the damage from a disaster and to identify issues you will have to deal with when an emergency occurs.
   
   A newer building might face different challenges than an older one. Waterfront buildings and communities have different issues from those in wooded suburban areas.
   
   Your strategic emergency plan will identify and address those issues, as well as evacuation, backup systems, and communication. Maintenance is a critical part of those phases as well.
    

3. Establish a clear chain of command

   After the preparedness phase comes the response phase. Boards should consider using the tactics of the incident command system (ICS). The ICS approach relies on a clear chain of command going back to an incident commander.
   
   Depending on how your high-rise is managed, you may want that incident commander to be your onsite property manager. If you are self-managed or part of a portfolio, you may prefer that the incident commander be a specific board member who is a full-time resident willing to take on that leadership role. That person needs to be good under pressure and able to direct others to fulfill specific roles in an emergency.
   
   Ideally, everyone will know their roles and responsibilities well ahead of an emergency, but being able to direct others on the fly is important too.
    

4. Prioritize safety and communication

   The incident commander needs to think about safety and communicating with the residents, first and foremost, as per your emergency plan. A mass communication tool like the one in FirstService Residential Connect™ is invaluable for reaching people quickly in emergency situations.
    

5. Be ready to respond with or without warning

   When it comes to responding to emergencies, your response is going to be determined largely by how much warning you have. Weather events like blizzards and hurricanes often allow ample time for checking generators, getting fuel, stocking supplies, and backing up data.
   
   A fire, gas line explosion, or pipe bursting, on the other hand, will likely have no warning at all. That’s why it’s important to have your emergency plans and kits ready to go and up to date at all times. Response is automatic when you’ve drilled and practiced and know what each member of the team is supposed to do.
    

6. Prepare for recovery and restoration

   After you respond, working with local emergency officials as needed, it’s time to think about recovery and restoration. If you work with a professional property management company, they will have the depth of resources to access the experts you need as quickly as possible.
   
   For example, FirstService Residential clients can tap our affiliate, FS Insurance Brokers, which combines insurance expertise with property management insight. Their licensed professionals help communities evaluate coverage, improve risk planning, and advocate through the insurance process, often with an eye toward enhancing coverage while keeping premiums competitive.
    

7. Keep residents informed during recovery

   Don’t think that communication responsibilities stop just because the immediate crisis has passed. It’s critical to keep your residents up to speed on the repair and rebuilding process as you recover from the emergency.
    

8. Review your response and adjust your plans

   Once recovery is well underway, conduct an emergency response post-mortem. Get the board, committee heads, and management staff together to go over what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t. Adjust your plans as needed.

How FirstService Residential can help

Rhode Island high-rise safety involves a lot of moving parts, from required inspections and vendor visits to resident communication and long-term building needs. FirstService Residential can help your board keep those responsibilities organized, coordinate with qualified professionals, track maintenance, and keep residents informed.

Our high-rise teams understand how closely the day-to-day details of a building connect with the resident experience. We work alongside boards to keep operations moving while helping them plan ahead for the property they are responsible for.

Contact FirstService Residential today to learn how our Rhode Island team can support your high-rise community.

This information is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal, regulatory, financial, or operational advice, or as a representation or guarantee of any specific services, capabilities, or outcomes. Property management needs, regulatory requirements, market conditions, and available services vary by jurisdiction, property type, and community. FirstService Residential provides services through locally based affiliates and associates, and services and results may vary by community, region, contractual terms, and applicable law.