Fire Escapes
Ensuring safety with Fire Escape Repairs and Load Testing
Delta Delta Delta Sorority gathered to take a photo with all 40 ladies on their fire escape in 2010. Suddenly, bolts pulled out of a rotten wall, and the fire escape lurched downward. Fortunately, no one was hurt. After this, the Corvallis Fire Department enforced load testing and inspection of every fire escape in Corvallis on a five-year cycle. As a result, G. Christianson has become the local go-to for fire escape load testing services, and can provide any repair work that is discovered during the fire escape load test. We can also remove and replace your fire escape with a completely new stair tower to eliminate the need for frequent load testing, ensuring safe and durable emergency exits for years to come.
“Since 2011, we've committed ourselves to become experts in removing, repairing, load testing, and replacing fire escapes around OSU and Corvallis. Please call us for advice on what is right for your fire escape. ”
Carl Christianson, Owner
Project Details
Load Testing Fire Escapes
When a full replacement isn't practical or within your budget, we provide load testing services to prove that your fire escape will hold code-required weight. Each escape is unique. Our Structural Engineer calculates the capacity of your fire escape and then creates a specific load testing plan to verify its strength. We often load test with water barrels, winches, and load cells to prove it won't collapse. We always take steps to prevent a catastrophic collapse during testing. After the test, all areas of concern are fixed, such as reinforcing sagging beams and platforms by adding posts. We document our work and keep the Corvallis Fire Marshall updated. A Fire Escape load test should occur every 5 years.
Replacing Fire Escapes with Stair Towers
The narrow platforms, short handrails and steep ladders on nearly 100-year-old fire escapes are no longer allowed in Oregon State Building Code. We highly recommend replacing your fire escape with a new structural steel stair tower to create a safe escape route from your building. The first step is determining if a stair tower is practical and within your budget. Then we hire a Structural Engineer to design a safe stair tower. Then we provide a fixed price contract to build it. Our team includes certified welders, concrete masons, carpenters, and painters to build it. A new stair tower eliminates the ongoing cost of load testing and structural engineer inspections.
Fire Escape Repairs
Most fire escapes were built close to 100 years ago using rules of thumb, but had no structural engineering. These platforms can be unsafe. We often find they are only attached with a simple bolt through a small piece of wood nailed between studs at a few spots - not nearly adequate for the weight of people escaping a fire. We hire an experienced licensed Structural Engineer to calculate exactly how to repair your escape to make it safe, and then weld or bolt-on new structural steel to fix your fire escape. We work closely with the City of Corvallis Fire Department to ensure the escapes will function in an emergency and their repairs are documented.
Fire Escape Industrial Painting
We subcontract to an industrial painting company to fix the painting on fire escapes. They have decades of experience working on large steel structures in industrial mills. They sand blast and grind all of the loose paint and rust off of your fire escape, then prime and paint with Industrial-grade, direct-to-metal alkyd enamel for the best protection.
What our Clients are Saying
“We were very happy with the results. ”
Clay & Helen Higgins, Corvallis
See the Vaulted Open Concept Kitchen project
“We were beyond impressed with the level of professionalism, communication, execution, and customer service from the entire G. Christianson team. Our design meetings were a lot of fun and never felt stressful. In fact, the entire process never felt stressful. When it came time for their team to start construction, everyone was so professional and so nice and always made it a point to make sure we were satisfied. Execution was flawless. There weren’t any surprises, and the cost was exactly what we were told at the beginning. We especially loved the cabinet team, and got to know them well. Additionally, I know that if we were ever to encounter an issue in the future, I can always call the team and know it’ll be taken care of.”
Kathy & Jason Lin, Corvallis, OR
“We live in an historic district and Elizabeth did a great job preparing a design which complements our house. She facilitated a smooth historic preservation permit approval. Building a carpentry shop raises a number of non-standard construction issues. Carl patiently answered our many questions. His knowledge of energy efficiency practices was very helpful. Ron, who runs the cabinet shop, provided invaluable insights regarding layout, power needs, etc. Ben and the entire G. Christianson Construction crew were reliable, on time, and hardworking. It was a pleasure to work with Carl, Elizabeth, Ben and the rest of the team. The end result is a beautiful and functional shop – a dream come true. ”
Josh Smith, Corvallis, OR
See the Historic-Inspired Outbuilding project
