Fire safety a part of Rent Stabilization Association mission.

The dual mission of the Rent Stabilization Association is to advocate the rights of members as owners of rental housing in New York City and provide services that offer our members a competitive advantage.

October will mark the third year of implementation of regulations set forth by the Fire Department of New York City to provide accurate information on fire safety and evacuation procedures for all residents of multiple dwellings. The fire safety rules codify City Council legislation enacted in response to fire-related deaths in highrise buildings.

A tragic fire in Brooklyn a few months ago took the lives of a family of seven. The deaths were at least partly the result of a door being left open in a nearby apartment where the fire is believed to have started. Had the door been closed, these lives might not have been lost. This incident is a stark reminder of the importance of fire safety education. One simple step could have saved seven lives.

RSA fought for increased education of building residents as a more effective and realistic solution to the problem of fire safety than the proposed alternative, an overreaching plan that included retrofitting existing buildings with sprinklers at great cost to building owners.

While the burden of legislation--both the responsibility and the expense--still falls squarely on the shoulders of property owners, the level of compliance with the new rules by the rental housing industry has been extremely high. Despite the costs, the vast majority of residential landlords take all the steps necessary to ensure that New York City's rental housing remains among the safest in the nation.

The Fire Department regulations require owners of all residential buildings to prepare and distribute a fire safety plan containing fire safety and evacuation procedures, and to distribute and post a fire safety notice informing residents of procedures to be followed in the event of a fire in the building. The regulations now constitute an annual, ongoing obligation.

Compliance with the regulations presents a challenge for most building owners because of the complexity of the regulations themselves and the diversity of building sizes and configurations. The Rent Stabilization Association designed a comprehensive Fire Safety Service to help owners meet those challenges.

RSA's Fire Safety Service develops a customized fire safety plan for each building enrolled in the service, mails the fire safety plan to all tenants and building employees, and furnishes appropriate fire safety notices to be posted in individual apartments. RSA also provides proof of mailing and meets all four-year record-keeping requirements.

The RSA Fire Safety Service is a cost-effective guarantee of annual compliance with all requirements, and includes RSA's commitment to keep owners current with any updates or changes mandated by law.

Education of building residents with respect to evacuation procedures is important. If even one life is saved, the effort rental owners exert again this October will be worthwhile.

Our commitment to helping property owners cope with the burdens imposed by innumerable state and city agencies remains stronger than ever. RSA monitors regulations and requirements that affect property owners and actively represents the rental housing industry before the Rent Guidelines Board, the Water Board, and other city agencies. Our efforts before the Rent Guidelines Board this year resulted in two and four percent rent increases on one- and two-year stabilized lease renewals despite intense opposition from tenants and their advocates.

RSA will continue to upgrade and expand our numerous services to reflect the needs of a growing membership. And, with the vital interests of our members at stake, we'll work hard for legislative and regulatory changes beneficial to rental housing providers.