§ 27-542 Emergency lighting.

All assembly spaces shall be provided with emergency lighting facilities sufficient to provide at least five foot candles of illumination at the floor level. Such lighting shall be on circuits that are separate from the general lighting and power circuits, either taken off ahead of the main switch or connected to a separate emergency lighting power source, and be arranged to operate automatically in the event of failure of the normal lighting system. The provisions of this section shall apply retroactively to all existing places of assembly that are or would be classified in occupancy groups F-3 and F-4 or are changed to such classification under this code, in accordance with the following schedule and specifications:

   1.   Cabarets, dance halls, night clubs, and taverns having an occupant load exceeding one hundred fifty persons shall complete the installation required by this section on or before April twelfth, nineteen hundred seventy-nine.

   2.   Cabarets, dance halls, night clubs, and taverns having an occupant load of one hundred fifty persons or less shall complete such installation on or before July twelfth, nineteen hundred seventy-nine.

   3.   Spaces occupied exclusively as restaurants shall complete such installation on or before October twelfth, nineteen hundred seventy-nine.

   4.   All other spaces in occupancy groups F-3 and F-4 shall complete such installation on or before January twelfth, nineteen hundred eighty.

   5.   The wiring shall conform with the electrical code of the city of New York, and have the same protection as specified for wiring in reference standard RS17-3, RS17-3A or 17-3B.

   6.   Storage battery equipment may be used as the sole source of energy provided it conforms with the provisions of section four of reference standard RS 17-3 or consists of two battery packs listed by an acceptable testing laboratory or conforms with nationally accepted standards for such source of emergency energy.

§ 27-543 Light projection sources.

Motion picture projection and other light projection sources shall comply with the following:

   (a)   Film. The projection, use or storage of film having a nitrocellulose base (commonly known as nitrate film) shall not be permitted except under conditions specified in special permits when issued by the fire department. Safety film meeting the specifications and test standards of reference standard RS 8-1 may be projected, used or stored.

   (b)   Projection machines. Projection machines shall meet the requirements of the electrical code of the city of New York. The lamp housing of projection machines using carbon-arc or other light sources that emit gaseous discharge shall be equipped with, or connected to a mechanical ventilation system of adequate capacity to exhaust the products of combustion through ducts directly to the outdoors. Such duct systems shall comply with the requirements of subchapter thirteen of this chapter. When more than one projection machine or other facility employing a carbon-arc or similar light source is used, all may be vented by the same duct system if the capacity is adequate for all facilities so connected.

   (c)   Other light source facilities. All devices, such as spotlights, that employ a carbon-arc or other light source that emits gaseous discharge shall be vented directly as required in subdivision (b) of this section, unless the space in which such devices are located is mechanically ventilated and provides at least two thousand cubic feet of room volume for each device.

   (d)   Light or projection rooms or booths. When enclosed, rooms or booths used for the projection of motion picture film or the manipulating of lights shall be built of noncombustible materials, and shall provide a clear working space of at least two feet around the projection apparatus. Such rooms or booths shall be provided with vents opening to a mechanically ventilated area or the outdoors, adequate in size to supply the make-up air required. The rooms or booths shall be provided with at least one noncombustible or metal clad door at least two feet by six feet opening in the direction of exit travel, and no point within the room, booth, or gallery shall be more than fifty feet from a door opening into a corridor or space that provides access to an exit at a distance not greater than seventy-five feet.