Codes questioned after student's fall

Although building codes are designed around safety, it is impossible to guard against every tragedy.

"You just can't provide for all cases," he said. "Sometimes you have to make tradeoffs."

For example, a window that could have prevented a fall such as the one involving Leigh Prevatte yesterday morning at Alexander Court, 309 E. Beaver Ave., would spell disaster in a fire.

"The only alternative is inoperable windows," he said. "And then you rely on mechanical systems (for ventilation) -- mechanical systems can fail."

Sealed windows would not only trap heat and smoke inside a burning building, but they could trap occupants and stymie firefighters, said Bair, who also works for the Office of Physical Plant.

"You need to provide a secondary escape route," he said. "Some building codes require that you make windows big enough for a firefighter to fit through."

Building codes in State College are based on standards developed by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA), said Harry Burd, director of code enforcement for the Centre Region Council of Governments.

One of the code variations calls for a railing to be placed in front of sliding patio doors that do not lead to balconies, Burd said. These railings are waist high and do not present a fire hazard.

"We recognized that through horseplay, someone might fall out of something like that," he said. "There is nothing in the code about windows."

Burd, who sits on several BOCA committees, said the organization has been presented with window screens that supposedly will keep a person from falling out of a window or patio door. Burd said he rejects the idea of such screens because it is impossible to make a screen that can withstand large amounts of weight.

While there is no way to make a building completely safe, Bair said he finds himself thinking about safety more often than he used to.

"We have young children now," he said, "and sometimes I look at them and can't help but think what could happen in an instant of inattention."