Food Truck Emergency Exit

Is an emergency exit required on a food truck? My step van only has a passenger door and a rear door but I want to configure my cooking equipment in such a way that I will block the rear exit and never use it.
 
I know in the California style food trucks, there is an emergency exit under the rear grill. I have not seen any requirement in the the Georgia Interpretation manual so I do not think I need an emergency/additional exit. I could also consider my driver window an exit I guess.

You can go out the window, can't you?    ... That should do for an emergency exit.

That is what I am thinking but not sure if there is a requirement to have one.

well, just a thought here..... its not very smart to have your "emergency exit" at the same end of the truck as your door....
the health dept could probably care less about it, but the local fire marshal will love you for having an escape route at each end, and it could go a long way to getting you certified for operation even if its not a mandatory thing to have..

How about a roof hatch like this

It's for a schoolbus but would work for your use.
 
http://www.schoolbusparts...Pages/roofhatches.html

lornaschinske


How about a roof hatch like this

It's for a schoolbus but would work for your use.

LOL. How many Americans, much less chefs/cooks could fit through that? 

I can see myself trying to get out of that, just another vent to feed the fire if there was one in a small area as a truck. before you get out of there you be bacon. Just hit the floor and crawl to the exit if you can't cantain the fire in time with a extinguisher if your unit is filled with smoke. That why I have stainless steel though out my rig. Not saying it can't happen to me but have a better chance than someone that has FRP board in there unit. A grease fire is a scary thought. Just read a storie of a food truck that caught fire and the propane tank blew up and three people where in it and one was burned real bad. This was in New York City. You can goolge this they had a write up in the paper there.

I was actually looking into the roof exit just to have, as you stated. My grill will be in the back so I think exiting through the front is best anyway. I will call the local fire marshal Monday. The wall behind my cooking area is stainless and the other walls will be FRP but I will try to buy a fire suppression system also.

just why many states require a ansul system, and the ones that don't should.... yes i know there expensive but think if your wife and/ or kids are in it when a grease fire erupts .. i'm sure you'd think it was cheap insurance then.

I agree.

Buck & Vi's
just why many states require a ansul system, and the ones that don't should.... yes i know there expensive but think if your wife and/ or kids are in it when a grease fire erupts .. i'm sure you'd think it was cheap insurance then.

 
sorry, but i dont agree with this.....
the kids can calmly but quickly step out of the vehicle, and the wife can grab the tub of corn starch and smother the fire with it....
the exhaust fan is going to keep the smoke at bay for a short time anyway, long enough i imagine to take care of any issues before they become problems....
they legislated halon systems into the boating world because by god you have to protect the idiots from themselves.... after a few dozen or more captains died of suffocation they have now outlawed halon systems on boats under a certain size because by god we have to protect the idiots from themselves!
 
unless you just have a nasty ass rig a grease fire would be "confined" at least for a short while on whatever piece of equipment it started on... throw some corn starch on it, clean it up, learn what you did wrong, and go about your day....

A $3000 investment now is well worth it.
I would not want my $60000 investment to burn to the ground because I could not put the fire out.

cracker75

lornaschinske


How about a roof hatch like this

It's for a schoolbus but would work for your use.

LOL. How many Americans, much less chefs/cooks could fit through that? 

Acutally, I could and I'm not skinny by a long shot.

I'm lucky on that note. I'll be converting a school bus so the emergency exit is already built in.

lornaschinske

Acutally, I could and I'm not skinny by a long shot.

The purpose of a roof escape hatch is to allow egress when the bus is tipped on it's side. If its flipped on the side the entry door is on, then you would technically be trapped. If one was rear ended before flipping, then that would disable the rear door as well. Studies have shown that in a panic situation, people tend to look "out and ahead" meaning if the bus was on its side, they would now be looking "out and ahead" at the roof hatch which is now in front of them and would pass on trying to remove the windows above them, which are clearly labeled for emergency exit. "out and ahead" is also the reason why aisles are illuminated with low voltage lighting in airplanes, tour buses, movie theaters etc.
 
At one point in time, there was discussion about having EXIT signs located 1' above the floor in addition to over it, so those that are crawling on the floor can see them. They were eventually discontinued due to design aesthetics and practicality of installation i.e, which side of the door, both sides of the door, reflective tape etc.
 
That being said, you would need to have a ladder to get through the hatch and practice it's use on a regular basis. Then comes the problem of dropping several feet to the ground, once on top. Unless you anticipate your trailer being flipped on its side during operation (maybe by an angry mob that want's their dog faster).......I would consider another option besides a roof hatch.
 
 

This is the exit on my trailer


 
 

My biggest concern is that the emergency exit on my bus is about 3 feet off the ground. In our younger days this would have been no big deal, but my wife and I are no spring chickens and I'm trying to come up with a way to mount portable stairs in case we do need to use the exit.

Step on the nearest counter or appliance to get a boost up. Have a rope ladder attached to the escape hatch and tucked into a bag hanging from the ceiling when not in use.

Sweet rig ,chefbuba.