Section Saf-C 1308.07 - Emergency Exits(a) The entrance door of each school bus shall:(1) Be under the control of the driver and designed to allow easy release and prevent accidental opening;(2) Operate in a manner that when a hand lever is used, no part shall come together so as to shear or crush fingers;(3) Be located on the right side of the bus opposite the driver and within his/her direct view;(4) Have a minimum horizontal opening of 24 inches and a minimum vertical opening of 68 inches and have a minimum opening of 1200 square inches, if a type A school bus;(5) Be one of the following types: a. Split-type, including any sectioned door that divides and opens inward or outward. If one section of the door opens inward and the other opens outward, the front section shall open outward;(6) Have approved safety glass in which the bottom of the lower glass panel shall be no more than 35 inches from the ground when the bus is unloaded and in which the top of the upper glass panel shall be no more than 6 inches from the top of the door;(7) Have upper panel window(s) of safety glass of a minimum of 350 square inches, if a type A school bus;(8) Be equipped with flexible material on the vertical closing edges of split-type or folding type entrance doors to protect the passenger's fingers;(9) Be equipped with a chassis manufacturer's standard door;(10) Be equipped with padding at the top edge of the door opening which shall be no less than 3 inches in width and one inch thick and extend the full width of the door opening; and(11) If power operated, have a clearly labeled emergency release device placed above or immediately to the left or the right of the door.(b) The emergency door of each school bus shall: (1) Be hinged on the right side if located at the rear of the bus and on the front side if located on the side of the bus;(2) Open outward and labeled inside to indicate how the emergency door is to be opened;(3) Be equipped on the upper portion with a minimum of 400 square inches of approved safety glazing. Be equipped with a minimum of 350 square inches of approved safety glazing on the lower portion of the rear emergency door, if a type B, C or D school bus;(4) Have no steps leading to it;(5) Have the words "EMERGENCY DOOR", both inside and outside in letters no less than 2 inches in height, placed at the top in the metal panel above the top glass. In the event a school bus has the words "SCHOOL BUS" enclosed in glass, lettering may be placed under the top glass portion;(6) Be equipped with padding at the top edge of each door opening which shall be no less than 3 inches in width and one inch thick and extend the full width of the door opening;(7) Be marked with an arrow no less than 6 inches in length with a 3/4 inch brush stroke, black in color, on the outside opening device that indicates the direction the device shall be turned for releasing, to allow opening from the outside. The inside emergency door shall be marked in the same fashion;(8) Be equipped with a buzzer system which provides a distinctive, automatically operated signal that indicates to the driver the unlatching of the door and no cut-off shall be installed in the circuit, except through the ignition switch; and(9) Not have a seat or other object placed on the school bus that restricts the passage to the emergency door to less than 12 inches.(c) For the purposes of (b)(3) above, approved safety glazing means glazing construction as set forth in 49 CFR 393.60.(d) Notwithstanding (b)(9) above, a flip seat may be used next to the side emergency door as long as it is placed so that the passage to the emergency door is 12 inches or more when the seat is empty.(e) In addition to the requirements of (b) above, in the event that double emergency doors are used on a type A school bus, they shall be hinged on the outside edge and have a 3-point fastening device.(f) Each school bus shall have a red light above each emergency door or rear emergency window on the inside of the school bus.(g) Any door, other than emergency and entrance doors, shall be secured or rendered inoperable.(h) Any door with an anti-vandalism device shall comply with the requirements of Saf-C 1313.04 (b) or (c), as applicable.(i) The rear window, if intended as an emergency exit, shall: (1) Be designed to be opened from either the inside or the outside;(2) Be hinged at the top;(3) Be equipped with a linkage or a mechanism which automatically holds the opened window against the force of gravity at the minimum hinge opening angle of 60 degrees plus or minus 5 degrees measured from the closed window position;(4) Be equipped with a linkage or a mechanism which will not prevent the window from opening a full 90 degrees against the force of gravity in the event the school bus tips over; and(5) Have a non-detachable outside handle, designed to minimize hitching-to or riding on the handle.(j) Each school bus equipped with a rear emergency window shall have a rear divan seat which shall: (1) Be covered by a shelf installed parallel to the floor, which is capable of supporting a weight of 600 pounds over any 4 square inch area of shelf, in the event the distance from the top of the back of the divan seat to the rear of the school bus is more than 2 inches; and(2) Not have the seat back and shelf, if applicable, obstruct the clear opening of the window.(k) Each school bus manufactured before September 1, 1994, shall be equipped with emergency push-out windows as follows:(1) For 11-20 student capacity, one per side;(2) For 21-35 student capacity, 2 per side;(3) For 36-65 student capacity, 3 per side; and(4) For 66 or more student capacity, 4 per side.(l) Each school bus shall have a distinctive, automatically operated audible signal that indicates to the driver the unlatching of any emergency window, and no cut-off shall be installed in the circuit, except through the ignition switch.N.H. Admin. Code § Saf-C 1308.07
#8248, eff 1-4-05 (from Saf-C 1307.07 )
Ss by #10439, eff 10/11/2013 (See Revision Note at chapter heading for Saf-C 1300).