N.J. Admin. Code § 13:20-50B.11

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 13:20-50B.11 - Doors, emergency

(a) The emergency door shall be hinged on the right side if the emergency door is located in the rear end of the school bus and on the front side if the emergency door is located on either side of the school bus. All emergency doors shall open outward and shall be equipped with a device to hold the door open during emergencies and school bus evacuation drills.

(b) If a Type A school bus is equipped with double emergency doors, such emergency doors shall be hinged on the outside edges of the doors and shall have three one-point fastening devices attached to the body.

(c) The emergency door shall be labeled inside and outside to indicate how the door is to be opened. A black arrow on the outside shall indicate how the emergency door is to be opened. The opening instructions on the inside shall be red or black.

(d) The upper portion of an emergency door shall be equipped with approved safety glazing, the exposed area of which shall be not less than 400 square inches.

1. A rear view wide-angle lens may be attached to one rear school bus window. The lens shall not cover more than one-third of the glass area.

(e) The lower portion of the rear emergency door on a Type B, C, and D school bus shall be equipped with approved safety glazing, the area of which shall be not less than 350 square inches. This subsection shall not apply to a Type D school bus that is equipped with a rear engine.

(f) A school bus shall not be equipped with steps leading to the emergency door.

(g) The words "EMERGENCY DOOR" shall be applied on both the inside and outside of the emergency door in red or black letters at least two inches high with a brushstroke at least <3>/[16] inch wide. The letters shall be placed directly above the emergency door; or on the top of the emergency door in the metal panel above the safety glazing; or on the uppermost portion of the safety glazing provided that the letters on the safety glazing are on a background of a contrasting color and further provided that the emergency door has an exposed clear glass area of not less than 400 square inches as provided in (d) above.

(h) The emergency door shall be designed to be opened from the inside and the outside of the school bus and shall be equipped with a quick release fastening device designed to prevent accidental release. The emergency door fastening device shall not be controlled from the driver's seat. The release mechanism shall be free of any obstruction that may prevent a quick release in case of an emergency.

(i) The emergency door fastening device shall be equipped with an electric plunger-type switch connected to a buzzer located in the driver's compartment that will indicate to the driver that the slide bar has moved and the emergency door is about to open. The switch that operates the buzzer shall be enclosed in a metal case and the wires leading from the switch shall be concealed in the school bus body. The switch shall be installed so that the plunger contacts the farthest edge of the slide bar in such a manner that any movement of the slide bar shall immediately close the circuit on the switch and activate the buzzer.

(j) The emergency door may be equipped with a locking system that incorporates an interlocking electrical circuit that prevents the engine of the school bus from being started while the emergency door is locked. A buzzer shall be provided in the driver's compartment that will indicate to the driver that the door lock has been tampered with while the school bus is in motion. No other locking system designed for school bus security shall be used. The engine start circuit system of a school bus shall not operate if an emergency door is locked from either inside or outside the school bus.

(k) The emergency door shall be equipped on the outside with a handle designed to permit the opening of such door from the outside. The design of the handle shall be such that it is not readily removable from the emergency door without the use of tools. The handle shall be designed so as to prevent to the greatest extent possible the hitching of rides.

(l) The emergency door windows shall not be covered by any metal bars or other screening material.

(m) The emergency door shall be equipped with padding at the top edge of each door opening. The padding shall be covered with fire block material and be at least three inches wide and one-inch thick, and shall extend the full width of the door opening. The emergency door shall have a securely fastened rubber seal around the circumference of the door opening.

(n) There shall be no obstruction higher than 1/4 inch across the bottom of any emergency door opening.

(o) The emergency door shall be equipped with a fastening device to hold the door open during emergencies and school bus evacuation drills. A fastening device affixed to the outside shall not protrude more than 3/4 inch from the school bus body or door, or be of a type that may cause injury when it is not securing the emergency door in its open position.

(p) The emergency door shall contain no numbering or lettering other than the words "EMERGENCY DOOR" and the emergency door arrow.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:20-50B.11

Amended by R.2012 d.023, effective 2/6/2012.
See: 43 N.J.R. 1831(a), 44 N.J.R. 287(b).
In (g), inserted "or black"; and in (j), substituted "start circuit" for "ignition".