Alabama Preparedness Conference; Commercial and Community Storm Shelter FAQs
It was great to meet EMA and county officials at the recent Alabama Preparedness Conference. As always, RemainSafe aims to serve as a resource for not only expertly designed storm shelters, but vital information regarding storm shelter construction, specification requirements and best practices for all our customers. As business and community officials develop bids for new storm shelters, questions often arise about what specifications to include. Here we’ve addressed the most-asked questions from the show.
What are the Correct Guidelines to Include in Bid Specifications?
Community and Commercial storm shelters should be built to the most-recent ICC 500 guidelines: ICC 500-2020. It is important to understand the difference between shelters compliant with ICC 500-2020 guidelines and shelters built to older, outdated standards. Updates to ICC 500 in 2020 include new sections on topics like floor weight requirements and operating hardware and significant amendments to existing sections regarding debris impact loads, roof life loads, and access to doors and egress. To learn more about the impact of these updates, read our overview of the ICC 500-2020 updates.
What Sizes are Available for RemainSafe Exterior Flush Community and Commercial Shelters?
RemainSafe is happy to work with business owners and community officials to accommodate their specific shelter needs. We offer custom sizing for community and commercial storm shelters. Custom sizes and designs are available upon request to match your unique spatial needs. We also offer standardized sizes, following the most used storm shelter designs.
- 10′ wide x 24′ long x 8′ tall
- 10′ wide x 32′ long x 8′ tall
- 10′ wide x 40′ long x 8′ tall
- 10′ wide x 48′ long x 8′ tall (shipped in two sections and fabricated in the field)
- 10′ wide x 56′ long x 8′ tall (shipped in two sections and fabricated in the field)
If you need assistance determining what size your storm shelter or safe room needs to be, please refer to our blog How to Size Your Commercial Storm Shelter to Accommodate Your Team or contact us.
Where Can Exterior Flush Community and Commercial Shelters be Installed?
Community and Commercial shelters are typically installed outside a building, acting as on-site storm protection. For example, outside classrooms, exits at businesses or clubhouses within residential developments. They are installed using a two-part epoxy and embedded steel install method on a FEMA-compliant pad.
Has the Shelter Been Tested?
RemainSafe submits each storm shelter design to be tested at Texas Tech University and will supply testing records at the buyer’s request. This way, we can ensure your safety and peace of mind during a severe weather event. According to FEMA guidelines, there should be a sticker on the door of your shelter certifying that it has been tested.
How Will the Above Ground Community Shelter Keep Me Safe?
Our shelters are constructed with ¼” steel plate. The bottom anchor plate and top/side wall structure are built from supports of 3″ x 3″ x 3/8″ steel angle iron, with 3″ x 3″ x ¼” steel tubing horizontally installed on each side of the shelter.
The side walls are 4′ tall with a rounded ceiling, making the center height 8′ tall. The retaining walls are 4′ tapered on each side of each end wall. The doors have a three-point locking system, keyed dead bolt and two heavy duty slide bolt locks.
RemainSafe is dedicated to the safety of team members in every industry. As severe weather continues this summer, be sure to stay informed.
To learn more about RemainSafe’s commercial and community storm shelters, the threat of tornadoes in your area and the need for storm shelters in your industry, download our white paper Commercial Storm Shelters; Protecting People and Insuring Investments.
To ensure your storm shelter is up to code and built to the most recent standards, refer to our recap of the ICC 500-2020 updates to storm shelter and saferoom construction and design requirements here.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you’re ready to request a quote visit our website. We’re happy to help.