Does Terminology Matter?

Homes are filled with features that occupants often take for granted. Even small details like window size, door width, stair tread depth, and light fixture placement often go unnoticed by residents but are critical elements that ensure occupant safety. Builders and contractors are intimately familiar with these details as they are core code requirements. The challenge, though, is that the terminology we use to describe some of these features is frequently misused. 

Let’s focus on one example: egress vs. emergency escape & rescue. 

A core requirement in homes, as defined in the International Residential Code (IRC), addresses “means of egress.” The code-required (IRC Section R311) means of egress “shall provide a continuous and unobstructed path of vertical and horizontal egress travel from all portions of the dwelling to the required egress door…” In other words, egress means that occupants should be able to walk down hallways, through interiors doors, up or down stairs, and ultimately exit through a primary exterior door without much difficulty. 

The confusion arises with two commonly mislabeled windows found in many homes: bedroom windows and basement window wells. Neither of these openings are associated with egress, yet many contractors will refer to these as “egress windows.” If they are NOT egress windows, what are they? IRC section R310 requires that “basements, habitable attics and every sleeping room shall have not less than one operable emergency escape and rescue opening.” The required windows that we find in bedrooms and basements are not meant to serve as a commonly used pathway out of the home. Instead, they are included to allow occupants to escape and to allow first responders to enter when an emergency arises.  

At the end of the day, terminology matters. The means of egress is a pathway used by occupants daily and without much difficulty. Emergency escape and rescue openings are (hopefully) infrequently used to actually enter or exit a home, but are just one example of a critical safety feature in today's homes.