NFPA 101 defines three components of means of egress. Which option correctly identifies them?

NFPA 101 defines three components of means of egress. Which option correctly identifies them?

• A. Exit Access is the path to an exit; Exit is the actual way out; Exit Discharge is the path from the exit to a place of safety outside.
• B. Exit is the path to an exit; Exit Access is the actual exit; Exit Discharge is the path from the exit to safety inside.
• C. Exit Access is the door to the outside; Exit is the interior corridor; Exit Discharge is the staircase.
• D. Exit Access is the path from outside to the entrance; Exit is the interior doorway; Exit Discharge is the lobby.

Answer: (A)

The means of egress is made up of three distinct segments that together carry occupants from a space to safety. The first segment, Exit Access, is the portion that leads from the occupied area toward an exit; it’s the path you travel to reach an exit but it is not the exit itself. The second segment, Exit, is the protected portion that provides the actual route out—enclosed and safeguarded to keep occupants safe as they move toward the outside. The third segment, Exit Discharge, begins at the exit and continues to the exterior or to a place of safety outside the building, such as exterior stairs or walkways leading away from the structure. So the correct description is that Exit Access is the path to an exit, Exit is the actual way out, and Exit Discharge is the path from the exit to safety outside. The other options mix up these definitions by mislabeling what each segment represents (for example, treating the exit as just a door or confusing the discharge with interior spaces).

The means of egress is made up of three distinct segments that together carry occupants from a space to safety. The first segment, Exit Access, is the portion that leads from the occupied area toward an exit; it’s the path you travel to reach an exit but it is not the exit itself. The second segment, Exit, is the protected portion that provides the actual route out—enclosed and safeguarded to keep occupants safe as they move toward the outside. The third segment, Exit Discharge, begins at the exit and continues to the exterior or to a place of safety outside the building, such as exterior stairs or walkways leading away from the structure.

So the correct description is that Exit Access is the path to an exit, Exit is the actual way out, and Exit Discharge is the path from the exit to safety outside. The other options mix up these definitions by mislabeling what each segment represents (for example, treating the exit as just a door or confusing the discharge with interior spaces).