You may have seen this symbol in front of businesses throughout the Hudson Valley. Did you ever wonder what it actually means?

Yesterday while waiting for my car to be serviced I was staring at the front door and started wondering about this sticker that I've seen on many other businesses in the area. It's a red circle with the letters "II" over the letter "R."

I've never really stopped to think about what it means, but suddenly I was curious. Was it a special business affiliation? A signal that there were two restrooms available inside? Or maybe it's a secret Illuminati membership sticker?

Well, it turns out that it's something even more important than that. New York State law requires that the symbol be displayed on any building that is made with truss construction. A truss is a piece of construction made of smaller segments of wood or metal that are connected together to span long distances that usually require pillars or beams. They're mostly used to keep construction costs down and reduce the weight of buildings.

A. Boris
A. Boris
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Truss construction is a concern for firefighters because they can lead to building collapse. According to Fire Engineering, there have been some catastrophic disasters that have claimed the lives of firefighters who were unaware the buildings they were going into were made with truss construction. When just one small part of a truss catches on fire, the whole structure can come down, trapping emergency members inside.

That's why New York State has developed the Truss Identification Sign. The sign is required on every entrance to a building made with a truss. Inside a red circle is a Roman numeral that designates what type of truss is in the building. Underneath the numeral is the letter R for "roof," F for "floor" or both, letting firefighters know where the truss is located.

So the next time you see one of these signs don't worry about walking in on a secret meeting of the Illuminati, it's just a building that's made of truss construction.

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