FEMA 453 Design Guidance for Shelters and Safe Rooms

partitions for areas of about 12,000 square feet. Active
firefighting measures also cover up to about 5,000 square feet
to 7,500 square feet.
m Passive protection of the structure seeks to ensure that a
maximum credible fire scenario, with sprinklers compromised
or overwhelmed and no active firefighting, results in burnout,
not overall building collapse. The intent of building codes
is also for the building to withstand local structural collapse
until occupants can escape and the fire service can complete
search and rescue operations.
NIST recommends that building evacuation should be improved
to include system designs that facilitate safe and rapid egress,
methods for ensuring clear and timely emergency communications
to occupants, better occupant preparedness for evacuation
during emergencies, and incorporation of appropriate egress
technologies. When designing good evacuation systems and routes
of ingress and egress, designers should take into account the following
considerations:
m As stated above, improved building evacuation, including
system designs that facilitate safe and rapid egress, methods
for ensuring clear and timely emergency communications
to occupants, better occupant preparedness for evacuation
during emergencies, and incorporation of appropriate egress
technologies. Primary and secondary evacuation routes and
exits should be designated and clearly marked and well lit.
Signs should be posted.
m Improved emergency response, including better access to the
buildings and better operations, emergency communications,
and command and control in large-scale emergencies.
m Emergency lighting should be installed in case a power outage
occurs during an evacuation.
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