Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
to reach it within the appropriate travel time. Any single
staircase must:
➤ Be constructed to FR30 standard
➤ Serve no more than three fl oors above, or one fl oor
below ground level
➤ Access the stair (other than top fl oor) by means of a
protected lobby/corridor
➤ Be of suffi cient width to accommodate the number
of persons
➤ Lead directly to open air.
9.5.6 External escape routes
External escape stairs
Where more than one escape route is available from a
storey or part of a building one or more of the routes
may be by way of an external escape stair, provided that
there is at least one internal escape stair from every part
of each storey and that the external stair(s) meet the
following recommendations.
If the building (or any part of the building) is served
by a single access stair, the means of escape may be
improved by the provision of an external escape stair
provided that the following measures are incorporated:
➤ All doors to the external stair should be fi re resisting
and self-closing, except that a fi re resisting
door is not needed at the head of any stair leading
downwards where there is only one exit from the
building onto the top landing
➤ Any part of the external walls within 1.8 m of (and
9 m vertically below) the fl ights and landings of an
external escape stair should be of fi re resisting construction,
except that the 1.8 m dimension may be
reduced to 1.1 m above the top level of the stair if it
is not a stair up from a basement to ground level.
Any part of the building (including any doors) within 3 m
of the escape route from the stair to a place of safety
should be provided with fi re resisting construction
➤ Glazing in areas of fi re resisting construction should
also be fi re resisting and should be fi xed shut
➤ Where a stair is greater than 6 m in vertical length, it
should be protected from weather conditions.
If more than one escape route is available from a storey,
or part of a building, one of those routes may be by way
of a fl at roof, provided that all of the following conditions
are met:
➤ The route does not serve a building where the occupants
require assistance in escaping, or part of a
building which is for public use
208
1.8 m
1.8 m
Defined zone for fire-resisting
walls, doors and windows on an
external stairway
Figure 9.45 Protecting an external escape stair
➤ The fl at roof is part of the same building from which
escape is being made
➤ There are no ventilation openings of any kind within
3 m of the escape route
➤ Any wall, including a door or a window in the wall,
within 3 m of the escape route has at least 30 minutes’
fi re resistance for integrity from the inside – and
there is no unprotected area below a height of 1.1 m
measured from the level of the escape route
➤ Any roof hatch or roof light forming part of the roof
within 3 m of the escape route has at least 30 minutes’
fi re resistance for integrity from the underside
➤ The route is adequately defi ned and guarded by
walls and/or protective barriers
➤ The route across the roof leads to a storey exit or an
external escape route.