Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Figure 9.84 A high reach hydraulic platform (HP)
access to a building, i.e. high reach (aerial) appliances
(e.g. turntable ladders) and normal pumping appliances.
For buildings fi tted with protected shafts and internal
fi re mains (see below) access for pumping appliances
must be available near the inlets of the mains.
Fire appliances are not standardised in the UK;
the widths, lengths and weights of fi re appliances vary
from fi re authority to fi re authority therefore the local
building authority will normally inform planners of the
exact dimensions that may be required. In terms of loadbearing
capacity it is normally considered that roadways
capable of supporting 12.5 tonnes per axle are suffi cient.
Typical fi re service vehicle route specifi cation of a
local authority will include dimensions for:
➤ The width of the road between kerbs
➤ The minimum width of gateways
➤ The minimum turning circle between kerbs and walls
➤ Minimum height clearance.
Table 9.17 provides details of the requirements for
access according to specifi c building size and gives
some typical dimensions.
Table 9.17 Summary of clearances for pumps and high
reach appliances
Minimum clearance/ Pump High reach
capacities (TL HP)
Road width between kerbs (m) 3.7 3.7
Width between gateways (m) 3.1 3.1
Turning circle between kerbs (m) 16.8 26.0
Turning circle between walls (m) 19.2 29.0
Clearance height (m) 4.0 3.7
Carrying capacity (tones) 12.5 17.0
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When assessing the suitability of access for fi re
service vehicles, the fi re exits and assembly points for
the building should also be taken into account, since
people using these routes can impede fi re service
access. Assembly points should be located suffi ciently
far from the premises to minimise interference with the
fi re service or danger from falling debris.
The indiscriminate parking of cars and other vehicles
using the site can seriously obstruct fi re service access
roads and gates leading to the building. Control and
enforcement of parking restrictions can prove diffi cult,
but notices giving clear instructions regarding parking
should be in place.
Suffi cient internal access
In low rise buildings without deep basements fi re fi ghters
are able to gain reasonable access within the building
by a combination of their own ladders and other
access equipment. In other buildings it is necessary to
provide additional internal facilities to enable fi re fi ghters
to safely and quickly reach the scene of a fi re in order to
suppress it.
These additional facilities include fi re fi ghting lifts,
stairs and lobbies. It is obviously necessary to protect
these facilities from a fi re in the building and they are
therefore contained within a ‘protected shaft’. The plan
in Figure 9.85 illustrates a typical layout of a protected
fi re fi ghting shaft.
One or more fi re fi ghting shafts are required for
buildings that have:
➤ A fl oor level above 18 metres or a basement below
10 metres
firefighting lobby
self-closing
fire doors
firefighting
lift in
lift shaft
firefighting stairs
Figure 9.85 Typical layout of a fi re fi ghting shaft containing
a fi re fi ghting lift