FIRE DESIGN OF BUILDINGS VULNERABLE GROUPS

COMPONENTS OF FIRE building materials unattended stoves Loose electrical connections overloaded electrical wiring careless use of matches and cigarettes

FIRE SAFETY CODES PRESCRIPTIVE PERFORMANCE BASED

Design for Fire Safety.A fire can spread at the rate of 4.6 meters (15 ft) per second The best design for fire safety is also good design for lighting, thermal,acoustic, and water systems. thermally massive materials High ceilings

CONFLICTS. High ceilings and low partitions. Fire builds up faster in small, enclosed rooms that retain heat Buildings without operable windows or with sunscreens covering windows block access by firefighters and escape by occupants

Protecting the Structure

AREAS OF REFUGE Areas of refuge are commonly located adjacent to a protected stairway, and are protected from smoke. They are provided with communications devices to summon firefighters to rescue the people in the refuge. When a stairway is used as a refuge area, it is designed to hold all the building occupants, allowing 0.28 square meters (3 square ft) per person.

HORIZONTAL EXITS A horizontal exit does not lead to the exterior of the building. Instead, it provides a protected exit to a safe area of refuge in another part of the building or an ad- joining building without a change in level. The horizontal exit uses fire-rated walls and doors to subdivide a building into separate areas, which are then treated as separate buildings. Occupants escape from a fire on one side by moving horizontally through self-closing fire doors to the other side.

VERTICAL OPENINGS shafts of any kind, including stairs, elevators, ductwork, and electrical wiring and piping chases, must be enclosed with fire-rated walls with self-closing fire-rated doors at each floor.

Construction assemblies have been assigned one-, two-, three-, and four-hour ratings by ASTM E Assemblies that are tested this way include permanent partitions, shaft enclosures for stairways and elevators, floor/ceiling constructions, doors, and glass openings. Doors and other opening assemblies also receive 20-, 30-, and 45-minute ratings.

DOORS Fire doors are actually entire door assemblies. The typical fire door includes the door itself, the frame, the hardware, and the doorway (wall opening).

STAIRS Most stairs must have a clear minimum width of 112 cm (44 in.). With an occupant load under 50, a 914-cm (36-in.) minimum width is permitted.

FIRE DAMPERS DRAFT STOPS

SMOKE MANAGEMENT smoke may move more than 25 cm per second (50 ft per minute) from the point of origin to kill people who are unaware of the fire. Once the flame is visible, smoke may move more than 50 cm per second (100 ft per minute) before the flame starts to spread.

Smoke Barriers Smoke Confinement Smoke Dilution

Escape Routes MEANS OF EGRESS Any means of egress has three components: the exit access, the exit, and the exit discharge.