It has been asserted in various chapters of this guide that the design

of a fire detection and fire alarm system should be based on a proposed

fire evacuation strategy, rather than vice versa. Nowhere is this truer
than in the case of a building that necessitates a staged fire alarm
system. In complex buildings, a fire alarm system that was not designed
to accommodate a fire evacuation strategy that is formulated at a
later date may be quite difficult and expensive to modify. In particular,
hard-wired sounder circuits might need to be completely reconfigured
to accommodate the alarm zones (see Chapter 12) needed to facilitate
the staged alarm arrangements that are ultimately required by the
building user.
Moreover, in, for example, the case of phased evacuation of a tall
building, normally a voice alarm system will be required to support the
evacuation strategy. The strategy may also require additional facilities,
such as fire telephones, so that fire wardens on each floor can advise
those responsible for controlling the evacuation when their particular
floors are cleared. (BS 5839-941 provides recommendations for the design,
installation, commissioning and maintenance of these fire telephones.)
Clause 19 of BS 5839-1 is dedicated to the subject of staged fire
alarms. Much of the benefit of this clause lies within the commentary,
which provides an excellent discussion of the applications for staged
fire alarm arrangements and the forms of staged alarm that are used.
However, up to 11 specific recommendations are given, according to
whether or not the staged alarm system incorporates a staff alarm
arrangement (see below).
41 BS 5839-9, Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings
Code of practi
ce
for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of emergency voice
communication systems.
136
Design, installation, commissioning and maintenance
As noted in the commentary of clause 19, there are a number of circumstances
in which a staged fire alarm arrangement may be appropriate.
Those cited in the code comprise the following.
Buildings with phased evacuation. These are normally high-rise
or large buildings, in which those closest to the fire (such as
those on the floor of fire origin and the floor immediately above)
are evacuated in the first phase , with other areas evacuated
in a series of further phases, which, in the case of a high-rise
building, each traditionally comprise two complete floors of the
building. In tall buildings, a phased evacuation arrangement
can reduce the number and/or widths of stairways, as the entire
population of the building will not need to evacuate at the same
time. This is appealing to architects, as it increases the lettable
floor space. In the event of false alarms, phased evacuation may
avoid disruption of the entire building. It is generally accepted,
however, that phased evacuation of tall buildings is suitable only
for office buildings, as, in other types of building, a controlled and
managed evacuation may be more difficult to achieve, and the rate
of fire development may be such as to preclude prolonged delay
in the evacuation of certain floors. However, phased evacuation is
also sometimes used in other types of building in which staircase
capacities are not reduced. Examples are leisure complexes,
shopping centres and transportation termini. In these latter
cases, usually the first stage of evacuation is horizontal, rather
than vertical. Caution should be exercised in the use of phased
evacuation in buildings, such as leisure complexes, where family
groups might be separated; evacuation of some members of the
family group, while others are expected to remain in occupation,