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When escape routes are being planned the type of person likely to be involved must be considered. Occupants of flats will be familiar with the layout of the premises whereas customers in a shop may be completely unfamiliar with their surroundings. In schools the fundamental principle is the provision of an alternative means of escape and in hospital the main concern is with the adequacy of the means escape from all parts of the building. The provision of a safe escape route should however, allow at the same time an easy access for the fire brigade using the same routes, and since these routes are protected the risk of fire spread is minimised.
Basic principles embodied in Act 1971 with regards to means of escape in case of fire
(1). Limitation of travel distances. (2). Escape route considered in 3 stages: -Travel distance within rooms; -Travel distances from rooms to a stairway or final exit. -Travel within stairways and to final exit. (3). Provision of a protected route which is defined as a route for persons escaping from fire which is separated from the remainder of the building by fireresisting doors (escape door to lavatories), fire resistant walls, partitions and floors.
v.
vi.
There must be at least one escape route from the main entrance door of every flat the door of every communal room. An escape route must not be by way of a lift; or a passenger conveyor; or a turnstile; or a shutter; or a revolving door, an automatic sliding door or an automatic door, other than one of suitable design and construction; or a sliding door, other than one to which the public does not have access.
An escape stair must be within a protected zone which encloses no other room, except an external escape stair which has a total rise of not more than 6 m and leads directly to a place of safety. A protected zone enclosing an escape stair must be provided with an unobstructed clear wheelchair space measuring not less than 700 mm x 1200 mm on every escape stair landing to which there is access from a storey,
TRAVEL DISTANCE
Travel distance from a flat or a communal room, or a plant room is the distance, measured along the shortest route of escape from the main entrance door to the nearest protected door or place of safety, and must comply with the table to this standard.
Every flat should have a protected entrance hall of half hour fire resistance. Every living room should have an exit into the protected entrance hall. Bedrooms should be nearer to the entrance door than the living rooms or kitchen. Maximum travel distance from any bedroom exit to entrance door to be 7.500m; if exceeded an alternative route is to be provided
ESCAPE ROUTES:
WIDTH OF ESCAPE ROUTES The aggregate unobstructed width in mm of all escape routes from a room, or storey must be at least 5.3 x the occupancy capacity of the room or storey, Except in an enclosed shopping centre with a mall on not more than 2 storeys. HEIGHT OF ESCAPE ROUTES An escape route or circulation area must have a clear headroom of at least 2 m, except - in a doorway it may be reduced to not less than 1.9 m.
Every escape stair must give access directly to a. a place of safety; or b. an escape route across a flat roof (see E5.9g); or c. an access deck; or d. a hospital street; or e. in the case of an enclosed shopping centre provided with appropriate smoke and heat exhaust ventilation system, the mall, provided alternative escape not via the mall is also provided from each shop or other unit having a frontage to the mall.
ESCAPE ROUTES
WIDTH OF ESCAPE STAIRS The width of an escape stair must be at least the width required for any escape route giving access to it, except a. where the number of people using the escape route is not more than 225, it may be reduced to not less than 1100 mm; and b. where the number of people using the escape route is not more than 100, it may be reduced to not less than 1000 mm.
Special requirements for means of escape for enclosed shopping centres with malls.
DIRECTION OF TRAVEL An enclosed shopping centre with a mall must be designed so that from every part of the mall and from every mall-level shop there must be at least 2 directions of travel leading to a place of safety without passing through any space in single occupation, except - a kiosk not more than 25 m2 and in which either the public are not admitted, or the depth from the mall is not greater than 5 m.
The aggregate unobstructed width in mm of all escape routes from the mall in an enclosed shopping centre with a mall, must be at least 2.65 x the occupancy capacity of the entire shopping centre, (i.e. the mall and all shops), The aggregate unobstructed exit width in mm from each shop in an enclosed shopping centre with a mall, to the mall must be at least 5.3 x the occupancy capacity of the shop. The aggregate unobstructed exit width in mm from each shop in an enclosed shopping centre with a mall, to a route which does not enter the mall must be at least 5.3 x the occupancy capacity of the shop. The unobstructed width of each individual exit from the mall in an enclosed shopping centre with a mall must be at least 1.8 m wide.
STOREYS AT A HEIGHT OF MORE THAN 7.5 m In a hospital every storey at a height of more than 7.5 m containing departments to which patients have access, must either: a. comprise at least 4 compartments, each of which must have an area of at least 500 m2; or b. have a hospital street (see E8.9) and at least 3 other compartments. STOREYS AT A HEIGHT OF MORE THAN 18 m In a hospital every storey at a height of more than 18 m containing departments to which patients have access, must either a. comprise at least 4 compartments, each of which must have an area of at least 500 m2; or b. have a hospital street (see E8.9) and at least 3 other compartments each of which must have an area of at least 500 m2.
Exit Requirements
Lifts and escalators shall not be considered as exits Fire- check doors for fire resistance of 1 hr. shall be provided at appropriate place along the escape routes to prevent spread of fire and smoke, and particularly at the entrance to lifts and stairs where a funnel or flue effect may be created, inducing an upward spread of fire.
Exits shall be so arranged that they may be reached without passing through another occupied unit. No exit door shall be less than 100 cm in width except assembly buildings where door width shall not be less than 200cms. Doorways shall be not less than 200 cm in height Exit door shall open outwards, that is, away from the room, but shall not obstruct the travel along the travel along any exit. No door when open opened, shall reduce the required width of stairway or landing or landing to less than 90cm; over head or sliding door shall not be installed Mirrors shall not be placed in exit ways or exit doors to avoid confusion regarding the direction of exit.
ARRANGEMENT OF EXITS
SR NO GROUP OF OCCUPANCY MAXIMUM TRA VEL DISTANCE
(1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9)
2)
3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9)
Educational
Institutional Assembly Business Mercantile Industrial Storage Hazardous
25
25 40 50 50 50 50 25
50
50 50 60 60 60 60 30
75
75 60 75 75 75 75 40
Means of Escape
The escape route is from the seat, along the clearway and gangway, and through exit doors immediately, or through an enclosed corridor, to the place of safety.
travel distance within the rooms; travel distance from room to stairway or final exit; travel within stairway and to final exits
Provision of a protected route which is defined as a route for persons escaping from fire which is separated from the remainder of the building by fireresisting doors, fire resisting walls, partitions and floors
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