Pages in this chapter (10 of 14)
10.4 Fire Evacuation
Means of escape
Once a fire has started, been detected and a warning has been given, everyone in the premises should be able to escape to a place of total safety unaided and without help from the fire and rescue service. Some people with disabilities and others with special needs may need help from staff who have been designated for the purpose.
Escape routes should be designed so that, as far as possible, anyone confronted by fire anywhere in the building can turn away from it and escape to a place of reasonable safety, such as a protected stairway. From there they can go directly to a place of total safety away from the building.
When deciding whether the premises have adequate escape routes, consider a number of factors, including:
- the type and number of people using the premises
- escape time
- the age and construction of the premises
- the number and complexity of escape routes and exits
- whether lifts can, or need to, be used
- the use of phased or delayed alarm evacuation
- assisted means of escape and personal evacuation plans
- the distance to assembly points and the travel time
- the availability of emergency lighting
- emergency doors
- directional signage
- emergency action notices
Travel distances
Travel distances depend on use, occupants, layout and applicable fire guidance. The figures below are illustrative values from the England offices-and-shops risk-assessment guide for the conditions it describes; they are not universal British limits or a building-design approval. A competent assessment must select the relevant category and consider actual escape routes, not straight-line distance.
| Escape routes | Normal risk | High risk | Low risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| One route only | 18 m | 12 m | About 25 m |
| More than one route | 45 m | 25 m | 60 m |
Stairs
A protected stairway uses fire-resisting construction and associated measures to support escape towards a place of safety. Protection is not an absolute guarantee against smoke or fire; people should continue evacuation promptly under the plan rather than treat the stairway as somewhere to remain indefinitely.
To make this possible, flames, smoke and gases must be kept out of these escape routes as far as is reasonably possible, by fire-resisting structures, by a suitable smoke control system, or by both. This does not rule out using unprotected stairs for day-to-day circulation, but they can play only a very limited part in the means of escape because they are vulnerable in a fire.
Summary notes for Element 10 · Cheat sheet · Glossary. A study aid, not published or endorsed by NEBOSH.