JEMUEL C.

GENILLA Industrial Plant Engineering

BSME-5

FIRE PROTECTION & PREVENTION

(SUMMARY)

This Act shall be known as the “Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008”. ... It is the policy
of the State to ensure public safety, promote economic development through the
prevention and suppression of all kinds, of destructive fires, and promote the
professionalization of the fire service as a profession.

All buildings for occupancy used shall be located in areas provided for by applicable
zoning regulations of the locality.(2) Specific standards in design and construction,
occupancy and use of buildings and facilities shall be those prescribed by the Building
Code of the Philippines.(3) Fire tests of building materials and fire protection equipment
used in any place of employment shall be those provided for the Fire Code of the
Philippines.(4) Standards for the design and installation of Indoor, outdoor general
storage, sprinkler system and fire protection system shall be those provided for by
Chapter 9 of the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) Code.

Definitions:

When used in this Rule, the following unless otherwise indicated, shall mean:(1) “Fire-
Rating” – the time duration that a material shall withstand a standard fire exposure test.
(2) “Flash Point” – the minimum temperature in degrees at which material will. give off
flammable vapor.(3) “Wood-frame Construction” – a construction in which wooden
frame-work forms the structural support for enclosure walls, floors, and doors.(4) “Slow
burning Construction” – construction consisting of substantial masonry walls and heavy
timber interior. (5) “Fire-resistant Construction” – construction in which all walls,
partitions, floors, stairs, roofs, window frames and sashes, doors and other interior
finish, consist of fire resistant materials designed to withstand, without collapse during
burning of the contents of the building for a specified time.

Building Construction and Facilities:

Types of Building Constructions:

(1) The height of buildings used as places of employment shall be as provided in Table
45a(2) Existing buildings not in conformity with Table 45a shall be given five years to
comply with the Standards.(3) The number of stories provided in Table 45a may be
increased by two if approved automatic sprinkler protection is provided. This provision
may be applicable to existing buildings if the discrepancy is only in the number of
stories.

Segregation:

Processes involving serious explosions and flash-fire hazards shall be located in

segregated buildings and only a. minimum number of workers required in the process
shall be allowed inside at any given time.

Exits:

(1) At least two exits shall be provided in every floor and basement of every workplace
capable of clearing the work area in five (5) minutes.(2) Additional exits shall be
provided if the travel distance from any occupied space in a high hazard occupancy
exceeds twenty-three (23) meters.(3) In moderate or low-hazard occupancy, the travel
distance shall not be more than thirty-one (3 1) meters for industrial establishments,
sixty-one (6 1) meters for business establishments and thirty and one-half (30.5) meters
for mercantile and commercial establishments.(4) If approved automatic-sprinkler
protection is installed, the travel distance in high hazard occupancy may be increased to
twenty-five (25) meters and for moderate or low-hazard occupancy may be increased to
forty-six (46) meters.(5) The width of the exits shall be computed by dividing the total
occupants of a floor or a storey (maximum allowable) by sixty (60) in industrial and
commercial establishments by forty-five (45) in service establishments, and by seventy-
five (75) in places of assembly and the quotient multiplied by fifty-five (55) to get the
width of the exit in centimeters. On every floor, except the ground floor, one of the exits
shall lead to an inside stairway or a smoke-proof tower, while the other exits shall lead
to inside stairways, smoke-proof towers or horizontal exits.(7) Slide escapes may be
considered as exits in buildings housing high hazard occupancies but these shall not
constitute more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total number of the required means
of egress.(8) Safe, continuous and unobstructed passageways with a minimum width of
at least one meter, but not less than the width of the exist, shall be provided and
maintained.(9) No steps or stairs shall be used in horizontal exits. When there is a
difference in level between cemented floor areas, ramps or inclines of not more than
one to ten (1 to 10) slopes shall be installed.(10) The construction of the exits, including
stairs and means of illumination, shall be in accordance with the provisions of the
Building Code and the Electrical Code of the Philippines. In the absence of such
provisions, the Fire Code of the Philippines shall apply.