CP 3 :Chap.
IV: 1962
reduce the risk that the smoke will penetrate the smoke.-stop door which pro-
tects the corridor. Provided the corridor is protected throughout its length in this
manner a limited length of dead-end will not prove unsafe. Hence the possibility
of increasing the number of flats per floor in a single staircase building. The exit
doors from the flats must, of course, be arranged to comply with the principle
referred to in (iii) above.
(viii) The travel distance limitation of 15ft referred to in (iii) above is devised
as an escape measure and as a means of reducing to a minimum the risk that
persons might be trapped on a public escape route. This risk cannot be elimi-
nated, however, and the safety of the occupants of dwellings which are not
provided with an alternative exit must rest ultimately upon the protection
afforded by the fire resisting entrance doors mentioned in (i) above. In that sub-
paragraph, the purpose of the doors is to hold back fire or smoke within a
dwelling in order to keep the public escape passages clear. The same door will
serve to hold back from entering a dwelling fire or smoke which has reached the
public escape passage from another dwelling. The occupants, therefore, will be
safe if they remain in the dwellings until the fire is extinguished.
d. Corridor-approach maisonnettes. The principles stated above for flats
apply equally to maisonnettes. It will be found in practice, however, that a
solution similar to that described in c (ii) above will be the normal one because
of the need to provide alternative exits from maisonnettes in connection with
Stage one.
e. Ventilation. (i) The provision of cross~ventilation (i.e. ventilation at two
points to produce a through draught) to a main corridor can contribute to safety
by diluting and dispersing smoke, but the principle has some practical objections
and weaknesses. The amount of smoke generated by a fire can be considerable.
If the entrance door of a flat which opens on to a corridor should fail to restrain
the smoke (and this possibility is assumed throughout) only the rapid movement
of a large quantity of fresh air would make the escape route reasonably safe.
.But, in the .first instance, it is not possible to ensure this condition at all times,
since the horizontal movement of air within a building will depend upon the
direction and speed of the wind at the time of the fire. And, secondly, as the
provision must be a permanent one if credit is to be given to it at all, there will
be many occasions when the draught will make the corridor unbearable for
normal use. Any attempt to remedy the second objection by reducing the size
of the permanent openings will increase the first objection that the movement of
air at the tin1e of a fire may be inadequate for the purpose. For these reasons the
principle of using cross-ventilation as a basis for the design of means of escape
has not been adopted in this Code, but this is not to deny that facilities for the
removal of smoke from corridors will prove beneficial. If permanent ventilation
can be afforded by some means without producing too severe an effect upon
living conditions in the building, some gain·in safety will result.
14
LFB00060984/1
CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962
(ii) The provision of means of ventilation as distinct from permanent venti-
lation may contribute to personal safety in a more general way. It will assist
the fire service and will thereby reduce the risk that smoke will spread within the
building. This Code therefore contains recommendations for a measure of venti~
lation to corridors (Clause 207) but as this provision is for the use of the fire
service and is not directly related to safety during early esc~pe, it is not necessarily
provided in ·the form of permanent openings. Windows or doors that can be
opened when desired will suffice. The permanent openings to lobbies recom-
mended in c (vii) above serve a different purpose since their purpose is to be
effective at the time of escape. These openings, together with the doors that
separate the lobbies from the corridor, may be used for venting the latter at the
later stage to which this sub-paragraph refers.
Although the general recommendation is that corridors should be capable of
being ventilated independently of staircases, where any corridor is connected to
two or more staircases these may safely be used for ventilation purposes. The
staircases should, however, have permanent ventilation at every floor level to
reduce the risk that they will act as flues. Where permanent openings are pro-
vided, the percolation of sno\v cannot be prevented but fixed louvres will reduce
the amount and will eliminate any penetration of rain. Because the penetration of
snow cannot be wholly prevented, the alternative method of venting, indepen-
dently of staircases, is to be preferred.
(iii) The above recommendations for ventilation may call for modifications
in designs which are based only on earlier considerations. For example, if the
staircases in Fig. 3 are not permanently ventilated as described above, the
corridor must be extended to the external walls as shown in Fig. 5.
204. Stage three. a. General. This stage is concerned with the safety of occupants
using a main vertical escape route, i.e. a staircase (lifts must be disregarded for
escape purposes, primarily because of the delay that may be experienced before
a lift answers a call, and of the limited capacity of the lift when it arrives). The
main objectives are:
(i) to remove sufficiently the risk that smoke or fire might enter a stair-
case at any point and render it impassable above that point,
·.' (il) to ensure that the escape route from the bottom of the staircase to
i the outside air is adequately protected.
The importance of the second of these objectives is frequently overlooked.
A satisfactory ground floor plan cannot always easily be developed from a satis-
factory upper floor plan and occasionally a satisfactory upper floor plan will
produce problems at ground level which are incapable of solution. Upper and
ground floor plans should therefore be developed together. The problems and
the precautions necessary with maisonnettes are the same in Stage three as with
flats.
b. Staircase arrangement and protection. (i) The minimum protection that
15
LFB00060984_0001

CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962
should be given to any staircase is to ' enclose ' it,. i.e. to surrou~d it with fire-.
resisting walls with self~dosing fire-resisting access doors. As a likely source of
fire is a dwelling, no dwelling should be entered directly from a staircase. In
corridor access blocks, therefore, the corridor and in balcony access blocks, the
balcony, should separate dwelling entrance doors from a staircase. ~imilarly, and
particuhirly in a single staircase building, no store or other fire nsk sue~ as a
gas meter room, an electric intake, or a cleaner's cupboard should open dtrectly
into a staircase.
(ii) Even with this precaution there remains some risk that smoke will enter
a staircase, and in high buildings this risk must be countered. There are two
methods. One is to provide two staircases in a building, on the assumption that
smoke is unlikely to enter more than one staircase at any time. This assumptio?
may prove false, particularly if the staircases are close together. A safeguard 1s
to provide a smoke-stop door across the interna~ communic~ting s~cc b~tween
the staircases so that, if a fire occurs at any pomt, one starrcase will enjoy the
protection of an additional smoke-stop door on that floor. Such a door is .shown
in Fig. 3. It was provided, initially, in order to meet the 15ft. travel distance
limitation of the second stage. It will be seen, however, that the same door also
contributes to safety in the third stage, as there will always be the protection of
two smoke-stop or fire resisting doors between one of the staircases and a smoke-
logged corridor (see Figs. 3 a and 3 b).
(iii) The other, and more effective, method is to enter the staircase from a
lobby which is permanently ventilated to the open air and which is itself entere~
only from the internal communicating space through a smoke-stop door. In thts
case, the staircase will have the protection of two smoke-stop doors and a
ventilated lobby. This arrangement is so safe that, provided the staircase en-
closure has no weakness, a building with a single staircase so arranged can be
regarded as having safe means of escape in the third stage. Fig. 1 illustrates such
an arrangement. It will be noted that there is no requirement in Stage two for
the lobby (Fig. 1) to have pennanent ventilation, since this lobby cannot be
attacked by smoke or heat in this stage and thus form a trap for those wishing
to escape from the flat Should a fire not be extinguished early, however, smoke
might eventually reach the lobby and the permanent ventilation is a necessity
to ensure the dissipation of smoke and heat in Stage three, as a protection to
the staircase.
(iv) In balcony approach dwellings, where the staircase enclosure is entered
from the balcony or from a corridor which is entered from the balcony, the
measure of safety is equivalent to that provided by a ventilated lobby and a
sina1e staircase may again be regarded as safe in the third stage. Safety in the
sec~nd stage must, however, be assured as described earlier and the staircase.
must be enclosed and entered through smoke-stop doors on all floors.
(v) An alternative method of protecting the staircase in a single staircase
16
LFB00060984/2
CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962
building is shown in Fig. 4, a design developed initially to provide adequate
safeguards in Stage two (203 c (vii)). Here, the arrangement described in the
previous paragraphs is reversed. All the dwellings open directly into permanently
ventilated lobbies and the corridor, out of which the staircase is entered, is itself
entered only from these lobbies, through smoke-stop doors. It will be observed
that in this system, as in the system described in the preceding paragraphs, the
staircase is protected by two smoke-stop doors and a ventilated lobby but that
the relationship of the ventilated lobby to the staircase is different in the two
systems (see Figs. l and 4).
(vi) The methods of protection to staircases described above can be sum-
marized as follows:
A. where there is more than one staircase there should be a smoke-stop
door across the corridor between the doors in the enclosing walls of any
two staircases.
n. where there is only one staircase there should be a smoke-stop door
across the corridor between the door in the enclosing wall of the staircase
and any door covering a potential source of fire (e.g. a dwel!lng entrance
door or a door to a storage space) and at least one of the spaces resulting
should take the form of a lobby which is permanently ventilated through an
adjoining external wall.
(vii) In the recommended methods of prot~tion to staircases provision is
made in certain cases for ventilating the common access space leading to the
staircases-by means of doors or windows which can be opened where there are
two staircases, or through a permanent vent in an external wall where there is
only one staircase (see Clause 203 e (ii) ). Where this provision is made it is
considered that staircases can safely be located in the interior of a building, if
desired, and not necessarily on an external wall. When they are so located they
should have permanent ventilation at the top. The exits at ground floor should
take the form described later. Any inlet air that may be necessary for the nonnal
ventilation of the staircase can be obtained by keeping open the ground floor
entrance doors.
c. Protection of the escape route from the bottom of a staircase to the open air
at ground lel'el. (i) On the upper floors of a building, the staircase enclosure
and the fire resisting access doors in the enclosure protect any occupants who
may be on the staircase and passing a floor on which there is a fire. At ground
· level, however, the direction of escape changes, becoming horizontal instead of
.) vertical, and the same measure of protection must be given to the hori;wntal
part of the route against a fire on the ground floor as is given to the vertical part
of the route against a fire on an upper floor.
{ii) The mistake has been made of adopting the same form of enclosure at
ground level as on the upper floors, i.e. of placing a door in the staircase
17
LFB00060984_0002
 CP 3 :Chap. IV : 1962
enclosure at ground level in a position similar to that on the upper floors. A
door in this position cannot serve the same purpose on the ground floor as on
the upper floors since on the upper floors the doors to the staircase are both a
means of access to the stairs and a protection to people on the stairs, but on the
ground floor the door can only be a means of egress from the stairs; it cannot
protect people once they have passed through it. Such an arrangement does not,
therefore, meet the requirement described in c (i) above, that the whole of the
route to the external air must be equally protected.
(iii) The mistake described in c {ii) above is illustrated in Fig. 6 which shows
a possible form of ground floor arrangement for the upper floor plan shown in
Fig. 5. It is clear that Fig. 5 is satisfactory because the smoke-stop doors to the
staircases protect the staircases for the benefit of all the occupants above the
floor on which the fire occurs. Yet the same arrangement is not satisfactory on
the ground floor under the same circumstances (Fig. 6) because, in order to
reach the exit door from the building, it will be necessary for the persons on the
staircase to pass from the protection of the staircase through the smoke-logged
entrance corridor in order to make their escape.
(iv) Another not uncommon mistake has been to discharge two staircases
through a common exit on the ground floor, e.g. into the main entrance. Whilst
some means of access between the public space at ground level and at least one
of the staircases will clearly be convenient, any such means of access will not
necessarily provide safe means of egress from the stairs. Moreover, if staircases
are linked at ground level by the public space, there may be a risk that both will
be attacked by a fire commencing on the ground floor. Staircases should there~
fore be separated at ground level as they are on upper floors and each staircase
should have a means of egress which is independent of and properly separated
from the means of egress from the other staircase.
(v} The measures of protection which are necessary are summarized in
Clause 204 b (vi). The ground floor plan illustrated in Fig. 7 meets the standard
of protection recommended where there are two staircases and Fig. 8 illustrates a
ground floor plan suitable for the upper floor plan shown in Fig. 1 and which
meets the standard of protection recommended where there is only one staircase.
The communicating doors shown in Figs. 7 and 8 are not, of course, essential.
Should they be omitted there would be no need for protecting the stairs at. ground
level as described in Clause 204 b (vi).
(vi) The exit at ground level should, as far as possible, be in a position which
is free from risk from adjoinihg doors or windows. Whilst a degree of risk can
be tolerated where there are .t\vo staircases with separate exits no such degree of
risk should be accepted where there is only one staircase. One solution, if
there is difficulty in the latter respect, is to provide two exits from the one
entrance hall, either of which may be subject to some risk, but not both at the
same time from the same fire {see Fig. 9).
18
LFB00060984/3
CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962
(vii) A lift introduces a negligible fire hazard providing landing doors are
fire resisting, the motor room is at the top, and permanent ventilation is provided
at the top of the shaft. There is, therefore, no objection to arranging lifts within
a staircase enclosure on any floor, inCluding the entrance floor.
(viii) Stores and ancillary accommodation are often planned at ground level
and the same protection should be provided between staircases and the public
space that serves such accommodation as is provided between staircases and the
public space that serves the flats themselves.
(ix) Easementfires can lead to particularly hazardous conditions and where
any dwelling has access to only one staircase, the staircase should not continue
to a basement nor should a staircase to a basement open out of any part of the
building which has any connection to the main staircase. Even where every
dwelling has access to two staircases, neither staircase should be continued
direct!y to a basement, but if one stops at ground level it need not be regarded as
unsafe to continue the other one indirectly, i.e. by placing a smoke-stop door
across the basement stairs in order to protect the ground floor escape route
from the upper floors.
RECOI'vi:MEJ'lDATlONS
205. GeneraL The principles expressed in general terms in Clauses 202 to 204
above are set out below in the form of specific recommendations. The subject is
one which calls for elasticity of approach, however, and the specific recommen~
dations which follow should be interpreted in the light of the previous discussion.
206. Stage one: internal planning of fiats and maisonnettes. a. Flats. All flats
should have a private entrance hall in which there is no fire risk, and bedrooms
should either:
(i) open directly out of the entrance hall and be nearer to the entrance
door of the flat than is the door of a dining room, a living room or a kitchen.
The doors of a dining room, living room and kitchen opening out of the hall
should be fire resisting and fitted with a self-closing device, or [202 b (ii)J
(ii) have an alternative exit leading directly (i.e. not through an adjoining
flat) to a main escape route outside the fiat. If it is necessary to pass from one
bedroom to another in order to reach the alternative exit, the bedrooms
should be connected by a pass door or by an inner hall which is cut off by a
self-closing fire~resisting door from any other part of the flat. [202 b (iii)J
b. lvfaismmettes. All ma.isonnettes should have a private entrance hall and an
alternative exit from the floor which is not the entrance floor. This exit should
lead directly (i.e. not through an adjoining dwelling) to a main escape route
outside the maisonnette. If the escape route from any room on the upper floor of
the maisonnette passes across the landing at the head of the stairs, this landing
should be cut off from the stairs by a fire-resisting screen incorporating a smoke-
19
LFB00060984_0003
 CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962

r stop door. Alternatively if the plan permits, pass doors between rooms may be
CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962

provided in order to remove the necessity for passing across the landing at the ii Flat~ alte~ative
~ain s~airc~e, the entrance door of every such dweHing should either:
onlv Where any dwelling is not provided with an exit
head of the stairs. [202 c] to ; .
o en into a corridor and be not more than 15 ft away from a door m
207. Stage two: escape routes from flats or maisonnettes to main staircases. the ~~d~sing wall of a main staircase or from a smoke-stop doo.r acr~ss the
a. Dwellings witlz balcony approach. Escape from each dwelling should be corridor between the entrance d oor o f the dwelling and[203
a mam
c (iii)stutrcase.
and (vi)]
possible:
In the latter case if the entrance door of any other dwelling op~ns ~n~ the
(i) along the balcony to a main staircase without passing another
dwelling, or corridor on the staircase side of the smoke-stop door, there .s ou 1 e ~
alternative route from the entrance door of the ?rigin~l dwe.llm~ to a m~~n
(ii) along the balcony in opposite directions, to two main staircases, or staircase (e.g. along the corridor to anot11er mam staircase m t e ;;p~~~a:
(iii) along balconies on opposite sides of the block to at least one main direction) .. In al! cases tl:e corridor should be extended to an exter~203v e (li)]
staircase, [203 bJ described m b (1) D abo>e, or
b. Dwellings with corridor approach. (i) Flats or maisonnettes. Where every B o en into a corridor and be not more than 15ft away. from a s~oke-
dwelling is provided with an alternative exit to a main staircase: to do;r se aratin the corridor from a ventilated lobby W~lc~
opens _mto a
A. the alternative exit should be wholly independent of the normal
~Jn staircafe, is co~ected
only with public access space_, adJOinS an external
approach route, e.g. by a balcony leading directly to a main staircase or by a wall and has
a permanent opening in the external wall Wlt~;O~~e(~~~::J ~v~;
less than 15 sq ft, or
private staircase leading directly to the common corridor on another floor
(this staircase may serve more than one dwelling provided it can be entered . to a ventilated lobby and be not more than 15ft away from.a
from each flat independently of the normal approach route), [203 c (ii)J smocke:~~~ ~:or separating the lobby from a corri?or whi~ _1efd~~o :n~a~~
if the alternative exit is a balcony and, ln escaping from one dwelling, staircase All dwellings on the floor should open mto sue a o y .
such lobbies should adjoin an external wall and have a pennan~nt ope:~:
B.
it is necessary to pass another dweUing in order to reach a main staircase, the
balcony should lead in both directions to a staircase or the dwelling should in the external wall with a free area of not less than 15 sq [~;:d(ii~ =~ ~vii)J
have access to balconies on opposite sides of the block, [203 c (ii)J
c. the entrance doors of every dwelling should be not more than IOO ft b ot more than 100 ft from a main staircase if it lies ~etw~n two
from a main staircase, D.
main en
staircnses, .
and othenVJse not more t h an 50 ft from a mam[203stmrcase.
c (vii)]
o. the corridor should be extended to an external wall either directly or
through a lobby, or, if there is more than one staircase, through the staircases.
If the corridor does not exceed 30 ft in length a connection with the external 208. Stage three: main staircases in blocks of flats or maiso~nett.es. .
wall at one point will be sufficient. If the length exceeds 30 ft the corridor a. All main staircases should be enclosed throupho~t their height as ~~~r~~~~
should be extended to an external wan at its extremities, and intermediately in Clause 306 except under the circumstances descnbed me below. . .
if necessary, so that the distance bet\veen the points of contact with the ex~
ternal wails is nowhere more than 150ft measured along the corridor. At the b. No fiat, store, or other fire risk should open directly into a mam[~~r~)~
enclosure.
points of contact with the external wall there should be either a door to an
open balcony, or a window with opening lights having an area of not less c. If any dwelling has access to only one main staircase the staircase enclosure
than 15 sq ft when open, or a permanent opening with a free area of not less ~ ,.·-
should be entered on all floors from either:
than 15 sq ft. If the connection is through a staircase, there should be perma- {i) a balcony, or [204 b (iv)l
nent openings in the extemal wan of the staircase having a free area of not (ii) a ventilated lobby which adjoins an external wall and has a pe.rnm~ent
less than 15 sq ft in every storey height of the staircase. This connection opening in the external wall \vith a free area of not less th~ 15 sq ft an~ mto
should not be through the staircase in a single staircase building. r203 e (ii)J which no dwelling, store or other fire risk opens and which commurucates
20 only with the staircase, with a lift or lifts if desired and through a smoke-stop
21
LFB00060984/4

...
LFB00060984_0004

CP 3 :Chap. IV : 1962
door with a common approach hall or corridor, or with an external balcony,
or [204 b (ill)]
(iii) a corridor into which no dwelling, store or other fire risk opens and
which communicates only with the staircase, with a lift or lifts if desired,
and, through a smoke-stop door either with a private or common balcony,
or with a private or common ventilated lobby which adjoins an external wall
and has a permanent opening in the external wall with a free area of not less
than 15 sq ft. [204 b (v)J
d. At ground level a staircase enclosure should be arrunged so that the
external exit door can be reached without passing through any door other than
a door provided to form a draught lobby. The space which has to be tr1j.versed
between the bottom step of the staircase and the exit door should be regarded
as an extension of the staircase enclosure and the walls enclosing it should be
subject to tbe same conditions as are recommended in a, b and c above for the
walls enclosing a staircase, [204 c]
e. Where the ground storey is designed as a permanently open pedestrian
space, and is kept free from fire risk, the staircase enclosure at ground level may
he omitted. No enclosure is necessary above the level of the roof of the top
storey of the building.
f. Where a dwelling has access to only one main staircase, that staircase
should terminate at ground level and any staircase to a basement should be
entered from the open air. The arrangement of the exit from the main staircase
should be such as sufficiently to reduce the risk that smoke issuing from a fire
in the basement or ground floor would obstruct the exit from the staircase.
[204 c (ix)]
g. Where all dwellings in a building lmve access to more than one main
staircase, one of these should terminate at ground level, but the other may be
continued to a basement provided the basement is cut off from the staircase by
two self-closing doors having a fire resistance of half an hour, one of which, at
least, is at ground level, and the space between these two doors has a window
or other means of ventilation to the. open air through an opening not less than
15 sq ft in area. [204 c (ix)]
h. Where a main staircase is not situated against an external wall, or has no
opening windows it should have a permanent vent at the top having a free area
of not less than 25 sq ft. [204 b (vii)]
j. Main staircases should have a minimum width of 3 ft 6 in measured
between walls or 3 ft 3 in between a wall and the inside of a balustrade handrail.
A continuous handrail should be provided. Treads should not be less than 9 in
wide measured from riser to riser, and risers should not be more than 7~ in
high, and there should be not less than 2 nor more than 16 risers in a flight.
The head room should be not less than 6 ft 6 in measured vertically above
the line of the nosings.
22
LFB00060984/5
CP 3 :Chap. rv: 1962
209. Smokf'~stopping between staircases. If more than one main staircase is
provided in a building in order to comply with the recommendations of this
Code and the several staircases are inter-connected by a corridor or other en~
closed space, there should be at least one smoke-stop door across the corridor or
enclosed space between the doors in the enclosing walls of any two staircases.
[204 b (ii)J
210. Refuse chutes. Hoppers to refuse chutes should be situated in well-ventilated
positions, and the chutes should be continued upwards with an outlet above
roof level and enclosed as described in Clause 30fJ:. The hoppers should not be
situfited within the enclosure of a staircase that provides the only means of
escape from any dwelling to the ground.
211. Service ducts and service hatches. Service hatches for fuel or food and access
doors to ·service ducts should not open out of any staircase that provides the
only means of escape from any dwelling to the ground. Service ducts should be
protected as described in Clause 30.9 and service hatches should be constructed
as described in Clause 310.
SECTION THREE: CONSTRUCTION
301. General. The foregoing recommendations on planning are made on the
assumption that the fire resistance of the structural elements of any building to
which this part of the Code applies will not fall below the standards set out in
current building byelaws and regulations, and that the following recommenda-
tions on construction and .finishes, which cover items which are of particular
importance or which are additional to tho_se that are subject to building control,
are adopted. No recommendations are included for general standards of safety,
such as minimum height of balustrades, which may be considered matters of
normal good building practice.
It should be noted that the grade of fire resistance recommended below for
some parts of a structure may be in excess of that required in byelaws or regula-
tions. Where this is so the view is held that a larger factor of safety is desirable
than is provided by the byelaws or regulations.
302, Materials. Load-bearing elements of construction (other than stairs con-
necting the upper and lower floors of maisonnettes) and elements of construction
for which the recommended or required fire resistance is one hour or more
should be of non-combustible materials. Within dwellings, walls and ceilings
should be non-combustible, or they may have a Class 1 surface (as defined in B.S.
476*) provided they possess this property inherently. Elsewhere wall and ceiling
linings should be non-combustible or of plasterboard. This recommendation
• B.S. 476: Part 1, ' Fire tests on building materials and structures '.
23
LFB00060984_0005
 CP 3 :Chap. IV: 1962
applies also to solid staircase balustrades. Balustrades on main staircases should
not be constructed of wood. Combustible finishes should not be used on the
floors of corridors or on the steps and landings of staircases which provide the
only means of escape from a dwelling to the ground.
303. Structure. The fire resistance of columns and load bearing walls, and of
beams and floors which are essential to the stability of a building in the event
' of a fire should be not less than one~and-a·half hours. Floors which are not
essential to the stability of the building should have a fire resistance of not less
than one hour unless they are the upper floors of maisonnettes when a fire
resistance of half an hour will be sufficient. The floor of any balcony that serves
as an escape route from any dwelling should have a fire resistance of not less
than one hour.
304. Protection of structurnl mcmbeFS. Structural members which do not possess
s.ufficient inherent fire resistance for their purpose must be protected, If this
protection takes the form of membrane or hollow protection weaknesses may
occur, e.g. at joints. For this reason systems of protection that consist entirely of
dry joints are not recommended. Protection of several members by means of
continuous membrane, such as a suspended ceiling should not be used in any
circumstances. If hollow protection takes the form of the encasement of indi-
vidual members by a membrane, e.g. plaster on expanded metal, the cavities
which result should not pass through any floor or waU the recommended fire
resistance of which is one hour or more.
305. Internal walls and partitions. Walls separating corridors from areas of floor
that are used for any purpose other than circulation should have a frre resistance
of not less than one hour. There should be no openings in such walls other than
for doors or delivery hatches and no glazing other than fixed fanlights having a
fire resistance of half an hour placed over the entrance doors to dwellings.
306. Staircase enclosures. The internal enclosing walls of a main staircase should
have a fire resistance of not less than one hour, except that half an hour is
sufficient if the wall separates a staircase from:
a. a lobby of the type described in Clause 208 c (ii), or
b. a common internal approach hall or corridor of the type described in
Clause 208 c (ill), or
c. any common circulation space from which access can be gained to another
staircase.
Any wall which separates a private escape staircase of the type described in
Clause 207 b (i) from any part of the dwelling which it serves should have a
fire resistance of not less than half an hour. If the wall separates the staircase
from any other space, it should have a fire resistance of not less than one hour,
24
LFB00060984/6
CP 3 :Chap. IV; 1962
If the stairway separates one fiat or maisonnette from another, the stairway should
have a fire resistance equivalent to one hour or more.
Access to main staircases should be gained through doors of the type des-
cribed in Clause 310 c placed in the enclosing walls of the staircases. Access to
private escape stairs of the type described in Clause 207 b (i}, and the exit doors
from such staircases on to common circulation spaces should, whether the stair-
cases lead upwards or downwards, be of the type described in Clause 310 c.
T?ere should be no glazing or glass bricks in any internal enclosing wall of
a staJrcase if the recommended fire resistance of that wall is one hour or more.
307. Lift enclosures. The walls enclosing lift shafts should have a fire resistance
of not less than one hour, except where the lifts are in a staircase enclosure.
Shafts should have permanent vents at the top not less than 1 sq ft in area. Lift
motor rooms should be separated from lift shafts by the enclosing wall of the
shaft or by the floor of the motor room. Landing doors in lift enclosures should
be as described in Clause 310 e.
308. Refuse chutes. Refuse chutes should conform to the recommendations of
CP 30?, ' The storage and collection of refuse from residential buildings '. The
enclosmg structure should have a fire resistance of not less than one hour and
be of non-combustible materiaL
309. Service and ventilation ducts and trunks. Service ducts should be enclosed
by walls having a frre resistance of not less than one hour. Any doors for inspec-
tion or access should, in conjunction with their frames, have a fire resistance of
half an hour. If the cross-sectional area of the duct exceeds 500 sq in it should
be sealed where it passes a floor by carrying the floor through the duct. The
floor within the duct should be pierced for any service pipe or ventilation trunk
and should fit as closely as possible around any such pipe or trunk. Wrapping
to the pipes, unless non-combustible, should not be carried through the thick-
ness of the floor.
Ventilation trunks within service ducts constructed as described above may
be of metal or other non-combustible material. Ventilation ducts (not within
service ducts) should be made of clay or concrete blocks and should have a fire
resistance of not less than one hour. Inlets should not be taken directly from
dwellings into a common extract duct or trunk but should be connected either
through shunt flues or through horizontal branches having a length of not less
than 3 ft. The junctions between horizontal branches from separate dwellings
and a common ver?cal ~uct or trunk should be separated one from another by at
least one storey he1gbt (1.e. they should not enter a common vertical duct at the
same level). Ventilation openings should be no larger than is necessary for their
purpose.
Dual purpose ducts supplying combustion air to gas appliances and ventila-
25
LFB00060984_0006
 CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962
ting the products of combustion from such appliances should be constructed
of non-combustible materials having a fire resistance of not less than one hour.
310. Doors'* and servic-e hatches. a. Entrance doors to dwelli11gs. All entrance
doors to dwellings should, unless they are entered from the open air, have a fire
resistance, in conjunction with their frames, of half an hour. They should be
hung on rising butt hinges or be fitted with some other self-closing device.
b. Interior doors irz dwellings. \"/here the interior doors of flats are fire
resisting and fitted with a self-closing device in order to comply with the recom-
mendations of Clause 206 a (i), the doors should have a fire resistance of half
an hour, but rebates to frames need only be Y2 in deep. The self-closing device
may consist of rising butt hinges.
c. Doors in staircase enclosures. Internal doors in main staircase enclosures
and exit doors from secondary escape staircases on to internal common drcu:la-
tion spaces should, in conjunction with their frames, have a fire resistance of half
an hour. They should be single-leaf single-swing doors and should open in the
direction of escape. They should be fitted v.>:ith check action door closers, and
should be marked with a warning notice intimating that the door is provided
for fire safety and should not be kept open.
d. Smoke-stop doors. Smoke-stop doors should be fitted in walls or screens
having a fire resistance of not less than half an hour. The walls or screens may
incorporate fixed glazing if desired, so long as the fire resistance is maintained.
The doors should have a fire resistance of half an hour, but rebates to frames
need be only % in deep. They should preferably be single·leaf single-swing
doors and should open in the direction of escape. If placed across corridors in
such a position that they give access to staircases in either direction they should
be two-leaf doors having rebated meeting styles, each leaf single-swing and
swinging in the opposite direction to the other leaf. They should be fitted with
check action door closers and marked as described in c above.
_e. Doors in lift shaft enclosures. The doors in the enclosing walls of lift shafts
should, in conjunction with their frames, have a fire resistance of half an hour.
They should be fitted with an automatic closing device which will ensure that the
doors are kept closed at aU times except when persons are entering or leaving
the lift. The doors, when closed, must be effectively smoke tight.
.f. Doors to lift motor rooms. The doors to lift motor rooms, where locat.ed
within the building, should, in conjunction with their frames, have a fire resis-
tance of half an hour, and be made self-dosing.
g. Service hatches for fuel or food. Where service hatches for fuel or food
open out of an internal common circu:lation space, the hatches should have a
fire resistance of half an hour.
'" Particulars of tllfl fire resistancu obtained by gluzing in doors may be found in CP 152,
' Oluzing and fixing of glass for buildings '.
26
LFB00060984/7
CP 3 :Chap. IV: 1962
SECI'ION FOUR: ANCILLARY ACCOI\1J.\110DATION
401. General. Ancillary accommodation in which a fire may occur, such as that
described in the following paragraphs, should not open directly out of any part
of an exit that provides the only means of escape from any dwelling or except
for accommodation described in Clause 402 out of a main staircase.
402. Reception desks and porters' offices. Provision may be made in a public
entrance hall for a reception desk and for a few upholstered chairs. If an office
is required it should be separated from the entrance hall by a waH or screen
containing a smoke-stop door.
403. Cupboanls and storerooms. Accommodation for clothes drying cabinets,
perambulators, cleaning materials, service intakes, etc., should be enclosed with
walls, floors and ceilings having a fire resistance of one hour and be entered from
the conunon circulation space through a door having a fire resistance of half an
hour. The door should be provided with a check action closer.
404. Transformer chambers. Any transformer chamber forming part of a block
of flats or maisonnettes should be located against an external wall and should be
entered only from outside the building.
Any wall or floor which separates a chamber from the remainder of Lhe
building, and any beam or stanchion situated within the chamber, should be of
non-combustible construction and have a fire resistance of two hours. If more
than, say, three gallons of oil are contained in any oil immersed gear, a retaining
cill should be provided around the gear or at the door threshold.
405, Boiler rooms. Boiler rooms should be separated from the remainder of the
building by walls and ceilings with a fire resistance of two hours. Further recom-
mendation on fire precautions for oil fired heating installations are contained
in CP 3002, ' Oil firing '.
406. Refuse chambers. Refuse chambers should have walls and floor or roof
constructed of non-combustible and impervious materials and have a fire resis-
tance of one hour. Further recommendations are contained in CP 306, ' Storage
and collection of refuse from residential buildings'.
407. Lift motor .rooms. Lift motor rooms should preferably be sited at th; top
of the shaft and should always be so sited if the lifts open out of a common
approach route or staircase that provides the only means of escape from a
dwelling.
408. Ventilation plant rooms. These should be sited as recommended in Clause
401 above.
27
LFB00060984_0007

CP 3 :Chap. IV: 1962
SECTION FIVE: ENGINEERING SERVICES
501. Staircase and corridor lighting. Staircase and corridor lights should be
supplied by' protected circuits', i.e. sub-main circuits, exclusive to the staircase
and corridor lighting, and restricted to routes of negligible fire risk. Stair-
cases should be illuminated by a circuit direct from the main switchboard,
with no switches on landings. Where a staircase has no natural lighting its
lighting circuit should be independent of the corridor lighting.
502. Gas and electricity services. Gas and electricity meters should preferably
not be located in the entrance hall of a dwelling, but if a meter is so positioned,
it should be contained within a suitably constructed metal cupboard. Any
cupboard containing a meter should not be large enough to hold anything
other than the meter itself; gas and electricity meters should be in separate
cupboards.
To facilitate the reading of meters from outside dwellings, the meters may
be located in a common circulation space. They should be placed in separate
cupboards of non-combnstibie construction with strong metal doors which
should be provided with locks. If the meters are inset in corridor partitions they
should be separated from any accommodation at the back by non-combustible
construction having the same fire resistance as that of the corridor partitions.
For the planning and construction of transformer chamber and service intake
rooms, see Clauses 403 and 404.
503. Heating and ventilation. In entrance halls it is desirable to provide some
permanent form of heating which itself is entirely free from any fire risk, in order
to discourage the use of portable heaters by tenants.
Simple air extract systems are dealt with in Clause 309. Where a more com-
plicated ducted ventilation or air conditioning system is to be installed it should
be so designed that smoke or fire will not be carried to places where it would
jeopardize escape.
SECTION SIX: FIRE ALARl\:IS
601. General. A fire alarm system to warn the occupants is not considered
necessary, but reasonable means for calling the fire brigade should be provided.
It is recommended that the Postmaster--General should be approached at an
early stage with a view to providing at least one public telephone within the
block or a call box very near to it.
SECTION SEVEN: FIRE BRIGADE FACiliTIES
701. Genernl. In high blocks of flats it is essential that provision should be made
to assist the fire service in applying water to a fire as early as possible. This
zg
LFB00060984/8
CP 3 :Chap. IV: 1962
entails the installation of fire lifts and internal fire mains or ' risers '. The loca~
tion of fire main, fire lift and main staircase must be inter-related so that if a
fire lift opens into an area on an upper floor that might become smoke-logged,
ready access to the fire main can be had from another floor.
702. Access for fire appliances. A road or paved courtyard or other consolidated
area having a minimum width of 10ft and capable of carrying a pumping appli-
ance weighing 10 tons should be provided and so sited as to enable the appliance
to be brought to a reserved position within 60 ft of and in sight of the inlets to
any rising main. This position and the approach to it should as far as possible be
rendered permanently free of obstruction from parked cars by the placing of
removable bollards, etc., restricting parking to other areas. The approach roads
should be designed for an appliance having a minimum turning circle of 27 ft
radius, a wheel base approximately 13 ft 6 in and a track approximately 7ft 6 in.
Where approaches or forecourts are enclosed by fences or walls there should be
a clear opening which has a width of at least 8 ft 6 in and a height of at least
11 ft 6 in. Access gates should be openable from either side. Paving or roads
around a building for the approach of wheeled ladders are not considered
necessary where all the specific recommendations of this Code are followed.
703. E.'dernnl hydrants. Fire hydrants should be provided within the confines
of the site if necessary, in consultation with the water and fire authorities.
704. Internal hydrants. a. Every building should be equipped with at least one
rising main to comply with the following recommendations:
(i) In buildings of not more than 200 ft in height to the topmost floor
on which there is a dwelling, rising mains may be ' dry '; in buildings of
greater height they should be ' wet '.
(ii) Outlets from rising mains should be provided on every floor above
the .first in blocks of flats and on every entrance floor above the first floor
of the block in blocks of maisonnettes. They should be as near as possible to a
main staircase or a fire lift.
(iii) Outlets should be so situated that no part of the building is more
than 200 ft from an outlet. The distance should be measured along the route
to be traversed including, in the case of maisonnettes, the distance up or down
a staircase to any point on a floor on which an outlet is not situated. If the
recommended distance cannot be achieved with one rising main, more than
one should be installed.
(iv) Dry rising mains should have a diameter of 4 in and should be fitted
with twin inlets for fire brigade connections. The inlets should be placed in a
convenient position on the external wall of the building not more than 3 ft
above the level of the ground and they should be situated not more than
29
LFB00060984_0008
 CP 3 :Chap, IV : 1962
40 ft away from the verticril position of the rising main. Inlets should be
· contained in a glass~ fronted box, the door of which should be:
A. glazed with wired glass and indicated by the words ' FIRE
BRIGADE DRY MAIN INLET' painted on the inner face of the glass,
n. fastened only by means of a spring lock which can also be operated
from the inside without the aid of a key after the glass has been broken,
and
c. made large enough for hose to be connected to the inlets even if
the door cannot be opened and the only means of access is by breaking
the glass. The size ofthe box should not be less than 22 in x 15 in x 12 in
deep and it should have a fall of 1 in towards the front at the base. In
selecting the positions for inlets, due regard should be paid to the position
of street hydrants.
(v) Wet rising mains in buildings more than 200 ft in height should be
fed from two independent sources of water supply. Duplicate booster
pumps, operated by alternative sources of power and arranged to operate
automatically on a fall of pressure or a flow of water, should be provided to
ensure that a minimum pressure of 60 lb per sq in is maintained at the highest
outlet. The pressure at any outlet should not exceed 75 lb per sq in.
b. In buildings which are designed to exceed 100 ft in height, the rising
main should be installed as soon as the building exceeds that height and should
be extended progressively as work on the building proqeeds, in order to provide
fire-fighting facilities during the various stages of construction.
705. Hydraulic hose reels. It is generally considered that hydraulic hose reels
cannot be justified in the interests of safety of life alone. The provision of such
reels will, however, facilitate the work of the fire brigade and may result in
reducing ftre and water damage. - occupants being trapped by fire or smoke in any part of the building. This
706. Fire lifts. A normal passenger lift or lifts should be arranged so as to be
available for the exclusive use of firemen in an emergency by providing at ground
level a switch in a glass fronted box marked ' FIRE SWITCH' which operates
a control whereby firemen can obtain the use of the lift without interference from
the landing call points . .A.Jternatively, the fire switch may be in a box protected
by a metal cover and which can be unlocked by a key which would pass the dry
riser box and any other locks which would require to be opened by the fire
brigade.
A sufficient number of lifts should be arranged as fire lifts to ensure that in
fiats, every floor (except, under the circumstances described below, the top
floor} and in maisonnettes every entnnce floor, has direct access to at least one
such lift. A fire lift should not be more than about 15 ft from a main staircase
if that is the only staircase to which there is access, or about 50 ft if there is
30
LFB00060984/9
CP 3 :Chap. IV: 1962
another staircase on the same floor to which there is access. In addition, if a
fire lift is riot in a main staircase enclosure or within 15 ft of a door in a main
staircase enclosure it should be within 15 ft of a smoke-stop door across a
corridor that leads to a main staircase.
In order to ease the difficulty of accommodating the space necessary for over~
run at the top of the shaft for a high speed lift it is considered that a fire lift need
not serve the top floor of a building provided the lift is not more than 15 ft from
a main staircase on the floor below, the hydrant outlet on the top floor is within
the staircase enclosure or in a ventilated lobby adjoining the staircase, and the
number of fiats on the top floor does not exceed eight.
i'
' A fire lift should have a platform area of not less than 15~ sq ft and be
capable of carrying a load of 1200 lb. Its speed should be such that it can reach
the top floor from ground level within one minute. TI1e electric supply to any
fire lift should be provided by a sub-main circuit exclusive to the lift, except
that where the fire lift is one of a battery of not more than six lifts (whether fire
lifts or not) the other lifts may be fed from the same supply. The cables supplying
current to the lift motor should pass through routes of negligible fire risk.
SECfiON EIGHT: ADVICE TO TENANTS
801. General. Throughout this Code reference is made to various recommenda-
tions with regard to fire safety which must depend to a large extent for their
effectiveness upon the co"operation of the tellll.nts. They must be able to under-
stand the reasons for certain principles of design and construction and be willing
to ensure that such devices are well maintained and properly operated. In
Section One of this Code, reference is made to the fact that the building must be
designed and constructed in such a way that there is no undue risk of any of the
must, to a greater or lesser extent, depend upon fire resisting doors being dosed
and not wedged open, which is so often the case; and likewise it must depend
upon the condition of self-dosing door mechanisms.
The crux of the whole problem however is that of fire prevention and there
is a special need in the case of high blocks of flats and maisonnettes to impress
upon tenants certain elementary rules and principles. It is recommended, there-
fore, that advice should be promulgated for the benefit of tenants and distributed
in rent books, rate demands and so on and also posted in the form of prornlnent
notices at appropriate points throughout the building. A suggested form is given
in an appendix to this Code. The form of advice refers only to specific items as
:,
they relate to multi-storey fiats and maisonnettes and does not attempt to deal
with general fire precautions. If local authorities and other housing agencies
feel that more extensive advice on fire precautions should be made available,
this information can be obtained from the fire authority.
31
LFB00060984_0009
 CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962 CP 3 :Chap. IV : 1962

APPENDIX FIGURES lLLUSTRATING PRINCIPLES

STATED IN CLAUSES 203 AND 204
FORM OF ADVICE TO TENANTS
KEY
This building has been designed and constructed to ensure the safety of all its
occupants in the event of fire. Your safety also, however, depends to some extent
FD = Fire resisting door
upon the manner in which you and other occupants observe certain basic rules.
SD = Smoke-stop door
C =Corridor
Sources of fire. L =Lobby
0 = Permanent opening
Most fires are caused by carelessness and one or more of the following may
W = Recommended opening window
be causes:
S = Staircase
Absence of adequate fire guards;
Airing of clothes;
Failure to disconnect radio and television sets from the main supply at tt~)J = Smoke from a fire originating in a fiat.
night and when away from home;
Careless use of matches and smoking materials;
Use and location of paraffin heaters.

Paraffin heaters.
These should, under no circumstances, be used in the entrance lobby or in
any position in the dwelling in which, should they be knocked over or catch fire
through draught, overfilling or defect, your escape from the dwelling would be
seriously endangered.

Self-dosing doors.
Self-closing doors can be found in most parts of this building, including the
entrance doors to flats and maisonnettes and doors to staircases, corridors, etc. Fig. 1
These are provided to arrest the spread of fire and smoke. THEY MUST NOT BE (~afe)

KEPT OPEN,
Make sure that the self-closing mechanism is effective at all times. If not,
report to the porter or caretaker or to the housing authority.
Before going to bed, close as many doors in your home as practicable as this
will help to prevent fire spread.
Abuse of fire--fighting equipment.
Fire fighting equipment, in the form of fire mains and outlets, is installed in
this building. Make it your business to see that such equipment is not interfered
with. If you find it apparently damaged, please report this immediately.
IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE, HOWEVER SMALL, CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE lMMIIDIATELY
(Insert calling procedure) Fig. 2
{unsafe)

32 :n
LFB00060984/10

LFB00060984_0010
 CP3 :Chap. IV : 1962
CP3 : Chap. IV: 1962

Flat I Flat 2 Flat 3 Flat 4

0
w
w

a. Fire originating in fiut No. 1

Flat 8 Flat 7 Flot 6 Flat 5
..
'
Fig. 5

0 0

b. Fire originating in fiat No. 7

Fig. 3

--:-: :·.
Flat 8 Flat 7 Flat 6 Flat 5
Flat 2 /:t . Flat 3 Fl~t 5
Fig. 6
(Ullsufe)

Flat 2 Flat Flat 4

Flat 8 L Flat 7
FD

0
Flg. 4

Flat S Fiat 7 Flo t 6 Flat 5

F':tg. 7
(for upper floor plan see Fig. 5)
34
LFB00060984/11

35

·.~
LFB00060984_0011
 CP 3 : Chap. IV : 1962

Fig. 8
(for upper !loor plan sec Fig, 1)

Fiat 2

Ftat 3

Fig. 9
LFB00060984/12

Printed In England by Gaylard & Son, London, S.E.H

LFB00060984_0012