Fire Protection for

medium to large buildings

Compliance with NBC
Out break
of fire.

Warning Means of
systems. escape.
The
Building
Code deals
with

Structural Spread of
stability. fire.
Scope
• Limitations on height,
number of levels
• Limitations on areas
• Some specific space uses
• Atriums are not covered
(ask a fire consultant)
• Intermediate floors are
not covered
Fire code will look at:
• Hazards
• Occupancy
• Fire zones
• Fire safety systems
• Fire resistance ratings
• Means of escape
• Fire stopping
• Control of internal fire spread
• Control of external fire spread
• Fire fighting
Occupant loads
• Buildings and spaces for sleeping accommodations – number of beds
• Other building types will use occupant densities. (see fire code)
Fire zones, fire safety systems
and fire resistance ratings
• Fire zones
• Size limitations,
• distance to boundary
• Fire safety system requirement in fire zones
Fire safety systems
• Occupant load
• Height of space
• Escape height
Fire separation
• External walls
• Intertenancy walls
and floors
• Between fire
zones/cells
Fire resistance ratings
.
Means of Escape
• Routes that occupants take to exit the building in
emergency situations
• Turn their back on the fire
• Geometry of escape routes
• Degree of protection
• When is a single escape route allowed?
• Not more than the allowable lengths
• Number of occupants
Length of escape routes
• Will differ across
hazard groups – refer
to fire code for
distances
Example diagram
Height and width of escape routes
• Height requirements
• Width requirements –
must be increased
progressively
Smoke lobbies (vestibules)
They are required adjacent to the
entrance to a stairway (consult a fire
engineer)
• where the floor served by the stair has
high occupancy
• there isn’t a horizontal safe path
leading to the stair,
• the space is unsprinklered or
• the building has only a single stair
Control of internal fire and smoke
spread
• Fire stopping
• Internal surface finishes
• intermediate floors
• plant rooms
 Firestopping
• construction of fire-rated
separations
• services such as electrical
cables, ducting, plumbing and
heating pipework and even fire
protection services are installed
through them
• Junctions
• Sealing of gaps
• Protected shafts and exitways
• Long corridors
Smoke control systems
•Fire doors and Smoke control doors
•Protected shafts
•Natural ventilation
•Mechanical ventilation
•Stair pressurization
Internal surface finishes
Walls and ceilings
base material and any treatments or surface-applied coatings affect the
fire properties of surface linings
Test methods:

• ISO 9705:1993 Fire tests – Full-scale room test for surface products
• ISO 5660:2002 Reaction-to-fire tests – Heat release, smoke production
and mass loss rate
Control of external fire spread
• horizontally or
• up a building vertically
• specifies where external walls are required to have a fire
resistance rating
Vertical fire spread
• control of external surface finishes,
• architectural/structural features (such as spandrels and aprons)
• sprinkler protection.
Additional notes and diagrams