‘A Gentle Whisper in Your Ear’

Building Design Must Improve Firefighter Safety in Fire Incidents !

Back to the present … and in any jurisdiction, news of  Firefighter Fatalities and/or Injuries is very distressing.  It has been remarkable to note, however, how some countries, e.g. Japan, are expending significant time and resources on developing innovative ways to improve firefighter safety in buildings … while most countries are not.  Over many years, I have formed the clear impression that, generally, firefighters are regarded in much the same way as soldiers, i.e. they are a disposable asset … ‘Theirs not to reason why / Theirs but to do and die’ … etc., etc.  This situation is entirely unacceptable, and in need of urgent resolution !

On 6th & 7th July … in Cardiff, Wales … I have been invited by the International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), Mr. HG Tay, to make a presentation on ‘Sustainable Fire Engineering’ at the 2011 IFE International Fire Conference and Annual General Meeting.  I am greatly honoured by this invitation.

During the course of that presentation, I will be referring to Firefighter Safety … but much more needs to be said, beforehand, in relation to the untapped contribution of building design to greater levels of firefighter safety …

INTRODUCTION

It may be obvious for some (but, believe me, not for all !) that with regard to fighting fires in buildings … Firefighters have 2 Basic Functions :

• to rescue people who are trapped in a Fire Building (i.e. a building which is on fire) … or people who, for some reason, cannot independently evacuate the building (e.g. people with activity limitations) ;   and
• to fight those fires, and ensure that they are properly extinguished.

Note:  Extinction of a fire is confirmed only after a thorough visual inspection by a competent person.

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DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

In a previous post, dated 13 December 2010 … I said that it was no longer ethically acceptable to ignore the issue of Firefighter Safety in the design and construction of buildings … because design can make a major contribution to their safety.

Unfortunately, Firefighter Safety must continue to remain an ethical issue because Building Regulations in most countries rarely, if ever, refer to this important aspect of design and construction.  Safety at Work Legislation has a related, but different, intent.

Regrettably, most of the building design professions either have no Code of Ethics … or there is a Code which is ‘lite-lite-lite’, i.e. very weak on ethics … or, worse still, they have a Code … but it is called a Code of Professional Conduct, the principal intent of which is to preserve and protect the profession and its vested interests.

At European Level …

Essential Requirements 1 & 2 (of 6 … for the time being) … in Annex I of European Union (EU) Council Directive 89/106/EEC, of 21 December 1988, on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to Construction Products … state the following …

1. Mechanical Resistance & Stability

The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that the loadings that are liable to act on it during its construction and use will not lead to any of the following:

(a) collapse of the whole or part of the works ;

(b) major deformations to an inadmissible degree ;

(c) damage to other parts of the works or to fittings or installed equipment as a result of major deformation of the load-bearing construction ;

(d) damage by an event to an extent disproportionate to the original cause.

2. Safety in Case of Fire

The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire:

- the load-bearing capacity of the construction can be assumed for a specific period of time ;

- the generation and spread of fire and smoke within the works are limited ;

- the spread of the fire to neighbouring construction works is limited ;

- occupants can leave the works or be rescued by other means ;

- the safety of rescue teams is taken into consideration.

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Sweden … has incorporated all 6 Essential Requirements of EU Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC into its National Building Regulations … but has omitted the reference to the ‘safety of rescue teams’, i.e. Firefighter Safety.  Why is that ?

Ireland, along with England & Wales, has not incorporated the EU CPD Essential Requirements into its National Building Regulations.  There is no requirement, in Part B of the Building Regulations of either of these two separate jurisdictions, to consider Firefighter Safety in the design and construction of buildings.

In these three specific cases, taken as a simple example, this is a serious legal flaw … especially since the European Template, above, has existed since the late 1980′s !

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Let me illustrate how Building Design & Construction can make a major contribution to improved levels of Firefighter Safety …

     A.  Accessible Internal Staircases Having Sufficient Unobstructed Width

From a building user’s point of view … the success of a building depends, to a large extent, on the ‘quality’ of its circulation spaces.  During the design process, however, an architect is typically concerned with the relationship between different functions and spaces … while, at the same time, he/she is shaping and moulding the internal and external forms of the building.

The full range of tasks and activities in these circulation spaces is rarely, if ever, considered by the building designer.  The subject is not covered in Architectural Schools … and in later professional life, a reluctance to carry out Building Post-Occupation Evaluations (POE’s) reinforces this low level of awareness.

Some Tasks & Activities in Building Circulation Spaces …

• Access to the building’s spaces and use of its services and facilities ;
• Egress from the building during normal, everyday circumstances ;
• Independent Evacuation, in the event of an emergency ;
• Assisted Evacuation by others, or Rescue by Firefighters, for those building users who cannot independently evacuate the building, e.g. people with activity limitations ;
• Firefighter Access & Reconnaissance, in the event of an emergency ;
• Firefighter Attack, as they approach the proximity of the fire scene ;
• Firefighter Removal from the building, by colleagues, in the event of injury, impairment, or a fire event induced health condition ;
• Firefighter Withdrawal at the successful conclusion of firefighting operations.

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The photograph above was extracted from this  2010 Poster Presentation …

Daniel DiRenzo, Cherry Hill Fire Department, New Jersey, USA

Building Fires – Personal Harness Use – Firefighter Removals

Click the Link Above to read and/or download PDF File (1.73 Mb)

No matter what the jurisdiction … no matter what Building Regulations do or do not require … it is clear that, during a ‘real’ fire emergency, patterns of circulation are not simple … and they cannot easily be segregated into categories with simple titles.  They are complex … and, quite often, they overlap.

In the case of the firefighter removal on a staircase (shown above) … there is a necessity to consider another type of ‘Contraflow’ … where the injured, or impaired, firefighter with two of his/her colleagues rendering assistance are together moving away from the scene of the fire … while other firefighters are moving in the opposite direction, towards the fire.

In all but the most simple and smallest building types, this is what a Fire Evacuation Staircase should look like below … having a clear unobstructed staircase width, between handrails, of 1500 mm … with a stair going/tread of 300 mm, and a stair riser of 150 mm.  Proper attention by the designer to Accessibility Design Criteria will also make the staircase far, far easier … and safer … for Firefighter Movement …

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     B.  Accessible Façade Walkways in High-Rise Buildings

With today’s powerful drivers of greater energy conservation and efficiency in buildings, adaptation to climate change, and a paradigm shift in thinking on the reduction of adverse environmental impact by buildings … External Façade Design is rapidly evolving … becoming far more complex and, in many cases, comprising multiple ‘skins’.

Just check out this architectural feature, below, in an Osaka (Japan) High-Rise Hotel … which not only serves as an accessible route for evacuation and/or rescue in the event of a fire incident … but also permits much easier access for maintenance and window cleaning.

This architectural feature should be mandatory in the case of high-rise buildings with a single, central core …

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Building Design can make a substantial contribution to greater Firefighter Safety !!

BUT … who is raising the awareness of building designers about this issue ???

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END

Tags: 2011 IFE International Fire Conference and Annual General Meeting, Access to the building's spaces and use of its services and facilities, Accessible Façade Walkways in High-Rise Buildings, Accessible Fire Engineering, Accessible Internal Staircases Having Sufficient Unobstructed Width, Annex I of European Union (EU) Council Directive 89/106/EEC, another type of 'Contraflow' ... where the injured or impaired firefighter with two of his/her colleagues rendering assistance are together moving away from the scene of the fire ... while other firef, Area of Rescue Assistance in a Building, Assisted Evacuation by others or Rescue by Firefighters for those building users who cannot independently evacuate the building, British Standard BS 9999 - Code of Practice for Fire Safety in the Design Management and Use of Buildings, Building Design Must Improve Firefighter Safety in Fire Incidents, Building Fires - Personal Harness Use - Firefighter Removals, Building Post-Occupation Evaluations (POE's), Built Environment, but has omitted the reference to the 'safety of rescue teams' ... Firefighter Safety, CJ Walsh, Client Organizations, Code of Professional Conduct the principal intent of which is to preserve and protect the profession and its vested interests, Colour drawing taken from International Standard ISO FDIS 21542, Daniel DiRenzo - Cherry Hill Fire Department New Jersey USA, Egress from the building during normal everyday circumstances, England and Wales, Essential Requirements 1 and 2 (of 6 ... for the time being), EU, european union, External Façade Design is rapidly evolving ... becoming far more complex and in many cases comprising multiple 'skins', Extinction of a fire is confirmed only after a thorough visual inspection by a competent person, Fire Engineering Design, Fire Safety, Firefighter Access and Reconnaissance in the event of an emergency, Firefighter Attack as they approach the proximity of the fire scene, Firefighter Removal from the building by colleagues in the event of injury impairment or a fire event induced health condition, Firefighter Safety must continue to remain an ethical issue because Building Regulations in most countries rarely refer to this important aspect of design and construction, Firefighter Withdrawal at the successful conclusion of firefighting operations, Firefighters have 2 Basic Functions, FireOx International, having a clear unobstructed staircase width between handrails of 1500 mm, In all but the most simple and smallest building types this is what a Fire Evacuation Staircase should look like below ..., in any jurisdiction news of Firefighter Fatalities and/or Injuries is very distressing, Independent Evacuation in the event of an emergency, International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) Mr. HG Tay, Ireland, Ireland - along with England and Wales - has not incorporated the EU CPD Essential Requirements into its National Building Regulations, Japan, Just check out this architectural feature in an Osaka (Japan) High-Rise Hotel, Let me illustrate how Building Design and Construction can make a major contribution to improved levels of Firefighter Safety, Mechanical Resistance and Stability, most of the building design professions either have no Code of Ethics, much more needs to be said in relation to the untapped contribution of building design to greater levels of firefighter safety, no longer ethically acceptable to ignore the issue of Firefighter Safety in the design and construction of buildings, or there is a Code which is 'lite-lite-lite' ... very weak on ethics, patterns of circulation are not simple ... and they cannot easily be segregated into categories with simple titles, People with Activity Limitations (2001 WHO ICF), Personnes à Performances Réduites (2001 WHO ICF), photograph, Proper attention by the designer to Accessibility Design Criteria will also make the staircase far far easier ... and safer ... for Firefighter Movement, Safety at Work Legislation has a related but different intent, Safety in Case of Fire, some countries are expending significant time and resources on developing innovative ways to improve firefighter safety in buildings ... while most countries are not, Some Tasks and Activities in Building Circulation Spaces, Sustainability Implementation, Sustainable Fire Engineering, Sweden, Sweden ... has incorporated all 6 Essential Requirements of EU Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC into its National Building Regulations, Swissôtel Nankai in Osaka Japan - Building Façade External Walkway, Swissôtel Nankai in Osaka Japan - Room Evacuation Panel to External Façade Walkway, the approximation of laws regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to Construction Products, the clear impression that firefighters are regarded in much the same way as soldiers ... they are a disposable asset, The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire, the safety of rescue teams is taken into consideration, There is no requirement in Part B of the Building Regulations of either of these two separate jurisdictions to consider Firefighter Safety, They are complex ... and quite often they overlap, This architectural feature should be mandatory in the case of high-rise buildings with a single central core, this is a serious legal flaw ... especially since the European Template has existed since the late 1980's, to fight those fires and ensure that they are properly extinguished, to rescue people who are trapped in a Fire Building ... or people who cannot independently evacuate the building, United States of America, with a stair going/tread of 300 mm and a stair riser of 150 mm

Short Interruption in Service – Apologies to All

On Tuesday morning last, 28th April 2009 … this Site crashed … ‘went down’ … a blank screen with just a short, cryptic message in computer jargon at the top … it was no more … it had expired … but briefly, and temporarily !

 

The reason was traffic overload … too many visitors.  For this, we humbly apologise.  And apologies to Monty Python for mangling their ‘dead parrot’ sketch !   I couldn’t help it ?!?

 

That was the bad, bad news.

 

 

The good news behind the interruption, however, is that I was away in Lund … one of the big university towns in Sweden … attending an important meeting of CIB Working Commission 14 : Fire.  CIB stands for ‘Conseil International du Bâtiment’ (International Council of Building Research).

 

CIB W14 is an international, multi-stakeholder, trans-disciplinary, pre-normalization forum for discussion on research and innovation in Built Environment Fire Engineering.

 

 

 

Successful meetings in Lund … and, on the return journey home, successful business in Stockholm … the weather was marvellous throughout …

 

 

 

 

Tags: Built Environment Fire Engineering, Cherry Blossoms in Central Stockholm, CIB Working Commission 14 : Fire, Department of Fire Safety Engineering & Systems Safety at Lund University, Fire Safety, FireOx International, Monty Python, photograph, Sustainable Fire Engineering, Sweden