Recently, more and more people die in fires, not because the fire spreads as quickly as possible, but because of the negligence of the owners, managers and representatives of the fire inspection responsible for safety measures.
It is negligence that can be called the doors of emergency exits from the building, closed with blind locks, and numerous partitions that turn various types of buildings into warehouses with a single entrance door. Although the responsible representative understands that such actions lead to the death of a person, he still does not change his attitude to this situation until a tragedy ensues. People die more often not from the flame, but from the poisonous smoke emitted during the burning of various debris, which litter the aisles and remote corners of buildings. It is difficult to properly educate the people responsible for safety, but the owners of the buildings themselves must monitor it and know how many evacuation exits should be in the building and many other nuances.
Concepts and Definitions
Evacuation is a process that helps to organize people going outside or into a safe room, in which it is possible to protect them from fire, and at the same time stop the spreading flame.
An evacuation route is a direction for the safe movement of people, which directly leads to the street or to a safe room inside the building.
An emergency exit is a way to help people move to a safe area and fully meets safety requirements.
Activities that provide complete protection of the routes intended for the safe evacuation of the population in case of fire:
- Space-planning. This is the shortest distance leading to the emergency exit, their correct width, complete isolation from fire, the ability to move in several directions at once.
- Ergonomic. The dimensions of the evacuation routes are fully consistent with the dimensions of the people, the features of their movement, the normal conditions for opening doors.
- Constructive. They are responsible for the strength, reliability of all structures that are on the evacuation routes, the correct finish, which resists fire, the dimensions and slopes of stairways, ramps and steps.
- Engineering and technical. They help to organize high-quality smoke protection, equipping automatic fire extinguishing installations, designing the right lighting, installing light indicators, warning systems.
- Organizational. Calculation of the correct number of evacuation exits from the premises, maintaining them in an appropriate form, without any clutter.
Escape route
To put it simply, in another way it can be called dear to life. And this is indeed so, because, moving along these paths independently, with the help of family members, friends or colleagues, many people were able to escape from asphyxiating and poisonous smoke coming from fire, heat or flame.
The basic fire safety requirements for escape routes are described in article 89 of the Federal Law No. 123 of 2008:
- The paths in and out of any buildings should help to quickly and safely lead people out in the event of a fire.
- During the design, the installed and used stationary fire-fighting installations, primary facilities, no matter how modern they are, are not taken into account.
The evacuation routes include exits that lead to the street or territory of the enterprise directly from the first floor of the building:
- directly or following the corridor;
- through the lobby or hall;
- going down the stairs;
- following the corridor, passing the hall;
- through recreation.
From rooms of any level located above the ground, with the exception of the first floor:
- immediately to the staircase inside the building, which according to the project is considered evacuation or to the fire, located outside the building from the site;
- passage to the fire escape bypassing the corridor;
- through the hall, which has access to a flight of stairs;
- to the exploited roof, which leads to the stairs.
It is important to remember that installed doors in the partitions of buildings, as well as in the usual version for exit vehicles, are not considered an obstacle to the evacuation.
Plan for self evacuation
During the organization of fire safety, it is important to know not only the number of evacuation exits from the trading floor or production premises, but also about how to correctly draw up a plan that helps to bring people to a safe place.
An evacuation plan is a pre-designed scheme of a particular building, which shows all the paths and exits intended for evacuating people. During compilation, the established rules of human behavior, the order and sequence of actions when people are in a life-threatening situation are taken into account.
An evacuation plan is needed in order to:
- clearly define evacuation routes, exits that ensure the safety of organized independent movement of people in the direction of leaving the premises during an emergency;
- learn about where exactly the fire equipment and means intended for warning about a fire and other life-threatening situations are located; remind each employee of this enterprise or office how to act if he noticed a fire in the building.
According to the rules of the fire regime in the Russian Federation, which were approved by the Government Decree of April 25, 2012 under number 390, in buildings, except for residential buildings, where more than 10 people work at a time, evacuation schemes should be individually developed and installed in accessible places in case of fire. In those facilities where more than fifty people are working or staying, in addition to the evacuation plan, an instruction is attached that defines the actions of personnel ensuring a safe and quick evacuation of people. According to this instruction, practical exercises should be held every 6 months that will tell about the location and number of evacuation exits from the basement and other rooms, which in the future will help employees quickly navigate in a difficult situation and help people evacuate from the building.
Responsibility for violations of the Fire Safety Rules lies with the facility manager.
Evacuation exit conditions
To ensure high-quality fire safety in a residential or public building, you need to know the number of emergency exits and the requirements for their maintenance:
1. The exits and paths should be constantly free, so that during an emergency situation, each person can easily go out through them.
2. The number, size, structure, layout, finish, the length of the evacuation routes must fully comply with fire safety requirements.
3. If the routes intended for evacuation are located in a building belonging to an architectural monument and they cannot be brought into it in accordance with the requirements, then operation is permitted if there is documentation agreed with the fire supervision authorities.
4. If equipment is installed in the room, then it is necessary to equip the evacuation passages to the stairs in accordance with building codes and standards.
5. In conference rooms and assembly chairs should be placed as required by fire safety.
6. In a room designed for more than 50 people, the number of emergency exits should be at least two.
7. Doors on the escape route open only out of the building.
8. It is allowed to open the doors to the premises if there will be no more than 15 people in it, as well as in bathrooms, balconies and loggias, and external evacuation staircases.
9. If there are people in the room, the evacuation exits can be closed with internal deadbolts that can be easily opened.
10. Carpets and other floor coverings in rooms where a large number of people gather, must be securely fixed and be minimally hazardous and should not emit toxic substances when burning.
11. Stairs and open areas should be equipped with fences that are constantly maintained in good condition.
12. Stairways, open and external stairs, corridors and walkways should be equipped with emergency lighting, which fully complies with building codes and the rules for installing electrical installations.
13. If the evacuation routes are not equipped with natural light, the electric lamps must be on continuously.
14. How many evacuation exits should be in public places, for example, theaters, hospitals or office buildings, depends on how many people the building is designed for. If the room can simultaneously be more than a hundred people, then there should be at least three.
15. The "Exit" indicators must be constantly on.
16. In the event that the electricity is turned off and there are a large number of people in the room, maintenance personnel must take care of the backup lighting. The number of electric lights is determined by the administration, taking into account the features of the structure, the number of people and the availability of duty personnel.
Categorically not:
- Install sectional, sliding and roll-up doors, as well as rotating structures in the openings of evacuation exits. Although in Federal Law No. 123 these conditions are not stipulated, similar devices can be installed in buildings and only if they can be easily knocked out and they meet fire safety requirements.
- Consider evacuation and then operate escalators and elevators for this purpose. An exception may be the subway and mines of the mining industries.
- To remove the stairs installed on the balconies.
- Hang stands and panels on the walls.
- Arrange a slippery floor on the escape route.
- Do not replace the reinforced type of glass in transoms and doors, thereby violating the design documentation.
- Reduce the area of transoms in the walls facing out.
Basic requirements for escape routes
Before calculating the number of evacuation exits, it is necessary to consider what SNiP admits regarding evacuation routes:
- such a passage should go to the type 2 staircase or to the corridor, hall leading to it;
- basement evacuation routes can only be recognized as those that pass through common staircases and have a separate external door, in addition, they must be fenced off with the rest of the landing by a blank fire wall of type 1;
- in rooms belonging to categories B, D, D, evacuation routes from basements and socles should lead to the lobby of the building F5, located on the 1st floor;
- if the building has sanitary facilities, smoking rooms or a lobby on the basement or basement, then there must be an exit for evacuation going to the lobby of the first floor;
- the evacuation exit from the basement and basement must be equipped with a vestibule.
The most difficult evacuation passes through the stairwells in high-rise buildings. During a fire, it is strictly forbidden to use elevators, and a large number of people accumulate on the flights of stairs, resulting in a crush. People simply can’t act calmly in a difficult situation, which is why they create congestion on the stairs.
To prevent crowding during the evacuation, it is important not only to correctly calculate the number of evacuation exits, but also provide for other nuances. For example, doors to staircases should not interfere with the passage. It is strictly forbidden to place exits from freight elevators, pipes through which combustible liquids, cables and electrical wiring are located on stairwells designed to evacuate people. Also, built-in equipment cannot be installed, fire extinguishing systems installed at a height of no more than two meters from the floor can be an exception.
Often on evacuation stairs you can find garbage and old things, this should not be. It is also not recommended to remove fire doors and closers from them, to use combustible materials during the decoration of walls, floors and ceilings. The requirements of the regulated SNiP 21-01 spelled out building codes and requirements for the number of evacuation exits.
What can not be considered an evacuation route?
According to the sanitary rules, evacuation exits cannot include:
- openings equipped with sliding and lowering doors and gates;
- openings equipped with gates that are designed for trains;
- openings equipped with turnstiles and revolving doors.
But there are still exceptions, for example, if a swing gate is installed in the opening, then it can already be considered the output used in case of danger.
The number of emergency exits from the premises
It is important for each owner of an office or commercial building to know how many exits for evacuating people should be. To do this, you must have information on how to correctly calculate the number of evacuation exits from the building.
The number of paths and exits depends on several factors:
- what maximum number of people will be evacuated through them;
- maximum distance from the most remote location of a person to the exit for evacuation.
In addition, there are general requirements that must be followed when calculating escape routes:
- If a building has one spacious room and, according to Construction Norms and Regulations, there must be more than two ways of salvation in it, the whole building will have the same paths.
- The number of evacuation exits from the building cannot be less than the number of such exits from each floor.
- Apartments located on several levels, and if the height of the top is more than 18 meters, must be equipped with escape routes at each of these levels.
- If the building is no more than 15 meters high, then it is allowed to equip an exit for evacuation one per floor. Or from a certain part of it, which is isolated by fire barriers.
And now it’s worthwhile to figure out what the minimum number of evacuation exits-stairs should be equipped with a building.
The number of exits for evacuation from the building from each level and room must be taken based on SNiP 2.01.02 85, but not less than two. But it is worth remembering that there are a number of exceptions when it is allowed to equip only one exit or use any other device, for example, an external fire escape, as a second exit. It is not allowed to equip exits through premises of categories A and B, as well as through production halls with a high level of fire resistance.
It is important not only to know the number of emergency exits, but also the width of the emergency doors from the corridor to the outside or to the stairwell. Depending on the total number of people who are evacuated through the exit and people per 1 m of the entrance width, it should be at least 0.8 m in size.
When should a building have 2 or more evacuation exits?
At least two escape routes should be in buildings:
- with rooms belonging to category F 1.1, where at the same time there are 10 or more people;
- with premises located on the basement or basement, where more than 15 people can be simultaneously;
- with class F5 rooms of category A and B with the simultaneous work of 5 or more employees;
- with open areas of about 300 square meters in premises of class F5, which are intended for equipment maintenance.
As for the number of evacuation exits in public buildings, designed for 50 or more people, there should be at least two of them. The same number of exits should be equipped in buildings of class F 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3 and 4.
How to calculate the number of emergency exits? This question worries many, but the answer is simple: just use special formulas and there will be no difficulties with the calculation.
Formulas for calculating
How correctly should the exits for evacuation be located in case of fire? What evacuation signs should they be marked if you strictly follow the SNiP? If the minimum number of evacuation exits from the building is more than two, then their correct location and layout is assumed. An exception may be paths on stairs that do not smoke. You can determine the dispersion along the evacuation routes using the following formulas:
- The paths from the interior rooms: L = 1.5 P / (n-1).
- Paths from the corridor: L = 0.33 D / (n-1).
Where latin letters denote:
- L is the distance between the exits for evacuation;
- P - the perimeter of the room;
- n is the number of escape routes;
- D is the length of the corridor.
But it is imperative to remember that if there are two or more escape routes, then each of them must allow the maximum number of people who are in the building at the time of the fire to be saved without difficulty. Emergency exits must be provided so that all employees of the office or enterprise are able to leave the room without rush and unnecessary crush.
Other exit path options
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- if the room or corridor is with smoke protection, a self-closing door is installed and always with a seal.
Responsibility for security breaches
Many owners of retail space, office and industrial buildings do not even think that their negligence can lead to serious tragedy. Most often, during a fire inspector's inspection of buildings, everything looks perfect, but when a tragedy happens, it turns out that the escape routes were closed or cluttered with old furniture. But we must remember that Article 86 of the Federal Law assumes responsibility for non-compliance with the requirements for the number of evacuation exits and their contents.
If the violation was discovered for the first time, then the building owner faces an administrative fine. If the violation is re-identified, the amount of the fine increases several times. In the future, if all the requirements of the fire inspector are not met, the owner of the building may face a more serious punishment, which is determined by the court.
How to behave during the evacuation?
Of course, it is important to know the number of evacuation exits from the trading floor or any other structure, but you can’t do without fire rules. Depending on the purpose and use of the building, the person responsible for safety should develop instructions for evacuating people, which during an emergency can be used by all those who will be in the building during this period.
Regardless of what type of structure the building belongs to, an evacuation action plan should hang in a prominent place on each floor, including the basement. It must indicate the number of people on one escape route and other important points:
- Urgent call of the fire brigade. The message to be transmitted must indicate the exact address of the structure, a brief description of it, whether there are combustible and explosive substances in the territory where the source of ignition and an approximate description of the intensity of the fire are localized.
- If the fire intensity is minimal, then everything possible must be done to extinguish it yourself using fire extinguishing agents, which must be located on the site.
- Be sure to inform the current situation of everyone who is currently in the building, while trying to prevent panic.
- Carry out an evacuation, helping those who have difficulties with independent movement.
In this article, important aspects of fire safety in any building were considered, how many necessary evacuation exits should be, what are the requirements for escape routes, and many other important points that can save more than one life in the future. Every person who works in a large enterprise or sits in an office should know where the evacuation plan is, how to behave during an alarm, which direction to follow, what measures to take. A knowledgeable person will be able to quickly navigate and help not only himself, but also those who are nearby to quickly leave the building in which the fire occurred.
If you panic during a fire and do not follow the evacuation plan, then as a result a large number of people may suffer. To prevent this from happening, the person responsible for security should monitor the status of emergency exits, the awareness of employees and the presence of something that will help to cope with the fire on their own.
Regularly implemented safety measures will help tell each of the employees how to behave in a difficult situation, how to organize people in the building so that they quickly go out into the street safe and sound.
Unfortunately, tragedies often happen in our country, and most often those who simply ignored safety precautions and did not worry that the paths to the exits were clear and anyone could open them were guilty of them.
The lack of indifference on the part of citizens and strict observance of the laws of the Russian Federation will help minimize the number of victims of fires in public places.