Industrial buildings and residential buildings should be equipped with special purpose structures to ensure fire safety in them. Stationary external staircases, which must be kept in good condition, are used for safe and consolidated entry of fire and rescue teams into the building in case of fire or smoke, for the evacuation of personnel and people inside. Testing fire ladders and barriers is an integral part of ensuring the proper condition of this equipment, as they are often used not only as fire protection, but also as a device that allows you to perform various technical work on building maintenance.
The main types of external fire escape
Fire escape is designed in accordance with the developed standards and norms of GOST. The main requirement is the outdoor placement of the structure. Each construction site must have an open or closed staircase.
The following types are distinguished:
- Vertical stairs , consisting of two parallel vertical beams connected by steps. They are located on buildings whose height does not exceed 20 meters. One of the varieties of a vertical staircase is a spiral one, where the steps are wedge-shaped and abut against one supporting bearing element - a pillar located inside. Spiral staircases are used to perform technical work or passage to the place of ignition, but not to evacuate personnel.
- Marching stairs , consisting of one or more marches (depending on the height of the building) and platforms located between them. Depending on the number of marches, stairs can be divided into single, double and multi-march. They are installed on buildings with a height of more than 20 meters. The angle of inclination of marches can vary depending on the profile use of the building, operating conditions, number of storeys.
Testing the outdoor fire escape is almost the only condition that can keep the structure in good condition.
Fire escape location
An external fire escape for people to be taken out of the building and for fire prevention should be located on the facade of the building. Also, stairs can be located on the roofs of the building, if there is a difference in roof height of more than 1 meter.
What Includes Ladder Testing Service
Inspection and testing of stairs can be carried out by a company that has received a license to carry out this kind of work. Company employees must have special tools for measuring stress, proven equipment and skilled workers.
Certification service includes:
- Departure of specialists to the facility with all necessary equipment;
- checking compliance with the requirements for placing stairs;
- visual inspection for the detection or absence of defects, for the quality of the anti-corrosion coating, for the integrity of welded joints;
- dynamic testing of sections of stairs for strength using specialized equipment;
- preparation of reporting documentation on the results of the test, which includes a test report of fire escape ladders, a defective list with recommendations for eliminating defects, if any, a photo report table.
Test Frequency
Fire ladders of any type are durable devices. Shelf life stretches for decades. But due to the natural wear of the material, structures can lose their properties and lead to irreparable consequences in the most crucial moment.
The first test of the fire escape should be carried out at the time the building is commissioned. Subsequently, regular inspection in accordance with GOST R53254-2009 should be carried out once every five years. The frequency of fire ladder tests meets national standards and must be observed by all organizations and enterprises. A visual inspection of the integrity of the structure should be carried out annually in order to identify cracks, chips, corrosion damage.
If during the inspection defects or structural destruction elements were found, then they are eliminated without fail, and then an unscheduled fire ladder strength test is carried out. In this case, the frequency of inspection will be counted from the new deadline.
Features certification of outdoor fire escape
A test of the outdoor fire escape should demonstrate that the structure can support the weight of the fire department. For certification, special certified equipment is used, which is a simple design, which nevertheless copes well with determining the suitability of stairs for operation, or cargo.
Installation for testing fire ladders type TC-46 is the main device for carrying out this kind of work. The installation consists of a manual winch and a measuring device that creates a force that is applied to the components of the ladder at certain points. When checking are loaded:
- mid steps;
- points of staircase fencing elements;
- any points of the roof fence ;
- the central part of the span of the march of inclined structures.
The march of an inclined staircase must withstand at least 750-800 kilograms along the perpendicular component. Vertical steps must support a weight of at least 180 kilograms, which is applied to the middle of the stairs for 2-3 minutes. In accordance with regulatory requirements every fifth step should be checked.
Testing fire escape ladders and fences involves checking horizontal loads. They are applied to fences of vertical type staircases, railings on roof exit platforms and fences along the perimeter of the roof. These areas must withstand a load corresponding to 50 kilograms. The check is carried out by winch-type installations, which, when the rope is pulled by means of a manual winch, create the necessary force, fixed by a dynamometer.
When checking the retractable outdoor fire escape, the structure is tested for strength and the extension system is checked. The inspector makes sure that the extension and fixation of the knees go smoothly, without jerking or jamming. The shift of the knees of the stairs should occur under its own mass. The locking devices of the stairs must hold it at any height. The hooks of the locking device must be engaged with the steps of the knee.
To test for strength, the ladder is fully extended and various forces are applied to it with the help of already familiar equipment. In each position with weight, the ladder is held for several minutes. All data is entered into the act, which describes when, where and by whom the fire escape test was carried out. A sample act can be seen below.
Visual inspection
Dynamic testing of the fire escape is the main, but not the only way to certify the staircase during its manufacture, installation and commissioning. The design must be carefully examined: individual seams, joints along the perimeter, color and quality, absence of chips, caverns, burn-throughs.
Such defects can be masked with paint, which can lead to the
commissioning of a poor-quality design.
Checking Docking to the Wall
Testing fire ladders necessarily includes checking docking to the wall. Suspension beams should have a length of not more than 30 centimeters from the point of contact with the wall to the point of attachment of the vertical beam. The distance between the fixing beams is not installed, but it should not be less than one meter and depends on the relief of the wall. Beams are checked for compliance with both vertical and perpendicular loads. During the initial installation, each individual beam is checked. Every fifth beam is checked during periodic inspection once every five years.
Certification Terms
As already mentioned, fire escape testing is carried out by certified and licensed firms. In this case, a number of conditions, safety precautions and regulatory frameworks must be observed.
The place of work before testing should be fenced and marked with warning signs. Certification can be carried out only in the daytime, in calm weather (maximum wind speed - 10 meters per second). Air temperature should be above +5 ° C.
Test results
If, as a result of the test, defects or shortcomings were detected, and the test found a permanent deformation, then such a design does not pass certification and it cannot be put into operation.
Ladders that successfully pass all the tests receive special plates or tags with information indicating the date and nature of the study. There are no requirements for tablets, the organization can arrange them independently at its discretion, taking into account the climatic conditions of the area.
Information about the objects under investigation that have not passed certification is not only recorded in the protocol, but also compulsorily brought to the attention of the fire department that maintains this object.