Summary of NBC 2016 Part 4 Fire and Life Safety
Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India established
under the BIS Act 2016 for development of standards, marking and quality
certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental
thereto.
The National
Building Code of India 2016 (NBC 2016), a comprehensive building Code prepared
by BIS, is a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating the
building construction activities across the country.
Thus, the
Code gives all the information required by the architect, engineer, structural
engineer, construction engineer, services engineer and other professionals from
the early stages of planning to translating the building on to terra firma. The
comprehensive NBC 2016 contains 13 Parts some of which are divided into
Sections and Subsections totalling 33 chapters.
Key Content - Fire and Life Safety
All buildings shall satisfy minimum requirements for safety of life from fire, smoke, fumes or panic arising from these or similar causes.
Classification of buildings based on occupancy
The city or
area under the jurisdiction of the Authority shall be demarcated into distinct
fire zones depending upon the existing layout, types of building construction,
classification of existing buildings based on occupancy and expected future
development of the city or area. Intermixing of hazardous occupancies should
not be allowed in other zones.
1) Fire
resistant walls, floors and compartments
• To limit
the spread of fire
• No
compromise for openings such as shafts, refuse chutes, vertical openings, etc.
2) Shafts
• To be
provided with fire resistant rated inspection door for passage of building
services such
as cables, electrical wires, telephone cables, plumbing pipes, etc
depending
upon location.
3) Refuge
area
• An area
within the building for a temporary use during egress. It generally serves as
a staging
area which is protected from the effect of fire and smoke.
4) Fire
detection and firefighting installations
• These
include fire alarm, fire extinguishers, hose reels, wet riser, down comer,
yard
hydrants, sprinklers, deluge system, water spray, foam, water mist systems,
gaseous or
dry powder system, water storage tanks and pumps, etc.
5) Means
of egress
• Consists of
three separate and distinct parts, that is, exit access, exit and exit
discharge
• Exit access
are working/functional areas
• Various
types of exit access and exits are doorways, corridors and passageways,
horizontal exits, internal staircases, exit passageways, external staircases
and ramps.
6) Firefighting
shafts
• With fire
man talk back, fire door, wet riser, hose reel, signage showing floor plan and
stairways and fire man’s lift
Fire prevention
Fire prevention is based on the following:
•
Occupancy
•
Fire zones
•
Types of construction
•
General requirement of all occupancies
•
Electrical installation
a.
Emergency power for fire and life safety system
b.
Substation
c.
Lightning protection
d.
Escape lighting and exit signage
e.
HVAC and smoke control
f.
Glazing
g.
Surface interior finish
h.
Fire Command Centre
•
Fire resistance rating of structural and
non-structural elements updated
•
Fire resistance rating of service shaft and duct
opening of 2 hours. Inspection
door and duct opening should have same resistance rating of service shaft.
•
Facade protection and openable windows in facade shall
have fire protection and smoke exhaust aspects
•
Compartment criteria of different occupancies and fire
separating wall & floor partitions are modified
•
Provision of fire/smoke damper design more elaborated
like provision of damper
A. At
the fire separation wall
B. Where
ducts/passage enter the vertical shaft
C.
Where the duct passes through floor
D. At
the inlet of supply air duct and return air duct of each compartment on every
floor.
Glass facade
- For
fully sprinkler building having fire separation of 9 m or more, tampered
glass in a non-combustible assembly with ability to hold the glass in
position shall be provided
- It
shall be ensured that sprinklers are located within 60 cm and there is
full coverage of glass. All the gaps between floor slab and facade
assembly shall be sealed at all level by fire resistant sealant material
of equal rating of floor slab to prevent fire and smoke propagation from
one floor to another.
- Openable
panels shall be provided in each floor and shall be spaced not more than
10 m apart, measured along the external wall from the centre to centre of
the access opening. Such opening shall be operable at a height between 1.2
m and 1.5 m from the floor in the form of openable panel (Fire Access
Panel) not less than 1000 mm x 1000mm opening outward.
FIRE OPENABLE PANEL DO NOT OBSTRUCT IN 25 mm lettering in the inner side can also
act as smoke exhaust at the time of distress.
Service Sector in Focus
Some important features considered in Hospitals
•
Each compartment shall be able to accommodate patients
from adjoining compartment and Density Factor (Number of patient) area to be
allotted 3.5 sq.m/person
•
Critical patients, incapable of self-preservation and
physical impairment shall be housed within 30 m height
•
Other types of patient and occupancy like Nurses’
centre, Medical shop, Canteen, etc to be in between 30-45 m in height
•
Operation theatre, Delivery room, ICU, Recovery room
shall have a separation with 2 hours of fire resistance rating
•
Passage width of aisles, corridor, ramp, etc shall be
2.4 m unobstructed through which patients are being moved and in case of
inpatient width not less than 1.5
•
All exits from Hospital or Infirmary Section shall not
be less than 2m
•
Minimum door width single/double occupancy shall be
1.25 m; for 3-5 patients, door width shall be 1.50 m; for more than 5 patients
and patient evacuation bed (i.e. ICU) it shall be 2.0 m; for single/double
doors, it shall be 1.5 m
•
Any sleeping accommodation or suite exceeding 100 sq.m
in area, 2 no.s of access door leading to escape route, corridor, etc to be
provided
•
Room designed for laboratory or like facility shall be
limited to 100 sq.m in area for additional area coverage. Fire separation shall
be done by 2 hours fire resistance.
•
A stretcher lift in the lift bank shall also act as a
fireman lift
Life safety is based on:
•
General exit
•
Occupant load
•
Declaration of occupant load
•
Egress components
•
Smoke control of exit
•
Compartmentation
•
Smoke control above and below ground
•
Gas supply
•
Hazardous area
•
Fire detection
•
Fire drill
Safe electrical supply system
•
The electrical supplies towards the critical aspects
of emergency power for fire and life safety addressed for respective system.
•
Power supply to the panel and distribution board be
through fire proof enclosure or circuit integrity cable or through alternate
route in the adjoining fire compartment is protected within the compartment of
vulnerability and require location of the panel/distribution board feeding
shall be in fire and safety zone and ensure supply of power to these system.
•
The high voltage electrical equipment safety including
aspects of emergency and exit lighting of large and public assembly occupancies
•
HVAC system, smoke control and mitigation also to be
taken care of with comprehensive approach towards compartmentation and spread
of fire and smoke.
Life safety
•
To calculate the number of exit requirement with
Density Factor
•
Exit Layout for better understanding of various
aspects of means of egress, corridor, passageways, stair ways and exit
•
Provision for access control door, electromagnetic
door, revolving door and turnstile (conditions to be fulfilled)
•
Provision of handrail at both sides of stairs and ramp
width exceeding 1.5m
•
Internal stair width of residential building increased
to 1250 mm from 1000 mm
•
External stairs width increased from 1250 mm to 1500
mm
•
Each fire rated door shall have a marking on the
product of its certification. Door assembly parts like hinges, locks, panic
bars, door closer and door viewer shall be certified.
•
Updated staircase pressurization requirement (Smoke
control of exit) for lobbies & corridors
•
Smoke exhaust and pressurization of area below the
ground floor
•
Requirement of smoke exhaust system having make up air
system for the theatre and atrium
•
Smoke exhaust fan in the mechanical ventilation system
shall be fire rated of 250 degrees centigrade for 2 hours (120 minutes)
•
Provision of smoke barrier and sprinkler around the
opening for escalator
•
Requirement of display of occupancy load for assembly
occupancy and call center.
