GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TERMS & DEFINITIONS

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Fire Safety Technical Guide

GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TERMS & DEFINITIONS

Reference: BS4422-2005 Fire Safety Vocabulary - for further information and definitions

BS EN ISO 13943-2000: Fire Safety Vocabulary - for further information and definitions

1.0. FIRE SAFETY ABBREVIATIONS KEY

1.1. General shorthand and abbreviations used in UCL Fire Safety documentation:

ABBREVIATION DESCRIPTION ABBREVIATION DESCRIPTION

FR 30/60 Fire Resisting Construction

(30/60 minutes) T/T Thumb Turn fitted to door in direction of escape

FRG 30/60 Fire Resisting Glazing (30/60

minutes Resistance FFF Free From Fastenings (i.e. No locking device to be fitted to door)

FD30 FD60

Fire Door 30/30 minutes

Fire Door 60/60 minutes EF Emergency Fastening (i.e. door to be fitted with an emergency device to allow escape at all times)

(S) Cold smoke seals / brushes

required. S13 Sign ‘Fire Door Keep Shut’ or similar

SC Self Closing Device S14 Sign ‘Fire Door Keep Locked Shut When

Not in Use’ or similar [Self Closing device not required]

VP Vision Panel - If in a fire door

must be appropriate FRG S22 Sign ‘Running man’ Fire Escape FD30(S)SC&VP Fire Door, Smoke Seals, Self

Closing with Vision Panel S26 Directional arrow used in conjunction with sign S22 ()

3NM 3 Hour Non-Maintained

Emergency Light Fitting AFD Automatic Fire Detection

3M 3 Hour Maintained Emergency

Light Fitting required S(i) Smoke detector (Ionisation) type Test Key Fish tailed test key facility -

wired to provide a local lighting

circuit failure. S(o) Smoke detector (Optical) type

Addressable Emergency

Lighting

Addressable Emergency lighting system as per Advance

Electronics Ltd H (RoR) Heat detector (Rate of Rise)

MCP Manual Call Point (Red - Fire

Alarm Break Glass unit) H Heat detector (Fixed) normal setting 65C - unless specified

Sounder (Voice) Voice Sounder to be used SCA Self-Closing Automatic – Magnetic (Door hold open device connected to the fire alarm system).

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2.0. DEFINITIONS OF TECHNICAL FIRE SAFETY TERMS USED

2.1. In fire safety reporting and specifications, the terms / words and associated meanings will be used:

SPECIFIC WORDS DEFINITION:

'Shall' and 'Must' Are Mandatory (you will do)

'Will' Is Informative

'Should' Is Advisory

'Provide' Means - Supply, fix or Install 'Approved' Means - Approved in Writing

'Suitable' Means -Suitable in the opinion of the authority having jurisdiction

2.2. Various terms are used in fire safety guides and documentation because of their importance concerning the Means of Escape for existing buildings, are defined below.

Access Room Means - a room, which forms the only, escape route from an inner room (See Inner Room);

Accommodation Stairway Means - a stairway, which is provided for the convenience of occupant; in addition, to that or those required for escape purposes;

Cavity Barrier Means - a construction provided to close a concealed space against penetration of smoke or flame, or provided to restrict the movement of smoke or flame within such a space;

Compartment Is a part of the building separated from all other parts of the same building by fire resisting compartment walls and /or compartment floors;

Compartment Wall or Floor Means - a fire-resisting wall or floor used in the separation of one fire compartment from another;

Dead-End Condition Means - an area from which escape is possible in one direction only;

Distance of Travel Means - the actual distance that a person needs to travel between any point in a building and the nearest storey exit;

Emergency Escape Lighting

Means - that part of the emergency lighting system provided for use when the supply to the normal lighting fails so as to ensure that the Means of Escape can be safely and effectively used at all material times;

Means - the termination of an escape route from a building

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2.2. Continued:

Fire Door

Means - a door assembly which is designed to hold back fire and smoke for a designated period, and has been tested under the following:

 The conditions of test for door assemblies described in British Standard 476: Part 22; or,

 The conditions of test contained in the British Standard currently in force at the time of the bringing into use of the premises as a factory, office, shop or railway premises; or,

 The conditions of test in the British Standard currently in force at the time the door was manufactured; would satisfy the criteria for integrity for 20 minutes or for such longer periods, as may be specified in particular circumstances;

Notes:

1. Normally, such doors should be positively self-closing;

2. Door assemblies with non-metallic leaves should be maintained in accordance with the provisions of British Standard 8214;

Fire-Resisting (Fire Resistance)

Means - the ability of a component or the construction of a building to satisfy for a stated period of time some or all of the appropriate criteria specified in the relevant part of British Standard 476;

Note - in existing premises, it may not be possible to define the fire resistance of some elements of structure, and a judgement will need to be made on whether the fire resistance is acceptable;

Fire Safety Engineering

Means - an approach, which takes into account the total fire safety package and sets a range of fire safety features against an assessment of the fire hazard and fire risk for the particular premises;

Fire / Smoke stopping

Means - seals provided to close an imperfection of fit or design tolerance between elements or components to restrict the passage of fire, heat and smoke;

Inner Room Means - a room from which escape, is possible only by passing through an access room (Note: Inner Rooms are not permitted (travel from inner room to Access Room, only discharging to safety such as corridor etc.) ;

Means of Escape

Means - the structural means whereby a safe route is provided for persons to travel from any point in a building to a place of safety beyond the building without outside assistance;

Members of the

Public Guests - not being employed or studying at UCL;

Place of Safety Means - place beyond the building in which a person is no longer in danger from fire

Protected Corridor

Means - corridor, which is adequately protected from fire in adjoining accommodation by fire-resisting construction (usually to a minimum of 30 minutes Fire Resting Standard;

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2.2. Continued:

Protected Lobby

Means - a fire-resisting enclosure providing access to a protected stairway via two sets of fire-resisting and self-closing doors, into which no rooms open, other than toilets or lifts;

Protected Route

Means - a route having an adequate degree of protection from fire including walls (other than any part that is an external wall of a building), doors, partitions, ceilings and floors separating the route from the remainder of the building;

Protected Stairway Means - a stairway, which is adequately protected from fire in adjoining accommodation by fire-resisting construction and either discharges through a final exit or a protected route leading to a final exit;

Storey Exit

Means - an exit through which persons are no longer at immediate risk from the effect of fire and includes a final exit, an exit to a protected lobby or protected stairway (including an exit leading on to an external stairway), and an exit provided for Means of Escape through a compartment wall via which a final exit can be reached;

Vision Panel (VP) Means - a fire resisting or plain glazed panel found in doors or partitions, placed there for safety to view an access room circulation traffic beyond the door;

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3.0. FIRE DOOR AND GLAZING ABBREVIATIONS:

3.1. In fire safety reporting and specifications, the following abbreviations shall be used when referring to fire doors:

ABBREVIATION DEFINITION:

FD30 / 30 or

FD60 / 60

Means - Fire Resisting Door 30 or 60 minutes:

 Integrity (to keep its structural properties without failure during the specified period);

 Insulation (to keep its structural properties without failure and not allowing heat to pass through it during the specified period);

FD30(I)

Means - Fire Resisting Door 30 minutes fitted with Intumescent seals (Hot Smoke Seals) all new fire doors must now be fitted with intumescent seals with a minimum of 12 mm doorstops planted on the frame;

Intumescent seals activate at approximately 100°c where they will swell to 70%+ of their volume and to form a seal around the door and frame to prevent hot gases passing through to escape routes or allowing the hot gases to spread the fire further through the building;

FD30(S) Means - Fire Resisting Door 30 minutes fitted with Cold Smoke seals / brushes;

FD30SC Means - a Fire Resisting Door 30 minutes fitted with a suitable approved Self-Closing device;

FD30VP Means - Fire Resisting Door 30 minutes fitted with a Vision Panel (made from FRG);

FD30(S)SC&VP Fire Resisting Door 30 minutes fitted with Smoke seals, Self-Closing and fitted with Vison Panel can be commonly abbreviated to FD30(S)SC&VP;

3.2. In fire safety reporting and specifications, the following abbreviations will be used when referring to fire glazing:

ABBREVIATION DEFINITION:

FRG30 / 30

FRG 60 / 60

Means - Fire Resisting Glazing 30 minutes, which can be specified with both:

 Integrity (to keep its structural properties without failure during the specified period);

 Insulation (to keep its structural properties without failure and not allowing heat to pass through it during the specified period);

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