The document defines key fire safety terminology used in building codes and fire guidelines. It explains concepts like automatic fire detection systems, sprinkler systems, down comers, emergency lighting, fire loads, fire doors, fire exits, fire lifts, dry risers and wet risers. It also provides details on requirements for internal staircases, external fire escapes, revolving doors, corridors and doorways to ensure safe evacuation in case of a fire.

1. Fire guidelines by NBC
Maneesh kumar Reddy
Ps no 20092039
Hci metros

2. Basic Terminology-
1.Automatic fire detection and alarm system-
Fire alarm system comprising components for
Automatically detecting a fire, initiating an alarm
of fire and initiating other actions as appropriate.
2.Automatic sprinkler system-
A system of water pipes fitted with sprinkler
heads at suitable intervals and heights and
designed to actuate automatically, control
and extinguish a fire by the discharge of water.

3. Basic Terminology-
3. Down comer — An arrangement of fire fighting
within the building by means of down-comer pipe
connected to terrace tank through terrace pump,
gate valve and non-return valve and having mains
not less than 100 mm internal diameter with landing
valves on each floor/landing. It is also fitted with inlet
connections at ground level for charging with water
by pumping from fire service appliances and air
release valve at roof level to release trapped air inside.

4. Basic Terminology-
4. Emergency Lighting System — A complete but discrete emergency
lighting installation from the standby power source to the emergency
lighting lamp(s),
5. Escape Lighting — That part of emergency lighting which is provided
to ensure that the escape route is illuminated at all material times.
7.Fire load- It is the measure of the maximum heat that will be released
if all the combustibles in a fire area burn. It is expressed in kJ/kg
(one kJ is approx. equal to 1 btu).
Or..
Calorific energy, of the whole contents contained in a space, including
the facing of the walls , partition, floors and ceilings

5. Basic Terminology-
7. Fire Door — A fire-resistive door approved for openings in fire separation.
8. Fire Exit — Away out leading to an escape route
having panic bar hardware provided on the door.
9. Fire Lift — The lift installed to enable fire
services personnel to reach different floors with
minimum delay, having such features as required in
accordance with this Part.

6. Basic Terminology-
11. Stack Pressure:
“ Pressure difference caused by a temperature difference creating an air movement within a duct, chimney or enclosure ”
Explaination-Smoke moves from an area of higher
pressure to one of lower pressure. Pressure
differences may be caused by buoyancy from
the fire, stack effect, wind and forces from
building heating, ventilating and air-conditioning
systems. In tall buildings, these factors are
complicated by the stack effect, which is the
vertical natural air movement from the building
caused by the differences in temperature and
densities between the inside and outside air.
This stack effect plays a vital role in smoke movement.

7. Basic Terminology-
11. Dry Riser — An arrangement of fire fighting within the building by means of vertical
rising mains not less than 100 mm internal diameter with landing valves on each floor
landing which is normally dry but is capable of being charged with water usually by
pumping from fire service appliances.
12. Wet Riser-An arrangement for fire fighting within the building by means of
vertical rising mains of not less than 100 mm diameter with landing valves on each
floor/landing for fire fighting purposes and permanently charged with water from a
pressurized supply.
“Difference between wet and a dry riser, is that wet
risers are permanently charged with water by a fire
pump from a permanent water supply (which can
either be an underground water tank or an elevated
water tank at the terrace), whereas, the dry riser has
to be fed with water by fire brigade after their arrival.
Landing valves are nothing but internal hydrants
fitted with standard instantaneous female couplings
and may be of single or double outlet types”

8. Fire lift-
 A lift within the firefighting shaft with dual power supply and is capable of being commandeered
by the Fire Service.
 Operation of the firefighter switch (usually situated at the ground floor level) activates the
lift controls for firefighter use. The lift will only be controlled by the controls within the car and the
doors will only open by pressing the door open button within the car
 1 lift for Min area-1200 sq.m and shall be made exclusively available for firemen in an
Emergency.
 Floor area not less than 1.4 sq.m per person ,automatically sliding door of min 0.8m width
of 8 persons or 545 kg capacity
 Separate electric supply and along with normal electricity an alternate means of power
Arrangement.
 Operation of lift should be made by a simple toggle or two button switch situated in a glass
fronted box adjacent to lift at the entrance level
 Speed of the fire lift will be in such a way that it reaches top floor within a minute.

9. Internal stair case-
 Interior stairs should be constructed of non-combustible materials
throughout and as a self-contained unit with an external wall constituting
at least one of its sides and should be completely enclosed.
 A staircase should not be arranged round a lift shaft unless the latter is
totally enclosed by a material of fire-resistance rating as that for the type
of construction itself.
 Hollow combustible construction should not be permitted.
 No gas piping should be laid in the stairway.
 The minimum width of tread without nosing should be 25 cm for internal staircase of residential buildings. This should be 30 cm
for assembly, educational, institutional, business and other buildings. The treads should be constructed and maintained in a
manner to prevent slipping.
 The maximum height of riser should be 19 cm for residential buildings and 15 cm for other buildings and the number should be
limited to 15 per flight.
 Hand rails should be provided at a minimum height of 100 cm and not exceeding 120 cm to be measured from the base of the
middle of the treads to the top of the hand rails. Further, the gap between the two verticals should not exceed 30 cm. This gap
should be reduced to 15 cm where children are likely to use the staircase.
 The number of people in between floor landings in staircase should not be less than the population on each floor for the
purpose of design of staircase.

10. EXTERNAL FIRE ESCAPE STAIRCASE-
 Any door opening onto the stairway below the top floor and any door in the external wall beneath the stairway should
be self closing and should have a minimum half hour standard of fire resistance.
 If windows are below or less than 1.8 metres horizontally from the stairway, they should be fixed shut and have the
above standard of fire resistance.
 The route from the foot of the stairway to a final place of safety should be unobstructed and free from vegetation..
 Fire escapes should not be taken into account in calculating the evacuation time of a building.
 All fire escapes should be directly connected to the ground.
 Entrance to the fire escape should be separate and remote from the internal staircase.
 Care should be taken to ensure that the wall opening or window opens on to or close to a fire escape.
 The route to the fire escape should be free of obstructions at all times.
 The fire escape should be constructed of non-combustible materials, and any doorway leading to the fire escape should have the required fire
resistance.
 No staircase, used as a fire escape, should be inclined at an angle greater than 45° to the horizontal.
 Fire escape stairs should have straight flight not less than 75 cm wide with 20 cm treads and risers not more than 19 cm. The number of risers
should be limited to 15 per flight.
 Hand rails should be of a height not less than 100 cm and not exceeding 120 cm.

11. EXTERNAL FIRE ESCAPE STAIRCASE-
SPIRAL STAIR CASES-
 The use of spiral staircase should be limited to occupant load and
to a building not exceeding 9 m in height unless they are connected
to platforms, such as balconies and terraces to allow escapees
to pause.
 Spiral fire escape should be not less than 150 cm in diameter and
should be designed to give adequate headroom.

12. Fire Escape Plan-
 A fire escape plan is for use by the public and occupants in case of a fire as well as for the fire fighters.
 It should clearly show the layout of the floor in the correct building orientation and highlight the escape routes
(in relation to viewer’s location), escape corridors and exit staircases using appropriate colours , directional
signs and words
 Other information required on the plan are for fire fighting purposes and these include the following;
(1) Firemen’s lift (2) Hose reels (3) Extinguishers (4) Dry and wet risers
(5) Fire indicator board (6) Manual alarm call points
 These plans should be placed at common area locations in such buildings where the public and occupants of
the building are most likely to frequent or use.

13. Fire Escape Plan-

14. DOOR WAYS-
 Every exit doorway should open into an enclosed stairway, or horizontal exit of a corridor, or passageway providing continuous
and protected means of egress.
 No exit doorway should be less than 100 cm in width. Doorways should be
not less than 200 cm in height..
 Exit doorways should open outwards, that is, away from the room but should
not obstruct the travel along any exit. No door, when opened, should reduce
the required width of stairway or landing to less than 90 cm; overhead or sliding
door should not be installed.
 Exit door should not open immediately upon a flight of stairs, a landing equal to
at least the width of the door should be provided in the stairway at each doorway
; the level of landing should be the same as that of the floor which it serves..
 Exit doorways should be openable from the side which they serve without the
use of a key.

15. Revolving doors-
 Revolving doors should not be used as required exits except in residential, business
and mercantile occupancies but should not constitute more than half the total required
door width. In mercantile buildings where there is possibility of congregation of a large
number of people (more than 200), revolving doors should not be permitted.
 Where the revolving door provided are completely made of glass (plate glass),
a red circle or emblem or logo at 1·5 m level above sill should be painted on the glass.
The thickness of the glass should not be not less than 12 mm.
Corridors and Passageways-
 Exit corridors and passageways should be of width not less than the
aggregate required width of exit doorways leading from them in the
direction of travel to the exterior.
 Where stairways discharge through corridors and passageways, the
height of corridors and passageways should be not less than 2·4 m.