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Posted By Russel
hi all
My office is at 6th floor of the building. There Fireman's rescue window is obstructed with the workstation, but the workstation is approx. 5" below the window. Can anyone guide me what is exact width of the access passage or where can I find the the regulations pls.
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Posted By pluto
Hi Russell,
Not sure what you mean by firemans' rescue window. I'd be very surprised if you saw a fireman outside the sixth floor window.
You escape route should be via the internal stair(s). Forget about the window.
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Posted By GT
Russel,
Are based in Scotland?
In respect of the window it is a requirement of Scottish Building Regulations for premises above four stories ...I think ....please check as it as been a while since I was involved with them.
Access to the point of escape in my mind should like all other escape routes be kept free of obstructions.
6 stories is probably about 84 feet......25 metres?? Personally I would expect to see a fireman's ladder or rescue device out side the window at this height.
Hope this helps
GT
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Posted By Alan Haynes
Don't think its just a Scottish 'thing' - there was a similar window in my 6th floor open plan office in London.
Openable from outside and inside but no handle fitted [you need to have a handle with you]
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Posted By Ashley Wood
Do you have any other means of escape or is it just one set of stairs that you have?
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Posted By GT
Hi Alan, Thanks for the feed back I have only seen it under Scottish regs and you could well be right
gt
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Posted By pluto
6 stories is probably about 84 feet......25 metres?? Personally I would expect to see a fireman's ladder or rescue device out side the window at this height.
Hope this helps
GT
And I thought all things Scottish were meant to be brill..
No fireman's' ladder I have ever used goes this high and with the usual access problems for aerials you would be lucky to see a HP or Turntable ladder either. Possible but don't rely on it!
How many stories does this requirement go..10, 20, 30? Seems like a poor compensating feature for a single staircase to me.
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Posted By Dave Merchant
UK standard spec for a pump ladder appliance is a 13.5m extending ladder (called a 135 for obvious reasons). The Bronto Skylift CPL (the thing that looks like a cherry picker on steroids) in service with the majority of brigades has a reach of 33 metres at optimum extension, and the FL618 turntable ladder tops out at between 25m and 30m depending on the tilt - so your window is certainly in reach but only when the heights vehicle arrives.
That can take a while....
However 25m is easily within the spec of self-escape devices (harness and rope controlled by a speed-limiting system) and where there's no ground footprint for a heights vehicle these can be a very effective alternative to being gently grilled to death.
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Posted By Steve Cartwright
What is the width of the window? I would imagine that the whole width of the window should be kept clear.
I would also speak to the fire authorities. The fire authorities will probably say that you should not rely on them to rescue your employees from the 6th floor. You should have your own procedures in place to evacuate the building. I don't think they will be very happy if all your procedure is to wait by the window for the emergency services to turn up.
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Posted By geecee
PROTECTED STAIRCASE AND DETECTION IS STANDARD REQUIREMENT & ANY EXTERNAL OPTIONS ARE GENERALLY LAST RESORT UNLESS PROVIDING FIXED MEANS OF ESCAPE FROPM MULTI-FLOOR PREMISES.
IF STAFF ACT PROMPTLY TO ALL ALARMS THEN THEY SHOULD NORMALLY MAKE IT OUT FROM UP TO FIVE STOREYS WELL INSIDE RECOMMENDED EVACATION TIMES - AND BEFORE A FIRE CAN DEVELOP.
THIS ASSUMES THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE HAZARDOUS AREAS ADJOINING THE STAIRCXASE ETC. OTHERWISE ALTERNATIVE ESCAPE ROUTE IS ESSENTIAL. ALSO ASSUMES THAT VULNERABLE PERSONS ETC. DO NOT HAVE TO BE ASSISTED IN LARGE NUMBERS FROM HIGH FLOORS - CONSIDER REFUGES WHERE THIS IS THE CASE.
BASIC FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE ALSO APPLIES
REGARDS....
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Posted By shaun mckeever
Oh dear. I think some of the responses above are questionable.
Generally where a building exceeds 11m in height it is normal to provide a secondary means of escape from the upper floors. Window exits were accepted in limited circumstances in the early days of fire certification. In the circumstances you describe I think it highly unlikely that the window exit would be considered as acceptable for your workplace. Depending on the height of the building and and the level of protection to the staircase it may be acceptable to have the single staircase as the sole means of escape but the standard of protection must be spot on and the fire strategy must be robust.
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