BRE Global discusses Stairways, are they safe escape routes ?
In many blocks of flat, hotels and other medium-rise buildings, the common flight stair is an important escape route in an emergency such as a fire. It is therefore vital that these stairs are able to resist the effects of fire and continue to function properly. If they are not manufactured and installed correctly, they could put the lives of building occupants and fire and rescue service personnel at risk.
With timber stairs increasingly being used in multi-storey, multi-occupancy buildings, and with concern having been expressed by its members at the poor quality of some stairs on the market, the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) launched – in September last year – the UK’s only certification scheme for domestic, common and fire protected common stairs.
The scheme was developed to ensure that stairs meet the relevant performance requirements of loading, deflection and, where appropriate, fire resistance.
Fire resistance
To be certified as fire protected under the BWF Scheme, stairs are subjected to challenging and realistic fire tests. These are conducted by BRE Global to assess their performance against the LPCB approval scheme applying to stairs used in single occupancy dwellings, communal areas in blocks of flats and areas where people may congregate (as defined in BS6399-1). The fire tests are followed by load tests to evaluate the stairs’ structural performance after a fire.
The performance required for LPCB approval is based on extensive research that culminated in the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) commissioned report, Fire Performance of Escape Stairs (BD 2569), prepared by a BRE Global-led consortium. The photograph shown (above) was taken during tests that were part of the research, and provides a graphic illustration of a fire on a staircase..
In April this year, JELD-WEN UK Ltd, a major manufacturer of timber doors, windows and stairs, became the first company to achieve LPCB approval for fire protected timber stairs.
‘As one of the main routes for evacuation in a fire, stairs must retain their integrity and be capable of fulfilling their performance requirement if they are called upon to serve as an escape route,’ said IanPurkins, JELD-WEN’s Technical Director. ‘Achieving LPCB certification for the JELD-WEN fire resisting stairs is another milestone in developing and widening the market for both our stairs and the BWF Stair Certification Scheme.
‘We were delighted both by the support from BRE Global during our test programme and the rapid progress from test to full certification, completing two months ahead of the original schedule. Great result!’
Supplier and specifier benefits
As well as contributing to building safety, particularly the escape of building occupants in emergencies, certification allows quality suppliers to distinguish themselves from inferior suppliers, and specifiers to select products they can trust.
Certification ensures that a Scheme member’s stair design and manufacturing has been independently verified as complying with the LPCB/BWF Approval scheme for fire performance of timber escape stairs. The third-party certification of fire performance verifies that a specific stair design will resist the effects of the fire and maintain its structural stability post fire test on an ongoing basis. This provides a clear and reliable means of differentiating well-manufactured, design-tested stairs from inferior, possibly non-compliant, competitors also giving confidence to building control bodies and other regulators, specifiers, clients, contractors and building occupants.
For more information contact Tony Baker bakert@bre.co.uk
Tony Baker is a member of BRE Global’s Passive Fire team
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