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MEANS OF EGRESS

A means of egress is a continuous and unobstructed way of exit travel from any point
in a building or structure to a public way and consists of three separate and distinct
parts:
The way of exit access,
The exit and,
The way of exit discharge
Every exit shall be clearly visible or the route to reach it shall be conspicuously
indicated in such a manner that every occupant of every building or structure who is
physically and mentally capable will readily know the direction of escape from any
point.
HORIZONTAL EXITS
The maximum distance between the discharge point of an exit staircase and the
exterior open space shall not exceed 25m.
The travel distance from any point in a room or store should not exceed 25 m. The
permitted travel distance will depend on whether escape is available in one direction
only or in more than one direction.
Means of egress of great length must be divided into sections of 25 m by fire- resistant
doors
STAIRS
All floors of a building must be communicated by stairs, and they should be
constructed of fire-resistant materials to provide greater security to users and ensure
its operation throughout the evacuation period. The wooden stairs, staircases, lifts and
ladders are not considered escape routes.
The type of stairs, specific use and construction area of the building will define the use
of smoke detectors, heat, automatic sprinklers, fire pressurization and smoke
evacuation.
All stairs considered as means of egress shall be provided with emergency lighting,
signage and fire resistant doors (NFPA 80) with a minimum RF-60, it will depend on the
height of the building and the evacuation period.
Stairs considered means of escape should be completely closed, without windows or
openings and doors must be fire resistant (INEN 754 and NFPA 80), it should be located
at 50 m maximum.
Two types of stairs have been provided; they shall be constructed according to the
rules established in this regulation (see graphs stairs type A and B).

STAIRS TYPE A

STAIRS TYPE B
MEANS OF ESCAPE
In Every building shall be provided appropriate means of escape considering the
number of people exposed means of fire protection available, the height and type of
building that guarantee the evacuation of all occupants. (Table 1)

TABLE 1
Minimum width for stairs in high rise buildings

Doors must be comply with the terms of the INEN standards, 748, 754, 805, 806, 1473
and 1474, to facilitate the evacuation of people in case of incidents.
The doors that are located on escape routes must swing out in the direction of
exit travel.
Doors shall be marked with operating and operability signage (NTE INEN 439).
Each door in the escape route must be at least of eighty-six centimeters wide
(86 cm) and a nominal height of two point ten meters at least (2.10 m)
depending on the number of occupants and building height.
Implementing any locking device that prevents the entry or exit of persons it is
prohibited.

A means of escape from any room to the outside should not cross another room or
apartment that is not under the control of the first occupant of the room, or through
another space that can be closed.
Emergency lighting and signage for means of egress
The emergency lighting system should automatically provide the necessary
illumination in any of the following cases:
1. power failure
2. Opening a circuit breaker or fuse
3. Any manual action, including the opening of a switch
Emergency lighting must provide a minimum of sixty minutes in the case of power
failure. The emergency lighting will provide an initial brightness that is at least 10 lux in
average (foot candle) and a 1 lux minimum at any point measured along the path of
egress at ground level.
The emergency lighting system must be continually in operation or repeatedly and
automatically without manual intervention.
Portable fire extinguishers
Every establishment of labor, trade, parking, industry, transport, hospitals, storage and
sale of fuels, that represent a fire hazards; they must have fire extinguishers according
to the materials used and the kind of risk.
The Fire Department will determine the type of extinguishing agent appropriate
according to the building and functionality, they will install close to the sites of risk or
danger, preferably next to exits and easily identifiable places, accessible and visible
from anywhere, in addition it must not hinder the circulation (NFPA 10).
Fire extinguishers will be placed according to Table 2. This requirement is mandatory
for all uses and also to calculate the number of installed fire extinguishers.

For maintenance and charge of extinguishers shall be considered the following


aspects:
The inspection and testing of all extinguisher in respect of mechanical parts,
extinguishing media and expelling means should be carried out by properly
trained and competent personnel at frequent intervals, but at least once a
month, to ensure that these are in their proper condition and have not been
accidentally discharged or lost pressure or suffered damage
Maintenance, servicing, and recharging shall be performed by trained persons
having available the appropriate servicing manual(s), the proper types of tools,
recharge materials, lubricants, and manufacturers recommended replacement
parts or parts specifically listed for use in the fire extinguisher
All rechargeable-type fire extinguishers shall be recharged after any use or as
indicated by an inspection or when performing maintenance.
Install fire extinguishers mounted on hangers or brackets attached to a wall so
that the top of the fire extinguisher is not more than 1.5m above the floor. In
no case shall the clearance between the bottom of the fire extinguisher and the
floor be less than 10cm.
FIRE WALLS
Fire walls are designed to provide separation between building areas so that a fire in
one portion of a facility will not spread to others. The assumption is that even a total
loss on one side of the fire wall will not spread to the opposite side.
HIGH RISE BUILDING
Buildings constructed with steel structure must submit welding certifications according
to standard AWS D1.1
The structural components in a building must comply with a minimum fire resistance
requirement (RF- 120).
Machine rooms, storage warehouses, meter boards are independent fire sectors and
must be equipped with smoke detectors, emergency lamp, fire extinguisher and
corresponding signaling according to standard NTE INEN 439.
Generators should be placed on the concourse level according to NEC 70 with the
respective cooling ventilation and evacuation of gases.
The transfer chambers Power must be independents with walls an RF- 120, and the
respective fire protection equipment (emergency lamp, Fire extinguisher CO2 and
signaling).

WATER COLUMN
The water column is a facility used exclusively for firefighting, it is a pipe arranged
vertically with a minimum diameter of 2 inches according with the hydraulic
calculation and the number of installed equipment, outputs will engage with a
minimum diameter of 1 inches per floor, it will be galvanized iron or fire-resistant
material according to Ecuadorian standard (INEN), Code of Construction and a RF-120,
capable to support at least a pressure of 20 Kg / cm2 (285 PSI).
MINIMUM WATER PRESSURE FOR FIRE
The minimum discharge pressure required in the most unfavorable point of the
installation will be (5 kg / cm2) (70 PSI). This requirement can be achieved by using an
additional pressurization system; it should have an autonomous source of power
independent to normal public network.
AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
The installation of automatic sprinkler is conditional and particularly designed for each
case. They should be placed in areas considered at risk.
The pipes must comply with the rules ASTM; they can be made of iron, steel or copper.
They must withstand a maximum pressure of 12 kg / cm2 (170 PSI) their diameter is 2
to 6 inches, all accessories must be regulated by ASTM.
The positioning of these elements is determined by the use of local and type of fire
hazard, prior the approval of the Fire Department.
WATER RESERVE FOR FIRE FIGHTING
An exclusive fire water tank will be constructed, according to the approved plans; with
fire-resistant materials.
Technical specifications such as location of the water reservoir and sizing of
pressurization equipment will be given by the respective hydraulic calculations; it will
be reviewed and approved by the fire department

FIRE HYDRANT
Normally in cities, hydrants should be provided at intervals of 200m, according to the
design in the city. Shut-off valves should be located to 1 m distance from the hydrant.
fire hydrants should not be blocked; such conduct constitutes a failure established as a
serious violation of the Fire Defense Law.

INDUSTRIES
In all activities, the necessary measures are taken to prevent the escape of nonflammable fluids into sewers.
All dangerous chemicals that can react and, cause fire or explosion, they shall be
stored separately in suitable containers and marked according to the NTE - INEN 2266.
The same treatment will do to deposits of organic waste.
Any building destined for industrial and manufacturing jobs will have water reservoirs
consisting of:
Supply of water for fire protection in a volume available for a period of sixty
minutes
Pressurization system with dual energy source that will ensure a minimum
pressure of 5 kg /cm2
Fire water network, where the central pipe or main has a diameter of 3 inches
(75 mm), built of galvanized iron ASTM 120 Schedule 40
Next to the standpipe will be a fire hose of 1 inches (63.5mm) in diameter and
15 m long and at its end a nozzle.
The distance between fire hydrants, in no case will exceed thirty meters (30m), and the
number of fire hydrants shall be determined according to the length of the perimeter.
The buildings that use steel structure must have a lightning protection system
(lightning rod) and should be ensure RF -120 and submit certifications according to
AWS D1.1 welding standard.
The buildings with more than 25 people as workers or employees, should organize a
fire brigade and it shall properly trained to fight fires in job areas.
A ground floor building will be equipped with fireproof walls to prevent the spread of
fire from one place to another and ensure RF -120.
Work areas where the atmosphere is laden with particles of cotton combustible fibers,
non-flammable vapors, fumes, dust etc. cleaning systems or sprinkler systems for the
treatment of relative humidity or static discharge bars will be installed.
Automatic detection systems are necessary in work areas where there are potential
risks of fire, alarm and fires extinguishing that operate even when there is no personal
or electricity.
Materials and chemicals that provide fire hazard, should be stored in a fireproof place
or even outside the workplace, these materials should be used only in necessary
amounts for the preparation of the product established in the data sheet MSDS.

Container hazardous substances that can cause an explosion or spill liquid should be
installed at ground level and fireproof places. They should not be below workspaces
and bedrooms.
Non- flammable substances such as grease, oil or combustible materials must be
collected in airtight metal containers and stored in fireproof compartments.
The fuel storage is done in fire-resistant places or reservoirs tanks preferably with
coated plastic in fiberglass and located at a safe distance from the buildings, and the
distribution to workplaces is made through pipelines.
In workplaces where flammable liquids are handled or stored, the lighting lamps,
lanterns and extension cord must be explosion-proof.
Industrial establishments must have the appropriate type of extinguishing. In addition,
equipment, systems and tools for fire protection shall be marked in accordance with
NTE INEN 439 standard.
All industrial plant will include people trained in fire protection and in proportion to
the production; they will have an industrial safety department and a fire brigade. The
following considerations are also taking into account in the means of escape:
No part or area of the property must be away from an exit and the said
distance should be based on risk.
Each floor should have at least two large enough exits.
Wooden stairs, spiral, lifts and ladders should not be considered as means of
escape.
The exits must be enabled, marked and illuminated.
Means of escape should be maintained without obstacles or elements that
prevent the evacuation.
External fire stairs in case of fire should not lead to courtyards and corridors
with no exits.
A workplace should not be more than twenty-five meters (25m) from the door
or window that can be used in an emergency.

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