BS 5588-5:2004 pdf free.Fire precautions in the design, constructionand use of buildings Access and facilities forfire-fighting.
BS 5588-5 Fire-fighters need to be able to reach a fire quickly, with their equipment. Physical safety and lives, boththose of the fire-fighters and those of the occupants of the building, and the preservation of the buildingand its contents, can be jeopardized by delays in reaching the area of the fire.
In most new buildings, fire service operations do not necessarily contribute to the evacuation of occupants,except where progressive horizontal evacuation techniques are used, e.g. in some residential buildings.Rescue by the fire service can provide an additional factor of safety, but this is not generally taken intoaccount in any calculation of probable risk to the building or occupants for the design of a building.
Fire-fighting facilities should be selected and designed to assist the fire service in protecting life, protectingfire-fighters, reducing building losses, salvaging property and goods and minimizing environmental
damage. Early consultation with the approving authority is recommended when deciding upon whichfacilities should be provided.
NOTE1The exact choice of facilities depends on the use, size or layout of the building, the nature of its contents, and the site uponwhich it is situated.
Fire-fighting facilities should include, where appropriate:
a) provision for summoning the assistance of the fire service as early as possible;
b) means of enabling the fire service to locate and reach the building on fire as quickly as possible,including information facilities and the provision of vehicular access for fire appliances to the perimeterof the building or site;
c) provision of and access to sufficient supplies of a fire-fighting medium;
NOTE 2 The usual fire-fighting medium is water, but other media may be used, e.g.bulk foam supplies.
d) provision of easy and speedy entry to the interior of the building or site for fire-fighters and theirequipment;
e) means of enabling fire-fighters, once they have entered a building, to reach any point within thatbuilding in the shortest possible time, including the provision of fire-fighting lifts if appropriate;
f) means of ensuring that once fire-fighters have arrived at a position within a building, they can remainthere in relative safety whilst they carry out their rescue and fire-fighting roles;
g) provision for removing the products of combustion from the building both during and after fire;h) provision for securing and storing of salvaged goods or artefacts on site;
i) provision of automatic fire suppression systems to restrict the growth of a fire;
j) provision of fire-resisting structural elements to prevent the premature collapse of the building or site;k) provision of fireresisting compartments and structures to limit the uncontrolled spread of fire.BS 5588-5 pdf download.