Fire Safety Strategies for Ashton Office Building - Research Paper Example

In designing buildings based on fire safety there is an understanding of fire sources such as systems and materials likely start fire, or most likely spread fire. Provisions for guidelines on measuring control or mitigation of fire effects are very important (BS 9999: 2008). The primary intention is to ensure that a satisfactory standard of life safety can be achieved in the event of a fire in the building (BS 9999: 2008). This can also have the effect of providing environmental protection and some property and or assisting the fire and rescue service.

There exist different references throughout this standard to fire-fighter safety, occupant safety, and property protection, drawing attention to the different considerations which could be raised (BS 9999: 2008). It is therefore important to set up principles behind the guidance and introduction of the risk profile concept. The guidance on the provisions of escape means and on construction has been designed reflecting on the use of the buildings and nature of the occupants as well as the likely fire growth and resulting risks associated with that use the risk profile (Yung & Bénichou, 2000).

Management of fire safety is the total process throughout the building life, beginning with the initial design, which mostly is intended both to ensure that, when a fire occurs, appropriate fire safety systems (including active, passive, and procedural systems) are in place and are fully functional and to minimize fire incidences (Approved Document B 2007). Therefore, fire safety management forms an essential component in the avoidance of disasters in the likely fire event. Although most buildings may never have any serious life-threatening fire, it is necessary for fire safety measures to be planned for each building.

Often, the commonest integral elements in multi-fatality fires are that, when the alarm is raised or when the fire is discovered, the premises occupants, whether members of the public or staff, respond and react in different ways from those expected or assumed by the building designer (Approved Document B 2007). There exist various stages through which people react to a fire alarm.