Fire safety in design set for consultation

The draft BS 9999, an update of DD 9999 and which incorporates material in BS 5588-5 and BS 5588-12, is going out for public consultation in February.

DD 9999 contained a number of important changes from guidance in BS 5588, particularly around design of means of escape. The primary control will be travel-time instead of travel-distance. Also DD 9999 introduced the concept of the risk profile.

When published, BS 9999 will supersede all parts of BS 5588, with the exception of BS 5588-1 which is set for a revision.

BS 9999 is primarily intended for designers, fire engineers and fire safety managers. But it is expected that it will be used by others:

• specifiers, contractors, site supervisors and site safety officers;

• owners, tenants, occupants, facility managers, safety officers and security staff;

• regulators and enforcers, including building control bodies, fire authorities, health and safety inspectors, environmental health officers, and environmental agencies.

Copies of the draft are available from BSI Customer Services on 020 8996 9001 or by e-mail on orders@bsi-global.com.

BS 9999 will convert DD 9999 into a full British Standard, and incorporates the following changes from the Draft for Development. The recommendations specifically relating to fire-fighting have been updated to take into account the findings of the Building Disaster Assessment Group.

BS 9999 is designed as a co-ordinated package covering the four main areas that influence fire safety measures, namely:

• fire safety management;

• the provisions of means of escape;

• the structural protection of escape facilities and the structural stability of the building in the event of a fire;

• the provision of access and facilities for fire-fighting.

The issues covered in BS 9999 will also form essential components of the overall fire safety strategy adopted in occupied buildings, required under fire safety legislation.