PREPARING FOR THE UNTHINKABLE A GLOBAL VIEW ON FIRE, LIFE SAFETY AND EVACUATION IMPROVEMENTS FOR LARGE STRUCTURES RESEARCH FUNDED BY: THE CHURCHILL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA JUSTIN FRANCIS
OVERVIEW Churchill Fellowship conducted across 11 different countries Focus on evacuation methods from high-rise buildings & fire and life safety improvements The Occupier, The Building, The Emergency WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO VISIT, WORK, RESIDE, OCCUPY AND MANAGE EMERGENCIES IN ALL LARGE STRUCTURES IN COMPLETE SAFETY https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/media/fellows/francis _J_2016_Evacuation_from_highrise_buildings_and_large_structures_1.pdf
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW CONTRACT MANAGER OF A VERY COMPLEX BUILDING This building contains the following: Residents Employees, Office Workers Non-English speaking hotel guests, unfamiliar with the buildings, asleep A business guest onsite for a meeting A Security guard An elderly diner in a restaurant on level 67 An 18 year old in a silent disco on level 71 A Tourist in a wheelchair on the observation deck A student studying in an education facility A kitchen hand in the back of a restaurant A child in the care of a nanny A patient in a medical facility A maintenance contractor working in restricted space
THE OCCUPIER The slowest person influences the evacuation speed for all.
The variety of people within buildings all having different levels of knowledge and capability of responding accordingly during an emergency. Kone advises 21% of the worlds population will be over 60 by 2050. 8 13% of people have a mobility impairment, 2 3% of people are not capable of walking down stairs (Prof. Karen Boyce, Ulster University) 725 000 extra dwellings in Sydney over the next 20 years (Sarah Hill, CEO, Greater Sydney Commission) Vertical Schools, Aged Care, Entertainment Venues, Shopping Centre's, Child care
ROPPONGI TOWERS & CANARY WHARF
THE BUILDING Reliant on complex fire systems technology Changing Materials, timber, cladding Environmental efficiency Pressure to maximise space, financial viability increased heights, built to a budget Ageing Standards less fire installations, e.g. under 25m Ageing Structures = Ageing Fire Installations, e.g. passive fire systems 830m
The concerns over a series of proposed high-rises and single exit stairs 7 high-rise residential towers in development in London with a single exit serving the highest floors. Spire London single stair serves floors 55 to 67. Report from Greg Harrington, 14 th Feb, 2018
PROACTIVE APPROACH Changes to standards and codes are often a reaction to an event, an incident, a coronial. This is a reactive approach, can we be proactive? What happens to existing buildings built under older standards? What is the life span of a building? Examples of change: - 3 rd stairwell after September 11 in the U.S over 128m. - Multiple cladding fires - Childers Fire Budget Accommodation - Slacks Creek Fire change to residential smoke alarms - Bankstown Fire in Sydney, Coronial identifying sprinkler protection. If we become proactive, will the overall cost to the community be less? Grenfell 71, Bankstown 1, Childers 15, Slacks Creek 11.
BUILDING FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY RATING (B-FLSR) ANCAP Rating Australasian New Car Assessment Program 92% of new cars sold in Australia hold an ANCAP rating Photo: Chris Keating, Melbourne, Australia NABERS Rating National Australian Built Environment Rating System Current Office buildings in Australia have an average rating of 4 stars our of 5, indicating buildings built to current standards can still improve (Australian Government, 2017). The Earthquake-Prone Building Rating System Introduced into NZ on the 1 st July, 2017, provides a Nationally consistent rating system for buildings that require repairs and modifications. Time frames can be from 7.5 years to 35 years to make these changes Ratings apply to food, restaurants, hotels, movies etc. Photo: www.inhabit.com Our largest investment, our property, has no rating for fire and life safety
B-FLSR WOULD ENCOURAGE Incentives for new buildings to build above the minimum standard if they want to sell their product, e.g. Evacuation elevator/lifts, 2 means of escape, intelligent fire communication system. Create incentives for older buildings, built to older codes and standards to retrofit new systems to increase the level of fire protection. Potential to give lengthy time frames for major upgrades, e.g. sprinkler retrofitting. Inform the tenant, the purchaser with information on the fire and life safety level of their building. The tenant and purchaser demand for buildings of a higher B-FLSR would drive change in the building industry
THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION METHODS The importance of an alternative means of escape
CHANGING THREATS Predominantly planned for fire emergencies Fire Incidents small incidents can be major incidents in large structures Technological failure, e.g. loss of power Building works, under construction Chemical Incident Active shooter Bomb threat Severe weather or natural disaster Incident from a neighboring building
SKY BRIDGES
REFUGE AREAS
TOKYO
EVACUATOR
EXIT SIGNAGE
EXTERNAL ESCAPE STAIRS
COMMUNICATIONS Australian Open 2018. Evacuation Emergency Australian Open spectators were left shaken and bemused with little explanation after an evacuation siren accidentally sounded inside the Rod Laver Arena The News Daily Open Everyone is stunned, they don t quite know where to go Channel 7 Commentator, John Fitzgerald No one knows what to do The News Daily Open
TECHNOLOGY
EVACUATION DRILLS Evaluate how long it takes to get out Or to educate the occupant through a rehearsal. Trying to do both - aren t successfully achieving either. People need to be trained on an individual level, not just walk down stairs. A basic fire drill does not practice with the flexibility that may be required. Mobility impaired evacuation is not always factored into the evacuation speed for a building.
BUILDING ACCESS Round Tower (Rundetaarn) Copenhagen, 1642, 7.5m helical corridor ramp
EVACUATION LIFTS U.S. International Building Code (IBC) 2012 & The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) ISO/TR 25743:2010 Post September 11, IBC Introduced occupant evacuation elevators Alternative to providing a third set of stairs for buildings over 420 ft. (128m) Back up power, lift system interconnected with fire detection, sprinkler protected, prevent sprinkler ingress into elevator shaft, fire rated lift shafts, larger lobby/refuge areas accommodate 25% of people on the floor and one wheelchair space for every 50 people, automated operation with manual override, enhanced signage, two way communication 181 Freemont St, San Francisco, 58 levels, mixed occupancy, 10 occupant evacuation elevators Slow Uptake building slow down since its inception, unknown element of how effective it will be, extra up front cost, potential increased servicing costs, concern over public perception Automated, theoretically 100% evac within 40 minutes using the elevator system
EVACUATION LIFTS SWEDEN
EVACUATION LIFTS FINLAND
TORONTO EVACUATION MEETING
DEFEND IN PLACE Heavy reliance on installed fire systems operating as designed, building operating as designed Very heavy reliance on passive fire systems
LACROSSE (2014) ADDRESS HOTEL (2015) GRENFELL (2017) Image: Daily Telegraph Sprinkler Protected Order to evacuate at 3 minutes Two sets of emergency stairs Stairwell Pressurisation Building wide alarm system ACP s Storage of items on balconies Restricted aerial FF access Minimal, if any building management on-site Sprinkler protected, but overrun Successful evacuation Multiple sets of stairs Early loss of power and water Building wide alarm system ACP s Items stored on balconies, gas cylinders Restricted aerial FF access No Sprinkler Order to evacuate 1hr, 53mins One set of emergency stairs Smoke extract system in communal lobby No building wide alarm system ACPs Stored items Access for aerial FF, debris issues
RECOMMENDATIONS - BUILDINGS Challenge of mixed use buildings Implement a Building Fire and Life Safety Rating System Increased use of occupant evacuation lifts Increase solutions to mobility impaired evacuation Identify the importance of passive fire systems, their installation and maintenance Increased use of technology to assist in building specific emergencies Rapid emergency warning systems to be further implemented to perform rapid info during a terrorist situation Buildings to look at alternative means of escape, flexible evac procedures and methods like evac to disperse.
THE END Everyone should be able to visit, work, reside, occupy and manage emergencies in both old and new buildings with complete confidence for their own personal safety. https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/media/fellows/francis_j _2016_Evacuation_from_highrise_buildings_and_large_structures_1.pdf