Fire exit route: Your guide to getting out safely

• News
• 07 October 2019

Fire safety should be taken very seriously. We’re constantly reminded of things we can do to reduce the risk of fires happening. But on the off chance they do, do you have full confidence in your fire exit route? Follow our guide to ensure your fire escape procedure is as safe as possible.  

Lighting and Signage

All fire escape routes must be clearly marked and well lit, so escapees can see where they are headed. Emergency lighting should run on a separate emergency power supply to ensure they are lit even when the mains electricity is out. It’s important to use fire exit signs too – usually consisting of a green background and white stick man running through a door – keeping them well lit and easily identifiable. This enables escapees to locate the nearest exit even if the fire has damaged the mains electricity. Fire escape routes should also be clear and free of blockage or debris to give maximum chance of escaping. [caption id="attachment_255" align="alignright" width="209"] Internal GLAS-DOR[/caption]

Internal fire doors

You must have fully rated fire doors fitted internally. Installing internal fire doors along your fire escape route will help to protect personnel and property from flames and smoke by cutting off parts of the building to contain the fire while you escape. The Robust INNA-DOR is our internal fire resistant doorset, offering substantial benefits to timber doors in strength, security and durability – with up to 4 hours fire protection. These are available with a range of door-closer’s that ensure they open with minimum effort, and close behind the user. The fire is then contained, giving you time to escape. The Robust GLAS-DOR is also ideal for use as an internal fire door, providing fire resistance for up to 120 minutes*. Offering a stylish but functional design, the door and wall sections can make up the fire partitions in corridors and stairwells used as evacuation routes. The solid fire resistant insulating core between the steel profiles reduces heat transfer from the side exposed to the fire. *dependent on the type of GLAS-DOR installed. 120 minutes integrity and insulation for wall sections, 90 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation for doorset’s; and 30 minutes for double leaf sliding doors. For more information, click here.  

Fire exit door

The fire exit door – which must be the final door that leads to the outside of the building – doesn’t have to be a fire door. However, it must be fitted with easy-use panic escape hardware to make it as simple as possible to escape the building. We use hardware made to EN 1125 standards, which according to DHF (Door and Hardware Federation) must “give safe and effective escape through a doorway with minimum effort and without prior knowledge of the device”. It’s also important to have a minimum of 2 fire exits in all buildings. This gives users another chance at escaping if the nearest one is blocked. As this fire exit door leads to the outside, it will have to be locked for security reasons. Robust UK have a range of panic escape hardware available with our doors that can restrict external access to the building but still enable you to open the door internally.  

Fire assembly point

Fire’s are stressful situations, so it is highly likely that people will panic and scatter if one occurs. Therefore, it is important to establish a fire assembly point for employees to gather upon leaving the building. You can then perform a headcount to ensure everyone is accounted for. The assembly point should be easily identifiable – well-lit and signposted. To avoid smoke and heat from the fire, they should be located a safe distance away from the building. You should also be wary of falling debris and the risk of the building collapsing. For fire assembly points to serve their purpose, they must be easily accessible – especially for those with mobility issues. If the building is large, then you should have multiple assembly points around the building so that everyone has somewhere safe to gather. For more advice on fire safety, please go to: https://www.fireservice.co.uk