Protected stair v escape stair
Approved document B of the building regulations, 'Fire safety', defines a protected stairway as; ‘A stair discharging through a final exit to a place of safety (including any exit passageway between the foot of the stair and the final exit) that is adequately enclosed with fire-resisting construction.’
Approved document B is not specific about the definition of an escape stair. However, section 4:32 states; ‘Every internal escape stair should be a protected stairway (i.e. it should be within a fire-resisting enclosure).’
This suggests that the term ‘escape stair’ may refer more broadly to any stair providing a means of escape, whether it is internal or external.
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