Evacuating vulnerable and dependent people from buildings in an emergency FB 52
BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries.
Evacuating vulnerable and dependent people from buildings in an emergency (FB 52) was written by David Crowder and David Charters and published by BRE on 13 February 2013.
In the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, more than 1,000 surviving occupants had a limitation that affected their ability to evacuate, including; recent surgery or injury, obesity, heart conditions, asthma, advanced age and pregnancy. An investigation indicated that evacuation flow rates were approximately half those normally observed in fire drills.
There is no simple way to know how long it will take a person with mobility impairments, or a highly-dependent person, to evacuate or be evacuated from a building
FB 52 provides support for designers, owners and managers of buildings so that they can formulate efficient strategies for the effective evacuation of people with mobility impairments such as the elderly or ill, or children from buildings, residential care, healthcare and domestic premises.
Qualitative guidance illustrates the issues that need to be considered when developing an evacuation strategy that is as inclusive as practicably possible. Formulae and data allow quantification of the relationship between the size and nature of a population that may need to be evacuated, the resources that are available to effect evacuation, and the level of fire protection afforded by the building to be evacuated.
The contents of the 32-page guide are:
- Executive summary.
- Introduction.
- Roles.
- Available safe egress time and required safe egress time.
- Evacuation of patients.
- Evacuation strategies.
- Points to consider when evacuating mobility-impaired people.
- Training.
- Evacuation aids and techniques.
- Ensuring continuity of care.
- Appendix A Nature of fire.
- Appendix B Evacuation data.
- Appendix C Vertical evacuation.
- Appendix D Calculation of evacuation time.
- References.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Approved document B.
- Assembly area.
- BRE articles on Designing Buildings Wiki.
- BRE Buzz articles on Designing Buildings Wiki.
- BRE Buzz.
- Building evacuation.
- Building Research Establishment.
- Emergency lighting.
- Emergency services.
- Escape route.
- Evacuation chair.
- Fire engineering.
- Fire.
- Firefighting lift
- Grenfell Tower.
- Hearing loss and the built environment.
- Inclusive design.
- Means of escape.
- Older people.
- People with disabilities.
- Protected escape route.
- Unprotected escape route.
- Visual alarm devices - their effectiveness in warning of fire.
- Visual alarm devices for fire: An introduction and guide to BS EN 54-23.
Featured articles and news
Specifying rendered external wall insulation for fire safety
How to interrogate the evidence provided to the specifier.
The benefits of writing articles for your organisation
How to create a profile for your organisation and publish for free.
No Falls Week. The importance of safe working at height
What to expect and what is on offer to avoid accidents.
Scottish Government action to reach net-zero targets
Retrofit expert group highlight critical actions needed.
A forward thinking, inclusive global community of members.
From engineered product life-spans, to their extension.
Circular economy in the built environment
A brief description from 2021. Where are we now?
Mental Health Awareness Week with ABS
Architects Benevolent Society programme of activity.
CLC publishes domestic retrofit competency framework
Roadmap of Skills for net zero.
May 13-19: Moving more for our mental health.
Understanding is key to conservation.
Open industry engagement survey seeks responses
Institutions and the importance of engagement.
National Retrofit Hub unveils new guide
Digital Building Logbooks and Retrofit: An Introduction.
Enhancing construction site reporting efficiency
Through digitisation and the digital revolution.