Notwithstanding the specific requirements of fire safety legislation, it is increasingly recognized that there is a need to ensure that proper and effective precautions have been taken to ensure that the potential threat of fire is, as far as possible, minimized and that any fire incident is properly, and promptly, dealt with.
PAS 911 Fire strategies – guidance and framework for their formulation is a brand new publicly available specification (PAS) that can provide a degree of uniformity in the preparation of fire strategies. PAS 911 Fire strategies provides a recommended process that will encompass many of the key considerations and will lead to a document that is consistent in format and has the necessary level of detail to enable subsequent designs for fire systems and for the setting up of procedures for management of fire safety to be prepared in a complementary manner.
The recommended process given in PAS 911 Fire strategies includes:
- Determination of the design basis; A prescriptive or performance based approach?
- Seven input themes with possible considerations. These themes are:
- Management and system audit;
- Mandatory framework;
- Objectives setting;
- Risk and hazard assessment;
- Building characteristics;
- Occupant characteristics;
- Practical issues.
- Strategy formulation.
- Six output sub-strategies with key headings. The sub-strategies are:
- Fire policy statement;
- Fire safety (management) strategy;
- Evacuation strategy;
- Fire and smoke control strategy;
- Fire fighting strategy;
- Fire protection strategy.
- Finalising the fire strategy.
Contents of PAS 911 Fire Strategies
1 Scope
2 Normative references
3 Terms and definitions
4 Understanding the purpose of the fire strategy
4.1 General
4.2 Formulating the fire strategy – inputs and outputs
4.3 Competency to prepare the fire strategy
4.4 Involvement in the fire strategy
5 Determining the Design Basis
5.1 General Considerations
5.2 Prescriptive based design criteria
5.3 Performance based design criteria
5.4 Hybrid design criteria
6 Fire Strategy Inputs
6.1 General
6.2 Management and system audit
6.3 Mandatory Framework
6.4 Objectives Setting
6.5 Risk and Hazard Assessment
6.6 Building Characteristics
6.7 Occupant Characteristics
6.8 Practical Issues
7 Formulating the strategy
7.1 The formulation process
7.2 The unification of the components of the fire strategy
7.3 Consideration of options
7.4 Value analysis
8 Fire strategy outputs
8.1 General Considerations
8.2 The Fire Policy Statement
8.3 Fire safety (management) strategy
8.4 Evacuation strategy
8.5 Fire and smoke control strategy
8.6 Fire Fighting Strategy
8.7 Fire Protection Strategy
9 Finalising the fire strategy document
9.1 Format
9.2 Level of detail
9.3 Document control
9.4 Maintenance of the strategy
Other products that may be of interest include:
- PAS 79:2007 Fire risk assessment. Guidance and a recommended methodology
- DD 9999 Code of practice for fire safety in the design, construction and use of buildings
- BS 5588-8:1999, Fire precautions in the design, construction and use of buildings. Code of practice for means of escape for disabled people
- BS 5588-12: 2004, Fire precautions in the design, construction and use of buildings: Managing fire safety
- BS 5839-1:2002, Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings — Part 1: Code of practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance
- BS 7974: 2001, Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings. Code of practice
- BS 25999-1:2006, Business continuity management. Code of practice
