Fire Protection
What SANS 10400: Part T – Fire Protection Says
What the Act Says
Essentially the legislation is concerned quite simply with the need for all buildings to be designed, constructed and equipped so that in the event of fire:
- the occupants or people using the building will be protected – including persons with disabilities;
- the spread and intensity of any fire within buildings, and the spread of fire to any other buildings, will be minimized;
- sufficient stability will be retained to ensure that such building will not endanger any other building: provided that in the case of any multi-storey building, no major failure of the structural system shall occur;
- the generation and spread of smoke will be minimized or controlled to the greatest extent reasonably practicable; and
- adequate means of access, and equipment for detecting, fighting, controlling and extinguishing such fire, is provided.
The requirements of the Act will be deemed to have been satisfied if the design, construction and equipment of buildings complies with SANS 10400 Part T and satisfies the local authority.
The Act also specifies several offences that owners of buildings need to avoid, including the need for fire extinguishers that comply with SANS 10105. Also, if people do anything to obstruct escape routes in buildings, they will be guilty of an offense.
What the Standard Says
The regulations for Fire Protection are contained in a 91 page document published by the SABS, SANS 10400: Part T Fire Protection. Much of the information is the same as that published in the 1990 version of the Standard that you can download from this site.
SANS 10400 Part T is broken down into several parts:
Requirements
The bulk of the Standard is made up of a vast number of different “requirements” that relate not only to dwelling houses, but to every other possible type of building, from hospitals to parking garages.
The requirements for effective fire protection include:
- general requirements,
- regulations relating to safety distances,
- fire performance,
- fire resistance of occupancy-separating and division-separating elements,
- fire stability of structural elements or components,
- tenancy-separating elements,
- partition walls and partitions,
- protection of openings (Note that the drawings in SANS 10400 – 1990 that illustrate this have not changed),
- raised access and suspended floors of combustible material,
- roof assemblies and coverings (the drawings remain unchanged in the new version of the Standard) including thatch,
- ceilings,
- floor coverings,
- internal finishes,
- provision of escape routes,
- exit doors,
- feeder routes,
- emergency routes,
- dimensions of components of escape routes,
- width of escape routes,
- basements,
- stairways and other changes of level along escape routes (the drawing that shows the position of doors in relation to a change in level has not changed),
- ventilation of stairways in an emergency route,
- pressurization of emergency routes and components,
- openings in floors,
- external stairways and passages,
- lobbies, foyers and vestibules,
- marking and signposting,
- provision of emergency lighting,
- fire detection and alarm systems,
- provision and maintenance of fire-fighting equipment, installations and fire protection systems,
- water reticulation for fire-fighting purposes,
- hose reels,
- hydrants,
- automatic sprinkler and other fixed extinguishing systems,
- portable fire extinguishers,
- mobile fire extinguishers,
- fire-stopping of inaccessible concealed spaces,
- protection in service shafts,
- services in structural or separating elements,
- smoke control,
- air-conditioning systems and artificial ventilation systems,
- lift shafts,
- lifts,
- firemen’s lift,
- stretcher lift,
- stage and backstage areas,
- eating arrangements in auditoriums or halls and on grandstands,
- parking garages,
- operating theatres and intensive, high or critical care units,
- installation of liquid fuel dispensing pumps and tanks,
- installation of other tanks,
- warehousing of dangerous goods,
- dangerous goods signage,
- access for fire-fighting and rescue purposes,
- resumed fire resistance of building materials and components,
- building materials,
- guest houses and bed and breakfast accommodation (this is completely new),
- health care facilities (this is also completely new).
Safety Distances
Although there are other provisions, including the classification of the type of external wall, the table below may be used to establish safety distances where walls do not contain windows or other openings. For ordinary “dwelling houses” where the area of elevation facing any boundary is not more than 7,5 m2, such safety distance may be reduced to 0,5 m.
Fire Resistance
There are several tables (five in all) that indicate requirements for compliance with “Presumed fire resistance of building materials and components”.
This table shows what is required for “structural walls”.
This table shows what is required for “non-structural walls and partitions”.
Rational Designs
The design requirements include the need for a competent person to ensure that the level of fire safety is adequate. This is particularly important in large and public buildings.
This drawing shows the basic fire safety engineering process.
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Refuse Disposal
Good day. I am looking for the section in the regulations which covers firewalls. That is, the wall in a domestic dwelling which is between the dwelling and the garage(s). Far as I know, this must be a double
brick wall for fire protection purposes. Will you please assist.
Thank you
Hi Gregg,
The SANS 10400-T:2011 Fire Protection is quite long and involved. The section that relates to your query “4.16 Provision of Escape Routes” does say in section 4.19.6 “The last component of any emergency route shall discharge at ground level directly into a street or public place or into an open-air space leading to a street or public place.” Many of the Part-T regulations are subject to a number of other clauses within the regulation and far too long and involved to insert here. I would suggest that you contact your local authority and hear what they advise. We have a full list of municipalities here: municipality-contact
Hi Leandra,
It is difficult to give you a solution without having seen the site first hand but I will make a couple of suggestions that I hope will help.
The hydrant should have been positioned “subject to direction by the local authority” – i.e. the local authority would normally specify where the hydrant should be positioned. The regulations say “In any …….. or group housing, cluster housing, or townhouse complex there shall be installed ground or raised hydrants so placed that no point in such ……. building in such housing complex shall be at a distance greater than 90 m from any hydrant.”
My suggestion is that you contact the local authority and ask what steps to take when building your wall, and you might ask why it encroached on to your property. The final solution would be to build the wall with a setback recess to allow the hydrant to be accessible. A word of caution when digging the foundations is to be careful not to damage the pipes as these could be expensive to repair.
Dear Penny,
I am part of a body corporate that is looking to alter a fire escape. The fire escape currently exits out onto the road (which has become a security concern – hence the move). The proposal is to move it to face into the parking lot of the building (180 degrees behind).
My gut feel is that this is a bad idea for 2 reasons: 1) prevents access by fire fighters and 2) prevents occupants from properly escaping the building site in case of a fire.
Is there anything in the rule book that I need to consider further before we make a decision?
Thanks for your comments in advance!
Hi,
I live in a complex. we are on the ground floor & are allowed (if we get permission from the body corporate) to put up a wall in the front of our unit.
My only concern is that we have a fire hydrant that would then be enclosed by this wall should we build it as per those that have already been built.
What are the regulations regarding building a wall around an already existing fire hydrant?
Would we be able to do this? would i have to build the wall in such a manner as to exclude it from the proposed garden? what are the chances that it could be moved?
Thanks
Thanks Penny
John there is nothing in Part T, Fire protection that refers to water sprinkler systems in relation to thatched roofs. Insurance companies may refuse to cover you if you don’t have a water sprinkler system in place. Your local authority may also have some additional requirements in terms of their by-laws.
Hi Penny
Is the installation of a water sprinkler system on a thatched roof a building regulation?
Thanks
Arthur we are not architects or town planners. Sorry. And I have to say that “Juliet” balconies are not listed in the National Building Regulations. Your “competent person” should be able to advise.
We are busy planning a three story development and submitted plans. They were returned to us for necessary amendments and the safety and security department noted ‘ 1m between openings (sliding doors) vertically to be provided’. The building has sliding doors with Juliet balconies above each other and I would assume they are referring to this.
Definitely not in terms of the National Building Regulations Moses, and I don’t think there is any other regulation that makes it “a requirement” in any context.
Part O, Lighting and ventilation states: “Where in any building the requirements for lighting contained in Regulation O1 of the National Building Regulations (see annex A) shall be complied with by the installation of a system of artificial lighting, such lighting shall be in accordance with the relevant recommendations contained in SANS 10114-1.” This Standard is titled, Interior lighting Part 1: Artificial lighting of interiors. It covers requirements for good lighting and also basic guidelines for, and recommendations on, the design of artificial lighting installations for general interior locations. It is primarily aimed at new installations in interior workplaces, but also applies in general to other interior locations.
So this is not a standard that could FORCE people to use LED down lighters.
SANS 10400-XA, Energy usage in buildings, doesn’t cover artificial lighting, except to give guidelines, in table form, of the hours per day/week that artificial lighting must be available in a range of different types of buildings. Minimal to say the least.
SANS 204: Energy efficiency in buildings says in the section on Lighting and power
“Depending upon occupancy and activity, the minimum lighting levels shall be determined in accordance with the requirements of SANS 10114-1 and SANS 10400-O.”
“Designers are encouraged to use daylighting in their designs to reduce the energy used.”
So it seems to be trying to change a mindset.
In addition there are several SA Standards that specifically cover luminaries and LED lighting, but these don’t say that they must be used, rather how they must be manufactured, used etc:
SANS 475, Luminaires for interior lighting, streetlighting and floodlighting – Performance requirements
SANS 60598-1, Luminaires – Part 1: General requirements and tests
SANS 62031, LED modules for general lighting – Safety specifications
Eskom has its own technical performance specification for LED downlighters, formulated in 2011. Basically this spec is a guideline for LED “lamps” that will replace those currently in use. It isn’t a regulation. However it seems from the spec that Eskom recognizes the fact that LED is the way to go in terms of energy saving for lighting, and the document states that “Eskom is working with National and International bodies to develop standards for energy efficient lighting”.
Ironically, though, on the Eskom website there is this statement: “There are low-energy LED (bulbs) bulbs available for down lighting applications. However, these can be a little pricey, and opting for lower-cost varieties usually means compromising on colour, quality and distribution (spread) of light.”
Hopefully by 2020 it will be a requirement.
Hi
fire rated luminiares (LED Downlighters) are they a requirement in south africa
Tabs, I would contact your local authority planning department and lay a complaint based on the fire protection regulations (see safety distance table on this page). While a brick braai will probably be considered minor building work (which means that plans are not required), people are obliged to notify the council of their intention to build. There is also the issue of nuisance and smoke pollution, though I am not sure how you would approach this. Ask you council for advise. If the local authority can’t or won’t help, contact your ward councillor for help.
Hi Penny and Rudolf
I live in a complex that is free hold. Between houses there is a shared boundary wall, houses are about 2 meters away from the boundary walls.
My neighbour has just built a brick braai against the boundary wall without prior consent. The smoke from the braai will travel into our house and directly onto our patio where kids play. I doubt council approval has been obtained and there is no fire protection of this braai, what rights do I have? And what should I do?
Regards
Hi Penny
Thanks for responding.
Yes, in a perfect world both sides would have at least 2,4 meters between their property walls and the lateral boundary. As you know, that is not always the case, especially with the older houses.
My house is 100 years old and protected by the Heritage Committee. It has only one meter between the wall and the lateral boundary. The law accepts that those houses are legal and have to stay put until they are destroyed by fire or demolished, after that, when re-building takes place, I shall also have to comply with the new building rules and would not be allowed to put the same structure in the same place. Until then and in the meantime, fire safety regulations HAVE to be satisfied as my home is a legal structure.
Existing legal structures takes preference over new structures in the eyes of the law.
Can of worms indeed! The fire safety regulations, based on empirical data that had been collected over years of trial and error, HAVE to be implemented. The fire safety regulations still stand and haven’t been relaxed. Only the building regulations have been relaxed.
It’s a case of misinterpreting the existing strict fire regulations by only applying one half of it….
In a court of law, your right to safety trumps your right to build next to the wall or 1,5 meters from the wall.