Technical Booklet E Fire Safety·Page 61·2.65
Simultaneous evacuation requirements
For simultaneous evacuation, escape stairways must have capacity for all floors to evacuate at once, and a suitable fire detection and alarm system to BS 5839-1 must be installed. This applies to basements, open-plan buildings, and Purpose Groups 2 and 5.
In a building or part of a building designed for simultaneous evacuation the escape stairways should have the capacity to allow all floors to be evacuated simultaneously and a suitable fire detection and fire alarm system to BS 5839-1, should be installed.
Simultaneous evacuation should be used for –
(a) a basement;
(b) a building containing open spatial planning;
(c) a building of Purpose Group 2; and
(d) a building of Purpose Group 5.
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