Technical Booklet E Fire Safety·Page 166·6.11
Smoke and heat venting from basements
Venting facilities connected to external air should reduce smoke and heat buildup in basements during fires, enabling firefighting operations and providing cooler air entry for the Fire and Rescue Service.
The build-up of smoke and heat as a result of a fire can seriously inhibit the ability of the Fire and Rescue Service to carry out rescue and firefighting operations in a basement. The problem can be reduced by providing venting facilities to make conditions tenable by providing a route for smoke and heat to escape to the open air from the basement level. These facilities can also be used by the Fire and Rescue Service to let cooler air into the basement.
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