Ian Richardson

The design of buildings for fire safety relies upon an understanding of the sources of fire, materials and systems likely to be involved in fire, how people use buildings, and the likely spread of fire.

BS 9999:2017 Fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings – Code of Practice provides recommendations and guidance on the provision of measures to control or mitigate the effects of fire. The primary objective is to ensure that an adequate standard of life safety can be achieved in the event of fire in the building. A secondary objective is to provide a level of protection for property and businesses against the impact of fire, e.g. in close proximity to residential buildings or as part of the same building. These can also have the effect of assisting the fire and rescue service and/or of providing environmental protection.

BS 9999 provides a level of flexibility that allows the fire protection measures and the risks to be assessed to enable reasonable practical solutions to be designed.  Historic buildings present particular challenges, as many are listed and permitted material alterations are therefore limited without the agreement of the appropriate authorities.

The main changes in BS 9999:2017 are:

• An inclusion of a flowchart showing the sequential steps in the design process, to assist users in the application of the standard
• Revised clause on fire safety management with references to PAS 7 Fire risk management system
• Inclusion of watermist fire suppression systems
• Expansion of the guidance on voice alarms
• Expansion of fire growth rates table to provide more information on tall buildings and large venues, i.e. entertainment venues
• Protection of property including heritage.

BS 9999 is not applicable to the following types of buildings, which are covered in BS 9991 Fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings:

• Dwellings (single-family dwelling houses, self-contained flats or maisonettes)
• Residential accommodation blocks (e.g. for students or hospital staff), with individual bedrooms and the provision of kitchen/sanitary facilities constructed within a fire compartment
• Specialised housing – it is not applicable to houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) or buildings in which occupants receive medical care. It might have only limited applicability to certain specialist buildings and areas of buildings (e.g. areas of lawful detention).

For more information, please go to http://shop.bsigroup.com or call 0345 086 9001.

Ian Richardson, board director, The British Safety Industry Federation & standards publishing manager, BSI