FireDOC Search

Author
Cooper, L. Y. | Nelson, H. E.
Title
Life-Safety Implementation Through Designed Safe Egress.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Report
Chapter 8,
Book or Conf
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Fire Safety in Tall Buildings. Tall Building Criteria and Loading. Committee 8A, McGraw-Hill, Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA, Sfintesco, D.; Scawthorn, C.; Zicherman, J., Editors, 113-125 p., 1992
Keywords
high rise buildings | fire safety | life safety | egress | case histories | prisons | museums | corridors | algorithms | occupants
Identifiers
ASET (Available Safe Egress Time); RSET (Required Safe Egress Time)
Abstract
In building fires, the ability of occupants to egress safely from all threatened spaces is equivalent to a condition of life safety. The life-safety problem can be solved by applying this equivalence principle, strengthened by formulating a program for research and development leading to the implementation of this solution (Council on Tall Buildings, Committee 56, 1992). The solution is embodied in the concept that safe egress can be achieved in buildings designed to have a balance between the available safe egress time (ASET) and the required safe egress time (RSET). Here ASET is defined as the length of the time interval between fire detection or alarm and the time of onset of hazardous conditions, RSET is defined as the length of time, subsequent to alarm, which is actually required for safe occupant egress.