Design of Smoke Control Systems for Areas of Refuge.
Design of Smoke Control Systems for Areas of Refuge.
(1611 K)
Klote, J. H.
NISTIR 5132; 25 p. March 1993.
Sponsor:
General Services Administration, Washington, DC
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
Order number: PB93-183754
Keywords:
smoke control; refuge; elevators (lifts); evacuation;
handicapped; life safety
Abstract:
There is a rising concern for the safety of persons from
fire who cannot travel building emergency exit routes in
the same manner or as quickly as expected of able
persons. One proposed solution for providing safety for
persons with mobility limitations is the concept of
areas of refuge (AOR) where they can "safely wait" until
they can be assisted in leaving the building. This
paper presents information about the design of smoke
control systems to prevent smoke infiltration into an
AOR. Pressure differences produced when windows break
both with and without wind can be significant, and the
design of a smoke control system for an AOR needs to
address these pressure differences. The paper
identifies that wind data specifically for the design of
smoke control systems is needed. The pressure
fluctuations due to opening and closing building doors
during fire situations can also be significant, and the
design of a smoke control system for an AOR needs to
address these pressure fluctuations. An example
analysis incorporating the pressure effects of broken
windows, wind, and open doors illustrates the
feasibility of designing smoke control systems for areas
of refuge.
