The latest topic of debate in the fire protection community is single vs double stairways. In the push for affordable housing, some state legislators are considering a single set of stairs in multi-story buildings. This is inconsistent with both NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) and IBC (International Building Code) construction standards. NFPA limits a single stairway to four floors and ICC limits to three. The protected stairways are enclosed and have fire protection ratings of 1-2 hours on walls and doors.

The argument for increasing the number of floors with exit egress from a single set of stairs is the cost and space required for the second set of stairs. The second set of stairs take up space that could add additional units in the available space. This lowers cost per unit and allows the units to be sold or rented at a lower cost. The proponents also reference some countries and a few cities in the U.S. that have relaxed or no limitations on the number of stories or building height requiring a second set of protected stairs.

Limiting the number of stories with a single set of stairways is for the safety of tenants and guests in the event of a fire and the need to evacuate. In a structural fire, the following need to be considered:

• A single set of stairs could be compromised by an open door, obstructions in the path of travel or a large number of people trying to evacuate at the same time.
• Fire fighters need to use a stairway which could interfere with the evacuation.
• Systems designed to protect occupants, including sprinklers and smoke control, might not function properly.
• There is a limit to the height that firefighters can reach from the exterior of the building.

This has become a political issue as lobbyists are working through local and state legislatures to override the two construction standards. Those standards were designed to save lives. We need to be very cautious in relaxing construction standards that have been established by experts in life safety, in the interest of reducing cost.

Relaxed construction codes led to 72 deaths in 2017 in the Grenfell Tower in London. The Grenfell Tower was a 24-story building with a single central stairway with combustible cladding on the building exterior. The increased combustibility of building materials is a factor that should be considered in the relaxation of any safety code as we see greater combustibility in not only building materials but in the contents of residential buildings. Earlier this year, the law in the United Kingdom was changed requiring more than one stairway in any building over 18 meters in height. We should not need a tragedy to recognize the need for safe construction design.

Contact:

Victor J Sordillo PE, CSP, MBA
Managing Director, Risk Advisory Services
Mobile: 1 908 632 5336
Email: victor.sordillo@veritainc.com

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