Protected Escape Route

A chestnut, I know but this appeared in the Wiring Matters annual and I am unclear what the author is intending to convey, but my understanding of the article is that this would not be an example of a protected escape route;

If this is a bedroom corridor then, no matter what, it is required to be a protected corridor as far as building regulations are concerned. Protected corridors serving bedrooms in a hotel will give access to a place of safety. They might exit to the open air and provide direct access a safe route away from the building, which is regarded as a place of ultimate safety, or they might give access to a protected stair, which is regarded as a place of relative safety. Either way, they are part of the means of escape and are required to be of specified fire resisting construction and lead to a place of safety, whether ultimate or relative.

Now the definition in BS7671 for a protected escape route reads; A route enclosed with specified fire-resisting construction designated for escape to a place of safety in the event of an emergency.

To me that fits with the notion of "protected corridor" which will form part of the means of escape to either the protected stair or to the outside of the building. 

The definition in BS7671 for  escape route reads; path to follow for access to a safe area in the event of an emergency.

That is exactly what the bedroom corridor does and since the corridor is protected it follows that it is a protected escape route.

If the intention of 422.2 is to place additional limitations only on electrical services in protected stairs and the route that leads from the foot of the stairs to the final exit, then why not say that explicitly.

So my question then; is a bedroom corridor in a hotel a protected escape route as far as BS7671 2018 A2 is concerned?

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  • I've not read the article, but as I understand it from earlier discussions, there are, if you like, 'ordinary' escape routes (which may need to meet certain fire resistance requirements for building regs) but there's a limit to how long they can be as people need to be able to reach a safe place within a certain length of time. If you can't meet those requirements then you can have special 'protected' escape routes which sort of function as a sort of temporary refuse on the way out - as long as people can reach a protected escape route in the allotted time then all is well and they can take their time as it were getting to ultimate exit. The protected escape route requires much higher standard of fire resistance than ordinary escape routes, and is usually pretty sterile fire wise - e.g. no carpets or curtains, just bare concrete sort of thing. Ultimately it's for the fire system designer to decide which is which - the likes of us just do what we're told on that score.

       - Andy.

  • Andy, 

    Agree with all you have said.  The frustraution I have is that there's a large leap in interpretation to get to that conclusion.  If the intent is that protected escape routes are those with an enhanced fire resistance - of say 2 hrs, then why could it have not been written this way.

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  • Andy, 

    Agree with all you have said.  The frustraution I have is that there's a large leap in interpretation to get to that conclusion.  If the intent is that protected escape routes are those with an enhanced fire resistance - of say 2 hrs, then why could it have not been written this way.

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