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The car park

Sergio Fernandez

There are several main types of car park in the UK

Open air
Multi-storey open sided
Basement
Basement with dwellings or commercial space above

The UK is seeing a large move towards EV (Electric Vehicles) from traditional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) there have also been several well documented Car park fires in the last decade.  Eg Luton Airport Car park October 2023 with over 1500 vehicles destroyed or damaged

Should all UK Car Parks apart from Open air have 
Fire detection with 24/7/365 monitoring with backup power supply
Increase amount of manual fire call points per floor and throughout stairwells to increase evacuation alert
EVSE auto shut off for power in the event of a fire or an alarm
Battery backup for emergency lights for a min of 6 hours
Increased amount of illuminated fire exits signs
Fire resistant cabling throughout
Fire restitant cable management/containment throughout
Increase IP rating throughout in case of fire due to the amount of water that may be used
Annual EICR
Technology/Mechanisms to assist evacuation of disabled and mobility impaired persons, this could include evacuation lift replacing the passenger lift



As always please be polite and respectful in this purely academic debate.





Come on everybody let’s help inspire the future

Parents

  • I am not sure why you need 6 hour emergency lighting. If I am in a car park that's on fire, I won't wait 6 hours before evacuating the building.

    What the Luton airport car park was lacking was any sprinklers. They assumed that in an airport, the fire engines would get there before the fire took hold. They were wrong. Last I heard, the remaining car park still has no sprinklers.

  • in reply to Simon Barker

    Most car parks are using a risk assesment structure that is no longer fit for purpose.  More EV's in 2026 than in 2016 and more EV charging points.  

  • in reply to Sergio Fernandez

    More EV's in 2026 than in 2016

    But then correspondingly fewer petrol/diesel cars .. which seem to have been the cause of the vast majority, if not all, of the multi-storey car park fires so far.

       - Andy.

  • in reply to AJJewsbury

    Points to consider

    Purchase cost of EV is about 20% more than an ICE thus motor insurance companies will become influential

    EV are generally larger than the ICE equivalent from a decade ago

    The amount of stored energy in an EV is quite substantial and are harder to extinguish and/or use more water to cool down in the event of fire or thermal run away

    100amp main head/cut out may need to be upgraded to say 400 to 600amp dependant on amount of EVSE installed

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  • in reply to AJJewsbury

    Points to consider

    Purchase cost of EV is about 20% more than an ICE thus motor insurance companies will become influential

    EV are generally larger than the ICE equivalent from a decade ago

    The amount of stored energy in an EV is quite substantial and are harder to extinguish and/or use more water to cool down in the event of fire or thermal run away

    100amp main head/cut out may need to be upgraded to say 400 to 600amp dependant on amount of EVSE installed

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