QCVN 06:2021/BXD on National Technical Regulations on Fire Safety for houses and works: What are the general regulations on ensuring fire safety for humans when building houses and works?
- What are the general regulations on ensuring fire safety for humans when building houses and works in Vietnam?
- What are the egresses in houses and works considered as evacuation egresses used to ensure fire safety for humans in Vietnam?
- What are the egresses in houses and works other than evacuation egresses in Vietnam when a fine occurs?
What are the general regulations on ensuring fire safety for humans when building houses and works in Vietnam?
Pursuant to Subsection 3.1 Section 3 of the Regulations issued together with Circular 06/2022/TT-BXD guiding the general regulations to ensure fire safety for humans when building houses and works in Vietnam as follows:
- Timely and unobstructed evacuation for humans;
- Rescue of people under the impact of dangerous elements of the fire.
- Human protection along egress route, away from impact of dangerous elements of the fire.
- Evacuation refers to organized movement of humans from rooms where dangerous elements of the fire may affect them to outside. Evacuation also refers to involuntary movement of people having limited movement capabilities with assistance of serving staff. Evacuation is done via evacuation egresses.
- Rescue refers to forced movement of people towards the outside when they are under influence of dangerous elements of the fire or in case of direct presence of said influences. Rescue shall be performed voluntarily with assistance of fire brigade or professionally trained employees, and include the use of rescue equipment via evacuation egresses and emergency egresses.
- Human protection affairs on evacuation egress must be guaranteed by clearance – spatial organization solutions, conveniences, structures and technical properties of buildings and organizations.
Evacuation egresses within the vicinity of rooms must guarantee safe movement towards evacuation egresses from said rooms without taking into account smoke protection and fire suppression in the rooms.
Protection of evacuation egresses outside of rooms’ vicinity must be able to guarantee safety for human evacuation taking into account fire hazard categories by functions of rooms along the evacuation egresses, number of people evacuating; fire-resistance categories and structural fire hazard levels of buildings, number of evacuation egresses on one storey and from the entire buildings.
Fire hazard levels of construction materials on surface level in rooms and evacuation egresses outside of rooms must be limited (finishing layers and cladding) depending on fire hazard categories by functions of the rooms and buildings, taking into account other solutions regarding protecting evacuation egresses.
- When designing evacuation from rooms and buildings, do not take into account rescue measures and devices as well as exits that fail to satisfy exit requirements.
-Do not situate rooms under category F5 class A or class E below rooms simultaneously occupied by 50 people; do not situate F5 rooms in basements and semi-basements.
Do not situate F1.1, F1.2 and F1.3 rooms in basements and semi-basements.
- In buildings with 2 to 3 basement storeys, may situate smoking rooms, supermarkets, commercial centers, diners, drinks store and other public spaces below the first basement storey only if additional fire safety measures according to standard documents applied and approved by competent state management agencies in accordance with 1.1.10.
For hospitals and secondary schools, only the main functions are allowed from the semi-basement or 1 (in the absence of a semi-basement) or more. Basement 1 is the basement at the top or next to the semi-basement.
At least 1 entry leading to exit stairwells via smoke control lobbies separated from surrounding spaces by class 2 fire-rated walls must be installed on each basement storey. Doors must be installed with an auto-closing mechanism.
- In order to ensure safe exit, it must detect and report fire promptly.
- In order to protect building inhabitants during evacuation, prevent smoke from infiltrating evacuation egresses of buildings and sections thereof.
Basic requirements regarding smoke protection of buildings are specified under Annex D.
- The electrical appliances of the fire protection system of buildings must be supplied with priority electricity from two independent sources (1 power grid system and 1 backup power generator).
Note: For electrical appliances with backup power generators (e.g. diesel bombs, fire cabinets with backup batteries), only one power grid system is required, but backup power generators must ensure normal operation in the event of a fire.
- Effectiveness of methods ensuring safety for humans in case of fire can be assessed by calculation.
What are the egresses in houses and works considered as evacuation egresses used to ensure fire safety for humans in Vietnam?
In Subsection 3.2, Section 3 of the Regulations promulgated together with Circular 06/2022/TT-BXD, there are instructions on egresses in houses and works considered as evacuation egresses when a fire occurs as follows:
- Lead from rooms on the 1st storey outside:
+ Directly; or
+ Via corridors; or
+ Via lobbies (or waiting rooms); or
+ Via stairwells; or
+ Via corridors and lobbies (or waiting rooms);
+ Via corridors and stairwells.
- Lead from rooms from any storey other than the 1st storey to:
+ Directly to stairwells or to type 3 staircases; or
+ To corridors that lead directly to stairwells or to type 3 staircases; or
+ To commonly shared rooms (or waiting rooms) which lead directly to stairwells or type 3 staircases; or
+ To single-loaded corridors of buildings with fire service height below 28 m that lead directly to type 2 staircases.
- Lead to adjacent rooms (except for rooms under category F5 class A or B) on the same storey with egresses specified under 3.2.1 a, b. Egresses leading to class A or B rooms shall be considered evacuation egresses if they lead from technical rooms without frequent operators and are used to serve class A or B rooms above.
What are the egresses in houses and works other than evacuation egresses in Vietnam when a fine occurs?
According to Subsection 3.2, Section 3 of the Regulations issued together with Circular 06/2022/TT-BXD as follows:
An egress is not considered evacuation egress if any form of sliding, folding, rolling, or revolving door is installed.
An egress with hinged doors installed along shall be considered an evacuation egress if the doors are designed as per the law.
Circular 06/2022/TT-BXD will take effect from January 16, 2023.
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