Africa Fire Training Academy

Government should pay people to dig holes and then fill them It was not until high levels of unemployment ensued in the 1930s that policymakers in the UK and US started to pay attention to Keynes' powerful argument for active demand management...

Understanding the SACAP 10 Competencies, relating to Architectural Professionals...

Is SANS 10400 the Law?

For most people the answer is yes. For some no. For others, maybe...

In a simple answer, it is not.

SANS 10400 is one method to satisfy the National Building Regulations, and to the detriment of the country, the economy and the dreams of families wanting new homes and business owners/investors wanting their desired factories, shopping malls, skyscrapers developed, an incorrect interpretation of the processes to be followed and the sometimes unscrupulous attempts at plan applications or narrow minded approaches to assess plans against SANS 10400 leads to costly and fruitless legal battles and production downtime.

It is time we had a national conversation on what is actually required and to agree on a way forward…

This is the aim of this post, to get us talking to each other, to co-create and collaborate on taking our country forward, to realise our own goals and dreams through successfully participating in this process and becoming a greater part of the solution.

Fire and life safety systems are imperative to ensure occupants of buildings are kept safe at all times and when necessary, these systems actuate and or facilitate the evacuation of the occupants, whilst also summoning the relevant emergency response teams.

Here is a brief introduction into electronic fire detection and alarm systems.

Please leave a comment or query and I will personally get back to you, many thanks…

Fire Detection Introduction Level 1 This training video introduces users, building owners, enforcement authorities to the concepts of electronic fire detection and their integration with other ...

http://www.saibd.co.za/fire-protection-25-october-2018/

FIRE PROTECTION-25 OCTOBER 2018 » FIRE PROTECTION-25 OCTOBER 2018 | South African Institute of Building Design

Emergency Exit or Death Trap?

How much thought do we give to successfully evacuating the building we work in, or live in?
How operational is the door that leads to our continued existence?

This article is written to engage with the various role players and stakeholders in the Built Environment, from law makers, to regulators and enforcers to professional teams, contractors, owners and users of buildings, to ensure that this question can be answered in the positive and continually so.

I believe strongly in looking for a way forward as opposed to laying blame on someone or some department or organisation and to upgrade our knowledge or expertise or practices to ensure we build a great country, ensuring the safety of our workforce, clients and the public at large.

The information provided is based on evaluated experience in the industry as well as research into being compliant and relevant at the same time.

Some information might be conflicting or not aligned to the laws, rules, regulations and practices in your region of the world, so please fill us in on how we differ or how much alike we are.

In the ensuing series of articles, we will be discussing:

Fire and Life Safety requirements of building in South Africa,
Responsibilities of building owners,
Responsibilities of employers,
Facilities management of these buildings,
Roles and responsibilities of the various role players of a new and existing buildings,
Proper decision making processes for maintenance, repairs, upgrades and replacement of systems,
Identifying and understanding the requirements for quality of products and service providers.

The South African economy

South Africa is a country with much developed infrastructure and yet is also considered a developing country (a different discussion for another time).

I believe that a vast majority of people in South Africa, work and live in buildings, whether brick and mortar, steel, prefabricated or other, subject to the National Building Regulations, as well as employers satisfying the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, amongst others.

The South African economy is therefore largely dependent on people, some of whom may be:

Employees or staff,
Clients and potential clients,
Visitors and guests,
Service providers, suppliers and others,
Various authorities

from entering and using these buildings, either owned by or used by employers, government and other organisation types.

We must take note, that a safe working environment or safe environment to live, work or play is:

A Constitutional right for the people, and not a privilege,
Part of the upfront costs to operate a business or organisation in South Africa, and not a grudge expense.

Having said this, I have encountered many owners (building, business or both) as well as building users who play down the cost of business disruption should a fire or other emergency cause delays or interruptions of their operations.

Remember, safety is everyone’s job and if there is no safety, there will be no job!
How safe are the occupants of your building?

Yet I must say that, if my exposure to the limited number of buildings I have either evaluated during my work commitments or just visited as a consumer or guest, is anything to go by, a very large portion, maybe upwards of 99% should be shut down, due to the safety risk they pose.

Why you may ask?

When one considers the fact that the present condition emergency exits, they are more likely to be:

Secures with padlocks, chains and or other mechanisms which are either not approved by the local authority nor fail safe,
The exit doors or gates in some instances are installed in the incorrect configuration, which means they do not swing open outwards, in the path of egress,
Obstructed or obscured whereby the path of travel through the escape/emergency route impeded by obstructions, reducing, limiting or making them inaccessible.

The occupants are therefore unduly placed at risk of not being able to should the need arise.

These safety violations contravene at a minimum, both the National Building Regulations and Standards Act as well as the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Recent tragedies
Winter Cherry Mall, Kemerovo, Russia

The recent tragedy, the cinema fire at Winter Cherry mall in the city of Kemerovo in Russia, is a stark reminder of how quickly lives can be lost, the most precious being that of children, and equally sad, children who survive but parents lost.

One report says that 64 were killed and 11 were being treated in hospital.

An excerpt from an article says the following, “Investigators said fire exits had been illegally blocked, the public address system had not been switched on, the fire alarm system was broken, and children had been locked inside the cinemas.”

What is important to note, is that this mall was a repurposed building, and raises many questions applicable to some of us:

Were the safety provisions of the new purpose of the building adequately identified and met?
Were the requisite professionals involved in the design, implementation and hand over? Or was it mainly installation contractors involved in the design?
Was occupancy of the building granted with proper commissioning and handover being performed and witnessed or was it merely a paper exercise?

Bellville flat, Cape Town, South Africa

A more recent and closer to home tragedy, at a flat in Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa, where two women and a baby escaped a fire by jumping from the third floor window and unfortunately saw the death of a 4 year old child.

Reflection

Why are people unable to escape through normal provisions?
Why were these preventable risks not identified and rectified as expected?
What is the state of the escape doors, escape and emergency routes, fire and life safety systems in your building that you work or live in?

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa

The Constitution of South Africa is The Supreme Law, and as such is non-negotiable, and the following excerpts from there form the basis of this series of articles:

Section 2: This Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic; law or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid, and the obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled.

Section 24: Everyone has the right—

(a) to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing;

My understanding is that these guarantees are enforced with provisions via Acts of Parliament, which also give rise to National Regulations and National Standards, common law as well as from best practices and or industry norms.

With regards to fire and life safety, it appears that South Africa has for a long time adopted and aligned to international standards and I must say that we fare quite well here.

So why do we allow “death trap” situations to prevail?
The need for a unified approach to fire and life safety

The purpose of this series of articles is raise awareness to the lax state of safety in South Africa, with regards to fire and life safety systems.

Once again, I believe strongly in looking for a way forward to a better finish and hopefully a more unified and mature sector of the Built Environment.

Your feedback and contribution to uplifting the standard and awareness of the minimum and practical requirements for fire and life safety will be highly appreciated.

PS. If you wish to receive further articles and resources or to participate in these conversations, join the open group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/africafiretrainingacademy/.

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Until next time, be alert and be safe!

South Africa adopts various British Standards with regards to Fire Safety Design, Rational Designs, Fire Detection and Alarm Systems, which are great standards and it seems we also fail and fall just as the contractors and property owners over there do as well…

A very relevant article for us here in South Africa!

PS. Take note of the Hackitt Report and the key findings highlighted.

Glasgow School of Art fire: Are we learning from our mistakes? - IFSEC Global | Security and Fire News and Resources Tom Roche, senior consultant for international codes and standards at FM Global, says that current English building regulations might be clear, but the guidance is not and there's a gulf between perception and reality in the commercial sector.

Emergency Exit or Death Trap? How much thought do give to successfuly evacuating the building we work in, or live in? How operational is the door that leads to our continued