The Challenges for Sustainable Fire
SafetyHAMDAN ALIAIFireE, MSc ERP (UPM), BEng Mechanical (UTM)

Senior Assistant Commissioner – Fire Safety Division

Presentation Outlines
Introduction
Why Fire Safety
Building Regulations & Codes (UBBL)
Performance‐based Codes
Conclusions

Introduction

Fire Safety
Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce the destruction
caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended toprevent ignition of an uncontrolled fire, and those that are used to limit
the development and effects of a fire after it starts.
Fire safety measures include those that are planned during
the construction of a building or implemented in structures that arealready standing, and those that are taught to occupants of thebuilding.
Threats to fire safety are commonly referred to as fire hazards. A fire
hazard may include a situation that increases the likelihood of a fire or
may impede escape in the event a fire occurs.

Why Fire Safety

Why fire safety?
Life safety
Community impact
Environment impact
Business impact

Why fire safety?
Safety of Occupant
Safety of Properties
Safety of Firefighters
Safety of Adjacent Premises
Business Continuity

Why fire safety?
To achieve this five principles, a building must have certain fire safetyelements;
 an adequate means of escape for occupants,
 a structure that can withstand the fire for a period of time to allow occupantto get out of the building and for firefighters to extinguish the fire, appropriate compartmentation to contain the fire, the ability to detect and extinguish the fire at the earliest stage, and adequate access for intervention by the fire brigade.

Why fire safety?
Safety measures are based on years of experience
What we do now, the effect will be much later
The worst enemy of safety is complacency

Cost of Unsafe Act
Lost of life – occupants as well as firefighters
Lost of property
Lost of business
Lost of work
Lost in term of economy

BuildingRegulations &Codes (UBBL)

What is Building Regulations?
“Building Regulations set standards forthe design and construction of buildings
to ensure the safety and health forpeople in or about those buildings.”‐GOV.UK‐

Prescriptive‐based Building
Codes“The minimum requirement to safeguard
the public health, safety and general
welfare through structural strength, meansof egress facilities, stability, sanitation,adequate light and ventilation, energy
conservation, and safety to life andproperty from fire and other hazards
attributed to the built environment.”
International Code Council

Building Regulations
In general, these building regulationachieve their intent of providing safety
through the use of specificrequirements based on generalized
construction types and occupancy
classifications.

History of Building Regulations
Ancient – Codes of Hammurabi (circa 3000 BC)◦ 229. If a builder builds a house for someone,
and does not construct it properly, and thehouse which he built falls in and kills its
owner, then that builder shall be put todeath.
◦ 230. If it kills the son of the owner, the sonof that builder shall be put to death.
Big Fire Event i.e. Rome Fire (64 AD), London
Fire (1666 AD), Chicago Fire (1871 AD)
19th Century – Modern Building i.e. North
AmericaPage 15

Building Codes – Comments“The Deemed to Satisfy (DTS) provisions are very
conservative. Things are changing – there is a need to be
more efficient” Philip Chun, Australian Building CodeConsultant.
“The presumption that there is only one way of providing
the level of safety makes the prescriptive code rigid andinflexible” Hadjisophocleous and Benichou (1999) –Performance Criteria Used in Fire Safety Design, Automationin Construction, Canada“

Building Codes – Comments
Unfortunately, many of the existing prescriptions are basedon empirical fire statistics and historical data, without
substantial scientific research data or practical evaluation tosupport them. In addition, the process of codedevelopment has been essentially reactive to events ratherthan proactive in anticipating events.

Building Codes – Comments
Given that many codes and standards are generic by
occupancy and based primarily on past loss history, thisminimum may well exceed what is needed for somebuildings, yet fall far short of what is needed for others.
For Standard type of buildings it does provide
consistent design perimeters for designers in achieving“deem to satisfied” design based on data provided interms of maximum travel distance, compartmentation
areas, size of compartmentation beyond which
sprinkler protection is required.

Issues Rigid and Not flexible
 Objective of design often not specified Lack of understanding of fire safety fundamentals , fire behaviour
 Contains grey areas due to complexity of modern building design Lack of clarity subject to individual interpretation of outcome
 Some “Deem‐to –satisfied” By‐law is outdated e.g. fire resistant doors
 Even for prescriptive code, all active and passive fire protection systems
shall be performance‐based orientated Fire resistant doorset and portable fire extinguishers Malaysian Standards
are drafted in accordance to performance‐based fundamentals withflexibilities in designBuilding Fire Safety Solutions + Fire Engineering
Performance Requirements

Deemed to Satisfy Solution

Appropriate Solution

Prescriptive

Fire Engineering
Performance BasedUniform Building By‐Law (UBBL) 1984
1984 – buildings were small,shorts and easy to anticipate its
designRecipe Book ‐ prescribes
materials, design andconstruction methods
frequently without stating goals
and objectives
Unable to keep up with changes
in design and innovation

Page 21

Uniform Building By‐Law(UBBL) 1984
Part IPreliminary
Part II
Submission of Plans for ApprovalPart IIISpace, Light and VentilationPart IV
Temporary Works in Connection with Building Operations

Uniform Building By‐Law(UBBL) 1984
Part V
Structural Requirements
Part VI
Constructional Requirements
Part VII
Fire Requirements
Part VIII
Fire Alarms, Fire Detection, Fire Extinguishment and Fire Fighting AccessPart IX
Miscellaneous

Deemed‐to‐Satisfy (DtS)

Level of Safety
 Alternate fire escape staircases for egress Tamper glass for building façade or atrium facade Proper separation of fire escape staircases Fire Appliance (truck) access road
 Accessibility of breeching inlet
 Ironmongery should be tested together with fireresistant doorset as a system
 Compartmentation wall with fire resistant doorset forunderground car park lift lobby

Level of SafetyIs it sufficient?
 Yes for normal standard buildings
 No if interested parties still tries to asked for waiverfrom Fire and Rescue Department not to install criticallife safety fire protection systems though our UBBL isalready a minimum requirement Is it not enough?
For those mega size buildings

Example 1
5th Schedule – Compartments Dimension

2,000 m2 Paper Storage

4,000 m2 Steel Storage
Page 27

Example 2
5th Schedule – Compartments Dimension
Do we needmore firewall or FRS?

Is 4hr rating too much? Again it all
depends on where the fire occur andthe density of the carpark
7,000 m2 carpark

18,000 m2 carpark
Page 28

Example 3
Means of Egress
Which one is safer?
Fire size, high of ceiling andsmoke layer will be the deciding
factors instead of just the egress
speed or the egress distance

30 m

30 m

Page 29Performance‐basedCodes

Building Design Evolution

New Technologies
 Fire Protection Systems

 State of the Art systems – more efficient systems i.e. sprinkler,
fire detection etc.
 Do we need high fire rating or fire compartment if fire is kept
small? (Fundamentals of Performance‐based design and cantdo this in prescriptive code) Materials
 Lightweight Construction i.e. Cross Laminated Timber, Drywall
 Increase the quality, reduce the construction period, increase
productivity but smoke density or the toxicity of adhesive as aresult of heat needs to be established first for life safetyAlternative Solution
Building Codes in many countries are
shifting from prescriptive to more
performance‐basedIt has very broad application acrossvarious sectors – built environment,infrastructure and industrial
Uses fire science, fire engineering
principles, human science to protect
people, property and theenvironment from fire

Building Performance Objectives

The challenges for sustainablefire safety
Building are getting taller, bigger and complex
This basic design premise results in large, open building spaces, whichspan multiple floor levels classified as atriums, and desired use ofmaterials such as glass and unprotected steel for assemblies that arerequired to maintain a fire resistance rating.
Green building i.e. open concept for natural lighting, natural ventilation,
modern building materials many of which is highly combustible
Many green building designs include atrium spaces to enhance lighttransfer and natural ventilation throughout the building area yet is notprotected due to the height of the roof
Wall hanging plants if not properly maintained becomes fire hazards

Page 35

Challenges!
Fire safety culture is not properly
embraced. Fire safety is importantbut not urgent!
Lack of expert, specialist, skilled
person if performance‐based tobe used extensively

Is Building Regulations Compliancea Burden?
If life safety is the prime objective (Fire Services Act 341 –Building owners or management is responsible for occupant safety
through self‐declaration of Fire Certificate under Fire Regulation)
If property protection is also the prime objective for business
continuation

 The answer is NO

Conclusions

Conclusion◦ UBBL defined minimum requirement by‐law and is
the fundamental to meet built‐environment
requirements!
Mandatory requirement◦ Compare to direct losses and consequences losses,
loss of lives, loss of job, loss of business income, lossof business goodwill, loss of market
Provide appropriate fire safety standard is a win‐win
scenario for building owners, occupants, Fire andRescue Department Malaysia, insurance
underwriters and National GDP

Conclusion◦ UBBL needs to be regularly updated to include newmaterials, construction methods and technologies
and eliminate unnecessary requirements
Recently updated 2012
◦ Performance based code and performance‐based
building regulatory system can be a solution. It is
implemented solely not to reduce cost but adds
flexibility to existing prescriptive requirements.
Accord building with appropriate protection inaccordance with the fire hazards and fire risks

Conclusion◦ Construction industry stake holders should
embrace fire safety fundamentals for life safety
and should not try to reduce the minimum fire
requirement as cost saving exercise.
◦ If everyone plays their part diligently, it will be awin‐win situation for building owners, Fire andRescue Department Malaysia, Professional
Engineers, Professional Architects, Insurance
Underwriters and all occupants of the building(could be you and me with our families)

Thank You!