Introduction

A fire and safety management plan is simply a collection of procedures and recorded information concerning the safety of various fire installations and the relevant procedures of fire safety in a given building. Carrying out such Fire and Safety Managing Plan ensures that acceptable standards relating to fire safety in buildings are adhered to and maintained in a proper manner. This safety plan is for a large student hub consisting of lecture theaters, café and facilities for dining, social places which are flexible, facilities to accommodate library, IT section and some offices in a university set up. Also linked to the student hub by use of a bridge to both first and second floor is an economic building. One serious issue which is facing the university student hub is that of fire threats. This risk is high since the work being undertaken involves fire especially in the café and the adjacent dining facility. There is also risk due to cigarette fires (Robertson 1989).

Why the plan

The plan has been drafted to make sure that the student hub and the entire university:

• observes legislation related to fire
• has an efficient Fire Safety Managing System which is well established
• Identifies the duties and various responsibilities of people who use the university student hub site

How the actual planning was developed

This plan was carried out by the senior health and safety officials of the university after prior consultation with relevant Fire Rescue Service providers and was written according to the requirement of fire safety reform (2005).

Specifications of fire safety

Horizontal escape

The routes comprising of horizontal travel/movement should be free of any obstacles which may include steps and other raised thresholds. Such obstacles may delay or prevent movement in case of emergency evacuation and escape from fire. If such obstacles exist then a ramp must be put in place especially along the bridge linking the first floor of the student hub and the economic building (see Ramps below) (Robertson 1989).

Vertical escape

This includes escape facilities like lifts and stairs as discussed below. There must be an escape lift from the second floor to the ground floor of both the student hub and which is easy to locate even from the technology building (Schaenman 1982).

Evacuation lifts

The lift for evacuation should meet the standards of a normal box lift of a car. In addition to these standards the following requirements should also be taken into account:

• The lift must be identifiable and easy to access
• Evacuation lifts must be located within a safe and protected enclosure
• The enclosure must comprise of a lift which is well maintained and protected at every level or floor
• The lift also must be installed with an automatic switch clearly marked at Exit level “evacuation lift”
• A major electric power supply must be provided purposely for the lift especially from a main or sub-main electric circuit
• Another optional power supply must be installed to the evacuation lift with an exception of hydraulic lifts which serves the economic building. It must also be in position to start automatically if an emergency occurs. The cables must also be separated from those of the main supply. These cables must also be routed along an area with low risk of fire occurring
• All power switches and isolators must be neatly identified and labeling done at the primary switchboard. This should also be done to the optional power supply which indicates the position of any other supply
• Any other electrical sub-main station, the distributive board, hydraulic pump generator and or any other apparatus should be protected from fire for a period more than that of the shaft of the lift
• The lift also must have a capacity load of 400kg
• The door of the lift must have at least 2 hours period of resistance to fire

Stairs and ramps

The standard requirements for ramps, steps and stairs must be met. Note that the optimum height of any given stair-riser on the upward escape kind of stairs is approximately 180mm. Handrails on any given escape type of ramps and stairs must indicate the direction of escaping with a big and clearly visible arrow on the upper face. At the upper storey of the student hub the handrail must be marked “Exit”. In case of a lift fitted on the stairs the stairway width of the route of escape stairway should be equivalent to the minimum width required for the means of escaping plus the stair lift width. It is important to know that stair lifts is not for escape.

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