Category: BS8629

Hyfire is delivering a series of free webinars around the British Standard BS8629:2019, new code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in buildings containing flats. The appointments provide an insightful overview of the new British Standard, explaining the design criteria of the evacuation alert system, and presenting the benefits of the Hyfire wireless technology to meet the BS8629 recommendations. The webinars are intended as a helpful tool for anyone managing high rise blocks of flats or for fire professionals involved in the design, specification and installation of an evacuation system solution.

High-rise buildings present specific challenges that need to be considered when assessing and addressing fire risks. Multiple floors, large number of flats and occupants, and long, complex escape routes, are just some of the peculiarities that may pose challenges to fire safety. In the unfortunate event a fire accident occurs, proper evacuation strategies need to be in place to ensure that residents are alerted and evacuated in a timely manner, and to allow the fire brigade to achieve rapid containment and suppression of the fire.

The British Standard BS8629, introduced in England and Wales in November 2019, and now mandatory in Scotland also, applies to many high-rise residential buildings and identifies the critical design criteria required to achieve an effective evacuation, controlled by the fire brigade. The standard is applicable to both new and existing buildings, currently covering all residential properties over 18 meters, and it provides recommendations about the evacuation alert system comprising the evacuation alert control indicating equipment (EACIE), along with the audible and visual alarm devices, to ensure simple, consistent and intuitive operation.