FIRE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

FOR PERSONS WITH

DISABILITIES
Fire Code Seminar 2013
By

Goh Siam Imm (Ms)

Building and Construciton Authority
Member of Fire Code Review Committee
6 March 2013

Implementation
Fire Safety Requirements for Persons with
Disabilities
Released by SCDF in Jan 2011
Implemented on 1 Nov 2011
Amendment (8 Jan 2013)
Appendix 20 item 7 - Means to Alert the Hearing

Impaired
Take effect on 15 July 2013
To be read with Requirements on Using lifts for

evacuation of building occupants during

emergency

Implementation
Fire Safety Requirements for Persons with
Disabilities
Not Applicable for

Purpose group I and II (residential

development)
Non-residential standalone buildings intended
as ancillary use within the residential
development, eg. carpark buildings and
clubhouses
Health Care Occupancy (eg. Hospitals, Nursing
Home etc.)

Scope of the Guidelines

Fire Safety Requirements for Persons with
Disabilities covers
Essential fire Safety provisions to

facilitates the evacuation of PWDs during

the fire emergencies

Escape Route
Holding point for Person with Disabililites (PWD)
Evacuation lift
Communication
Planning strategies to manage the

evacuation of PWDS

Persons with Disabilities

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) are
persons whose mobility and use of a building
are affected as a consequence of one or
more of the following physical or sensory
disabilities or impairments:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Ambulant disabled
Wheel-bound
Hearing impairment or deafness
Visual impairment or blindness

Emergency
Building Owner

Evacuation
Concept

Persons With Disabilities

PWD Holding Point
Evacuation lift

Place of Safety

PWD Holding Point

A temporarily safe space for PWDs to await

assistance for their evacuation

To be provided on all storeys including

basement level (except for first storey or storey

at grade level)
At least 2 PWD Holding Points for every storey

except for building with a single exit staircase

PWD Holding Point

PWD Holding
Point

PWD Holding
Point

At least two designated PWD Holding Points for

every storey of building except for building designed
with single exit staircase

PWD Holding Point

PWD Holding Point

Single PWD Holding Point for building designed with

single exit staircase allowed under:
Cl.2.6.1 Office, shop, factory & warehouse not exceeding
15m in habitable height and not exceeding 4 storeys

PWD Holding Point

Safe waiting areas for
short period of time

Enclosed with fireresisting construction

and served directly by a
safe route to a storey
exit, evacuation lift or
final exit

PWD Holding Point

Located within fire
fighting lobby,
smoke stop lobby
or external corridor

Free of obstruction
Located away from
Point of occupant
egress

PWD Holding Point

Min 2000mm

PWD Holding Point designated in an external corridor

shall be positioned at least 2000mm away from the
edge of exit staircase

PWD Holding Point

Min
500mm

PWD Holding Point within fire fighting lobby and

smoke stop lobby
shall be positioned at least 500mm away from
the edge of exit staircase and from the
occupant escape path

PWD Holding Point

PWD Holding Point
inside exit staircase
Only permitted for
buildings not more
than 4 storeys above
ground or without lift
provision

PWD Holding Point

The PWD Holding Point shall not obstruct or

disrupt the escape flow within the staircase

PWD Holding Point

Wheelchair space of at least
900mm X 1400mm to allow
manoeuvring of wheelchair

PWD Holding Point,

Dotted rectangle marking
and symbol of access for
PWD on the floor
Mandatory sign PWD
Holding Point-Keep
Clear prominently
displayed

Escape Route
The corridor serving as escape route
shall have a minimum width of
1200mm

Rationale
In line with the minimum clear width or
1.2 m specified in the Code on
accessibility in the Built Environment
The width would facilitate wheelchair
bound person to manouevre and to gain
access to the nearest PWD Holding
Point

Escape Route

Corridor width at least 1200mm

The corridor serving as escape route shall have a

minimum width of 1200mm

Minimum 1.2m

Escape Route
The requirement for travel distance similar
to that stipulated in the Fire Code (see Table
2.2A in the Fire Code).

Evacuation Lift

Evacuation Lift
A lift provided for the evacuation of PWD
during emergencies assisted by
authorized personnel.
Located within a protected lobby such

as smoke stop lobby, external exit

passageway or external corridor.
Installed in accordance with SS 550
Code of Practice for Installation,
Operation and Maintenance of Electric
Passenger and Goods Lifts

Evacuation Lift
Evacuation Lift designated to facilitate

evacuation for PWDs

Fire lift shall not be designated as

evacuation lift unless there is more than 1

fire lift provided in the building

Fire lift intended to provide a vertical means of

access for fire fighting and rescue operation

Evacuation Lift

At least one of the lifts shall be designated as

Evacuation Lift

Readily visible sign marked Evacuation Lift for

PWDs affixed onto the wall adjacent to the lift door at
every landing of the evacuation lift

Evacuation Lift
Clear platform size of
minimum 1200mm
width X 1400 mm

in
1 4 0 0 m mm
Min 1400

ax

15

2 0 0 m in
Min 11200
mm

Evacuation Lift

Evacuation Lift
Evacuation Lift

Switching device
installed next to each
evacuation lift landing
door on the designated
floor.
housed in a breakable
glass-fronted cover box
marked evacuation
switch.

Evacuation Lift
Provided with standby power supply
For continuous operation during power failure
and/or fire emergencies (routing of cables for
evacuation lift similar to fire lift)

Lift shall
Be brought to the
designated floor
Park there with its doors
closed, after discharging
all the passengers

Other provision in lieu of lift

Ramps can serve as alternative means of
escape
Internal and external exit ramps

comply with current Fire Code

cl.2.3.3 (Exit staircase) & cl.2.3.8 (exit
ramp gradient)
Ramp designs conform to

requirements spelled out in Code on

Accessibility in the Built Environment

Management of Evacuation
Evacuation procedures have to be pre-planned by
the building owner/facilities manager

Management of Evacuation
The building owner
must plan, identify and make arrangements

for assistance during emergency

keep the following information :
Number of PWDS
Location of the PWDs
Nature of their disabilities
PWD Holding point in which they are allocated.

Management of Evacuation
Staff designated to

help PWD are to be

fully trained to execute
the evacuation
procedures
Horizontal and vertical

evacuation
procedures to be
tested at least once a
year.

Building with Evacuation Lift

Alarm activation
PWDs move or directed to the PWD Holding
Point in the evacuation lift lobby
Trained staff pick

up PWDs from
designated PWD
Holding point and
direct them to the
final exit

Building without Evacuation Lift

Alarm Activation
PWD move or directed to the PWD Holding
Point inside exit staircase
Trained staff continue

PWD Holding Point

their search
procedure
Completed search
procedure and assist
the PWD down the
stair to the final exit.

Suitable means of communication

To be provided between the PWD holding point
and Fire Command Centre (FCC) or any 24hourly manned station
In the form of a distress button or voice
communication
Located between 800mm and 1200mm above
ground level
Appropriately labeled
Prominently displayed clear instruction sign on its
operation; and
Shall generate a clear visual indication to indicate
that the distress signal has been relayed, when the
device for communication is activated.

Visual Alarm System

To alert persons with hearing impairment
Location of visual alarm
In isolation spaces
Toilet cubicles, car park and lift lobbies.
Designated bedroom in buildings with stayin facilities such as hotel, service
apartments, hostels, dormitories

At least 10% of the guestrooms or

accommodation units shall be provided

with visual alarm

Visual Alarm System

Visual alarm devices can take the

form of flashing beacon or strobe

light for use in conjunction with
conventional fire alarm system

Visual indicator to be
provided where alarm
bells are located.

Visual Alarm System

Visual Alarm signal

Visual Alarm Devices

Sufficient in number and

Intensity of light signal should be

sufficient to draw the attention of

people in the vicinity
Flash at a rate within the range
of 30 to 130 flashes per minute

distribution to be visible from all

accessible locations
Visual indicator shall be mounted
at appropriate height such that it
is visible from all corners of the
floor
Visual alarm indicating device
shall be labelled with the word
Fire and is legible from the
normal standing position
Flashing or strobe lights of visual
alarm system shall be
synchronized with the flash rate
of such multiple fixture

Appreciation
The following Associations have been invited to
comment on the PWD Fire Safety Guidelines:
Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA)
The Society For The Physically Disabled (SPD)

Singapore Association Of The Visually

Handicapped (SAVH)
Singapore Association For The Deaf (SADeaf)
Disabled Peoples Association of Singapore

Thank you