3.2.7.9 — Emergency Power for Building Services

(1) A building that is more than 3 storeys in building height or more than 600 m2 in building area shall be provided with access routes for fire department vehicles, (a) to the building face having a principal entrance, and (b) to each building face having access openings for firefighting as required by Articles 3.2.5.1. and 3.2.5.2.

(1) Access routes required by Article 3.2.5.4. shall be located so that the principal entrance and every access opening required by Articles 3.2.5.1. and 3.2.5.2. are located not less than 3 m and not more than 15 m from the closest portion of the access route required for fire department use, measured horizontally from the face of the building. (2) Access routes shall be provided to a building so that, (a) for a building provided with a fire department connection, a fire department pumper vehicle can be located adjacent to the hydrants referred to in Article 3.2.5.16., (b) for a building not provided with a fire department connection, a fire department pumper vehicle can be located so that the length of the access route from a hydrant to the vehicle plus the unobstructed path of travel for the firefighter from the vehicle to the building is not more than 90 m, and (c) the unobstructed path of travel for the firefighter from the vehicle to the building is not more than 45 m. (3) The unobstructed path of travel for the firefighter required by Sentence (2) from the vehicle to the building shall be measured from the vehicle to the fire department connection provided for the building, except that if no fire department connection is provided, the path of travel shall be measured to the principal entrance of the building. (4) If a portion of a building is completely cut off from the remainder of the building so that there is no access to the remainder of the building, the access routes required by Sentence (2) shall be located so that the unobstructed path of travel from the vehicle to one entrance of each portion of the building is not more than 45 m.

(1) An adequate water supply for firefighting shall be provided for every building. (2) Hydrants shall be located within 90 m horizontally of any portion of a building perimeter that is required to face a street in Subsection 3.2.2.

(1) A sprinklered building shall be designed in accordance with Sentences (2) to (5.1) and MMAH Supplementary Standard SB-4, “Measures for Fire Safety in High Buildings”, to limit the danger to occupants and firefighters from exposure to smoke in a building fire. (2) A building referred to in Sentence (1), shall be designed so that, during a period of 2 h after the start of a fire, each exit stair serving storeys below the lowest exit level will not contain more than 1% by volume of contaminated air from the fire floor, assuming an outdoor temperature equal to the January design temperature on a 2.5% basis determined in conformance with MMAH Supplementary Standard SB-1, “Climatic and Seismic Data”. (3) Each stairway that serves storeys above the lowest exit level shall have a vent to the outdoors, at or near the bottom of the stair shaft, that, (a) has an openable area of 0.05 m2 for every door between the stair shaft and a floor area, but not less than 1.8 m2, (b) opens directly to the outdoors or into a vestibule that has a similar opening to the outdoors, and (c) has a door or closure that, (i) is openable manually, and (ii) can remain in the open position during a fire emergency. (4) Measures shall be taken to limit movement of smoke from a fire in a floor area below the lowest exit storey into upper storeys. (5) Except for exhaust fans in kitchens, washrooms and bathrooms in dwelling units, and except for fans used for smoke venting as required by Article 3.2.6.6., air moving fans in a system that serves more than 2 storeys shall be designed and installed so that in the event of a fire these fans can be stopped by means of a manually operated switch at the central alarm and control facility. (5.1) Except as provided in Article 3.2.4.13. or as otherwise provided in this Part, air handling systems used to provide make-up air to public corridors serving suites in a Group C major occupancy shall not shut down automatically upon actuation of the fire alarm so as to maintain corridor pressurization. (6) A building that is not sprinklered shall be designed in accordance with MMAH Supplementary Standard SB-4, “Measures for Fire Safety in High Buildings”, to limit the danger to occupants and firefighters from exposure to smoke in a building fire.

(1) Means of venting each floor area to the outdoors shall be provided by windows, wall panels, smoke shafts or, except as provided by Sentence (5), the building exhaust system. (2) Fixed glass windows shall not be used for the venting required by Sentence (1) if the breaking of the windows could endanger pedestrians below. (3) Openable windows used for the venting required by Sentence (1) shall be permanently marked so that they are easily identifiable. (4) Elevator hoistways shall not be designed for the venting required by Sentence (1). (5) In a building that is not sprinklered, venting of floor areas required in Sentence (1) shall not be provided by the building exhaust system.

(1) Compartments containing rooms such as operating rooms, recovery rooms, delivery rooms, intensive care units and critical care units, from which it is impracticable to move patients in an emergency, shall be, (a) separated from adjacent spaces by fire separations having a fire-resistance rating not less than 1 h, and (b) provided with a mechanical air supply so that during a period of 2 h after the start of a fire in another space, the compartments will not contain more than 1% by volume of contaminated air from the fire area.