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BS 9999 - Access Code

Angela Davies explores the training implications of the new building fire safety standard, BS 9999, due to be published later this year

A MAJOR code of practice, DD 9999, is in its final consultation stage on the path to becoming a fully-fledged British Standard later this year. The standard, which will be titled BS 9999: Code of practice for fire safety in the design, construction and use of buildings, has been developed over the past decade and will mark a new approach to guidance on fire safety in buildings.

The code is being heralded as a breakthrough, offering an advanced risk-based approach underpinned, for the first time, by fire engineering principles. It sets out an approach that encourages greater flexibility in building design and fire risk management.

This article explores the training implications and asks a trainer, a building control officer, a design consultant, and the chairman of the British Standards Institution (BSI) committee behind the drive to turn the code into a standard, for their views on its impact on the professional groups it affects.

All express concern that the construction industry has been slow so far to adopt the code’s guidance, but they are optimistic that achieving British Standard status will raise its profile, making training in this area an imperative for building designers and submissions checkers.

The trainer

Fire engineer John Streets is a 9999 specialist and senior consultant with training provider Xact. He anticipates a flurry of interest in the code and more competition within the design industry when it becomes a British Standard.

‘BS 9999 will create competition as to who can gain competence in the use of the document the quickest,’ he said. ‘Those who have ignored the development of the Draft for Development (DD) will now have to start from scratch, trying to understand from first principles a very comprehensive and in-depth document.

‘But, for individuals and organisations that have little previous experience of 9999, it is particularly important to ensure training needs in this area are adequately met. Those seeking training should make sure that the trainer understands the fire engineering principles which underpin the code. Experience with the document is essential to gain full benefit from it, and trainers must have this experience. It is also important that the trainer fully understands the development path of the code. This will clarify the document’s intentions and enhance users’ confidence in its principles and application.’

Predicting the impact of becoming a British Standard on the DD, Mr Streets said: ‘The full BS status will give users the confidence to apply its content. It shows that the document has been through a development phase, at the end of which it has been made available for public consultation. This suggests some degree of regulation and consensus among those consulted as to its appropriateness.

‘The design industry has been slow on the uptake of 9999. Now it has been pushed forward, I believe there will be a rush to achieve competence and that uptake will accelerate. The document has been fairly low key during its development. I think that will change dramatically when it is issued as a BS.’

Mr Streets outlined how BS 9999 will mark a change in the previous guidance. ‘For the first time, a document relates to time to escape and can utilise certain components to extend escape time. Some of the components have not been formally recognised before. This gives confidence to professionals who seek to vary prescriptive guidance. The flexibility of the document will be evident in the specific nature of design and its ability to satisfy a specific function or need of the client.

‘Clients will experience the benefit of a more flexible approach. The flexibility in the document should be reflected in the flexibility in design and remove restraints on customer requirements.’

9999 is said to mark a significant step by incorporating fire engineering principles into guidance for the first time. Commenting on this, Mr Streets said: ‘The document states that it is based on engineering principles but the user does not have to have engineering knowledge to use it.

‘The analysis and calculations are all expressed in tables for ease of reference, and the research underpinning the tables has all been properly verified and validated. The document describes itself as an “advanced approach” which lies between a “general approach” and “fire safety engineering”.

‘Though the safety levels provided by BS 9999 should be functionally the same as other guidance documents, it will lead to improved fire safety management and scrutiny of management, due to its reliance and recognition of the importance of management. In short, the standard will provide a much-needed consistency in application of non-standard variations in fire safety provision.’

Discussing how it improves on guidance available under Approved Document B (ADB), the fire safety guidance supporting the Building Regulations in England and Wales, Mr Streets said: ‘BS 9999 will replace the guidance in BS 5588 and offer an alternative means of complying with the functional requirements of the Building Regulations. ADB will still exist and provide solid principles for generic buildings, while BS 9999 will offer flexibility for some specific and more complex cases.’

He offered an example of how 9999 helps construction professionals, both designers and checkers, in terms of design freedom and ‘trade-offs’. ‘When designing an office using the recommendations of ADB, the travel distance allowed takes no account of any early warning of fire that may be given, and no account of any reduction of fire growth and the resulting increase in time available for escape. BS 9999 allows a variation in escape time if certain components are present, such as automatic fire detection or a sprinkler system.’

To those considering 9999 training, Mr Streets said: ‘Market forces and the need to be current will drive practitioners to seek training in this area. To be competitive, they will need to be able to use this document. It will become an essential tool in the fire safety practitioner’s toolbox.’

The BSI Committee chairman

David Smith is chairman of the BSI committee concerned with implementing 9999 as a British Standard. A past president of the Association of Building Engineers and the Institution of Fire Engineers, he is also managing director of WSA Consulting Engineers Limited.

According to Mr Smith, ‘BS 9999 will mark a major step forward in the provisions for fire safety in buildings when it hits the streets this year because it brings up-to-date all previous guidance and provides greater scope for designers. The standard uses fire engineering principles to expand the framework that is available through ADB, giving extra design freedom but within certain parameters. It achieves this by taking into consideration the type of occupancy and the nature of occupants and then, for example, allowing variations in factors such as escape route lengths to be taken into consideration.

‘What existed previously was a piecemeal compilation which – in some cases – contained conflicting information and was not in line with the statutory guidance.’

Discussing the groups who stand to benefit from 9999 training, Mr Smith said: ‘BS 9999 is relevant to anyone involved in the design of buildings, including architects, and to those who approve buildings, such as building control and the fire and rescue service. Owners and managers of buildings will also need to be aware of 9999 because level and quality of management is a factor which can now be taken into consideration in design under its guidance.

‘All of these groups will require training. Not necessarily anything too detailed or complicated, but good basic training that helps them understand how the standard differs from existing guidance and how to drive it. Some sectors have been slow to adopt the guidance of 9999, but organisations will find that, to keep up, they will have to invest in 9999 training, particularly when the guidance achieves BS status. The whole industry is gradually warming to it.’

The design consultant

Andrew Kitching is principal consultant with Approved Design Consultancy, an independent building control practice which has received 9999 training. Discussing his experience of this training, Mr Kitching said: ‘It was conducted in-house and tailored to the specific requirements of our practice. An enthusiastic tutor facilitated a highly interactive training session. This resulted in a good practical working session which was highly relevant to our particular field.’

He added: ‘We have been working with DD 9999 for over 12 months now and have applied it to a variety of schemes. We find it particularly good for risk profiling, assessing risk at the design stage. We now use 9999 on a weekly basis and find it particularly relevant as it allows for an objective assessment of risk at an early stage in the design process.

‘When designs are being put together, it is difficult to assure clients that the building is going to meet end use safety requirements when relying solely on ADB because, unlike 9999, it does not quantify risk. The only way to do that is by using 9999, which pulls risk assessment into the design process. This, in turn, helps clients by allowing them to build certainty on cost into the tendering processes.’

Discussing the impact of 9999 becoming a BS for the construction industry, Mr Kitching said: ‘It will improve the ability of construction professionals to get key design decisions correct. The public will have an increased level of safety and clients will benefit from knowing where they stand on cost at an earlier stage of the design process. There has been an increased acceptance of the document, particularly by the fire service. Publication as a British standard will further enhance 9999’s credibility.’

Speaking about the advantages of 9999, Mr Kitching said: ‘It makes the crucial link between safety and end use, rather than just looking at the building itself.’ However, he stressed that ‘training in 9999 is essential, particularly for architects. It is difficult to see how anyone involved in the fire safety design of buildings will be able to operate effectively without a good working knowledge of the document.’

The building control manager

Alan Stokes is building control manager with Exeter City Council. He trained in DD 9999 alongside 20 fellow local authority building control professionals. Mr Stokes said: ‘Our training consisted of a well-balanced mix of the theoretical and the practical. The learning was based on relevant case studies and the tutoring was highly interactive. This gave us a good insight into how 9999 was salient to our field, which is mainly concerned with checking design submissions. I recommend those seeking training make sure that the programme contains these elements – lots of interactivity with theory supported by practical sessions and case studies relevant to the delegates’ work.

‘Designers, checkers and approvers need to be prepared before the code becomes a BS because the standard is set to have a far-reaching impact on the way they operate. For example, 9999 offers enormous potential for projects involving change of use and conversion, which is good news for developers of inner city sites. These may involve historic buildings which, unlike modern constructions, often feature tall storey height – a compensatory feature which can be taken into consideration in the risk assessment based guidance of 9999, allowing greater design flexibility than under ADB.’

‘Again, compensatory aspects, including automatic fire prevention methods, such as sprinklers and level of building management, can now be factored into the risk assessment allowing more options for designers.’

Mr Stokes echoed comments made by others, observing that some professional groups have appeared slow to take on board the benefits of 9999. He added: ‘In our area, I have noticed that few submissions so far that have been designed to 9999 and, when I raise the issue with architects, they seem unaware of it. This is surprising given its benefits in terms of design freedoms. Perhaps an amendment to ADB is needed to highlight the option of applying 9999. ‘Hopefully, things will change when 9999 becomes a British Standard. Good quality training in BS 9999 will also help raise awareness.’

Angela Davies is communications consultant with Xact Consultancy and Training Limited

BS 9999 – an overview

BS 9999 will effectively replace the existing standard, BS 5588: Fire precautions in the design, construction and use of buildings. It is primarily intended for designers, fire engineers and fire safety managers, but may also be of use to specifiers, contractors, owners, safety managers and enforcers.

The new standard fully incorporates new material from Part 5: Access and facilities for firefighting and Part 12: Managing fire safety of BS 5588. When published, it will supersede all parts of BS 5588, with the exception of BS 5588-1, which is expected to be revised in due course.

BS 9999 covers the four main areas that influence fire safety measures: fire safety management; the provisions of means of escape; the structural protection of escape facilities and the structural stability of the building; and the provision of access and facilities for firefighting. It includes recommendations on the design of means of escape – the primary control is now travel time instead of travel distance – and also introduces the concept of risk profile.

Training tips

Five tips on how to receive sound training on BS 9999:

  • make sure the trainer is qualified to the appropriate level and has adequate experience in the required area. BS 9999 requires a fire engineer to explain some of the underlying principles
  • ensure the training goes deeply enough to satisfy your demands. Make sure there is some demonstration of practical issues or exercises to consolidate learning. So far, there are very few who have used the document practically and are able to demonstrate its use fully
  • have an aim or objective for yourself on the course and confirm that the training offered will help you meet this requirement. You will want to be able to apply the document on completion, not just have an overview
  • contact the trainer prior to booking and ask them some pre-prepared questions to check out their competence. Find out at this stage if competence is lacking
  • check out the trainer via their website for information on course content and support. A professional website often means a professional trainer

This article was published in: Fire Risk Management
The International Journal for Fire Professionals – May 2008