The incidence of fires in office buildings in South Africa is not considered to be unduly high, although considerable attention has been focused in this direction following multiple deaths in fires in tall buildings in various parts of the world in the 1970s.
The unsatisfactory features which have led to loss of life and injury in fire situations have been identified as:
* Deficiencies in the design of the building with particular reference to the means of escape.
* Absence of a fire procedure.
* Absence of fire alarms, fire detection system or automatic fire extinguishing appliances.
* The readily combustible nature of the furnishings and fittings.
Smoke and flames entering the stairwells and trapping the occupants has proved to be the main cause of fatalities.
Office building fires
A few examples of fires in office buildings in South Africa include:
* An open bar electric heater ignited curtains in a health studio in Johannesburg.
* Fire amongst cardboard boxes in a basement spread to telephone cables, disrupting communications including the public address system designed to alert fire wardens.
* Fire in rubbish bins in a basement car park below a cable duct involved telephone and power cables resulting in services such as telephones, telex, electric typewriters, office heating (fire occurred in mid-winter) being out of service for a week.
* Fire in a sauna bath on the lower floor of an office block caused fire and smoke damage.
* Damage to fifth floor attorneys' office as a result of incendiarism.
* Short circuit in a fluorescent ceiling light started a fire causing major damage.
Building management and tenants have become increasingly aware of their responsibilities towards the safety of occupants and there are many excellent examples in South Africa of good fire protection and evacuation systems and procedures in buildings.
In spite of all the precautions taken and the stringent requirements by local authority fire brigades in relation to fire safety, fires do occur and are almost entirely due to carelessness or negligence.
Precautions
The following precautions are essential if the risk of fire is to be minimised or, in the event of a fire occurring, the safety of the occupants is to be assured.
* Remove combustible rubbish and packing materials daily to a safe area, preferably in metal bins. If the refuse collection area is in a basement or ground floor area it should not be capable of ready access by the public nor be in such a position that, if ignited, would permit smoke and heat to enter the building. Refuse collection areas should not be in close proximity to service ducts where cables could become involved.
* Ensure that all electrical office machinery is switched off at the mains (plugs should preferably be withdrawn).
* Do not permit incandescent or open flame heaters in offices. Fixed heaters are preferable to the portable type.
* Avoid the use of flammable liquids for cleaning office machinery.
* Provide adequate ashtrays in all areas where smoking is permitted and instruct staff not to discard cigarette ends in waste paper baskets.
* There should be sufficient electrical outlet points to ensure that overloading or the use of long cords which could become frayed are avoided.
* Ensure that fire exits and fire equipment are suitably indicated preferably by means of SABS Symbolic Safety Signs. Exit doors should be kept closed and unlocked or fitted with an easily operable locking device which is acceptable to the fire brigade.
* Ensure that all occupants are familiar with the location of the fire escapes, location and method of operation of the fire alarm and building fire equipment. A floor plan showing the position of fire escapes, fire equipment and fire alarm should be prominently displayed in the lift lobby or main passageway on each floor.
* Ensure that building hose-reels and extinguishers are regularly maintained and that, where equipment is kept in cabinets, it is not obstructed by cleaning materials.
* Depending on the size of the building and number of occupants it may be advisable to appoint a chief fire warden and one or two marshals on each floor. These people should receive special training for this purpose.
* Instruction should be given to caretakers and maintenance staff setting out the action they should take in the event of fire. The instructions should include bringing all lifts to the ground level and stopping them, and shutting down all services not essential to the escape of occupants or likely to be required by the fire brigade. Lighting should be left on.
* Ensure fire marshals are adequately trained and that staff are familiar with fire and evacuation procedures.
Reference: Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa
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