Egress Flashcards
What is an exit access?
The part of the egress system that leads from an occupied area to the entrance of an exit.
What is an exit defined as?
An exit is the part of the egress system that provides a protected path of egress between the exit access and the exit discharge.
Exits must be fully enclosed and made of fire-resistive construction (walls, doors, windows). Exits are either 1-hour or 2-hour rated, depending on the building specifics.
What is an exit discharge?
The part of the egress system that connects the exit with a public way, typically on the ground level.
Exit discharge can be inside (main lobby) or can include exterior areas.
These include exterior balconies, exterior exit stairways, exit courts, and other paths to the public way.
What is the “common path”?
The part of the exit access path before two separate paths to two different exits becomes available. It’s like a fork in the road.
The common path of egress travel distance is based on the occupancy type.
Most occupancies limit the common path of egress travel distance to 75 feet. Some occupancies increase that distance to 100 feet if the building is sprinklered.
What are egress requirements bases on?
1.) Occupancy Type
2.) The occupancy load of the space itself
3.) Limitations on the travel distance length
What are the requirements when two exits are required for a space?
When two exits are required for a space, they must be located at a distance not less than 1/2 the length of the diagonal dimension of the room.
if the room diagonal measures 100 feet, the two exit doors must not be less than 50 feet apart from each other.
If the building is sprinklered, the distance is reduced to 1/3. This prevents two exit doors from being too close together.
What are fire barriers and where are they commonly used?
A fire barrier is designed to confine fire and allow for safe passage. A fire barrier offers a higher level of protection than a fire partition. A fire barrier is continuous from the floor slab to the underside of the floor or roof above.
Fire barriers are used to:
- Enclose stairways, exit passageways, horizontal exits, and incidental use areas
- Separate different occupancies in mixed-use occupancies (unless specified otherwise by code)
-Separate single occupancies into different fire areas
What are fire walls?
Fire walls are exterior walls that extend continuously from the base of the building to the roof. Fire walls will typically have a 3 to 4-hour fire-resistance rating.
What are fire partitions?
A fire partition is a wall with a fire-resistance rating of 1-hour. Fire partitions are one of the most common fire-resistance-rated partitions used by interior designers.
True or False
Fire doors must be self-closing and positive latching.
True
Fire doors must also be self-closing and positive latching (catches automatically when the door is closed).
What is the definition of heat resistance?
Flame resistance is the characteristic of a material that does not continue to burn after the heat source is removed.
What is the COF (coefficient of friction)?
The coefficient of friction (COF) is the relationship between what’s on the bottom of a person’s shoe and the surface of a tile.
The COF of a tile is different for every person who walks on that tile.
What is the DCOF (dynamic coefficient of friction)?
Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF). This is the ratio of the force necessary to keep a surface already in motion sliding over another divided by an object’s weight (or normal force).
DCOF is usually less than SCOF for the same materials. Contaminants such as dirt, water, soap, oil, or grease can change this value.
What is the minimum dynamic coefficient of friction for floor surfaces that will be wet?
0.42
The higher the number, the less slippery the surface is.
