HOME › Forums › Forums › Fire Code & Enforcement › 9.5 Exterior Stairs vs Fire Escape › Reply To: 9.5 Exterior Stairs vs Fire Escape
John WilsonTHANK YOU KEVIN! I never thought of looking in OBC Part 11.
OBC 3.4.7.2. (wooden fire escape construction) has a Pt 11 CA that references 3.2.3.13.(2) which is unenclosed exterior exit stairs that prescribes protection of the openings 3m horrizontally, 10m below and 5m above which is interesting considering 3.4.7.4. only requires protection of openings 1.8m above.
So in current OBC, if it’s an exterior exit stair, it needs protection of openings 5m above but if it’s a fire escape, it can get by with 1.8m above. Now I’ve got to dig out my old OBCs and see how far back those 3.2.3.13. clauses go.
In regards to what’s an exit stair vs fire escape, I guess it would come down to the dimensions of the rise/run and width…
Stairs: Max rise 200mm, min run 255mm, min width 1650mm
Fire Escape: max rise 210mm and min run 220mm, min width can be reduced to 550mm if not more than 3 stories and not more than 15 persons