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Fire Safety Act

(Chapter 109A, Section 61(1))

Fire Safety (Building Fire Safety) Regulations

Rg 1

G.N. No. S 165/1994

REVISED EDITION 2001

(31st January 2001)

[8th April 1994]

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Citation

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Fire Safety (Building Fire Safety) Regulations.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“area of refuge” means an area which is relatively safe from fire, whether in an adjoining building or an adjoining part of the same building, and from which access can be made through supplemental exits such as a balcony, a bridge, a tunnel, a staircase or such other types of linkage and which allows a person using it to exit safely to the open at ground level;

“area of special risk” means an area where there is a risk of explosion or rapid spread of fire due to the presence of flammable liquids, gases or explosive materials;

“building operations and maintenance manual” means a document prepared by a fire safety engineer containing instructions for the owner or occupier of a building on how to operate and maintain the fire safety measures used in the alternative solution, the limitations of such measures and the restrictions to be placed on usage of the building;

[S 334/2004 wef 01/07/2004]

“compartment wall” means a wall that is designed and constructed to a specific fire resistance rating to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through it;

“design guidelines” means guidelines accepted by the Commissioner as suitable for the design and evaluation of fire safety works or any part thereof, including any alternative solution;

[S 334/2004 wef 01/07/2004]

“elements of structure” means —

(a)	a member forming part of the structural frame of a building or any beam or column but not a member forming part of a roof structure only;
(b)	a load bearing wall or load bearing part of a wall;
(c)	a floor, including a compartment floor, other than the lowest floor (in contact with the ground) of a building;
(d)	an external wall;
(e)	a separating wall;
(f)	a compartment wall; and
(g)	a structure enclosing a protected shaft (protecting structure);

“fire certificate” means a certificate issued by the Commissioner under section 20(1) of the Act;

“Fire Command Centre” means a room within any premises which is specifically designated for the purpose of command and control of operations in the event of fire or other emergencies and fitted with the necessary equipment;

“fire damper” means a device installed in an air distribution system which is designed to close automatically to restrict the passage of fire and heat;

“fire emergency plan”, in relation to a building, means a plan which contains information on the types of fire safety measures that are provided for in a building and includes the floor layout plans and evacuation procedures for the building;

“fire engine access” means a route which is designed for the passage and positioning of fire engines in fire fighting operations;

“fire extinguishing system” means a system designed for extinguishing a fire;

“fire lift” means a lift which is adequately protected from fire and which is meant for the exclusive use of firemen in an emergency without interference from the landing call points;

“fire lift lobby” means a protected and ventilated lobby into which a fire lift opens and from which direct access to a protected staircase can be made for the purpose of fire fighting;

“fire resistance rating” means the minimum period of time during which an element of structure or building element may be expected to function satisfactorily while subject to a recognised standard fire test;

“fire safety engineering design brief” means a document prepared by a fire safety engineer to secure in-principle agreement with the Commissioner on the conceptual fire safety engineering design, which shall include —

(a)	the fire performance requirements to be achieved;
(b)	requisite fire scenarios;
(c)	methodologies adopted in undertaking the building fire safety designs; and
(d)	an outline of the trial concept design; [S 334/2004 wef 01/07/2004]

“fire safety engineering report” means a document prepared by a fire safety engineer containing the final design of the fire safety works, commissioning requirements, details of installation and testing, other implementation details, expected fire risks and system performance over the building’s life cycle;

[S 334/2004 wef 01/07/2004]

“fireman access panel” means an opening in the external wall of a building to enable firemen to gain access into the building during fire fighting operations;

“means of escape” means a continuous and unobstructed way of exit from any point in a building or structure to a safe and open area at ground level;

“occupant load” means the total number of persons that may occupy a building or part thereof at any one time;

“smoke control system” means a system designed to inhibit or act as a barrier against the spread of smoke in a building;

“smoke detector” means a device which is used for detecting the presence of visible or invisible products of combustion, and which would automatically initiate a signal upon detecting the presence of these products.