Fire Safety and Compliance Report: Newcastle Office Development

This report presents an analysis of a fire safety and compliance report for a proposed office development in Newcastle, focusing on performance-based solutions and adherence to the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and International Fire Safety Engineering (IFEG) guidelines. The report evaluates three performance solutions: rationalization of fire resistance levels, travel distances, and discharge of exits, addressing non-compliances with NCC 2016. It examines building characteristics, occupant behavior, and potential hazards, including the building's location in a bushfire-prone area. The analysis incorporates fire severity calculations, occupant evacuation strategies, and fire service interventions. The report concludes with recommendations for improving documentation and compliance with relevant codes, including AS 3959 for bushfire-prone areas, emphasizing the need for probabilistic achievement of objectives and addressing all DTS provisions of the NCC.

Fire Engineering

Table of Contents
Topic: Fire Safety and Compliance.................................................................................................1
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Performance-Based Review.............................................................................................................1
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

Topic: Fire Safety and Compliance
Introduction
Building Code of Australia (BCA) is developed and maintained via Australian Building
Codes Board (ABCB), with purpose to provide technical information to engineers or builders for
construction and design building structures as per standards of relevant compliance of Health &
Safety. BCA incorporated into design and development of structures when locations of site are
around the bushfire areas; high-wind areas, alpine environment and earthquake zone. Therefore,
before to work on such areas, it is highly essential for construction companies to form proper
project documentations which further meet every criteria of BCA requirement. In context with
present report, a study is conduct with purpose to review one of the briefing document and
performance solutions in order to identify any amendments that needs to be made and
compliance as per BCA, by following the guidelines of International Fire Safety Engineering
(IFEG). For introducing and reinforcing the concepts of Fire Safety engineering as well as
compliance via assessment of a performance solution that are developed by using fire safety
engineering, a critical analysis is done on a specific report. This has been prepared at the request
of Commercial Development Holdings Pty Ltd. for the proposed office development located at
246 Practice Street, Newcastle in order to demonstrate compliance with the relevant performance
requirements of NCC 2016.
Performance-Based Review
The basic concept involves with performance-based approach is to demonstrate if proposed
design will meet the defined objectives or not, instead of prescribing new solutions. It helps in
translating the objectives of a design plan into quantifiable parameters, for setting limits of the
same and estimating the performance of proposed solutions to validate its compliance with BCA
and IFEG standards. In this regard, by reviewing the given report, it mainly addresses the non-
compliances with NCC 2016 that are associated with discharge of exists, travel distances and
rationalisation of fire resistance levels of a proposed office development located nearby
Newcastle. Along with this, building design is complied with Volume 1 of NCC 2019 (National
Construction Code) and documentation for performance solution report has been prepared by
considering IFEG 2050 and NCC Vol. 1. Along with this, the given Performance Solution
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Report is made accordance with the criteria of Fire and Rescue NSW under clause 144 of the
Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000
Since fire engineering performance solutions generally are furnished with high standards of
the safety factors, therefore, regardless of desired outcomes, to demonstrate relevance of
performance solutions described in this report, concern is all given on adoption of safety
measures, with minimisation of risks and in minimum capital expenditure. Along with this, right
use of current active and passive fire protection solutions, might assist in getting the relevant
results.
In this regard, it has been evaluated that fire consultants of present project have participated
in the meetings with stakeholders of project on 11th March 2020 in FRNSW Offices, Greenacre.
It includes developer, architect, certifier, fire safety engineer, fire protection engineer,
mechanical engineer and two members of Fire & Rescue NSW (designated as fire service).
Under this meetings, three performance solutions are proposed by given stakeholders for the
proposed office development. It includes –
Performance Solution 1 – Rationalisation of fire resistance levels
Performance Solution 2 – Travel distances
Performance Solution 3 – Discharge of exits
As per the stakeholders’ perception, the first performance solution helps in reducing the
level of fire resistance of the areas of retail to a fire-rating of near about 120 minutes. To justify
this solution, fire severity calculations as 80th percentile fire load proposed in terms of way it
helps in addressing the reduction in FRL’s and that an 80th percentile fire load was proposed.
However, considering such assessments, members of Fire and Rescue NSW suggested to use
minimum 90th percentile fire load. Similarly, another solution based on travel distance,
suggestion is given to a point of choice which is 45m in lieu of 40m, where a comparative
analysis will be undertaken regarding with occupant evacuation. For discharge of exists,
proposed solution is made in context with fire stair 2, which reflects that a small fire associated
with letterboxes seems unlikely to occur. But it can would be modelled for demonstrating that
tenability will be maintained. For this purpose, potential of fire to impact highly on tenability of
retail area needs to be assessed.
But before analysing whether proposed design has meet the defined objectives or not, it is
essential to analyse the characteristics of building first. It has been evaluated from this report that
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this building located in Newcastle has Class 5 Office, Class 7b carpark and Class 8 retail, where
type of construction is of Type B. Proximity to other buildings are mostly lie between 3 meters to
5 meters, where except firm no hazards have been found yet. However, some emergency services
like hydrant and sprinkler boosters, two-fire isolated exists that are serving at all levels are found
at this location. So, these characteristics of building state that it was previously constructed by
meeting some requirements of fire & safety. But considering the occupant characteristics, it has
been evaluated that probably, majority of occupants are unable to prevent themselves in case of
fire attack, due to less ability to understand emergency instructions. In case of direct threat of fire
attack, however, they would be informed and directed by self-evacuate process, where they will
response normally towards visual, olfactory and auditory cues of smoke or encroaching fire. This
has demonstrated that facility for aware people about any case of fire was there in this building,
but as many children also present therefore, ability to evacuate seems to be limited to them. So,
considering these facts, design of building for development needs to be required to comply with
BCC codes. To meet this objectives, potential hazards have been identified first for approaching
performance solutions development. It includes short travel distance, which needs to be repaired
and maintained, by giving visual instruction more instead of written information. Since this
building lie nearby bushy area, so, implementation of non-smoking policy within building and
nearby areas, would definitely work to eliminate or minimise the potential of fire ignition threat.
Similarly, the other solutions like automatic smoke detection, alarm system, installation of
portable fire extinguishers, compartmentations within building, fire service interventions and
more, will be worked for development of the given office building.
As proposed office development is located in NewCastle, which refers as bush fire prone
land area, so, buildings under such area are more likely to be subject for bush fire attack.
Therefore, to design and construct performance solution of development of office in this
designated bushfire area, planner have concerned more on reducing the risks of ignition.
Considering the performance requirements, the above solutions have been developed with Trial
Design technique, that is specified in Section 11 as well as meet the performance requirements of
NCC (CP1, DP2 and DP4). In this report, Trial Designs for Evaluation is specified mainly as
performance design solution, so, it has been evaluated that it is comply with provisions of DtS of
NCC. Under this solution, travel distances are designed up to 45 meters and building elements
must include level of fire resistance. Further, prime importance is given on emergency
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evacuation plan which will be developed and implemented for development of building, where
staff will be trained appropriately for the same.
As three main issues have been identified in this report that must be compliance with
clauses, therefore, solutions offered to improve performance seem to be much relevant. It
includes Fire Initiation, Development & Control; Smoke Development, Spread & Control; Fire
Spread, Impact and Control; are some main methodologies of fire safety proposed for
rationalising the fire resistance levels. Here, quantitative comparative analysis is undertaken to
specify the performance solutions, which meet the requirement of Section 2.6.1 of IFEG
guidelines. Therefore, analysing all over calculation part, it has been evaluated that proposed
120-minute as fire-rating period will prove sufficient for withstanding burnout of retail fire
compartment. So, this solution is considered to meet the criteria of Performance Requirement
CP1.
Considering the second performance solution accordance with NCC Clause D1.4, it has
been evaluated that travel distance in a class Type 2 Building need not to be exceeded by 6
meters. But proposed design is about 9 meters which doesn’t comply with requirement.
Therefore, relevancy of this solution is checked on the basis of DP2, where in addition with
subsystems mentioned in Performance solution 1, Occupant Evacuation & Control; and Fire
Services Interventions are also proposed with adoption of specific assessment methodology
accordance with Clause A2.2 of NCC. Again quantitative comparative method for analysing the
acceptance criteria and sensitivity analysis in terms of reduced travel distance has undertaken.
Therefore, applying these methodologies, it has been evaluated that the additional travel time
which doesn’t comply with D1.4 Clause of D1.4, is addressed through improving the tenability
provided by sprinkler system. Henceforth, it has been evaluated that considered this design for
travel distance complies with criteria of NCC DP2 of Performance Requirement.
The Third Performance Solution is given on discharge of exists, where accordance with
NCC Clause D1.7 (b), it is essential that each fire-isolated stairway must provide an independent
egress and discharge directly from each storey served, or through way of its own fire isolated
passageway – to an open space or road. For analysing the criteria of this proposed performance
solution, qualitative absolute analysis has undertaken, with consideration of sprinkler system
failure. Along with this, acceptance criteria has been developed by demonstrating the tenable
conditions which are specifically maintained in lobby area, for providing safe occupant
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evacuation. Therefore, analysing the way tenability has been described as being maintained for
providing occupant evacuation, it has evaluated that acceptance criteria has been addressed and
met as per compliance with DP4 Performance Requirement.
Conclusion
This report is limited in terms of performance solution development, which addresses only
non-compliances with provisions of DTS specified in Section 8. Therefore, documentations need
to be redesigned by addressing the compliance with or suitability requirement of other DTS
provisions described in the NCC; Property protection from fire; any geotechnical matters or
structural elements related to building designated bushfire area etc. Along with this, various
functional statements have been written in this report as absolute qualitative terms, but no
recognition is made for probabilistic (or realistic) achievement of mentioned objective.
Furthermore, this project also fails to meet requirements of BCA in terms of All Class 1
buildings, because proposed office development is located within a designated bushfire prone
area. Therefore, design needs to constructed accordance with specific code requirements of AS
3959 Construction of buildings in bushfire prone areas. To compliance design with this code of
BCA, a method to assess the bushfire risk of a site needs to developed, by categorizing the
terrain as per slope as well as type of vegetation over there. Such categories of bushfire attack
include low, medium, high and extreme. However, buildings lie within low risk category of fire
do not require any special construction techniques.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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evaluating building contractor safety. Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management, 145(10), 04019054.
Lam, C., & Robbins, A. (2020). Comparison of component categorizations used in international
total cost of fire estimates. Fire Safety Journal, 103142.
Mirahadi, F., McCabe, B., & Shahi, A. (2019). IFC-centric performance-based evaluation of
building evacuations using fire dynamics simulation and agent-based
modeling. Automation in Construction, 101, 1-16.
Nwadike, A., Wilkinson, S., & Clifton, C. (2019). Comparative Insight on Building Code
Paradigm Shift Practice and Updates: International Perspectives. In The 4th International
Conference on Civil, Structural and Transportation Engineering (ICCSTE'19), Ottawa,
Canada.
Van Coile, R., Jomaas, G., & Bisby, L. (2019). Defining ALARP for fire safety engineering
design via the Life Quality Index. Fire Safety Journal, 107, 1-14.
Zahari, A. S. M., BANİAMİN, R. M. R., & Baniamin, R. M. R. (2019). Factors Affecting Job
Satisfaction: A Case Study at Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia Terengganu
FRDMT Fire Fighters. International Journal of Economics and Management, 1(3), 24-
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