Area of refuge

Location in a building designed to hold occupants during a fire or other emergency

For the type of refuge seen on UK's smart motorways, known as 'emergency refuge area', see smart motorway § Emergency refuge areas.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Area of refuge" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

An area of refuge or safe room[1] is a place in a building designed to hold occupants during a fire or other emergency when evacuation may not be safe or possible. Occupants can wait there until rescued or relieved by firefighters.[1]

In some instances, an area of refuge or refuge area may refer to a designated space in a multi-unit residential building that can provide relief from unsafe or uncomfortable conditions in individual units.

## Beneficiaries

[edit]

People who use refuge areas may include:

* Those who cannot reach a safe escape route
* Those assisting people who are prevented from escaping
* Hospital patients
* Sick people[citation needed]
* People with disabilities[1][2]
* Elderly people
* Very young children and infants
* Medical personnel who may be operating on a patient at the time of the emergency
* Operators in a critical facility whose function must not be interrupted, such as nuclear power stations, key military fortifications, and high security prisons

## Technical requirements

[edit]

An area of refuge is typically supplied with a steady supply of fresh or filtered outside air.

A two way communication system is provided on each floor above or below the main floor. A call box is required in each area of refuge, which can call into a central location called a base station. If the station is not attended 24 hours a day, the call must automatically call to an outside location and have two-way voice person to person communication capabilities.

## Typical areas of refuge

[edit]

* Stairwells (also to allow egress unimpeded by smoke)
* Control rooms in nuclear power stations, chemical plants, and high security prisons
* Operating theaters

Such locations are usually required to be bounded by fire-resistant walls and floors.

## Other uses of refuge areas

[edit]

In the context of climate change, where older buildings may not be designed for changing climate conditions, refuge spaces are sometimes discussed in terms of providing communal areas in multi-unit buildings for when temperature and air quality is not safe or comfortable in individual units.[3][4]

## See also

[edit]

* Emergency
* Emergency evacuation
* Occupancy
* Safe room/panic room

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Roberts (2005, p. 155)
2. ^ Roberts (2005, p. 159)
3. ^ Schünemann, Christoph; Olfert, Alfred; Schiela, David; Gruhler, Karin; Ortlepp, Regine (2020). "Mitigation and adaptation in multifamily housing: overheating and climate justice". Buildings & Cities. 1 (1): 36–55. doi:10.5334/bc.12.
4. ^ "The Design Guide Supplement on Overheating and Air Quality" (PDF). BC Housing. p. 35. Retrieved 13 July 2021.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Roberts, Jessica L (2005). "An area of refuge: due process analysis and emergency evacuation for people with disabilities". Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. 13 (127).

## External links

[edit]

* International Code Council - 2015 International Building Code
* National Building Code of Canada

* v
* t
* e

Fire protection

Fundamental concepts|

* Backdraft
* Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE)
* Boilover
* Combustibility and flammability
* Conflagration
* Dangerous goods (HAZMAT)
* Deflagration
* Detonation
* Dust explosion
* Enthalpy of vaporization
* Explosive
* Fire class
* Fire control
* Fire loading
* Fire point
* Fire triangle
* Flammability diagram
* Flammability limit
* Flammable liquid
* Flashover
* Flash point
* Friction loss
* Gas leak
* Heat transfer
* Jet fire
* K-factor (fire protection)
* Pool fire
* Pyrolysis
* Spontaneous combustion
* Structure fire
* Thermal radiation
* Water pressure

Technology|

* Active fire protection
* Automatic fire suppression
* Condensed aerosol fire suppression
* Detonation flame arrester
* External water spray system
* Fire bucket
* Fire prevention
* Fire protection
* Fire retardant
* Fire-retardant fabric
* Fire retardant gel
* Fire-safe polymers
* Fire safety
* Fire sprinkler system
* Fire suppression system
* Firefighting foam
* Flame arrester
* Flame retardant
* Flashback arrestor
* Fusible link
* Gaseous fire suppression
* Hypoxic air technology for fire prevention
* Inerting system
* Intumescent
* Passive fire protection
* Personal protective equipment (PPE)
* Relief valve
* Spark arrestor
* Tank blanketing
* Vehicle fire suppression system

Building design|

* Annulus (firestop)
* Area of refuge
* Booster pump
* Compartmentation
* Crash bar
* Electromagnetic door holder
* Electromagnetic lock
* Emergency exit
* Emergency light
* Exit sign
* Fire curtain
* Fire cut
* Fire damper
* Fire door
* Fire escape
* Fire extinguisher
* Fire hose
* Fire hydrant
* Fire pump
* Fire sprinkler
* Firestop
* Firestop pillow
* Firewall (construction)
* Grease duct
* Heat and smoke vent
* Occupancy
* Packing (firestopping)
* Penetrant (mechanical, electrical, or structural)
* Penetration (firestop)
* Pressurisation ductwork
* Safety glass
* Smoke control
* Smoke damper
* Smoke exhaust ductwork
* Smokeproof enclosure
* Standpipe (firefighting)

Fire alarm systems|

* Aspirating smoke detector
* Carbon monoxide detector
* Circuit integrity
* Explosive gas leak detector
* Fire alarm call box
* Fire alarm control panel
* Fire alarm notification appliance
* Fire drill
* Flame detector
* Heat detector
* Manual fire alarm activation
* Smoke detector

Professions, trades,
and services|

* Duct cleaning
* Fire insurance
* Fire protection engineering
* Fireproofing
* Fire-resistance rating
* Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES)
* Fire test
* Kitchen exhaust cleaning
* Listing and approval use and compliance
* Sprinkler fitting

Industry organizations|

* Fire Equipment Manufacturers' Association (FEMA)
* Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE)
* National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
* National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
* Society of Fire Protection Engineers  (SFPE)
* Underwriters Laboratories (UL)

Standards|

* CE marking
* EN 3
* EN 54
* EN 16034
* Flame spread
* GHS hazard statements
* GHS precautionary statements
* Life Safety Code (NFPA 101)
* List of R-phrases
* List of S-phrases
* Safety data sheet
* UL 94

Awards|

* Arthur B. Guise Medal
* Harry C. Bigglestone Award

See also|

* Template:Fire
* Template:Firefighting
* Template:HVAC

* Category
* Commons

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template