19/2/2025
The latest revision of BS 9991:2024, the British Standard for fire safety in the design, management, and use of residential buildings, marks a significant step forward in ensuring safety across diverse living spaces.
This updated code of practice, which supersedes the 2015 edition, reflects evolving building practices, new fire safety research, and lessons learned from past incidents. With clearer guidance on evacuation, fire suppression, and smoke control, the new standard aims to safeguard lives and property more effectively than ever before.
Key Updates in BS 9991:2024
- Extended Scope – The updated standard now explicitly covers residential care homes, introducing tailored fire safety measures to address the needs of vulnerable occupants.
- Evacuation Lifts – Buildings with passenger lifts must now include evacuation lifts. In structures exceeding 50 meters, these lifts must also serve as firefighting lifts to support emergency evacuations.
- Sprinkler Requirements – All new residential buildings over 11 meters must have sprinkler systems, ensuring better fire suppression and aligning with modern safety regulations.
- Staircases – For buildings taller than 18 meters, the guidance emphasizes the need for at least two escape staircases to enhance evacuation safety.
- Emergency Voice Communication (EVC) Systems – Strengthened requirements for EVC systems improve emergency response, allowing clear communication between occupants and responders.
- Fire Door Standards – The revised standard adopts European classification systems, ensuring fire doors meet stringent fire resistance and smoke control criteria.
- Improved Smoke Ventilation – New guidelines for smoke control systems in high-rise buildings enhance protection and facilitate safer evacuations by reducing smoke spread.
Navigating standard updates can be complex, but Efectis is here to assist and to assess the design towards those functional objectives . As experts in fire engineering, we provide comprehensive fire strategy reports, risk assessments, and tailored solutions to ensure compliance with BS 9991:2024. Our fire safety engineering expertise helps optimize building designs while maintaining the highest safety standards.
Contact Efectis today to learn how our fire engineering services can support your projects and enhance fire safety across all residential environments.
For more information, please contact Nevra Kahyaoglu