The British Standards Institution (BSI) has announced it will soon publish its latest revision of BS 9991, the UK’s key fire standard for residential buildings.
BS 9991:2024 Fire safety in the design, management, and use of residential buildings – Code of practice will incorporate essential updates in fire safety regulations.
First introduced as a British Standard in 2011, BS 9991 is considered “vital for anyone involved in residential building safety” because it offers comprehensive guidance and recommendations on fire protection measures, the safeguarding of lives, and minimising property damage in the event of a fire. Covering a broad range of building types, the revised standard is aimed at designers and architects, fire safety engineers and risk assessors, building owners and managers, and the fire and rescue services.
BS 9991:2024 is expected to bring “significant updates” to the original standard to reflect “the increasing complexity of modern building designs and the evolving knowledge of fire behaviour, materials, and fire safety systems”.
Some of the key changes have been listed as follows:
- Expanded scope: The revised standard will now cover residential care homes to recognise their unique evacuation needs and fire safety challenges.
- Explicit exclusions on timber have been removed: The scope of the standard has been limited in terms of reaction-to-fire classifications of load-bearing elements of structure to better reflect the available evidence regarding the use of mass timber in medium- and high-rise residential buildings.
- Revised guidance for sprinklers and single-stair buildings: The standard will include a new height limit for single-stair buildings and adjustments to sprinkler installation guidelines.
- European classifications for fire doors: National fire door classifications have been replaced with European classifications to ensure consistency and reliability in fire resistance.
- Enhanced recommendations for smoke control and evacuation lifts: The revised standard includes improved provisions for smoke control systems and detailed recommendations for evacuation lifts, making tall buildings safer in fire emergencies.
- Updates on ancillary areas, kitchens, and external wall systems: The recommendations for these areas have been revised to account for the latest safety practices.
As reported by Construction News, the director-general of standards at the BSI, Scott Steedman said that the “issue of building safety” had been brought into focus since the Grenfell Tower fire and subsequent inquiry.
“It is critical that we ensure all standards reflect the latest evidence,” he said.
“The updated BS 9991 guides the design, installation, and maintenance of fire-safety systems in residential buildings, ensuring that effective escape routes and fire-safety measures are in place to protect occupants and enhance overall safety.
“This new edition has been fully revised, taking into account extensive changes within industry and the increased focus on robust fire-safety measures.”
More information about the soon-to-be-published revised standard can be found here.