Testing of fire escape, periodicity of tests

Industrial buildings and residential buildings should be equipped with special-purpose structures to ensure fire safety in them. The stationary external staircases, which must be kept in proper condition, are used to safely and collectively enter the building of fire and rescue teams in case of fire or smoke detection, for evacuation of personnel and people inside. The testing of fire ladders and fences is an integral part of ensuring the proper condition of this equipment, as they are often used not only as a fire protection, but also as a device that allows performing various technical works on building maintenance.

The main types of external fire stairs

Fire stairs are designed in accordance with the developed standards and GOST standards. The main requirement is the external placement of the structure. Each building object must have a ladder of open or closed type.

There are the following types:

• Vertical ladders , consisting of two parallel vertical beams, connected by steps. Are located on buildings whose height does not exceed 20 meters. One of the types of vertical ladder is helical, where the steps have the shape of a wedge and are supported by the ends on one supporting supporting element - the pillar located inside. Screw stairs serve for technical work or passage to the place of ignition, but not for the evacuation of personnel.

• Marching stairs , consisting of one or several marches (depending on the height of the building) and sites located between them. Depending on the number of marches, the stairs can be divided into single, double and multi-mast. They are installed on buildings with a height of more than 20 meters. The angle of inclination of the marches can vary depending on the profile use of the building, operating conditions, number of storeys.

The test of external fire stairs is almost the only condition that can support the design in proper condition.

Location of the fire escape

An external fire escape for the withdrawal of people from the building and for carrying out fire protection measures should be located on the facade of the building. Also, ladders can be located on the roofs of the building, if there is a difference in the height of the roof more than 1 meter.

What does the ladder test service include?

Inspection and testing of the ladder can be carried out by a company that has received a license to carry out this kind of work. Employees of the company must have special tools for measuring loads, verified equipment and skilled workers.

The attestation service includes:

• Departure of specialists to the facility with all necessary equipment;
• Checking compliance with the requirements of stairs;
• Visual inspection for the detection or absence of defects, the quality of the anti-corrosion coating, the integrity of welded joints;
• Dynamic testing of sections of stairs for strength with the help of specialized equipment;
• Compilation of reporting documentation on the results of the test, which includes a firewall test report, a defective list with recommendations for the elimination of defects, if any, a photo report table.

Frequency of testing

Fireproof ladders of any type are durable devices. Shelf life extends over decades. But due to the natural wear and tear of the material, the structures can lose their properties and lead to irreparable consequences at the most crucial moment.

The first test of the fire escape should be carried out at the time of commissioning the construction site. In the future, a regular inspection in accordance with GOST R53254-2009 should be conducted once in five years. The frequency of testing fire escape stairs meets the requirements of state significance and must be observed by all organizations and enterprises. Every year, a visual inspection of the integrity of the structure should be carried out to identify cracks, chips, and corrosion damage.

If during the inspection defects or elements of structural failure were found, then they must be eliminated without fail, and then an unscheduled test of the fire escape for strength. In this case, the periodicity of the inspection will be counted from the new deadline.

Features of certification of external fire stairs

The test of external fire stairs should demonstrate that the design can withstand the weight of the fire department. For certification, special certified equipment is used, which is an uncomplicated design that nevertheless copes well with determining the suitability of ladders for operation, or loads.

The installation for testing fire stairs of type TC-46 is the main device for carrying out this kind of work. There is an installation of a manual winch and a measuring device that creates a force that is applied to the components of the ladder at certain points. During the check, the following are loaded:

• The middle of the steps;
• Points of staircase fencing elements;
• Any fencing points of the roof;
• The central part of the span of the march of inclined structures.

The inclined ladder march must withstand at least 750-800 kilograms perpendicular. Vertical steps must withstand a weight of not less than 180 kilograms, which is applied to the middle of the ladder for 2-3 minutes. In accordance with regulatory requirements, every fifth step should be checked.

The test of fire ladders and fences involves checking for horizontal loads. They are applied to the fences of vertical staircases, railings on the access areas to the roof and fences around the perimeter of the roof. These areas must withstand a load corresponding to 50 kilograms. The check is carried out with winch-type settings, which, when the rope is pulled by means of a hand winch, creates the required force, which is fixed by the dynamometer.

When checking the sliding external fire escape, the structure is tested for strength and the extension system is checked. The examiner ensures that the extension and fixation of the knees pass smoothly, without jerking or jamming. The shift of the knees of the stairs should occur under its own weight. The fixing devices of the ladder must hold it at any height. The hooks of the locking device must be in mesh with the knee steps.

To test the strength of the ladder fully extended and to it also with the help of familiar equipment put different efforts. In each position with weight, the ladder is held for several minutes. All data are recorded in the act, which describes when, where and by whom the fire stairs test was conducted. A sample of the act can be seen below.

Visual inspection

Dynamic testing of the fire escape is the main, but not the only, way of attesting the ladder structure for its manufacture, installation and commissioning. The design must be carefully inspected: individual seams, perimeter joints, coloring and its quality, absence of chips, caverns, burns. Such defects can be masked by paint, which can lead to the commissioning of a poor-quality design.

Checking the docking to the wall

Carrying out the tests of fire ladders necessarily includes checking of the connection to the wall. Suspension beams must be no more than 30 centimeters from the point of contact to the wall to the point of attachment of the vertical beam. The distance between the fixing beams is not established, but it should not be less than one meter and depends on the relief of the wall. Beams are checked for compliance with the norms of both vertical and perpendicular loads. During the initial installation, each individual beam is inspected. Each fifth beam is checked with a periodic check every five years.

Terms of certification

As already mentioned, the fire escape is tested by certified and licensed firms. At the same time, a number of conditions, safety regulations and regulatory framework must be observed.

The place of work before the start of testing should be protected and marked with warning signs. Certification can be carried out only at daylight hours, in windless weather (the maximum wind speed is 10 meters per second). The air temperature should be above +5 ° C.

Test results

If as a result of the test defects or defects were detected and the testing revealed residual deformation, then such a design does not pass the certification and it can not be put into operation.

Stairs that have successfully passed all tests receive special plates or tags with information that indicates the date and nature of the study. Requirements for the plates are not present, the organization can issue them independently at its own discretion taking into account the climatic conditions of the terrain.

Information on the sites that have not been certified, not only recorded in the protocol, but also without fail, is brought to the attention of the fire department that leads the facility.