Across North America and parts of Europe, proposals to permit single-stairwell egress in mid-rise residential buildings are gaining momentum.
Proponents cite housing affordability, urban density and design flexibility as compelling reasons to reconsider long-standing egress requirements for two ways out.
At the same time, fire service organizations, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) and fire protection professionals have raised serious concerns about citizen evacuation and emergency response operational capabilities, both of which are strictly focused on life and safety for citizens and firefighters.
The debate highlights a fundamental tension between those driving urban development and the realities of the ability to keep those living in new mid-rise structures safe.
Supporters of single-stairwell designs argue that requiring two enclosed stairwells on constrained urban sites in small- to mid-rise residential buildings can significantly increase construction costs, reduce usable floor area and limit architectural options, particularly on constrained urban sites.
In cities facing acute housing shortages, advocates view single-stairwell buildings as a means to enable smaller footprints, more adaptable unit layouts and increased housing supply.
Mark Fessenden
From a cost and architectural perspective, that may be true.
But that theory does not include fire and emergency services efforts that could and would be compromised in an emergency scenario with a single stairwell.
Generally speaking, water standpipe systems are normally installed in the stairwell.
If there was a single stairwell in a building and a fire occurred, evacuating, search, rescue and extinguishment would absolutely be compromised.
While the concept of one stairwell may be sound in the worlds of architecture and urban development, the reality could be life-altering, dangerous and devastating to the civilians in the building.
International examples are often cited, noting that single-stair residential buildings exist in parts of Europe and Asia under tightly controlled conditions.
These comparisons, however, often overlook differences in fire service staffing models, response times, apparatus capabilities and building and fire code enforcement practices.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs and International Association of Fire Fighters, strongly oppose broad adoption of single-stair egress for mid-rise buildings.
Mark Fessenden
Their concerns are engrained not in theory, but in fireground operations.
The interior attack typically assigns one staircase for evacuation and the other for hose advancement to reach the water standpipes, ventilation and rescue.
One stairwell in a mid-rise building could easily be compromised by fire smoke, endangering the lives of all civilians attempting to escape from the building.
What if, this building was a single stairwell and the fire was on the stairwell side?
Does your fire department have the apparatus and personnel resources to provide extinguishment, search and rescue?
Do you have aerials that would be critical to life safety?
And, in constrained, densely populated areas, can the narrow streets accommodate the size of that equipment?
If a single stairwell is even remotely considered, risk managers should mandate automatic fire sprinkler systems as a non-negotiable requirement.
Mark Fessenden
Sprinklers fundamentally change the fire dynamics by containing the fire in its early stages, limiting smoke production to preserve tenable conditions until firefighters can arrive for search, rescue and the interior attack.
The absence of sprinklers in a single stairwell residential mid-rise should be an unacceptable risk to both civilians and firefighters.
Community risk managers, legislators and municipal leaders should heavily weigh the potential liability of a fire code that reduces the viability of citizen safety.
The discussion around single-stairwell egress requires a measured, evidence-based approach that acknowledges urban housing needs while respecting the realities of what could very easily become a deadly situation in a fire emergency.
Key considerations must include:
Single-stairwell egress represents one of the most consequential life-safety discussions currently facing the built environment.
Any movement in this direction must proceed cautiously, transparently and with fire service realities at the center of the conversation.
When balanced properly, life safety, firefighter safety and responsible development do not have to be competing priorities.
Mark Fessenden
Achieving that balance requires discipline, data and respect for the lessons learned to preserve and protect human life at all costs.
