BUILDING SYSTEMS
DESIGN
CHAPTER 3:
FIRE CODE OF THE
PHILIPPINES
ENGR.GLENN CHRISTOPHER J. LAMBINO
RULE 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS
DIVISION 1, SECTION 1. SCOPE
The provisions of the Fire Code shall apply to and govern the following:
a. All persons
b. All private or public buildings, facilities, structures and their premises, constructed before or
after the effectivity hereof;
c. Storage, handling or use of explosives and/or combustible, flammable, toxic and other
hazardous materials;
d. Design and installation of electrical system;
e. Fire Safety construction and
f. Fire protective and Warning equipment or systems.
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RULE 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS
DIVISION 2, SECTION 2. INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS
Fire Safety Inspection shall be conducted as a prerequisite to grants of permits and/or licenses
by local governments or other government agencies.
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RULE 2: GENERAL PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FIRE
DIVISION 1: INCENERATORS AND OPEN BURNING
SECTION 1- BONFIRES AND OUTDOOR RUBBISH FIRES
No person shall kindle or maintain any bonfire or rubbish fire or authorize any such fire to be
kindled unless:
1. The location is not less than fifteen (15) meters from any structure
2. The Fire is contained in an approved waste burner or incinerator located safely not less
than five (5). meters from any structure.
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RULE 2: GENERAL PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FIRE
DIVISION 1: INCENERATORS AND OPEN BURNING
SECTION 2- Types and Construction of lncinerators
b) Residential fixed incinerators shall be constructed of brick, concrete hollow blocks, or other
five-resistive material other than metal, with a completely enclosed combustion chamber
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RULE 2: GENERAL PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FIRE
DIVISION 1: INCENERATORS AND OPEN BURNING
SECTION 3- Location
Any residential incinerator· used in connection with a single family dwelling shall be located not
less than one and one-half ( 1 1/2) meters from any wood frame building or structure, or other
combustible material, or not less than one (1) meter from a masonry, stucco, or similar fire
resistive building or structure and not less than one and one half ( 1 1 /2) meters from any
opening of said building or structures.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 1: ADMINISTRATION
SECTION 1- Scope
Any residential incinerator· used in connection with a single family dwelling shall be located not
less than one and one-half ( 1 1/2) meters from any wood frame building or structure, or other
combustible material, or not less than one (1) meter from a masonry, stucco, or similar fire
resistive building or structure and not less than one and one half ( 1 1 /2) meters from any
opening of said building or structures.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 2: GENERAL
SECTION 1- Fundamental Requirements
a) Building or structure, new or old, designed for human occupancy shall be provided with
exits sufficient to permit the fast escape of occupants in case of fire or other emergency
b) Every building or structure shall be so designed, constructed, equipped, maintained and
operated as to avoid danger to the lives and safety of its occupants from fire, smoke,
''fumes, or resulting panic during the period for escape from the building or structure.
d) Every exit of buildings or structures shall be so-arranged and maintained as to provide free
and unobstructed egress from all parts thereof, at all times. NO LOCK or fastening that would
prevent escape, from the inside of any building shall be installed except in mental, penal, or
correctional institutions where personnel are continually on duty and effective provisions are
made to evacuate occupants in case of fire or other emergency.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 2: GENERAL
SECTION 1- Fundamental Requirements
e) Every exit shall be clearly visible. The route to the exit shall be conspicuously marked in such
a manner that every occupant of a building or structure will readily know the direction of
escape. Each route of escape, in its entirety, shall be so arranged or marked that the way to a
place of safety outside is unmistakable. Any doorway or passage not constituting out exit or
way to reach an exit, which may be mistaken for an exit, shall be MARKED as to minimize its
possible confusion with an exit.
f) All means of egress shall be provided with adequate and reliable ILLUMINATION.
g) In every building or structure of such size, arrangement, or occupancy that a fire may not
itself provide adequate warning to occupants, FIRE ALARM FACILITIES shall be provided.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 2: GENERAL
SECTION 1- Fundamental Requirements
h) Every building or structure, section, or area thereof of such size, occupancy, and
arrangement such that the reasonable safety of a number of occupants may be endangered by
the blocking of any single means of egress due to fire or smoke, shall have at least two means
of egress REMOTE from each other, so arranged as to minimize any possibility that both may
be blocked by any one fire or other emergency conditions.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 3: CLASSIFICATION OF OCCUPANCY
SECTION 3- Hazardous Contents
a) LOW Hazard Contents - are those of such low combustibility that no self propagating fire
therein can occur and that consequently the only probable danger requiring the use of
emergency exits will be from panic, fumes or smoke or fire from some external source.
b) Ordinary hazard contents - are those which are liable to burn with moderate rapidity or to
give off a considerable volume of smoke, but from which neither poisonous fumes nor
explosions are likely to occur In case of fire.
c) High Hazard Contents - are those which are liable to burn with extreme rapidity or
from which gases or explosions are to be expected in the event of fire.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 2- General Provisions
a) Minimum Width - The width of any means of egress shall not be less than nine hundred
fifteen millimeters (915 mm)
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 2- General Provisions
h) Arrangement of exits
4. Remoteness shall be determined in accordance with the following:
a) When more than one exit is required from a building or portion thereof, such exits shall be
remotely located from each other and shall be arranged and constructed to minimize the
possibility that more than one exit has the potential to be blocked by any fire or other
emergency condition.
b) When two (2) exits or exit access doors are required, they shall be located at a distance
from one another not less than one-half (1/2) of the length of the maximum over-all
diagonal dimension of the building or area to be served
c) Where more than two exits or exit access doors are required, at least two (2) of the
required exits or exit access doors shall be arranged to comply with the minimum
separation distance requirement.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 4- Doors
A) Application
Every door and every principal entrance which are required to serve as an exit shall be so
designed and constructed that the way of exit travel is obvious and direct. Windows, which
because of their physical configuration or design and the materials used in their construction
could be mistaken for doors, shall be made inaccessible to the occupants by barriers or railings
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 4- Doors
B) Swing and Force to Open
1. Any door used in an exit shall be so designed and installed .that when a force is applied to
the door on the side from which egress is to be made, it shall swing in the direction of exit
travel from any position to the full instant use of the opening in which it is installed.
2. A door providing access to a stairway shall swing in the direction of exit travel. A door
during its swing shall not block stairs or landings and in no case, in new buildings, shall
any door at any point in its swing reduce the effective width of stair or landing to less
than one unit of exit width, nor when opened interface with the full use of the stairs.
3. The force required to fully open door shall not exceed twenty three ( 2 3) kilos applied to
the latch stile.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 4- Doors
C) Locks, Latches, Alarm Devices
1. A door shall be so arranged as to be readily opened from the side from which egress is to
be made at all times when the building served thereby is occupied. Locks, if provided, shall
not required the use of a key for operation from the inside of the building
2. A door designed to be kept normally closed in a means of egress, such as a door to a stair
enclosure or horizontal exit, shall be provided with a reliable self-closing mechanism, and
shall not at any time be secured in the open position. A door designed to be kept normally
closed shall bear a sign reading substantially as follows
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 4- Doors
E) Width and Floor Level
1. No single door in a doorway shall be less than seventy one ( 7 1 ) centimeters wide.
2. No single door in a doorway shall exceed one hundred twenty two ( 12 2) centimeters in
width.
3. The floor on both sides of a door shall be substantially level and shall have the same
elevation on both sides of the door, for a distance on each side at least .equal to the width
of the widest single door. When the door discharges to the outside or to an exterior
balcony. exterior exit, or exterior exit, access, the floor level outside the door may be one
step lower than the inside but not more than twenty and a half (20.5) centimeters lower.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 4- Doors
F) Panic Hardware
1. When a door is required to be equipped with panic hardware, the panic hardware shall
cause the door latch to release when a force of not more than seven (7) kilos is applied to
the releasing device in the direction of exit travel
2. Such releasing devices shall be bars or panels extending not less than two thirds {2/3) of
the width of the door and placed at heights suitable for the service required, and shall not
be less than seventy six (76} nor more than one hundred twelve ( 11 2) centimeters above
the floor.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 4- Doors
H) Power Operated Doors
1. Where required doors are operated by power, such as those photo-electric activated
mechanism which open upon the approach of a person or doors with power-assisted
manual operation, the design shall be such that in event of power failure the door may be
opened manually to permit
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 5-Interior Stairs and Smoke proof Towers
A) General
1. All stairs serving as required means of egress shall be of permanent fixed construction.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 5-Interior Stairs and Smoke proof Towers
B) Classes of Stairs
1. Stairs shall be of Class A or class B types. In class A the maximum height between landings
is 2.75 m and the Class 8 is 3.70 M.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 5-Interior Stairs and Smoke proof Towers
C) Treads and Risers
1. The height of every riser and the width of every tread shall be so proportioned that the
sum of two (2) risers and a t read, exclusive of its nosing of projections is not less than
sixty (60) centimeters nor more than sixty three and a half (63.5) centimeters.
2. The minimum number of risers in any one flight of stairs shall be three (3)
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 5-Interior Stairs and Smoke proof Towers
E) Stair Details
1. Each stair, platform, landing, balcony, and stair hallway floor shall be designed to carry a
load of four hundred eighty-eight (488} kilos per square meter, or a concentrated load of
one hundred thirty six ( 136) kilos, so located as to produce maximum stress conditions.
2. Where material of stair treads and landings Is such as to involve danger of slipping ,
nonslip material shall be provided on tread surface.
3. Stairways and intermediate landings shall continue with no decrease in width along the
direction of exit travel.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 5-Interior Stairs and Smoke proof Towers
F) Guards and Handrails
1. Means of egress such as stairs, stair landings, balconies, ramps and aisles, located along
the edge of open-sided floors and mezzanines, . shall have guards to prevent fells over the
open side. Each new stair landing, and Class B ramp shall have handrails on both sides.
2. Handrails on stair shall be not less than seventy six (76) centimeters nor more than eighty
six and one-half (86.5) centimeters above the upper surface of the tread, measured
vertically to the top of the rail
3. Handrails shall provide a clearance of at least thirty eight (38) millimeters between
handrail and wall to which it is fastened.
4. Handrails shall be so designed as to permit continuous sliding of hands on them.
5. Every stairway required to be more than two hundred twenty three (223) centimeters in
width shall have intermediate handrails dividing the stairway into portions
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 5-Interior Stairs and Smoke proof Towers
G) Smokeproof Tower
1. A smokeproof tower shall be a stairway endurance. so designed that the movement into
the smokeproof tower of products of combustion, produced by a fire occuring in any part
of the building, shall be limited.
2. A smokeproof tower, as herein specified, shall be a continuous fire –resistive enclosure
protecting a stairway from fire or smoke. in the building served, with communication
between the building and the tower by means of balconies directly open to the outer air.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 6-Ramps
A) Inside Ramps
2. Classification
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 6-Ramps
A) Inside Ramps
4. Other Details
a) A ramp and the platforms and landings associated therewith shall be designed
for not less than· four hundred eighty-eight (488) kilos per square meter live load
and shall have a nonslip surface.
b) The slope of a ramp shall not vary between landings.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 9- Fire Escape, Stairs, Ladders, and Slide Escapes
A) Fire Escape Stairs
2.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 9- Fire Escape, Stairs, Ladders, and Slide Escapes
A) Fire Escape Stairs
2. Fire Escape Shall provide a continuous unobstructed safe path of travel to the ground or
other safe or refuge to which they lead. Where the fire escape is not continuous, as in cases
where stairs lead to an adjoining roof. which must be crossed before continuing downward
travel, the direction of travel shall be clearly indicated, and suitable walkways with handrails
shall be provided wherenecessary.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 9- Fire Escape, Stairs, Ladders, and Slide Escapes
A) Fire Escape Stairs
3.
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RULE 3: FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDING, STRUCTURES AND FACILITIES
DIVISION 4: MEANS OF EGRESS
SECTION 9- Fire Escape, Stairs, Ladders, and Slide Escapes
A) Fire Escape Stairs
3. The following types of fire escape stairs are recognized by this Rule: Return platform types
or straight run type.
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