Guide to fire safety

76 page guide to fire safety, specification and installation
of insulated panels
Insulated panels are used extensively for the external roof and wall cladding of buildings in most construction sectors. Panels for the external envelope are designed and perform totally differently in fire compared to free standing internal panel systems and studies have shown that only rarely have external roof and wall panels been involved in the initial stages of a fire.

Insulated panels are selected for their thermal and energy saving properties and their construction and installation benefits. Fire safety can be optimised through correct specification, design and installation and this new guide covers these aspects.

The EPIC Fire Guide for insulated panels for external roofs and walls is divided into 2 parts:

General information and regulatory requirements which covers all the latest regulations for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and separately for Scotland, including the latest Euroclass requirements for roofs and walls Practical issues covering design, specification and installation for optimum fire performance. This part also includes useful checklists both as guides and for use with the Health and Safety File under CDM requirements.

New regulations combined
The indicative details in the Guide have been designed both to be strong details in fire, optimising fire safety, and also to satisfy the AD-L:2002 thermal regulations.

Easily downloadable sections
The Guide has been separated into 9 clearly defined sections for ease of downloading.

Regulatory and information

1. Introduction, history and the statutory requirements of the UK

2. The requirements of the Building Regulations for England Wales and Northern Ireland relevant to insulated roof and wall panels including new Euroclasses

3. The requirements of the Building Standards for Scotland relevant to insulated roof and wall panels including new Euroclasses

4. Fire safety in Hospitals

5. Business and property protection – minimising damage and business interruption; and an overview of Fire Safety Engineering techniques as applied to materials for the building envelope

6. Fire testing and the fire performance and classification of insulated panels

Practical design issues

7. Design, detailing and installation for optimum fire performance including indicative details for the most common standard junctions

8. Checklists highlighting the key factors covering separately roof and wall insulated panels

Separate checklists providing information for the Health and Safety File under CDM Requirements summarising a) the design and specification and b) the as built installation information and details. These are also available in Word format for standard WP completion.

9. Fire safety management issues. Good practice and clear day-to-day safety management procedures can reduce the incidence of fires. Guidance is given which is specific to all forms of roofing and cladding.

Back to top. Also in this section:
Fire performance of insulated panels  |  Fire tests  | 
Findings of fire research on major fires  |  Fire research – case histories