DIVISION 5.

MEANS OF EGRESS

SECTION 10.2.5.1 APPLICATION

A. Means of egress for both new and existing buildings shall comply with this
Division except as may be modified for individual occupancies by
Divisions 8 through 17 of this Chapter.

B. Any change, alteration or addition that would reduce the means of

egress below the requirements for new buildings is prohibited.

SECTION 10.2.5.2 GENERAL PROVISIONS

A. Permissible Exit Components

An exit shall consist of the approved components that are described,

regulated, and limited as to use by Sections 10.2.5.3 through 10.2.5.12 of
this IRR. Exit components shall be constructed as an integral part of the
building or shall be permanently affixed thereto.

B. Protective Enclosure of Exits

1. When an exit is required to be protected by separation from other

parts of the building by some requirements of this IRR, the construction
of the separation shall meet the following requirements:

a. The separation shall have at least one (1) hour fire resistance rating
when the exit connects three (3) storeys or less, regardless of
whether the storeys connected are above or below the storey at
which the exit discharge begins.

b. The separation shall have at least two (2) hours resistance rating
when the exit connects four (4) or more storeys, whether above or
below the floor of discharge. It shall be constructed of
noncombustible materials and shall be supported by construction
having at least a two (2)-hour fire resistance rating.

c. Any opening in the separation wall/construction shall be protected

by an approved self-closing fire resistive door.

d. Openings in exit enclosure shall be confined to those necessary for

access, to the enclosure from normally occupied spaces and for
egress from the enclosure.

2. No exit enclosure shall be used for any purpose other than for means
of egress.

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C. Capacity of Means of Egress

1. The egress capacity for approved components of means of egress

shall be based on the capacity factors shown in Table 1.

Table 1: CAPACITY FACTORS

Level Components
Stairways
and Ramps
Area (width per person)
(width per person)
mm in mm in
Board and Care 10 0.4 5 0.2
Health Care, 7.6 0.3 5 0.2
Sprinklered
Health Care, Non 15 0.6 13 0.5
Sprinklered
High Hazards 18 0.7 10 0.4
All Others 7.6 0.3 5 0.4

2. The required capacity of a corridor shall be the occupant load that

utilizes the corridor for exit access divided by the required number of
exits to which the corridor connects, but the corridor capacity shall be
not less than the required capacity of the exit to which the corridor
leads.

D. Occupant Load

1. The total capacity of means of egress for any floor, balcony, tier, or
other occupied space shall be sufficient for the occupant load
thereof. The occupant load in any building or portion thereof shall be
the maximum number of persons that may be in the space at any
time, as determined by the City/Municipal Fire Marshal having
jurisdiction, but shall not be less than the number computed by
dividing the floor area assigned to that use by the occupant load
factor in accordance with the requirements of Divisions 8 through 17 of
this Chapter for individual occupancies

2. Where exits serve more than one floor, only the occupant load of
each floor considered individually need be used in computing the
capacity of the exits of that floor; Provided, that exit capacity shall not
be decreased in the direction of exit travel. When means of egress
from the floor above and below converge at an intermediate floor,
the capacity of the means of egress from the point of convergence
shall not be less than the sum of the two.

3. When any required egress capacity from a balcony or mezzanine

passes through the room below, that required capacity shall be
added to the required egress capacity of the room below.

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E. Measurement of Means of Egress

1. The width of means of egress shall be measured by clear width starting

from the narrowest point of the egress component under
consideration, unless otherwise provided in para (2) hereof.

2. Projections of not more than one hundred fourteen millimeters (114

mm) at a maximum height of nine hundred sixty five millimeters (965
mm) within the means of egress on each side shall be permitted.

F. Minimum Width

The width of any means of egress shall not be less than nine hundred
fifteen millimeters (915 mm) except when specifically provided under
Division 8 to Division 17 of this Chapter.

G. Number of Means of Egress

1. The number of means of egress from any balcony, mezzanine, storey,

or portion thereof shall not be less than two (2), except when
specifically permitted in Division 8 through 17 of this Chapter.

2. When the occupant load for any storey or portion thereof is more than
five hundred (500) but not more than one thousand (1000), the means
of egress shall not be less than three (3); in excess thereof, the means
of egress shall not be less than four (4).

3. The occupant load of each storey considered individually shall be

required to be used in computing the number of means of egress at
each storey, provided that the required number of means of egress is
not decreased in the direction of exit travel.

4. No doors other than hoistway door, the elevator car door, and doors
that are readily openable from the car side without a key, tool, special
knowledge, or special effort shall be allowed at the point of access to
an elevator car.

5. Elevator lobbies shall have access to at least one exit. Such exit access
shall not require the use of a key, a tool, special knowledge, or special
effort.

H. Arrangement of Exit

1. Exits shall be located and exit access shall be arranged so that exits
are readily accessible at all times.

2. When exits are not immediately accessible from an open floor area,
continuous passageways, aisles, or corridors leading directly to every
exit shall be maintained and shall be arranged to provide access for

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 each occupant to not less than two exits by separate ways of travel.

3. Corridors shall provide exit access without passing through any

intervening rooms other than corridors, lobbies, and other spaces
permitted to be open to the corridor.

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, measured in a straight line between
the nearest edge of the exit doors or exit access doors, unless
otherwise provided in para (c) hereof.

c. In buildings protected throughout by an approved supervised

automatic sprinkler system, the minimum separation distance
between two exits or exit access doors measured in accordance
with para (b) hereof shall not be less than one-third (1/3) the length
of the maximum overall diagonal dimension of the building or area
to be served.

d. Where exit enclosures are provided as the required exits specified

in para (b) and para (c) hereof and are interconnected by not less
than 1-hour fire resistance-rated corridor, exit separation shall be
measured along the line of travel within the corridor.

e. 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.

5. Interlocking or scissor stairs shall be considered only as a single exit for

new buildings.

I. Dead-End Limits

Means of egress shall be so arranged that there are no dead-end

pockets, hallways, corridors, passage ways or courts whose depth
exceeds the limits specified in individual occupancies by Divisions 8
through 17 of this Chapter.

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J. Measurement of Travel Distance to Exits

1. The maximum travel distance in any occupied space to the nearest

exit shall not exceed the limits specified for individual occupancies by
Divisions 8 through 17 of this Chapter. Maximum travel distance shall
be determined as follows:

a. The travel distance to an exit shall be measured on the floor or

other walking surface along the center line of the natural path of
travel, starting from the most remote point subject to occupancy,
curving around any corner or construction with a thirty (30)
centimeter clearance therefrom, and ending at the center of the
doorway or other point at which the exit begins. Where
measurement includes stairs, it shall be taken in the place of the
tread nosing.

b. In the case of open areas, distance to exits shall be measured from

the most remote point subject to occupancy. In case of individual
rooms subject to occupancy by not more than six (6) persons,
distance to exits shall be measured from the floors of such rooms
provided the path of travel from any point in the room to the room
door does not exceed fifteen meters (15 m).

2. Where open stairways or ramps are permitted, as a path of travel to

required exit, such as between mezzanines or balconies and the floor
below, the distance shall include the travel on the stairway or ramp,
and the travel from the end of the stairway or ramp to reach an
outside door or other exit, in addition to the distance to reach the
stairway or ramp.

3. Where any part of an exterior way of exit access is within three meters
(3 m) horizontal distance of any unprotected building opening, as
permitted by Section 10.2.5.5 for outside stairs, the distance to the exit
shall include the length of travel to ground level.

K. Access to Exits

1. A door from a room to an exit or to a way of exit access shall be of the

side-hinged, swinging type. It shall swing with exit travel.

2. In no case shall access to exit be through a bathroom, bedroom, or

other room subject to locking, except where the exit is required to
serve only the bedroom or other room subject to locking, or adjoining
rooms constituting part of the same dwelling or apartment used for
single family occupancy.

3. Ways of exit access and the doors to exits to which they lead shall be
designed and arranged to be clearly recognizable as such. Deco-
rations or draperies shall not be placed on exit doors. Mirrors shall not
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 be placed in or adjacent to any exit in such a manner as to confuse
the direction of exit.

4. Exit access shall be arranged that it will not be necessary to travel

toward any area of high hazard occupancy in order to reach the
nearest exit, unless the path is protected by suitable partitions.

L. Exterior Ways of Exit Access

1. Access to an exit may be by means of any exterior balcony, porch,

gallery, or roof that conforms to the requirements of this Section.

2. Exterior ways of access shall have smooth, solid floors, substantially

level, and shall have guards on the unenclosed sides at least
equivalent to those specified in paragraph “H” of Section 10.2.5.4 of
this IRR.

3. A permanent, reasonably straight path of travel shall be maintained

over the required exterior way of exit access. There shall be no
obstruction by railings, barriers, or gates that divide the open space
into sections appurtenant to individual rooms, apartments, or other
uses. Where the City/Municipal Fire Marshal having jurisdiction finds
that the required path of travel is obstructed by furniture or other
movable objects, he shall require their removal. However, if the width
of the exterior way of exit access is greater than the required path of
travel, he may permit the relocation of such furniture to one side so
that they are out of the path's way. Such furniture shall then be
fastened so they can no longer be moved. Alternatively, he may
require that railings or other permanent barriers be installed to protect
the path of travel against encroachment.

4. An exterior way of exit access shall be arranged so that there are no

dead-ends in excess of six meters (6 m) in length.

5. Any gallery, balcony, bridge, porch or other exterior exit access that
projects beyond the outside wall of a building shall comply with the
requirements of this Division as to width and arrangement.

M. Discharge from Exits

1. All exits shall terminate directly at a public way or at an exit discharge.

Yards, courts, open space, or other portions of the exit discharge shall
be of required width and size to provide all occupants with a safe
access to a public way.

2. Where permitted for individual occupancies by Divisions 8 through 17

of this Chapter, a maximum of fifty (50) percent of the exits may
discharge through areas on the floor of discharge provided all of the
following requirements are met:
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 a. Exits shall discharge to a free and unobstructed way to the exterior
of the building and is readily visible and identifiable from the point
of discharge from the exit.

b. The floor of discharge into which the exit discharges and any other
portion of the level of discharge with access to the discharge areas
are protected with approved, supervised sprinkler system or
separated from it in accordance with the requirement for the
enclosure of exits except if the discharge area is a vestibule or
foyer complying with all of the following, and where allowed in
Divisions 8 through 17:

i. The depth from the exterior of the building is not greater than
three meters (3m);

ii. The length is not greater than six meters (6m);

iii. The foyer is separated from the remainder of the level of

discharge by construction providing protection at least the
equivalent of wired glass in steel frames; and the foyer serves
only for means of egress including exits directly to the outside.

c. The entire area on the floor of discharge is separated from areas

below by construction having a minimum of two-hour (2-hr) fire
resistance rating.

3. Stairs and other exits shall be so arranged as to make clear the

direction of egress to the street. Exit stairs that continue beyond the
floor of discharge shall be interrupted at the floor of discharge by
partitions, doors, or other effective means.

4. Stairs, ramps, bridges, balconies, escalators, moving walks and other

components of an exit discharge shall comply with the detailed
requirements of this Division for such components.

5. Subject to the approval of the City/Municipal Fire Marshal having

jurisdiction, exits may be accepted where discharging to roofs or other
sections of the building or adjoining buildings, where the roof has a fire
resistance rating at least the equivalent of that required for the exit en-
closure, where there is a continuous and safe means of egress from the
room, and all other reasonable requirements for the safety are
maintained.

N. Headroom

The minimum headroom shall not be less than two meters (2 m) nor any
projection from the ceiling be less than two meters (2 m) from the floor.

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