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Learn from the new Dutch fire safety legislation

New and essential Dutch legislation regarding the spread of smoke, safe escape time and fire safety goes into force on July 1, 2021. The new legislation will – among other things – harmonize standards for smoke resistant joint sealants with the European classification for both hot and cold smoke. In this Whitepaper you'll read more about:

  • Why the legislation goes into force;
  • The new classifications as of July 1, 2021;
  • Classification testing methods.

Henry Veneman
Author Henry Veneman Technical Product Manager
SMOKE RESISTANCE: AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN FIRE SAFETY

The Buildings Decree assumes it to be a given that certified fire-resistant products are also smoke-resistant. However, that assumption appears to be false in actual practice, which is why the standards and regulations concerning smoke resistance have been significantly tightened.

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The essential importance of smoke resistance

Smoke spreads faster than the fire itself, but is not as easily controlled. Moreover, in a fire the spread of smoke is virtually unavoidable. In a fatal fire in a student flat in Diemen, in the Netherlands, the smoke only took seven minutes to spread throughout the flat with all of its attendant fatal consequences (Fire Rode Kruislaan in Diemen - IFV, 2017). However, the spread of smoke can be significantly delayed by implementing effective measures.

Escaping safely in the event of fire

The most important objective of smoke resistance is to give people sufficient time to escape during a fire and to avoid from being impeded by smoke at an early stage. The term used to express this is the Required Safe Escape Time or RSET. Effective smoke resistance and smoke control increases the time people have available to safely escape; this is referred to as the Available Safe Escape Time or ASET. The greater the difference between the required safe escape time and the available safe escape time – the Safety Margin – the greater the chance that someone can safely escape in an emergency situation.

Smoke-resistant seals with Sabaprotect M500

Depending on the building, SABA’s       Sabaprotect M500 can be used to create smoke resistant and fire resistant* sealing joints in:

  • Metal stud walls
  • Timber frames
  • Plasterboard walls
  • Fermacell
  • Joints in stone-like structures
  • The connection between different types of stone substrates and wood frames
  • The connection between different types of stone substrates and steel frames
The figure below illustrates the effect of a smoke resistant sealant in a building.



In addition to the product’s excellent smoke and fire resistance, thought has also been given to the risks inherent in the product itself. This is why Sabaprotect M500 is Emicode EC1 PLUS certified and can be safely processed, without any health risks. Thanks to its very low emission and label-free properties, the product is suitable for application in BREEAM, as well as LEED projects.

In situations in which the intensity and temperature of a fire is too high, everything burns up. That includes the sealant, but when Sabaprotect M500 burns, no toxic substances are released.

* up to 120-minute fire resistance rating; complies with the Sa and S200 standards for smoke resistance

 

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