Legislative framework in the field of fire protection

New fire safety regulations in 2020

Since 2020, a new technical regulation of the Eurasian Economic Union "On requirements for fire Safety and fire extinguishing means" (EAEU TR 043/2017) has entered into force. Highlights:

What is a fire barrier?

"Fire barrier" is a means of ensuring fire safety, a building structure with a standardized fire resistance limit and a fire hazard class, a volumetric element of a building or other engineering and technical means designed to prevent the spread of fire between premises, buildings and structures;

Requirements for fire-fighting equipment

32. Technical means functioning as part of fire automation systems must ensure electrical and information compatibility with each other, as well as with other technical means interacting with them.
33. Technical means functioning as part of fire automation systems must remain operational in conditions of elevated temperature and humidity, as well as under mechanical influences.

Requirements for fire curtains, gates, doors and curtains

78. Filling openings of fire barriers (fire windows, doors, elevator shaft doors with a normalized fire resistance limit, gates, hatches, curtains, shutters, screens, curtains, fire-fighting valves normally open) must ensure the prevention of the spread of fire hazards during the normalized time in accordance with their classification by fire resistance limits.

86. Smoke screens (curtains) functioning as part of smoke ventilation systems must be equipped with automatic and remotely controlled drives (without thermoelements) and made of materials on a non-combustible basis with a working length of the exhaust web, which ensures the restriction of the spread of the smoke layer formed during a fire.

Full text of the technical regulations ТР ЕАЭС 043/2017

Are old-style fire certificates issued under Federal Law 123 valid

BOARD OF THE EURASIAN ECONOMIC COMMISSION DECISION of September 26, 2017 N 125

ON TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS OF THE TECHNICAL REGULATIONS OF THE EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION

"ON REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRE SAFETY AND FIRE EXTINGUISHING MEANS" (EAEU TR 043/2017)

In accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 52 of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union of May 29, 2014, paragraph 3 of the Regulations on the Eurasian Economic Commission (Annex No. 1 to the said Agreement) and paragraph 11 of Annex No. 2 to the Regulations of the Eurasian Economic Commission, approved by the Decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council of December 23, 2014 No. 98, taking into account the fifth paragraph of paragraph 38 of the Procedure for the Development, Adoption, Amendment and Cancellation of Technical Regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union, approved by the Decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission of June 20, 2012. N 48, the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission decided:

a) documents on the assessment of conformity of products with mandatory requirements established by acts included in the law of the Eurasian Economic Union (hereinafter referred to as the Union), or the legislation of a member state of the Union (hereinafter referred to as the Member State), issued or adopted in respect of products that are subject to technical regulation of the technical regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union "On Requirements for Means fire safety and fire extinguishing" (TR EAEU 043/2017) (hereinafter respectively - products, technical regulations), before the date of entry into force of the technical regulations, are valid until the expiration of their validity, but not later than 18 months from the date of entry into force of the technical regulations. From the date of entry into force of the technical regulations, the issuance or acceptance of documents on the assessment of conformity of products with mandatory requirements previously established by acts included in the law of the Union or the legislation of a member state is not allowed;

b) within 18 months from the date of entry into force of the technical regulations, production and release into circulation in the territories of the member States of products in accordance with the mandatory requirements previously established by acts included in the law of the Union or the legislation of the member state, if there are documents on the assessment of conformity of products with the specified mandatory requirements, issued or accepted before the date of entry into force of the technical regulations.

The products are marked with the national conformity mark (mark of market circulation) in accordance with the legislation of the Member State. Marking of such products with a single product circulation mark on the Union market is not allowed;

c) within 12 months from the date of entry into force of the technical regulations, production and release into circulation in the territories of the Member States of products that were not subject to mandatory assessment of compliance with mandatory requirements established by acts included in the law of the Union or the legislation of the Member State before the date of entry into force of the technical regulations, without documents on mandatory assessment conformity of products and without marking with a national conformity mark (mark of circulation on the market);

d) the circulation of the products specified in subparagraphs "b" and "c" of this paragraph is allowed during the service life and (or) the service life of the products established in accordance with the legislation of the member State.

2. To request the Government of the Russian Federation, together with the Governments of the Member States, to ensure the development and submission to the Eurasian Economic Commission before the date of entry into force of the technical regulations:

a) a draft program for the development (amendment, revision) of interstate standards containing rules and methods of research (testing) and measurements, including sampling rules necessary for the application and fulfillment of the requirements of technical regulations and the assessment of conformity of technical regulation objects;

b) a draft list of products for which the filing of a customs declaration is accompanied by the submission of a document on the assessment of compliance with the requirements of technical regulations.

3. This Decision shall enter into force from the date of entry into force of the Decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission on the adoption of the Technical Regulations of the Eurasian Economic Union "On requirements for fire safety and fire extinguishing means", but not earlier than 30 calendar days from the date of official publication of this Decision.

Technical Regulations (EAEU TR 043/2017) entered into force on 01.01.2020. Consequently, certificates under Federal Law 123 issued earlier are valid until 30.06.2021.

The main provisions of the "Technical Regulations FZ 123" 

Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 123-FZ of July 22, 2008 "Technical Regulations on Fire Safety Requirements"

•Fire protection systems
The purpose of creating fire protection systems is to protect people and property from the effects of fire hazards and (or) limit its consequences.

* Ways to protect people and property from the effects of fire hazardsThe use of space-planning solutions and means to limit the spread of fire beyond the hearth;

1. The device of escape routes that meet the requirements of safe evacuation of people in case of fire;
2. The device of fire detection systems (installations and fire alarm systems), notification and management of evacuation of people in case of fire;
3. The use of collective protection systems (including smoke protection) and personal protective equipment for people from exposure to fire hazards;
4. The use of basic building structures with fire resistance limits and fire hazard classes corresponding to the required degree of fire resistance and the class of structural fire hazard of buildings, structures and structures, as well as with the limitation of fire hazard of surface layers (finishes, linings and fire protection means) of building structures on evacuation routes;
5. The use of flame retardants (including flame retardants and flame retardant paints) and building materials (linings) to increase the limits of fire resistance of building structures;
6. Device for emergency discharge of flammable liquids and emergency discharge of flammable gases from the equipment;
7. The device on the technological equipment of anti-explosion protection systems;
8. The use of primary fire extinguishing agents;
9. . Application of automatic fire extinguishing systems;
10. . Organization of the activities of fire protection units.

The main articles concerning fire curtains

35) fire barrier - a building structure with a standardized fire resistance limit and a structural fire hazard class of a structure, a volumetric element of a building or other engineering solution designed to prevent the spread of fire from one part of a building, structure, structure to another or between buildings, structures, structures, green spaces.

Article 35. Classification of building structures by fire resistance

     3. The fire resistance limit for filling openings in fire barriers occurs when:

E - loss of integrity;
I - thermal insulation capacity;
W - reaching the maximum value of the heat flux density;
S - smoke and gas tightness.

Article 37. Classification of fire barriers

1. Fire barriers, depending on the method of preventing the spread of fire hazards, are divided into the following types:

1. fire walls;
2. fire barriers;
3. fire-fighting floors;
4. fire breaks;
5. fire curtains, curtains and screens;
6. fire-fighting water curtains;
7. fire-fighting mineralized strips.

2. Fire walls, partitions and ceilings, filling openings in fire barriers (fire doors, gates, hatches, valves, windows, curtains, curtains), depending on the fire resistance limits of their enclosing part, as well as vestibule locks provided in the openings of fire barriers, depending on the types of elements of vestibule locks, are divided into the following types:

1. walls of the 1st or 2nd type;
2. partitions of the 1st or 2nd type;
3. overlaps of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th type;
4. doors, gates, hatches, valves, screens, curtains of the 1st, 2nd or 3rd type;
5. windows 1, 2 or 3 type;
6. curtains of the 1st type;
7. vestibule-gateways of the 1st or 2nd type.

3. The assignment of fire barriers to one or another type, depending on the fire resistance limits of the elements of fire barriers and the types of filling openings in them, is carried out in accordance with Article 88 of this Federal Law.

Article 88. Requirements for limiting the spread of fire in buildings, structures, structures, fire compartments

• 8. Windows in fire barriers must be non-opening, and fire doors and gates must have self-closing devices. Fire doors, gates, curtains, hatches and valves that can be operated in the open position must be equipped with devices that ensure their automatic closing in case of fire.
• 9. The total area of openings in fire barriers should not exceed 25 percent of their area.
• 12. In the openings of fire barriers that cannot be closed by fire doors or gates, for communication between adjacent rooms of category B or D and rooms of category D, the device of open vestibules equipped with automatic fire extinguishing installations should be provided, or fire curtains, screens should be installed instead of doors and gates. The enclosing structures of these vestibules must be fire-proof.
• 16. Door openings in elevator shaft fences with exits from them to corridors and other rooms, except stairwells, must be protected by fire doors with a fire resistance limit of at least EI 30 or screens made of non-combustible materials with a fire resistance limit of at least EI 45.

Article 138. Fire safety requirements for structures and equipment of ventilation systems, air conditioning systems and smoke protection

*6. Smoke screens (curtains, curtains) must be equipped with automatic and remote-controlled drives (without thermoelements) and made of non-combustible materials with a working exhaust length of at least the thickness of the smoke layer formed during a fire in the room.

The device and purpose of fire-fighting gates.

Fire-fighting gates comply with the requirements of GOST 31174, GOST 23118 and the requirements of the Technical Regulations on Fire Safety requirements (Federal Law No. 123-FZ) and are manufactured according to the working drawings of the manufacturer. Roll fire gates are a structure consisting of the following main components: a web assembled from lamellae, guide rails, consoles, an electric motor with a control unit. The product is driven by an electric motor. It is possible to additionally equip the gate with remote control, photocells, a contact bar, a lock switch.

Roll fire doors are designed for:

• preventing the spread of fire from one part of a building, structure, structure to another or between buildings, structures, structures, closing openings with a gate leaf moving vertically;
• work on openings of industrial enterprises, warehouses;
• work on openings for the passage of transport, carrying out loading and unloading operations.

The web of the roller gates is driven by an electric drive using local devices (a switch, a three-button post, a film panel of the control unit) and with the help of a controlled N/A "dry contact" from an automatic fire protection system.

Fire-fighting gates for parking lots

According to SP 4.13130.2009

6.11.14. In closed-type parking lots, ramps common to all floors should be separated (isolated) on each floor from the car storage rooms by fire barriers, gates and airlock vestibules in case of fire according to Table 36.

... Doors and gates in fire barriers and vestibule locks must be equipped with automatic devices for closing them in case of fire... In isolated ramps, instead of fire-fighting gates, it is allowed to provide automatic devices that block the ramp opening by at least half its height (smoke screens) with a drencher curtain over the opening from the side of the storage rooms.

GOST R 53307-2009 Test method for fire resistance of fire doors and gates

This standard establishes a method for testing the fire resistance of various types of doors, gates and hatches designed to fill openings in fire barriers.

The standard can be applied during certification tests of these products.
This standard does not apply to tests:

• doors with a translucent filling area of 25 % or more of the area of the doorway in the light;
• doors, gates and hatches for smoke and gas permeability;
• elevator shaft doors;
• valves and engineering equipment of buildings;
• structures for filling openings when conveyors and conveyor belts pass through them.