1.

a. Comparative Matrix of PD 1096 and RA 9514

b. Illustrate the provisions of Rule X of RA 9514

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.

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.
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.
E.
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
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.
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. Decorations or draperies shall not be placed on exit doors. Mirrors shall not
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:
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 enclosure, 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.

O. Changes in Elevation
Where a means of egress is not level, such differences in elevation shall be negotiated by stairs or ramps
conforming to the requirements of this Section for stairs and ramps.
P. Interior Finish in Exits
The flame spread of interior finish shall not exceed Class B in accordance with Section 10.2.6.3 of this
IRR in exit enclosures except when allowed in Division 8 through 17 of this Section.
a. What is the main purpose of the Fire Code of the Philippines?

The main purpose of building and fire codes is to ensure the quality and safety of commercial and
residential building structures. These codes set the minimum requirements to safeguard the occupants
of a building, and to protect the building structure from various threats and exposures.

b. What is the difference between fire protection and fire prevention?

Fire prevention involves proactive steps taken to reduce fire hazards so that a fire does not have a
chance to ignite.
Fire protection includes alarms, suppression systems, sprinkler systems, extinguishers, and any
technology that allows you to alert people or monitor the fire.

c. What are the general design elements for fire protection and safety that should be incorporated
into a building design and plan?

Exit access paths.

Exit remoteness.

Exit discharge.

Areas of refuge.

Accessible exits.

Door locking arrangements (security interface)

Occupancy.

Building plans marked for fire exits, fire extinguishers, alarm points, smoke detectors, first aid boxes,
main electrical panel, main water supply, evacuation routes, etc. Methods required to prevent fires.