INTERNATIONAL BURCH UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, NATURAL AND MEDICAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

FIRE ACCESS ROADS

PROFESSOR: Sanin Džidić

STUDENT: Hana Kolić SARAJEVO, 2023
 INTERNATIONAL BURCH UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, NATURAL AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

ABSTRACT
The protection of buildings against fire is a very extensive topic that can
be dealt with from very different aspects. What is given more attention
when designing buildings is the protection of the building itself through
properly designed fire sectors, the selection of fire protection systems and
the like.
This paper deals with ways that allow firefighters to respond correctly to
a fire once it occurs.
The goal was to show the rules that should be followed when designing
buildings and planning roads and approaches around those buildings.
In the conclusion, it is explained in a practical way, through real examples
from everyday life in the city, what consequences we have in case of non-
compliance with the guidelines given by the "Regulation
ON REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRE FIGHTING APPROACHES AND
PASSAGES FOR RESIDENTIAL AND OTHER BUILDINGS AND
FACILITIES AND FOR ALL PREMISES CONSIDERED BUILDINGS". This
thesis was written as part of the master's program of architecture at
Burch International University.

KEY WORDS
fire access roads; the space for the operational work of fire engines.

SAŽETAK
-
Zaštita objekata od požara je veoma opširna tema kojom se može baviti iz
veoma različitih aspekata. Ono čemu se više predaje pažnja kod
projektovanja objekata je zaštita samog objekta preko pravilnog
projektovanaj požarnih sektora, odabira protupožarnih sistema i slično.
Ovaj rad se bavi putevima koji omogućavaju da vatrogasci mogu korektno
reagovati na požar kada već do njega dođe.
Cilj je bio pokazati pravila kojim bi se trebali voditi prilikom projektovanaj
objekata i planiranja puteva i prilaza oko tih objekata.
U zaključku je objašnjen na praktičan način, kroz realne primjere iz
svakodnevnice u gradu, kakve posljedice imamo u slučaju ne pridržavanja
smjernnica koje su date "Pravilnikom
O USLOVIMA ZA VATROGASNE PRISTUPE I PROLAZE ZA STAMBENE I
DRUGE ZGRADE I OBJEKTE I ZA SVE PROSTORE KOJI SE SMATRAJU
GRAĐEVINAMA" . Ova teza je napisana u okviru master programa
arhitekture na Burch Internacionalnom Univerzitetu.

2.
CONTENT

ABSTRACT 2.

CONTENT 3.

1.INTRODUCTION 4.

2. ABOUT FIRE ACCESS ROADS 5.-7.

3. DIMENSIONS OF FIRE ACCESS 8.-11.

ROADS

CONCLUSION 12.-13.

REFERENCES 14.

3.
 1. INTRODUCTION

Fire departments provide fire protection services to their jurisdictions as

well as respond to a variety of other emergencies such as medical
emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, electrical
hazards, floods, and construction accidents. In order for these first
responders to do their jobs effectively they need to be able to have access to
the areas where incidents might occur, and this is where fire department
access and access road requirements come in.

When we talk about fire apparatus access roads, this includes more than
just the fire lane outside of a building, it encompasses roadways and parking
lots that must be traveled in order to allow access and operational setup for
firefighting and rescue apparatus.
Fire engines not only need to be able to travel to their destination but when
they get there, they need to be able to get close enough to any building to
effectively deploy hose lines, access to fire hydrants and access fire
department connections. Ladder trucks also need adequate room to setup
rescue and laddering operations. When facility managers and building
owners think of fire department access, they typically think about keeping a
fire lane clear, so the responding fire department has a place to set up their
equipment in case of an emergency. While this is critical to an effective
response, there are many other aspects of a building that need to be
properly maintained to provide appropriate fire department access to the
building, as well as crucial fire and life safety equipment.

Every building must have clearly marked evacuation routes in case of fire
so that firefighters can carry out their duties effectively. "RULES ON
REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRE PROTECTION APPROACHES AND
PASSAGES FOR RESIDENTIAL AND OTHER BUILDINGS AND OBJECTS
AND FOR ALL SUBJECT FACILITIES" are the basis for planning and
designing these roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Approaches to extinguishing fires consist of the approach of the fire brigade
and the space for the operational work of fire engines.

4.
 2. ABOUT FIRE ACCESS ROADS

Surfaces can be used as fire access roads:

- public roads;
- access roads to the building;
- passes through the building;
- building (ramps, elevated footpaths next to the building, areas of lower
added parts of buildings with multiple buildings, etc.);
- sidewalks intended for pedestrians, as well as
- all other surfaces on the field that allow safe passage and operation of fire
engines.
The access road for fire engines is part of a public road or a special road that
approaches the building, and the farthest point of the roadway is no more
than 25 m from the dimensions of the building. FOTO (1)

FOTO (1)

Spaces for the operational work of firefighting vehicles are planned along
the external walls of the building, at intervals that allow the rescue of
people and extinguishing fires through windows and other openings in
buildings by reaching them with special firefighting equipment intended
for this purpose

5.
 Depending on the purpose and scope of the building, the following routes
must be secured against fire:
a) at least one side;
-longer in the case of collective housing and low-rise residential buildings
(one-story and one-story);
- buildings with residential units oriented on both sides and no more than
four floors;
b) on the two longer sides of buildings located near facilities and spaces used
for public gatherings (theaters, cinemas, concert halls, sports arenas, places
for religious ceremonies, etc.); structures intended for upbringing and
education; hospitals, hotels; commercial, industrial and high-rise buildings;
collectively built residential buildings with unilaterally oriented residential
units; residential buildings with more than four floors; and all other
structures and spaces where more than 100 people gather, work and stay;
c) for certain types of buildings, regardless of their purpose, based on the
following factors: layout of the terrain, construction of the surrounding
area, floor plan size and distance between buildings.

In order for firefighting approaches to serve their purpose, they must meet
the following requirements:
- must be clearly marked with signs that follow the norms of technical
practice; FOTO (2)
- no buildings or tall rows of trees may be erected on the surfaces located
between the external walls of buildings and the premises for the operation
of fire engines; FOTO (3)
- ramps must be placed in areas intended only for the use of firefighting
equipment in order to prevent the arrival of other vehicles; and
- the surface must be permanently passable in its entirety.

FOTO (2) FOTO (3)

6.
Parking and stopping of other vehicles on the side where there is an
increased risk of fire is not allowed on the approach road for fire engines.
Preventing the access of other vehicles to the facility on the approach road
for fire engines
are:
1) road obstacles in the form of collapsible "pyramids" FOTO (4)
2) planters weighing more than 60 kg and less than 100 kg; FOTO (5)
3) wire or similar fence that can be easily cut with tools used by firefighters.
If there are covered passages on the approach road, their dimensions must
be in accordance with the dimensions of the vehicle, at least 3.5/4.5 m.

FOTO (4)

FOTO (5)

7.
3. DIMENSIONS OF FIRE ACCESS ROADS

The bearing capacity of building structures, whose surfaces are intended as

fire protection access, should be such that it can withstand an axle load of
at least 10t. Mobility of fire engines should be enabled by designing
firefighting tactics with forward movement in mind. The planning of
firefighting approaches around tall buildings should ensure that trucks can
only move forward in order to fight fires. At the ends of blind fire
entrances longer than 100 meters, turnstiles must be installed to enable
the safe turning of fire trucks.

A flat approach for firefighting provided for the one-way movement of

firefighting vehicles should be at least 3 m wide.
The horizontal turning radius of fire escapes for buildings up to 22 m high
are listed in Appendix no. 1, depending on the width of the approach for
firefighting. The horizontal turning radius for objects above 22 m in height
are listed in Annex no. 2 depending on the width of the approach of the
firefighting unit. The radius values from Annexes 1 and 2 can be used for
circular turns of firefighting vehicles at the ends of the approach to the
fire.

Annexes 1 -fire access for buildings up to 22 m high

Annexes 2 -fire access for buildings over 22 m high

8.
When the passage through the building is used as a fire escape, then it should
be in the same direction, and its free profile should be at least 3 x 4 m. Existing
passages through the building can be used as fire escapes, if they are in the
same direction and if their free profile is at least 3 x 3.80 m. The ascent or
descent in the fire escape must not exceed a 12% slope. The transition from an
ascent to a descent or from a descent to an ascent should be done over a pass
whose radius must be at least 15m.
In the fenced complexes of factories or production plants, a circular flow of
movement must be enabled for the movement of firefighting vehicles and an
entrance-exit must be enabled from two sides of the complex. The steps on the
fire escape must not be higher than 8 cm. The distance between stairs must be
at least 10m. Stairs must not be used in the area of concave and convex vertical
curves.

Turnstiles for fire engines can be:

a) circular shape "O" or "R" FOTO (6)
- where the vehicle moves only forward

FOTO (6)

The inner radius of the roadway curve is r > 7 m. The roadway width is B > 3.5
m. The upper structure of the vehicle can extend beyond the roadway up to z =
0.7 m, so it is necessary that there are no traffic signs, overhead hydrants and
other obstacles at that distance from the roadway. FOTO (7)

9.
FOTO (7)
b) ”T" shaped turnstiles where vehicle maneuvering is allowed. The basic
dimensions of the shape turnstile. The platform for fire trucks is built in
such a way that it can receive the load of the foot of the fire truck (10 t per
0.1 m2). FOTO (8)
Minimum width of plateau B = 5.5 m;
The minimum length of the plateau L = 15 m;
The maximum slope is 3°.

FOTO (8)

The width of the space planned for operational work of fire engines placed
parallel to the external walls of the building should be at least:
- 5.5m for buildings up to 40m high,
- 7.0m for buildings larger than 40m.
The width of the space intended for the operation of fire engines placed
perpendicular to the external wall of the building should be at least 5.5m,
its length at least 11m, and the distance from the wall at most 1m. The
number of vertically placed surfaces depends on the length of the object
and should be such as to ensure the reach of all openings of firefighting
equipment. One plateau can only be provided for the width of the facade
of the building, which corresponds to the range of auto-mechanical ladders
with self-propelled extraction and hydraulic platforms, i.e. a maximum of
50 m. The position of the plateau in relation to the facade of buildings with
openings (windows, balconies) is chosen so that the angle of inclination of
auto-mechanical ladders and hydraulic platforms can be within a = 60° to
75°. FOTO (9)

10.
 FOTO (9)

The distance of the surface for the operational work of fire engines, from
the base of the building, i.e. from the external walls of the building, can
amount to a maximum of:
- 12m for a building with a height of 16m.
- 6m for buildings over 16m.
The insertion of lower levels into higher ones or the protrusion of lower
floors beyond the boundaries of the higher floor in the same building must
not hinder the access of firefighting equipment to the windows on the
outer walls of the higher levels of the building. It is necessary to take into
account the possibility of a fire engine arriving at the slab of the building if
a higher building is added a lower building whose width prevents
firefighting equipment from reaching openings on the outer walls of
higher buildings.

11.
4. CONCLUSION

With regard to the "REGULATION ON FIRE PROTECTION

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPROACHES AND PASSAGES FOR RESIDENTIAL
AND OTHER BUILDINGS AND OBJECTS AND FOR ALL SUBJECT
FACILITIES", it is important that persons who deal with planning access to
buildings adhere to the instructions from the regulations as much as
possible. Unfortunately, every day through the media we can witness that
various types of omissions occur in our immediate vicinity, which indicate
that the basic provisions of the Rulebook are not respected. From the
attached titles, we can conclude that, unfortunately, the basic steps were
not taken to enable adequate fire engine access to the facility. FOTO (10)

FOTO (10)
What should be focused on in the future is that all approaches to the
building are adequately marked in order to prevent inadequate parking of
passenger cars. It is necessary to raise awareness during the actual design of
new buildings to follow the guidelines related to the permitted distances
between buildings, as well as to enable approaches to all entrances to the
building. For buildings that have already been built, it is necessary to carry
out checks and possible corrections of the arrangement around the
entrance and access to the building, so as not to lead to the fact that fire
brigades cannot adequately help in solving a fire in the event that it occurs.
FOTO (11)
It is necessary to raise awareness so that people become alarmed and
become aware that by disobeying the regulations of the Rulebook, they can
endanger their lives and the lives of others. From the title in the
attachment, we can see just such a scenario, which is becoming more and
more common on the streets of Sarajevo due to the illegal parking of
passenger cars. FOTO (12)

12.
FOTO (11)

FOTO (12)
13.
REFERENCES
(1) PRAVILNIK
O USLOVIMA ZA VATROGASNE PRISTUPE I PROLAZE ZA STAMBENE I DRUGE
ZGRADE I OBJEKTE I ZA SVE PROSTORE KOJI SE SMATRAJU GRAĐEVINAMA
(„Službene novine Federacije BiH“, br. 70/12)

(2) PRAVILNIK
O TEHNIČKIM NORMATIVIMA ZA PRISTUPNE PUTEVE, OKRETNICE I UREĐENE
PLATOE ZA VATROGASNA VOZILA U BLIZINI OBJEKTA POVEĆANOG RIZIKA OD
POŽARA ("Sl. list SRJ", br. 8/95)

(3) PRAVILNIK
O TEHNIČKIM NORMATIVIMA ZA PRISTUPNE
PUTEVE, OKRETNICE I UREĐENE PLATOE ZA VATROGASNA VOZILA U BLIZINI
OBJEKATA KOD KOJIH JE POVEĆAN RIZIK OD POŽARA (“Službeni glasnik Republike
Srpske”, broj 115/18)

(4) https://avaz.ba/vijesti/crna-hronika/528224/dramaticno-jutro-u-naselju-tibra-tri-
auta-izgorila-vatrogasci-bili-blokirani-jedan-covjek-preminuo

(5) https://blog.dnevnik.hr/vatrenevijesti49/2020/05/1632290365/sarajevske-barijere-
zasto-sa-dva-velika-vozila-vatrogasci-nisu-usli-u-strosmajerovu-ulicu-gasiti-pozar.html

(6) https://raport.ba/gasenje-pozara-u-ulici-sime-milutinovica-bilo-je-otezano-zbog-
nepropisno-parkiranih-vozila-poziv-policiji-na-veci-angazman/

FOTO REFERENCES
FOTO (1)
https://www.vatroival.com/doc/propisi/ZOP/Pravilnik%20o%20tehnickim%20normativima%20z
a%20pristupne%20puteve,%20okretnice%20i%20uredene%20platoe%20za%20vatr.%20vozila.pdf
FOTO (2) www.novola.hr
FOTO (3)
https://www.vatroival.com/doc/propisi/ZOP/Pravilnik%20o%20tehnickim%20normativima%20z
a%20pristupne%20puteve,%20okretnice%20i%20uredene%20platoe%20za%20vatr.%20vozila.pdf
FOTO (4)
https://www.vatroival.com/doc/propisi/ZOP/Pravilnik%20o%20tehnickim%20normativima%20z
a%20pristupne%20puteve,%20okretnice%20i%20uredene%20platoe%20za%20vatr.%20vozila.pdf
FOTO (5) www.tina-beton.rs
FOTO (6)-(9)
https://www.vatroival.com/doc/propisi/ZOP/Pravilnik%20o%20tehnickim%20normativima%20z
a%20pristupne%20puteve,%20okretnice%20i%20uredene%20platoe%20za%20vatr.%20vozila.pdf

FOTO (10)
https://www.vatroival.com/doc/propisi/ZOP/Pravilnik%20o%20tehnickim%20normativima%20z
a%20pristupne%20puteve,%20okretnice%20i%20uredene%20platoe%20za%20vatr.%20vozila.pdf
FOTO (11)
https://raport.ba/gasenje-pozara-u-ulici-sime-milutinovica-bilo-je-otezano-zbog-nepropisno-
parkiranih-vozila-poziv-policiji-na-veci-angazman/
FOTO (12) https://avaz.ba/vijesti/crna-hronika/528224/dramaticno-jutro-u-naselju-tibra-tri-auta-
izgorila-vatrogasci-bili-blokirani-jedan-covjek-preminuo

Annexes 1 and 2 :
https://kucz.ks.gov.ba/sites/kucz.ks.gov.ba/files/pravilnik_o_uslovima_za_vatrogasne_pristupe_i_pro
laze_za_stambene_i_druge_zgrade_i_objekte_i_za_sve_prostore_koji_se_smatraju_gradevinama.pdf

14.