High-rise buildings present several unique fire safety challenges compared to low-rise buildings and single-family homes.
International Building Code defines a high-rise building as a structure “with an occupied floor more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access,” which is roughly equivalent to seven stories or higher.
High-rise fire safety challenges include, but aren’t limited to:
Smoke and Fire Control: Since hot air rises, smoke and fire tend to spread vertically, meaning any occupied floors above a fire are at significant risk if the fire is not extinguished quickly.
Evacuation Logistics: Evacuating large numbers of people from elevated floors can be logistically challenging, presenting difficulties for first responders and leading to longer evacuation times.
Fire Department Accessibility: Aerial equipment, such as a ladder platform, can only reach a limited number of floors from the ground, complicating firefighting efforts with taller buildings.
A 2016 National Fire Protection Association research report found that the vast majority of high-rise building fires—62 percent—occur in multifamily housing. The report analyzed high-rise fires between 2009-2013 when there was an average of 14,500 high-rise building fires per year.
Just over 75 percent of residential high-rise fires reviewed as part of the report originated in a kitchen or cooking area, underscoring the importance of safe cooking education for residents. Cooking fires are twice as likely to occur in apartments than in one- and two-family homes, according to a 2020 NFPA report on residential cooking fires.
Despite the fire safety challenges presented by high-rise buildings, the 2016 NFPA research report notes a lower death rate and less flame damage in residential high-rise building fires than in shorter residential buildings.
The reason behind this, the report surmises, is that modern high-rise buildings are more likely than shorter buildings to have certain safety features, such as:
But not all high-rise buildings meet modern standards, especially if they predate safety requirements.
Whether you work or live in a high-rise building, you should always plan and prepare for a fire emergency. Familiarize yourself with the building’s safety features and evacuation plan, which should illustrate what to do in an emergency. Building management should post the plan so that staff and residents can see and review it.
If a fire occurs, quickly and safely proceed to the nearest exit stairwell and close any doors behind you to help prevent the spread of fire and smoke.
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