Depending on the size and design of a building, all staircases leading to the ground floor might well be designated escape routes; this means that they will all undergo staircase pressurisation to make them safe in the event of a fire.

There are a couple of things that are taken into account in staircase pressurisation. As you might expect, one of these is air pressure, as a change in pressurisation can act as a barrier that effectively controls the progression of smoke. Something else that is taken into account is air flow: when strong enough, this can also impact on the direction smoke is travelling and is often used in conjunction with air pressurisation techniques.

As escape routes from buildings are essential in the event of a fire, staircase pressurisation is something that must always be taken seriously when developing smoke management systems.

For instance, some areas of some buildings are more likely to trap smoke than others. This is the sort of thing that needs to be taken into account when developing a smoke extraction solution; it might be that extra vents need to be installed or that something else needs to be done in order to prepare an area as an escape route.

The issue of escape routes is an important one: they need to be accessible, they need to take people out of the building to safety, and they need to be free of smoke as far as possible. This means that careful evaluation is needed when planning smoke extraction systems, so that the most efficient solution is found.

Depending on the building in question, this could mean putting vents in a particular location or having a fire door in a certain place as a smoke containment measure. Whatever the solution, designing smoke extraction systems is massively important and definitely requires time and attention to get right.

This means special precautions need to be taken and special systems put in place in order to develop a robust smoke control strategy. The resulting smoke control system should then be serviced on a regular basis to make sure it is still working and to highlight any areas where more work needs to be done.

This is important as shopping centres deal with so many members of the general public; the centres have a duty to protect them while they are using the shopping facilities. This means regularly servicing areas such as the escalators, corridors, fire doors and other smoke control equipment to check it is working.

Shopping centre smoke control systems are also unique as no two centres are exactly the same. Therefore, it is paramount that extra care is taken in the upkeep of these systems so there is no risk of failure in the unfortunate event of a smoke or fire emergency.

Maintenance matters because, without it, untold damage could be caused in the event of an emergency. Just imagine what might happen if a crucial smoke vent failed to open or an extraction system failed to clear an appropriate escape route. It doesn’t bear thinking about, so get your smoke control system looked at.

This will be able to pick up any issues that need to be addressed and will provide you with the opportunity to fix them as soon as possible. After all, it’s always worth spending a bit of extra time and money now making sure your smoke control system is okay and fixing any flaws. The costs if you failed to do this could potentially be immeasurable.

For instance, maintenance is really important. Without a regular service, you won’t know for certain whether your smoke control and ventilation systems are working as they should be. The chances are that everything will be fine, but it is important to find and deal with any problems as soon as possible, so a regular service will help with this.

Attending seminars and training on a regular basis can also make sure you are properly prepared just in case your building does suffer a fire. Health and safety regulations do change from time to time, as do techniques for smoke control and ventilation, so it’s definitely worth making sure you’re in possession of up to date information just in case you ever need it.

Understanding smoke control properly means that you will:
• Be up to date on the latest smoke control methods, which can inform you whether you might need to update your own processes.
• Give you valuable information on how to act in the event of a fire on your premises.
• Be able to pass on the information to your colleagues and employees to make sure that everyone who needs to be informed actually is.
• Learn about your responsibilities to the public and your employees so you can make sure you are fulfilling your smoke control duties.

Without this, if there was a fire, smoke would build up a lot faster, making it harder for people to escape. This could be an especial problem in larger buildings, as you are not allowed to use the lifts in the event of a fire and so would be reliant on the staircases. If you were descending from several floors up and all the staircases and corridors you needed were filled with smoke, this would naturally be really difficult.

This is why it’s so important to have good smoke ventilation systems for your offices. This can include ventilation flaps that are triggered to open when they detect smoke, letting it out as soon as possible. Smoke shaft fire doors can also be used to ventilate hot smoke, helping to clear the way for anyone trying to escape the building.

If you didn’t have staircase pressurisation for your designated fire exit routes, those staircases would simply fill with smoke in the event of a fire. After all, it isn’t something that you can easily control and, once the smoke gets into the staircase area, it will make it hard – if not impossible – for people to escape from the building. Smoke can obscure vision and make it difficult to breathe, so taking some sort of action to prevent this definitely makes sense.

This is where staircase pressurisation comes in. Its purpose is to stop smoke from entering the area in the first place, meaning it is different to traditional ventilation systems. The process involves a fan that is activated in the event of a fire. This then causes the stairways to become over-pressurised, making sure they are as clear as possible for people escaping as well as fire-fighters who need to get in to tackle the blaze.

• The space you need to cover. Naturally, the size and style of the space you need to cover will have an impact on your chosen smoke ventilation systems as the layout of buildings varies from place to place.
• Whether there are any extra risks. Some buildings carry extra risks, such as car parks where there is a greater chance of larger amounts of carbon monoxide being present. This will require special consideration when choosing smoke ventilation systems.
• The relevant legislation. Depending on the type of company you are and the type of building you are looking to protect, you might find that there are different pieces of legislation or regulations you need to meet, which can have an impact on your choice of smoke ventilation systems.

When you are choosing smoke ventilation systems, you should always talk to a professional, experienced company to make sure you get exactly the right system.

Having good ventilation systems is important for all retail businesses; no matter how large or small your business, you need to know that you could keep you and your customers safe in the event of a fire or other emergency where smoke was present.

The needs of businesses will naturally differ depending on their size and what they do; a restaurant is likely to need different ventilation systems to a clothes shop, for instance, because of what’s involved with running a kitchen. Also, running a large store or shopping centre will naturally require more precautions to be taken.

This means it is a good idea to talk to the professionals about your needs to make sure the ventilation systems you have installed are right for your business and that they comply with all of the relevant legislation, regulations and standards.