An area of refuge or safe room is a place in a

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...

designed to hold occupants during a

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames a ...

or other

emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

when evacuation may not be safe or possible. Occupants can wait there until rescued or relieved by firefighters. In some instances, an area of refuge or refuge area may refer to a designated space in a multi-unit residential building that can provide relief from unsafe or uncomfortable conditions in individual units.

Beneficiaries

People who use refuge areas may include: *Those who cannot reach a safe escape route *Those assisting people who are prevented from escaping * Hospital patients *Sick people *People with disabilities *Elderly people *Very young children and infants *Medical personnel who may be operating on a patient at the time of the emergency *Operators in a critical facility whose function must not be interrupted, such as nuclear power stations, key

military fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, and high security prisons

Technical requirements

An area of refuge is typically supplied with a steady supply of fresh or filtered outside

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

. A two way communication system is provided on each floor above or below the main floor. A call box is required in each area of refuge, which can call into a central location called a base station. If the station is not attended 24 hours a day, the call must automatically call to an outside location and have two-way voice person to person communication capabilities.

Typical areas of refuge

* Stairwells (also to allow egress unimpeded by

smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-produc ...

) *

Control room A control room or operations room is a central space where a large physical facility or physically dispersed service can be monitored and controlled. It is often part of a larger command center. Overview A control room's purpose is produc ...

s in

nuclear power station A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces ele ...

s, chemical plants, and high security prisons * Operating theaters Such locations are usually required to be bounded by fire-resistant walls and floors.

Other uses of refuge areas

In the context of climate change, where older buildings may not be designed for changing climate conditions, refuge spaces are sometimes discussed in terms of providing communal areas in multi-unit buildings for when temperature and air quality is not safe or comfortable in individual units.

References

Bibliography

*{{cite journal, last=Roberts, first=Jessica L, title=An area of refuge: due process analysis and emergency evacuation for people with disabilities, journal= Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, volume=13, number=127, url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/vajsplw13&div=10&id=&page=, year=2005

External links

International Code Council - 2015 International Building Code
Passive fire protection