Back 11th January 2023 WAYFINDING SIGNS FOR THE FIRE SERVICE Under new Government guidance, all new residential structures over 11 metres must now comply with Approved Document B Volume 1: Dwellings for fire service wayfinding signs. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 will make it a legal requirement from 23 January 2023 for all high-rise residential buildings in England to install fire service wayfinding signs in their buildings. This includes clear markings identifying floor and individual flat numbers. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report stated that the building stairwells and landings were not clearly marked with the relevant floor number, and firefighters were unable to easily identify floors when carrying out their duties. The Inquiry advised that all high-rise buildings over 11 metres high have “floor numbers be clearly marked on each landing within the stairways and in a prominent place in all lobbies in such a way as to be visible both in normal conditions and in low lighting or smoky conditions.” Fire service wayfinding signs should be located on every landing of a protected stairway and every protected corridor, lobby, or open access balcony into which a firefighting lift opens. The text should be in sans serif typeface with a letter height of at least 50mm. The wayfinding signs should be visible from the top step of a firefighting stair and, where possible, from inside a firefighting lift when the lift car doors open.* The text should be on a contrasting background, easily legible and readable in low level lighting conditions or when illuminated with a torch, our photoluminescent signs can work well in this setting. Contact us today and a member of our team will be more than happy to talk you through the wayfinding and fire exit signs we have available. *Approved Document B should be consulted for detailed guidance. Legislation information taken from gov.uk.
