BR18 Fire Technical Appendix 12 – Pre-accepted Solutions for Fire Safety Installations and Hand-Extinguishing Equipment
The Bygningsreglementets vejledning til kap 5 - Brand, Bilag 12 is a technical guidance document issued by the Danish Authority for Social Services and Housing (Bolig- og Planstyrelsen). It provides pre-accepted solutions for the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of fire technical installations and hand-extinguishing equipment in Denmark. As a supplementary guide to the Building Regulations 2018 (BR18), specifically section 90, it establishes the standard for documenting that fire safety systems function as intended throughout the lifetime of a building.
The document governs a wide range of regulatory domains including automatic fire alarms (ABA-anlæg), automatic water sprinkler systems (AVS-anlæg), warning systems (varslingsanlæg), emergency and panic lighting, smoke ventilation (ABV-anlæg), and pressurization systems (ATA-anlæg). It specifies technical requirements for power supply, cabling, and system integration testing. The scope includes various building categories such as industrial buildings, residential units, and care facilities, categorized under Anvendelseskategori 1-6. Furthermore, it defines the performance standards for manual equipment like fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and fire beaters.
This guidance serves as the technical basis for fire safety classes 1 and 2, while offering a reference framework for classes 3 and 4 where alternative documentation may be required. The document is structured to cover general technical requirements followed by detailed specifications for individual installation types, ensuring alignment with EN-component standards and international design practices.
General Requirements for Fire Technical Installations
Section 4 details the foundational requirements for all fire safety systems, emphasizing power supply reliability, cabling integrity, and mandatory inspection protocols.
- Akkrediteret funktionsafprøvning: Buildings in risk classes 2-4 must undergo functional testing by an accredited inspection body according to DS/EN ISO/IEC 17020.
- Power Supply Groups: Power sources are classified into Normal, Pålidelig (reliable), Back-up, Sikker (secure), and Fail-safe systems based on the required security level.
- Funktionssikre kabler: Cables must maintain functionality during a fire for at least the duration the system is designed to operate, complying with IEC 60331 series standards.
- Color Coding: Activation buttons (aktiveringstryk) are standardized by color: Red for fire department alerts (ABA), Gray for technical systems (ABV), Yellow for extinguishing systems, Orange for internal warnings, and Green for escape route locks.
Automatic Fire Alarm (ABA) and Sprinkler (AVS) Systems
Detailed design criteria for detection and suppression systems are provided to ensure early intervention and fire containment.
- ABA-anlæg: Must act as the primary control unit for integrated fire systems, managing alarm transmission to the fire department and error reporting to a 24-hour monitoring center.
- AVS-anlæg: Covers both traditional sprinklers and water mist systems (vandtågeanlæg). Systems must be classified according to LH, OH, or HH hazards.
- Orientation Plans (O-planer): Standardized A4 or A3 maps must be available at the fire control panel, showing detector locations, group numbers, and access routes.
- Water Supply: Sprinkler systems must have continuous water access, often requiring connection to a ring-main public supply or a dedicated reservoir.
Smoke Ventilation (ABV) and Pressurization (ATA)
Provisions for managing smoke and heat focus on maintaining breathable air in escape routes and preventing structural collapse.
- Termisk brandventilation: Natural smoke exhaust via roof or facade openings, requiring a minimum aerodynamic area typically calculated as a percentage of the floor area.
- Mekanisk brandventilation: Forced exhaust systems must provide a specific volume of air exchange, such as 90,000 m³/hour per smoke zone for industrial use.
- ATA-anlæg: Pressurization systems used in stairwells to prevent smoke ingress, requiring a pressure difference of at least 50 Pa relative to the fire-affected area.
- Air-release: Mandatory relief paths in pressurized zones to ensure doors can still be opened with a force not exceeding 100 N.
Firefighter Elevators and Control Panels
Buildings with floors higher than 22 meters above ground must include specialized infrastructure for fire department access.
- Brandmandselevator: Specialized elevators must remain operational for at least 120 minutes during a fire and serve as the primary transport for personnel and equipment.
- Brandmandspanel: A central interface that integrates controls for ABA, AVS, ABV, and communication systems, providing an overview of the incident's progression.
- Stigrør (Dry Risers): Mandatory in buildings where hoses cannot be manually carried to upper floors; standard pipes are Ø 80 mm steel with B-storz inlets and C-storz outlets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the power supply requirements for a Danish ABA system?
A Danish Automatic Fire Alarm (ABA) system requires both primary and secondary power supplies. The secondary supply must support normal operation for 24 hours followed by at least 30 minutes in full alarm state.
When is a firefighter elevator mandatory according to BR18?
A firefighter elevator is generally required in buildings where the floor of the highest story is located more than 22 meters above the terrain, as specified in BR18 section 133.
What is the maximum opening force allowed for doors in a pressurized stairwell?
The total force required to open an escape door in a pressurized (ATA) system must not exceed 100 N to ensure safe evacuation for all occupants.
How should fire technical activation buttons be color-coded?
Activation buttons must be color-coded: red for fire department alarms (ABA), gray for smoke ventilation (ABV), yellow for extinguishing systems, and orange for internal warnings.
What is the minimum aerodynamic area for thermal smoke ventilation in industrial buildings?
For industrial and warehouse buildings in categories ILK 4 and 5, the aerodynamic area for thermal smoke ventilation must be at least 24 m² per smoke zone.
What distance must be maintained between smoke detectors in residential units?
In residential units (category 4), there must be at least one smoke detector in every fire cell, placed so that no point in the cell is more than 10 meters horizontally from a detector.
