Description

C Protection from Fire Acceptable Solution C/AS2 Second Edition provides a compliance pathway for meeting the fire safety requirements of Clauses C1 to C6 of the New Zealand Building Code for buildings other than risk group SH.

Scope

This acceptable solution applies to all risk groups listed in Table 1.1.1.1 except for risk group SH. It covers buildings or parts of buildings where people:

• a) sleep (SM); and
• b) are unable to self-evacuate without assistance through requiring special care or treatment, or they are restrained, or their liberties are restricted (SI); and
• c) congregate, participate in group activities, or where professional services or retail are provided (CA);
• d) work (WB); and
• e) store goods and other materials (WS); 
• f) park vehicles (VP).

Items outside the scope of this document:

Buildings with complex features are outside the scope of this acceptable solution. Complex features include:

• a) atriums; and
• b) intermediate floors other than limited area intermediate floors; and
• c) operating theatres, intensive care units, hyperbaric chambers, delivery rooms, and recovery rooms (SI); and
• d) recreation and event centres (with tiered seating for more than 2000 people) (CA); and
• e) buildings more than 20 storeys high; and
• f) prison buildings.

Buildings that have features for which solutions are not provided within this acceptable solution are also deemed to be complex.

Other than where permitted for risk group SI and for early childhood centres, this acceptable solution allows for an ‘all out’ evacuation strategy. It does not provide features to facilitate a delayed evacuation strategy.

Risk group SI invariably requires a fire safety strategy involving delayed initiation of evacuation and movement to a place of safety within the building. However, this acceptable solution does not provide for building features that would be required for a stay-in-place strategy. This applies to activities such as:

• a) operating theatres; and
• b) intensive care units; and
• c) hyperbaric chambers; and
• d) delivery rooms; and
• e) recovery rooms.

The control of hazardous substances is not covered by this acceptable solution and it does not provide for any use, storage or processing of hazardous substances. Compliance with Verification Method F3/VM1 and the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, and the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 is required where applicable in addition to the requirements of this acceptable solution.