Smoke inhalation is a far more prevalent cause of death than the actual fire itself. During fires, stairwells are the safest route to safety. It is important that stairwells remain as clear of smoke as possible to ensure the safety of occupants in the event of an evacuation.
A pressurization system prevents smoke from leaking past closed doors into stairs by injecting clean air into the stair enclosure in such a way that the pressure in the stairwell is greater than the adjacent fire compartment.
Stairwell pressurisation analysis helps Architects and Structural Engineers to define the right level of pressurisation – relatively high so smoke is kept out of the building and sufficiently low to enable stairwell access during an evacuation. By simulating various fire scenarios, potentially catastrophic situations can be preempted easily.
