Emergency exit protection (FWS) - safety that saves lives and protects property

Frequent flyers know it off by heart. Before each flight, the cabin crew point out the two light strips on the floor of the cabin which indicate the route to the emergency exits. Conversely, escape and rescue plans in buildings call for an active approach.

We usually feel safe in a building. A sudden unforeseen event, such as a loud bang in a shopping centre, takes virtually everyone by surprise, resulting in uncontrolled mass panic. It is precisely such sudden events that present a particular risk to our safety. A safe place very quickly becomes a life-threatening area that needs to be evacuated as quickly as possible.

Flight as a human reaction to acute danger

People react to danger in many different ways. Very few remain quiet and composed; most descend into panic and act irrationally. But generally speaking, we all have one thing in common: the urge to get away from the dangerous situation. The natural reaction to this is to flee.

Faced with an acute danger in a building, the people caught up in it are confronted with structural and spatial realities: walls, stairs and fixings suddenly become obstacles which make quickly leaving the building more difficult. People in a state of fear or panic may also lose their sense of direction and so increase the risk to their lives.

Doors must meet various demands depending on their intended use. These can be optimally combined by using different system components, however. Early planning in terms of the intended use is an important part of this.

For escape and rescue routes, the most important challenge is to allow people to evacuate the building quickly and safely. When there is no danger present, however, the doors must remain closed and protect against unauthorised access. In particular, it is important for the building operator to protect the facilities against sabotage, burglary, theft or misuse.

Emergency exit functionality in emergency situations

Emergency exits are a significant part of escape and rescue routes. The layout and number of emergency exits depends on the building and the respective building regulations. One this is certain: emergency exits must allow people to quickly evacuate the hazardous area at any time. Being able to open doors speedily and simply without any external aids is critical. Emergency exits must open immediately in the direction of escape and must lead those in danger to the outside, or into protected areas.

According to new European standards, emergency exits can be equipped with a variety of emergency exit locks. The optimal selection of emergency exit locks depends on how many people need to evacuate in an emergency. If there is a risk of mass panic, panic exit devices should be integrated into the doors in accordance with DIN EN 1125. These consist of a horizontal bar combined with a panic lock, which may be a mechanical, electro-mechanical or motor panic lock. In public buildings in particular, visitors are not familiar with the on-site escape routes and functions of the emergency exits. If they press against the door leaf in the direction of emergency exit, panic exit devices allow the door to open in less than a second with no instructions.

If the number of people in the building is manageable, and they are familiar with the escape routes, emergency exit devices according to DIN EN 179 are usually sufficient. For example, the horizontal bar can be replaced by a door handle since there is no chance of panic.

Functionality of emergency exits in normal operation

Emergency exits are very often used in fire protection sections. The safe flight function is just as important as the self-locking and fire-proof features of the door installation. If automated doors need to provide complex functions in escape and rescue routes, a system solution comprising a door control unit, an electronic locking element such as escape door locks or emergency exit electric strikes for example, and a panic lock (also called anti-panic locks) is recommended. This guarantees both protection against unauthorised access on the one hand, and free access for people evacuating in the event of a hazard on the other.

Emergency exits influenced by smoke protection pressure systems

Smoke protection pressure systems help to keep rescue routes smoke-free in the event of a fire, for instance in staircases. In addition, smoke protection pressure systems are used in buildings where a large number of people are present who may not be able to rescue themselves in case of a fire. These include homes for the elderly, hospitals, nursery schools, etc. Fire protection doors near smoke pressure systems need particularly detailed planning; they may otherwise not be able to offer barrier-free access or may not close reliably in certain circumstances.

Fire protection doors in smoke protection pressure stairwells

For doors with a direction of emergency exit leading into a staircase, the high pressure is on the hinge side. This means that they are more difficult to enter if the smoke protection pressure feature is activated since the user has to overcome both the resistance of the door closer and the counter-pressure. In this situation, the focus is on the opening process if the smoke protection pressure system activates. If barrier-free access needs to be ensured both when the system is active and when it is not, then a drive unit such as the Powerturn F must be used on such doors.

Fire protection doors from the RDA staircase

For fire protection doors leading out of a staircase, the higher pressure is on the opposite hinge side. This does make them easier to open if the smoke protection pressure system is active, but the door must also close securely against the pressure. Because of this, the differential10 pressure must be taken into consideration and the closing force of the door closer must be adjusted accordingly. GEZE also offers assistance for this application with the TS 5000 SoftClose. With this device, the last 15 degrees of the opening angle are controlled using a separate valve, so that the door leaf can be accelerated using a latching action, or decelerated over the last few degrees of opening in a targeted fashion. This helps manage the pressure situation, and ensure the door closes safely.

An important consideration for wider doors and higher pressures is that the door closer must generate the stipulated closing force to close securely against the pressure. In everyday use, such doors are very difficult to operate and are not barrier-free.

The demands on safety and security components are almost as varied and individual as each specific building. Certain additional specific demands also need to be met. GEZE safety solutions are able to guarantee safe escape and rescue routes in any building. If the escape and rescue routes should not be open to everyone in normal operation, GEZE access control systems – which are connected to door control units – can take over the necessary monitoring. Whether at airports, in hospitals or at conference centres: the multifunctional products supplied by GEZE are like cog wheels which engage neatly into one another, producing an emergency exit system that not only provides optimal protection in an emergency and convenience during normal operation, but one that can be planned and installed reliably.

Good to know: The GEZE emergency exit system solution is approved and certified by an independent institution in accordance with the EltVTR (guidelines for electronic locking systems). 

Go to the GEZE emergency exit systems