DGNB criteria "Fire safety"

Objective

Fire events do not only endanger life and safety of humans and animals but also damage the building fabric, emit pollutants and thus cause harm to the environment. This is why the issue "fire safety" forms an integral part of DGNB's certification procedures.

Benefits

The main benefits of fire safety measures are to reduce the potential loss of lives and injuries during a fire, as well as the destruction caused by fire, and hence the associated repair and liability costs in the aftermath. It is essential to prevent the occurrence of a fire and the spread of fire and smoke, which will affect not just the building itself, but also its surroundings. Equipping a building with sufficient fire safety measures will also bring reassurance to building users during normal operation by allaying safety concerns.

Fire safety measures include those that are

intended to prevent ignition of an uncontrolled fire,
used to limit the development and impacts of a fire after it starts,
planned during the construction of a building or implemented in existing structures,
taught to the building occupants.

Essential fire safety measures are installed within a building or premises as a vital function to prevent injury and loss of life in the event of fire. Furthermore these ensure that people and animals can be rescued and extinguishing work can be carried out effectively in the event of a fire.
Examples of such measures are listed in indicator 2 and indicator 3 below.