Part D – Escape

  3.2.1.1 Below the bulkhead deck two means of escape, at least one of which shall be independent of watertight doors, shall be provided from each watertight compartment or similarly restricted space or group of spaces. Exceptionally, the Administration may dispense with one of the means of escape for crew spaces that are entered only occasionally, if the required escape route is independent of watertight doors.

  3.2.1.2 Where the Administration has granted dispensation under the provisions of paragraph 3.2.1.1, this sole means of escape shall provide safe escape. However, stairways shall not be less than 800 mm in clear width with handrails on both sides.

 Above the bulkhead deck there shall be at least two means of escape from each main vertical zone or similarly restricted space or group of spaces at least one of which shall give access to a stairway forming a vertical escape.

 Stairway enclosures in accommodation and service spaces shall have direct access from the corridors and be of a sufficient area to prevent congestion, having in view the number of persons likely to use them in an emergency. Within the perimeter of such stairway enclosures, only public toilets, lockers of non-combustible material providing storage for nonhazardous safety equipment and open information counters are permitted. Only public spaces, corridors, lifts, public toilets, special category spaces and open ro-ro spaces to which any passengers carried can have access, other escape stairways required by paragraph 3.2.4.1 and external areas are permitted to have direct access to these stairway enclosures. Small corridors or "lobbies" used to separate an enclosed stairway from galleys or main laundries may have direct access to the stairway provided they have a minimum deck area of 4.5 m², a width of no less than 900 mm and contain a fire hose station.

  3.2.4.1 At least one of the means of escape required by paragraphs 3.2.1.1 and 3.2.2 shall consist of a readily accessible enclosed stairway, which shall provide continuous fire shelter from the level of its origin to the appropriate lifeboat and liferaft embarkation decks, or to the uppermost weather deck if the embarkation deck does not extend to the main vertical zone being considered. In the latter case, direct access to the embarkation deck by way of external open stairways and passageways shall be provided and shall have emergency lighting in accordance with regulation III/11.5 and slip-free surfaces underfoot. Boundaries facing external open stairways and passageways forming part of an escape route and boundaries in such a position that their failure during a fire would impede escape to the embarkation deck shall have fire integrity, including insulation values, in accordance with tables 9.1 to 9.4, as appropriate.

  3.2.4.2 Protection of access from the stairway enclosures to the lifeboat and liferaft embarkation areas shall be provided either directly or through protected internal routes which have fire integrity and insulation values for stairway enclosures as determined by tables 9.1 to 9.4, as appropriate.

  3.2.4.3 Stairways serving only a space and a balcony in that space shall not be considered as forming one of the required means of escape.

  3.2.4.4 Each level within an atrium shall have two means of escape, one of which shall give direct access to an enclosed vertical means of escape meeting the requirements of paragraph 3.2.4.1.

  3.2.4.5 The widths, number and continuity of escapes shall be in accordance with the requirements in the Fire Safety Systems Code.

  3.2.5.1 In addition to the emergency lighting required by regulations II-1/42 and III/11.5, the means of escape, including stairways and exits, shall be marked by lighting or photoluminescent strip indicators placed not more than 300 mm above the deck at all points of the escape route including angles and intersections. The marking must enable passengers to identify the routes of escape and readily identify the escape exits. If electric illumination is used, it shall be supplied by the emergency source of power and it shall be so arranged that the failure of any single light or cut in a lighting strip will not result in the marking being ineffective. Additionally, escape route signs and fire equipment location markings shall be of photoluminescent material or marked by lighting. The Administration shall ensure that such lighting or photoluminescent equipment has been evaluated, tested and applied in accordance with the Fire Safety Systems Code.

  3.2.5.2 In passenger ships carrying more than 36 passengers, the requirements of the paragraph 3.2.5.1 shall also apply to the crew accommodation areas.

  3.2.6.1 Cabin and stateroom doors shall not require keys to unlock them from inside the room. Neither shall there be any doors along any designated escape route which require keys to unlock them when moving in the direction of escape.

  3.2.6.2 Escape doors from public spaces that are normally latched shall be fitted with a means of quick release. Such means shall consist of a door-latching mechanism incorporating a device that releases the latch upon the application of a force in the direction of escape flow. Quick release mechanisms shall be designed and installed to the satisfaction of the Administration and, in particular:

• .1 consist of bars or panels, the actuating portion of which extends across at least one half of the width of the door leaf, at least 760 mm and not more than 1120 mm above the deck;

• .2 cause the latch to release when a force not exceeding 67 N is applied; and

• .3 not be equipped with any locking device, set screw or other arrangement that prevents the release of the latch when pressure is applied to the releasing device.

 At all levels of accommodation there shall be provided at least two widely separated means of escape from each restricted space or group of spaces.

 Below the lowest open deck the main means of escape shall be a stairway and the second escape may be a trunk or a stairway.

 Above the lowest open deck the means of escape shall be stairways or doors to an open deck or a combination thereof.

 No dead-end corridors having a length of more than 7 m shall be accepted.

 The width, number and continuity of escape routes shall be in accordance with the requirements in the Fire Safety Systems Code.

 Exceptionally the Administration may dispense with one of the means of escape, for crew spaces that are entered only occasionally, if the required escape route is independent of watertight doors.

 Where the space is below the bulkhead deck the two means of escape shall consist of either:

• .1 two sets of steel ladders as widely separated as possible , leading to doors in the upper part of the space similarly separated and from which access is provided to the appropriate lifeboat and liferaft embarkation decks. One of these ladders shall be located within a protected enclosure that satisfies regulation 9.2.2.3, category (2), or regulation 9.2.2.4, category (4), as appropriate, from the lower part of the space it serves to a safe position outside the space. Self-closing fire doors of the same fire integrity standards shall be fitted in the enclosure. The ladder shall be fixed in such a way that heat is not transferred into the enclosure through non-insulated fixing points. The protected enclosure shall have minimum internal dimensions of at least 800 mm x 800 mm, and shall have emergency lighting provisions; or

• .2 one steel ladder leading to a door in the upper part of the space from which access is provided to the embarkation deck and additionally, in the lower part of the space and in a position well separated from the ladder referred to, a steel door capable of being operated from each side and which provides access to a safe escape route from the lower part of the space to the embarkation deck.

 Where the space is above the bulkhead deck, the two means of escape shall be as widely separated as possible and the doors leading from such means of escape shall be in a position from which access is provided to the appropriate lifeboat and liferaft embarkation decks. Where such means of escape require the use of ladders, these shall be of steel.

 In a ship of less than 1,000 gross tonnage, the Administration may dispense with one of the means of escape, due regard being paid to the width and disposition of the upper part of the space. In a ship of 1,000 gross tonnage and above, the Administration may dispense with one means of escape from any such space, including a normally unattended auxiliary machinery space, so long as either a door or a steel ladder provides a safe escape route to the embarkation deck, due regard being paid to the nature and location of the space and whether persons are normally employed in that space. In the steering gear space, a second means of escape shall be provided when the emergency steering position is located in that space unless there is direct access to the open deck.

 Two means of escape shall be provided from a machinery control room located within a machinery space, at least one of which will provide continuous fire shelter to a safe position outside the machinery space.

 Except as provided in paragraph 4.2.2, two means of escape shall be provided from each machinery space of category A. In particular, one of the following provisions shall be complied with:

• .1 two sets of steel ladders as widely separated as possible leading to doors in the upper part of the space similarly separated and from which access is provided to the open deck. One of these ladders shall be located within a protected enclosure that satisfies regulation 9.2.3.3, category (4), from the lower part of the space it serves to a safe position outside the space. Self-closing fire doors of the same fire integrity standards shall be fitted in the enclosure. The ladder shall be fixed in such a way that heat is not transferred into the enclosure through non-insulated fixing points. The enclosure shall have minimum internal dimensions of at least 800 mm x 800 mm, and shall have emergency lighting provisions; or

• .2 one steel ladder leading to a door in the upper part of the space from which access is provided to the open deck and, additionally, in the lower part of the space and in a position well separated from the ladder referred to, a steel door capable of being operated from each side and which provides access to a safe escape route from the lower part of the space to the open deck.

 In a ship of less than 1,000 gross tonnage, the Administration may dispense with one of the means of escape required under paragraph 4.2.1, due regard being paid to the dimension and disposition of the upper part of the space. In addition, the means of escape from machinery spaces of category A need not comply with the requirement for an enclosed fire shelter listed in paragraph 4.2.1.1. In the steering gear space, a second means of escape shall be provided when the emergency steering position is located in that space unless there is direct access to the open deck.

 From machinery spaces other than those of category A, two escape routes shall be provided except that a single escape route may be accepted for spaces that are entered only occasionally, and for spaces where the maximum travel distance to the door is 5 m or less.