Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD: Aligning with Practical Situations and Ensuring Scientific Basis

On October 16, 2023, the Minister of Construction issued Circular 09/2023/TT-BXD amending QCVN 06:2022/BXD National Technical Regulation on Fire Safety for Buildings and Structures. Accordingly, from December 1, 2023, the National Technical Regulation on Fire Safety for Buildings and Structures will be implemented in accordance with the provisions of QCVN 06:2022/BXD and Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD.

The content of Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD supplements some technical issues to ensure fire safety and evacuation in case of fire and explosion incidents, taking into account the specifics of small-scale works and the inherent fire hazards of the works themselves. At the same time, it adds many suitable solutions for investors and consulting firms to choose from.

Scope of application

Adjusting the scope of application: Residential houses combined with business, conversion of purpose with a height of less than 7 stories (or a fire protection height of less than 25m), having less than one basement, and a volume of less than 5,000 m3 are proposed to be transferred to the Standard for Detached Houses – Design Requirements (expected to be issued in 2023).

Decentralization

Stronger and clearer decentralization to local authorities regarding the right to issue local regulations to replace some requirements of QCVN 06, such as regulations on traffic routes for fire trucks, fire water supply, etc.

Supplementation

Supplementing legal and technical regulations, reference documents, and evaluation criteria so that designers can design fire safety in accordance with the specific conditions of the works (specific design) without being constrained by the predetermined parameters of the regulation.

Other technical contents on evacuation, fire spread prevention, firefighting, structure, smoke protection, fire compartments, and high-rise buildings (adding specific fire safety requirements associated with objects according to fire hazards and construction practices in Vietnam, on the principle of not lowering core safety requirements).

Application issues

In addition, the Ministry of Construction has paid attention to and addressed the issues raised by local authorities, agencies, organizations, and individuals when applying previous versions of QCVN 06.

Specifically:

  • Regarding the issue of fire-resistant paint, the Ministry of Construction has explained many times that QCVN 06:2022/BXD and previous versions do not regulate fire-resistant paint for structural components;
  • The issue of fire resistance limit requirements for roof coverings and technical fire characteristics of finishing materials has been reviewed, updated, and clarified for convenient application;
  • The issue of applying the regulation in renovation and repair has also been clarified by the drafting agency regarding the cases where renovation must apply the regulation;
  • The issue of transition, not only in this amendment but also in previous amendments, has been considered by the Ministry of Construction to minimize the impact on projects and works, whether they have undergone design appraisal and approval or fire protection design.

Multi-story detached houses

Detached houses with multiple stories and multiple apartments are essentially apartment buildings, so this subject has been mentioned in QCVN 06 versions from the past to the present. However, these works, depending on the scale of the number of stories, volume, and number of residents (permanent, temporary, etc.), are subject to fire protection design appraisal (pre-inspection) as prescribed by the law on fire prevention and fighting or are subject to self-compliance and post-inspection.

The Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD has been reviewed, supplemented, clarified, and ensured to be comprehensive, covering all subjects, so there is no need for a separate regulation for the type of detached houses with multiple stories and multiple apartments. Specifically: Table 6 of QCVN 06 versions clearly states the building groups based on fire hazard characteristics according to function. Accordingly, for the subjects of: Hotels, guest houses, hostels, dormitories; collective housing; sleeping blocks of convalescent facilities, resorts, rehabilitation centers, orthopedic centers, and other accommodation facilities with similar usage characteristics are denoted as F1.2; apartment buildings and buildings with similar usage characteristics are denoted as F1.3; if detached houses and buildings with similar characteristics are denoted as F1.4, etc. Depending on the usage nature of each type of subject, there will be specific requirements to ensure fire safety for people, prevent fire spread, supply firefighting water, firefighting, and rescue appropriately.

For example, in Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD, the following is added at the end of paragraph a) of Clause 3.2.2 on escape routes and emergency exits: “For buildings of groups F1.2, F1.3, F2, F3, F4 with a fire protection height of less than 28m, in case it is not possible to arrange a separate exit to the outside and it is necessary to go through a common lobby, the entrance to the common staircase from the basements must go through a vestibule with enclosure solutions similar to a type 1 fire compartment vestibule and must have a type 1 fire partition separating it from the rest of the staircase.”

Implentation

Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD ensures scientific and practical basis. If organizations and individuals comply with the requirements from the design stage and strictly adhere to them during the construction of the works, it will ensure that the works have a level of fire and explosion safety, ensuring safety for the lives and property.

Furthermore, Amendment 1:2023 to QCVN 06:2022/BXD has absorbed and openly incorporated feedback from businesses and local authorities but does not lower the standards to ensure fire prevention and fighting safety.