ACCUROrefugium, an essential security solution in buildings

ACCUROrefugium is the unique intercom solution for fire and emergency shelters, public toilets and common areas, "all-in-one". It is the first complete market solution that complies both with the Spanish regulations SUA (Safety of Use and Accessibility) and with the SI (fire safety in non-residential buildings) in terms of the intercommunication section with a local control post.

Next we will explain what the regulations are about and how to comply with ACCUROrefugium.

BACKGROUND

We are faced with two regulations that do not always go hand in hand, but it is common to find ourselves with the need to comply with both at the same time. For those cases, in ALCAD we wanted to collect the needs that can combine the two regulations and complement them with what we know best: a complete, configurable, manageable and above all versatile system: ACCUROrefugium.

The Spanish regulations in the TBC (Technical Building Code), quotes the DB-SI (3- Evacuation of occupants):

"In buildings that must have an emergency plan in accordance with the regulations in force, it will provide procedures for the evacuation of people with disabilities in emergency situations"

To that end, in ANNEX A of this regulation it indicates some of the aspects to be taken into account, which concerns us as manufacturers:

The refuge areas

Space with enough area for the number of places that are required, dimensions 1.20 x 0.80 m for wheelchair users or 0.80 x 0.60 m for people with other types of reduced mobility.
The refuge areas must be located, without invading the free width of passage, in the stairwells of protected or specially protected stairs, in the independent halls of specially protected stairs, or in a protected corridor.

A circle of Ø 1.50 m free of obstacles and the sweep of doors must be able to be traced next to the refuge area, which may invade one of the spaces provided.

In buildings of different use to Residential Use Housing that have a permanent control post during their activity schedule, the refuge area will have a visual and auditory intercom with said position.

Characteristics of the visual and auditory intercom

It can be considered that the intercom emits a recorded message as an auditory signal and that it counts, as a visual signal, with a luminous device to indicate that the request for assistance has been received at the permanent control post.

When should we place them?

Evacuation of people with disabilities in case of fire

In buildings for Residential use Housing with evacuation height bigger than 28 m, for Public Residential use, Administrative or Teaching with evacuation height bigger than 14 m, for Commercial or Public Concurrence use with evacuation height bigger than 10 m or floors for Parking use with an area exceeding 1,500m², any floor that is not a zero occupancy area and that does not have an exit from the accessible building, will have the possibility of going to an alternative fire sector through an accessible floor exit, or an area of ​​refuge suitable for the number of places that is dedicated next:

• One for wheelchair users per 100 occupants or fraction, according to SI3-2
• Except in Residential use Housing, one for a person with another type of reduced mobility for every 33 occupants or fraction, according to SI3-2

In transport terminals, own statistical bases can be used to estimate the number of places reserved for people with disabilities.

ANNEX A of this regulation refers to accessible call points through intercommunication, mandatory for example for public buildings where there is a permanent control post:

Accessible point of call

Call point to receive assistance that meets the following conditions:

• It is communicating through an accessible itinerary with a main entrance accessible to the building
• It has an intercom system through an accessible mechanism, with a sign indicating its function, and allows two-way communication with people with hearing disabilities.

In point SUA-3 of this same regulation, they make reference to another aspect to be taken into account regarding notices:

SECTION SUA 3. Security against the risk of imprisonment in enclosures

Imprisonment

1. When the doors of an enclosure have a device for blocking from the inside and people can be accidentally trapped inside it, there will be some system for unlocking the doors from the outside of the enclosure. Except in the case of bathrooms or apartment toilets, these enclosures will have controlled lighting from inside.
2. In areas of public use, accessible toilets and accessible changing rooms will have an easily accessible interior device, through which a perceptible assistance call is transmitted from a control point and allows the user to verify that their call has been received, or perceptible from a frequent step of people.
3. The opening force of the exit doors will be 140 N maximum, except for those located on accessible routes, where the provisions of the definition of the same will be applied in the Annex A Terminology (maximum 25 N, in general, 65 N when resistant to fire).
4. To determine the opening and closing maneuvering force of manual swing / pivoting and sliding doors equipped with half-turn latches and intended for use by pedestrians (excluding doors with automatic closing system and doors equipped with special fittings, such as for example, emergency exit devices), the test method specified in standard UNE-EN 12046-2: 2000 will be used.

THE ALCAD SOLUTION

In order to combine and comply with both regulations, currently in force, at ALCAD we have a new solution integrated to our Nurse Call system ACCURO, which we have called ACCUROrefugium. With this solution we could incorporate, in the specific refuge areas, our CIC-231 bi-directional intercom with the control posts that are designated; Thereby, anyone who needs help at these points can communicate without any problem.
This new system incorporates a capacitive touch panel with easy-to-identify symbols:

• A green color button: bigger than the rest of icons, serves to realize the request of aid. This icon will illuminate a light to warn that the call is in progress, very useful for people with hearing difficulties, and at the time that communication is established, it will be indicated that someone has received the request for help through the display that includes our control unit.
• A red color button: it serves to end the communication and request for help. The end of the action also occurs automatically when the request for assistance is answered from the control post.

INTERCOMMUNICATION UNIT TOUCH ACCURO (CIC-231)

For the second part of which we have spoken in this post, in ALCAD we extend the range of own manufacturing mechanisms to serve the compliance of the DB-SUA: facilities in the toilets with adapted accessibility with the new peripheral call (LLC- 124); It consists of a green call button and a red colored pull cord, easily visible, with a sufficient length to reach the ground and actuate in case of a fall in the toilet. These notices are considered as "priority", since the warning in most cases involves a fall that requires face-to-face assistance, and the system compels us to perform an assistance to the physical space in which the call was made, and canceling it by pressing the red button.

WC PULLCORD WITH CALL AND CANCELLATION (LLC-124)

To illuminate the passage areas, in addition to the call made to the permanent control post, it is necessary to install another mechanism, namely a red signal light (SEN-121), which lights when we press the bathroom call.

DOOR TOP WARNING LAMP (SEN-121)

Application and installation

More and more organizations which we work with are interested in this ALCAD solution described above, such as the new Palace of Justice in Guadalajara, which has relied on ALCAD as a manufacturer of the warning system for the shelters of the different plants together to the evacuation stairs and the accessible toilets that there are along all the floors. The solution applied? ACCUROrefugium.

We show you below a general scheme, based on this installation where you can see how the installation is wired:

Installation

The installation is very simple due to its FULL IP system, so we will have to implement a star installation of the data network cable, making point / point between the switch and the terminals, both the intercommunication of the shelters (CIC- 231) as the multi-toilets (CHC-129), at the same time that we feed them at 24 volts with a pair of 1.5mm section from the 5A sources we supply (FAC-071).

In the case of toilets, from the IP central (CHC-129), we will have a hose of at least 0.5mm in diameter to guarantee its operation over distances; however, if these distances are not high, we could use a UTP cable equally to each toilet, to serve both the door handle and the door signal.

As it is a 100% IP product, we could also expand the installation in a universal and simple way, and we can integrate them with other IP services, such as a DECT wireless telephony or a WI-FI network, in which we could have the alarms in phones, without needing to be in a fixed position to receive them. Those are some of the multiple options to which we can choose with our system.

Find more information on our HEALTHCARE section ACCUROrefugium section