BYKHY Articles 82–83: Emergency Control and Cables

Once a fire is detected, several things must happen in the building by themselves: fire doors close, stairs are pressurised, locked doors open, lifts stop answering calls and the fire brigade is told. Article 82 of the Turkish Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY) lists these functions as the "emergency control system"; Article 83 decides which cables must survive the fire so that the functions keep working. Read the two together: a control whose cable burns is no better than a control that was never written.

Article 82: emergency control functions

The emergency control system that carries out the necessary control functions automatically in a fire must have the following features and functions (82/1):

Lifts. Clause (e) reads with Article 62/5: in high-rise and public buildings, on receiving a fire alarm, lifts return automatically to the exit floor without opening their doors, whatever their direction, and wait with doors open; they ignore landing and corridor calls; and they have an electrical system allowing use by authorised persons. For existing buildings, 160/4 repeats the same principles for non-residential buildings with a building height above 30.50 m and residential buildings above 51.50 m. In practice this is an output from the alarm system to the lift controller.

The fire panel has priority (82/2). Emergency control actions are carried out by control units within the hardware and software of the fire alarm system. No command from other systems such as building automation, to the controlled systems or to related security systems, may in any way obstruct the emergency control actions taken from the fire panel. Two things follow: the control logic lives inside the alarm system and is not handed to an automation package; and when the two systems conflict, the fire command wins. If access control is holding a door locked while the panel commands it open, the door must open.

Which signals enter and leave the panel is summarised in the cause-and-effect table of the Articles 78–80 interfaces article.

Article 83: which cables must be fire-resistant

The following cables, which must keep working during a fire, must withstand fire for at least 60 minutes (83/1):

The logic of the exemption (83/3). Fire resistance may be waived on circuits that need not work long after detection: a call point or detector has done its job at the first alarm, and a door holder releases the door when it loses power, so a burnt cable fails safe. The paragraph also lists "cables between fire control panels", which appears to conflict with 83/1-c, where cables between main, sub- and repeater panels are on the 60-minute list. The text reads this way in both paragraphs; where in doubt, applying the stricter 83/1-c and asking the authority is the safe course.

Certification (83/2). Cables that must be fire-resistant are tested to the relevant standards and certified. The Guide adds a practical note: building control staff, and building materials inspectors where needed, may check the cables' documents and take a sample from anywhere in the building, including inside walls, for testing (p. 135).

Segregation (83/4). Fire alarm cables are of the type specified by the manufacturer of the detection, control and alarm equipment for reliable operation, and are run separately from other systems and power cables to protect them from electrical noise and similar effects.

Halogen-free (83/5). In healthcare buildings, accommodation buildings with more than 100 people and assembly buildings with more than 1000 occupants, the materials of all supply and distribution cables and of cable containment are halogen-free and produce no toxic gas in a fire. This applies to every supply and distribution cable in the building, not just fire alarm cables.

Reaction-to-fire class. The Guide notes that the Regulation has no provision on the reaction-to-fire performance class of cables, and says that for choosing a class one may refer to the General Technical Specification for Cables, Chapter 12 of the communiqué amending Communiqué YFK 2007/1 on general technical specifications for construction, mechanical and electrical works, published in Official Gazette No. 31343 of 23.12.2020 (p. 135). Cables and suspended ceilings are covered in the suspended ceilings and cable fire spread article.

Cable rules in other clauses

• Smoke exhaust and pressurisation fans (85/5): supply cables withstand fire for at least 60 minutes, and the fans are arranged to be fed from the generator.
• Existing buildings (162): where the electrical installation is renewed, cables meeting Article 83 are used. See detection in existing buildings.
• Continuous supervision (74/2): all fire alarm cables and lines to remote monitoring centres are supervised for open circuit, short circuit and earth fault.
• Voice alarm: the Guide asks for the supply cable to the voice alarm central unit and the loudspeaker cables to be fire-resistant (p. 132).

Practical notes on cable routes

The Regulation sets the 60-minute requirement on the cable itself, but whether the cable works for that long also depends on the route. A fire-resistant cable laid on a non-fire-rated tray or clip is installed differently from how it was tested. Use the support system named in the manufacturer's certificate and check it, with its documents, at acceptance. Keep routes out of other fire compartments where possible, and where they cross, detail the penetrations so the compartment's rating is not reduced. An alarm circuit that takes a short cut through another compartment can lose the alarm on its target floor to a fire in that compartment.

Checklist

• Is a panel output defined for each of the six functions of 82/1?
• Can building automation or access control never block a fire command? (82/2)
• Are alarm, voice, control, inter-panel and panel supply cables rated for at least 60 minutes and certified? (83/1–2)
• Are alarm cables segregated from power cables? (83/4)
• Healthcare, accommodation over 100 people or assembly over 1000 occupants: are all cables halogen-free? (83/5)
• Are smoke and pressurisation fan cables rated for 60 minutes and generator-backed? (85/5)

Frequently Asked Questions

How long must fire alarm cables resist fire under the Turkish regulation?

Under Article 83/1, cables from the panel to alarm devices, voice evacuation amplifiers and loudspeakers and emergency control devices, the in-building part of fire brigade notification cables, inter-panel cables and panel supply cables must withstand fire for at least 60 minutes.

Do detector and call point cables need to be fire-resistant?

Under Article 83/3, fire resistance may be waived for cables to call points and detectors, which need not work long after detection, and for cables to door holders that are safe when de-energised. State the decision clearly in the design.

Where are halogen-free cables mandatory?

Under Article 83/5, in healthcare buildings, accommodation buildings with more than 100 people and assembly buildings with more than 1000 occupants, all supply and distribution cables and cable containment use halogen-free materials.

Can the building automation system run the fire controls?

Under Article 82/2, emergency control actions are carried out by the fire alarm system's own control units, and no command from other systems such as building automation may obstruct the emergency control actions taken from the fire panel.

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