The Turkish Fire Protection Regulation (BYKHY) gives no foam numbers: no application rate, no duration, no concentrate percentage. What it says comes down to three things: where water is not enough, a suitable extinguishing system is installed (Article 98(2)); foam systems are designed to the relevant standards (98(1)); and liquid facilities are equipped with adequate fire systems, with foam, carbon dioxide, dry chemical powder and water named as agents (122(1)). The numbers therefore come from the foam standard you choose. This article collects every foam-related provision in the regulation and shows the step across to the standard.
Which text is this based on? This article follows the consolidated text of the Turkish Fire Protection Regulation (BYKHY) as amended up to 09.07.2015 (Official Gazette no. 29411), read together with the BYKHY Guide issued by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change in December 2024. The regulation has been amended since 2015, and the Guide itself states that the legislation in force prevails where the two differ. On a real project, check the latest text published in the Official Gazette and confirm with the local authority or fire brigade. Paragraph 7 of Article 98 in the Guide is not in the 2015 text; details below.
Article 98: fixed foam, gas and powder systems
- 98(1): fixed automatic foam, gas and dry powder systems are designed to suit the facility and its needs, and must be appropriate, current, certified and in line with the relevant standards.
- 98(2): where water is not considered effective enough, or where water-reactive materials are present, stored or produced, a suitable type of extinguishing system is installed.
- 98(3)–(5): gas systems follow TS ISO 14520, with audible and visual warnings, automatic closing of vents and long-term validity of the agent. No equivalent standard is named for foam.
- 98(6): oxygen reduction systems may be used in enclosed spaces without permanent occupancy.
Naming a standard for gas but not for foam matters: for foam, the design standard is chosen and justified on each project.
The Guide on 98(2) (p. 167)
The Guide says whether water is "not enough" depends on the building, its contents and the chemistry of what is processed or stored. Where a gas system cannot work, for example because the volume is too large for the standard's conditions or there are openings that cannot be closed, dry powder and in some cases foam systems are considered first. If no extinguishing system is feasible, additional measures are drawn from international legislation and standards. The Guide also states plainly that avoiding measures on cost or equipment grounds is not an acceptable approach.
A new paragraph in the Guide: 98(7) (p. 168)
Paragraph 7 of Article 98 in the Guide does not appear in the 2015 consolidated text. It requires, for the buildings listed in Article 7(12), measures in open storage yards (beyond day-to-day needs) that cut the fuel's or product's contact with oxygen in a fire, according to the risk. Article 7(12) is also absent from the 2015 text; according to the Guide (p. 36) it covers refineries in or next to forest land, fossil-fuel power plants, power plants of 500 MW installed capacity or more, and industrial plants such as factories with more than 2,000 m² of enclosed floor area, together with their storage facilities and yards.
The paragraph does not use the word foam, but cutting oxygen from the fuel surface is exactly how a foam blanket extinguishes. For an open tank yard at such a plant, foam protection is the natural way to meet it. Confirm the paragraph appears in the same form in the text in force.
Article 122: general protection of liquid facilities
| Paragraph | Requirement | Design consequence |
|---|---|---|
| 122(1) | Storage, filling and transfer facilities have adequate fire systems, kept ready and maintained. The arrangement may be fixed, mobile or semi-mobile. Foam, carbon dioxide, dry chemical powder and water are named as agents. | System type and agent are open; "adequate" is demonstrated through the chosen standard |
| 122(2) | The water spray (sprinkler) installation must be able to stop a neighbouring tank heating up, igniting and exploding during a tank fire | Exposure cooling is a mandatory objective; the flow comes from the standard |
| 122(3) | Transfer pumps and similar equipment can be controlled from a point reachable quickly and freely in a fire; this also applies to IIIA and IIIB stored with other classes | Pump stop outside the bund and fire zone |
| 122(4)–(5) | Tanks and connected plant are earthed; connections accessible and secured against loosening; the tank itself is not the earthing conductor | Prevents static ignition |
| 122(6) | Vapour displaced during filling vented safely to open air, or else returned to the delivering tank | Vapour return line |
Where does foam appear in the regulation?
| Provision | Link to foam |
|---|---|
| Article 98(1)–(2) | Fixed foam designed to standard; a suitable system where water is not enough |
| Article 99(1)(b) | For likely Class B fires, portable extinguishers are primarily dry powder, carbon dioxide or foam |
| Article 122(1) | Foam, carbon dioxide, dry powder and water as agents in liquid facilities |
| Annex 12/B footnote | "Fire protection" for in-factory storage is sprinklers, carbon dioxide, dry powder or another suitable system; foam is not named but can fall under "suitable system" |
| Article 121(4)(g) | Fuel stations require only dry powder portable and wheeled extinguishers |
| Article 98(7) (Guide) | Measures cutting oxygen contact in open storage yards of certain plants |
Choosing the standard
Where the regulation is silent on hazardous materials, the relevant legislation and standards apply (Article 101(1)). The Guide sets the order: national legislation and standards first; where they are silent, internationally accepted legislation and standards are used with the authority's agreement (p. 173). For foam the two sources most often used are the European EN 13565-2 and the US NFPA 11.
This site's NFPA 11-2024 clause guide is published in the same category, with values read from the PDF pages:
- Fixed-roof tanks: foam rate and duration
- Subsurface foam injection
- Dikes, spill areas and loading racks
- Supplementary foam hose streams and monitors
- Concentrate supply, reserve and proportioning
For overall design steps see the foam system design guide, and for concentrate quantity the foam concentrate calculator.
Decision sequence
- Liquid class and quantity (Articles 113–115, 118–120): classes.
- Is water enough? A surface fire or water-reactive risk triggers 98(2).
- Fixed or mobile? 122(1) accepts both and the hybrid; choose by plant size and fire brigade access.
- Standard: follow the order in 101(1) and Guide p. 173, name the standard and edition in the design report, and obtain the authority's agreement.
- Exposure cooling (122(2)) and pump control (122(3)) are solved separately.
Common mistakes
- "No numbers, so no requirement". 98(1) and 122(1) tie adequacy to a standard; the numbers come from it.
- Sprinklers alone for a tank fire. The 122(2) spray protects the neighbouring tank; extinguishing the burning liquid surface is a separate task.
- Leaving the standard out of the report. As the regulation names none for foam, the choice and edition must be documented.
- Uncertified equipment. 98(1) requires the system to be certified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BYKHY give a foam application rate or duration?
No. Article 98(1) requires fixed foam systems to be designed to the relevant standards; application rate, duration and concentrate percentage are not in the regulation and come from the chosen standard.
Which standard should a foam system follow in Turkey?
Article 101(1) points to the relevant legislation and standards where the regulation is silent. The Guide says national legislation and standards come first; otherwise internationally accepted standards are used with the authority's agreement (p. 173). EN 13565-2 and NFPA 11 are the sources most often used for foam.
What is the water spray in Article 122(2) for?
Article 122(2) requires the water spray installation to prevent a neighbouring tank heating up, igniting and exploding during a tank fire. Its purpose is exposure cooling; putting out the burning tank is a separate task.
What is Article 98(7)?
Article 98(7) in the December 2024 Guide requires measures cutting fuel or product contact with oxygen in open storage yards of the plants listed in Article 7(12). It is not in the 2015 consolidated text; confirm it against the text in force.
Is a fixed foam system required at a fuel station?
Article 121(4)(g) lists only dry powder portable and wheeled extinguishers for stations; it does not require a fixed foam system.
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Download MEP Calc on the App StoreRegulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY), Official Gazette 19.12.2007/26735; consolidated text including the amendments of 09.09.2009/27344, 05.04.2012/28255 and 09.07.2015/29411: Article 7 (p. 6), Articles 98 and 99 (pp. 35–36), 101 (p. 36), 121(4)(g) and 122 (pp. 46–47), Annex 12/B (p. 71). BYKHY Guide (Binaların Yangından Korunması Hakkında Yönetmelik Kılavuzu), Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, December 2024: Article 7(12) (p. 36), Article 98 and commentary (pp. 167–168), Article 99 (p. 169), Article 101 and commentary (p. 173), Article 122 (p. 205). Page numbers refer to the 72-page consolidated text and to the Guide's own page numbering. The binding text is the regulation in force as published in the Official Gazette.