When are hose reels, fire-brigade connections and hydrants mandatory?
The Turkish Regulation on Fire Protection of Buildings (BYKHY) sets separate conditions for these four systems, all independent of sprinklers: a building without sprinklers may still need hose reels, an inlet or external hydrants. The checker gives each as a separate result with clause references. The questions are the conditions written in the articles; read the figure from the drawings and answer yes or no. The checker is for new buildings; the sprinkler requirement is outside its scope.
Hose reels: Articles 94/1-b-1 and 94/1-a-1
| Condition | Extent | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| High-rise building | Whole building | 94/1-b-1 |
| Total enclosed floor area > 1000 m²: manufacturing, workshop, storage, accommodation, healthcare, assembly, education | Whole building | 94/1-b-1 |
| Enclosed car parks > 600 m² in total | Car park | 94/1-b-1, 60/1 |
| Boiler room > 350 kW | Boiler room | 94/1-b-1 |
| Storey with one dimension over 60 m | Those storeys | 94/1-a-1 |
Offices, commercial buildings and dwellings are not named in the area criterion; there, hose reels come only with a high-rise, car park, boiler room or 60 m storey. Reels go on every storey and in every fire-walled part at most 30 m apart, near corridor exits and stair landings; with sprinklers and outlets on the storeys the spacing may rise to 45 m (94/1-b-2). Without trained staff use TS EN 671-1 semi-rigid hose reels (25 mm, at most 30 m, 100 L/min, 400 kPa); with trained fire-fighting staff TS EN 671-2 lay-flat hose (400 L/min). If the use is not high hazard and there is only a hose-reel system, the reels may be fed from the domestic supply (92/6). For flows and storage use the hose cabinet and hydrant flow calculator.
Fire-brigade outlets: Article 94/1-a-1
High-rise buildings, shopping centres, car parks and similar places with a storey above 1000 m², and storeys with one dimension over 60 m need fire-brigade outlets on a wet or dry fixed pipe. The checker counts factories, workshops and stores as similar places. Outlets sit in protected spaces such as escape stairs or fire lobbies; no point may be more than 60 m from an outlet (94/1-a-2) and couplings are Storz 50 or 65 mm (94/1-a-3). Enclosed car parks above 600 m² also need outlets under 60/1.
Fire-brigade inlet: Article 97/1
High-rise buildings, buildings with a footprint above 1000 m² and buildings with a façade over 75 m need an inlet of at least 100 mm nominal on their water-based systems: 2 × 65 mm Storz couplings, a check valve and automatic drainage of the pipe between the valve and the inlet. The fire appliance must be able to reach within 18 m. If a condition is met but the building has no water-based system at all, no inlet is required; the checker shows "no wet system" and asks whether sprinklers or another water-based system will be installed.
External hydrants: Articles 95/7 and 7/12
External hydrants are mandatory where the total footprint of the buildings exceeds 5000 m²; add up the footprints of every building on the site. They are also required for refineries, fossil-fuel power plants, energy plants of 500 MW or more, industrial facilities such as factories above 2000 m² and their storage yards in or next to forest land (7/12). Hydrant flow is at least 1900 L/min with 700 kPa at the outlet (95/2). Spacing is 50 m in very high-risk, 100 m in high-risk, 125 m in medium-risk and 150 m in low-risk zones (95/3), on average 5–15 m from the buildings (95/4). With external hydrants only, the water demand is at least 1900 L/min × 90 min; in 7/12 areas storage of at least 5700 L/min × 60 min (92/7).
High-rise buildings
A building with a building height above 21.50 m (datum to eaves) or a structure height above 30.50 m (all storeys, basements included) is a high-rise (4/ccc); the checker treats either criterion as sufficient. A high-rise needs hose reels, outlets and an inlet whatever its use.
Example: a 150 × 100 m single-storey factory
Total and storey area 15,000 m², footprint 15,000 m², long façade 150 m, one building.
- Hose reels: manufacturing, 15,000 > 1000 m² and storey dimension 150 > 60 m → required (94/1-b-1, 94/1-a-1).
- Fire-brigade outlets: factory as a similar place, storey > 1000 m² and storey > 60 m → required (94/1-a-1).
- Inlet: footprint > 1000 m², façade > 75 m and the hose reels are a water-based system → required (97/1).
- External hydrants: footprint 15,000 > 5000 m² → required (95/7).
Common mistakes
- Assuming no sprinklers means no hose reels. The 1000 m² threshold of 94/1-b-1 is independent of sprinklers.
- Looking for an inlet only in high-rise buildings. A low building with a footprint above 1000 m² or a façade over 75 m also needs one.
- Using total floor area for hydrants. 95/7 uses the total footprint of the buildings.
- Forgetting the 60 m rule. A storey with a dimension over 60 m needs hose reels and outlets whatever the use.
Next step
For flows and the water tank use the hose cabinet and hydrant flow calculator and the fire water tank calculator. For the sprinkler requirement see which buildings require sprinklers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which buildings need hose reels under the Turkish regulation?
Under BYKHY Article 94/1-b-1: high-rise buildings; manufacturing, workshop, storage, accommodation, healthcare, assembly and education buildings with a total enclosed floor area above 1000 m²; enclosed car parks above 600 m²; and boiler rooms above 350 kW. Storeys with one dimension over 60 m also need hose reels (94/1-a-1). The requirement is independent of sprinklers.
When are fire-brigade outlets required?
In high-rise buildings, in shopping centres, car parks and similar places with a storey above 1000 m², and on storeys with one dimension over 60 m (94/1-a-1). Outlets sit in protected spaces such as escape stairs or fire lobbies, and no point may be more than 60 m from one.
When is a fire-brigade inlet mandatory?
Under Article 97/1, high-rise buildings, buildings with a footprint above 1000 m² and buildings with a façade over 75 m need an inlet of at least 100 mm on their water-based systems, with 2 × 65 mm Storz couplings and a check valve; the fire appliance must be within 18 m.
When are external hydrants mandatory?
Where the total footprint of the buildings exceeds 5000 m² (95/7), and for Article 7/12 facilities in or next to forest land. Hydrant flow is at least 1900 L/min at 700 kPa; in 7/12 areas the hydrant storage is at least 5700 L/min × 60 min (92/7).
Does a 15,000 m² factory need hose reels and hydrants?
Yes. Its manufacturing area exceeds 1000 m², so hose reels are mandatory (94/1-b-1). If single-storey, its footprint of 15,000 m² exceeds 5000 m², so external hydrants are mandatory too (95/7); the footprint above 1000 m² requires an inlet and the storey above 1000 m² requires fire-brigade outlets. For a multi-storey building the hydrant rule looks at the total footprint.
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