ISO 13571-2012 PDF

Full title and description

St ISO 13571-2012 — Life-threatening components of fire — Guidelines for the estimation of time to compromised tenability in fires. This International Standard provides guidance for estimating the time at which exposed occupants are likely to experience compromised tenability because of fire-effluent toxicity, heat and visual obscuration (smoke), and can be used alongside fire growth, smoke movement and people‑movement models to inform fire safety engineering assessments and rescue planning.

Abstract

ISO 13571:2012 establishes procedures to evaluate life‑threatening components of fire in terms of the status of exposed human subjects at discrete time intervals. It describes toxic gas and mass‑loss approaches for estimating the time to compromised tenability, and addresses heat exposure and visual obscuration as endpoints. The guidance is intended for use together with fire dynamic and people‑movement models and can also assist in estimating rescue time limits for immobile persons.

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard); currently designated for review / to be revised.
• Publication date: September 2012 (2012-09).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO), technical committee ISO/TC 92/SC 3 (fire safety).
• ICS / categories: 13.220.01 — Protection against fire in general.
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2012).
• Number of pages: ISO lists 21 pages for the 2012 edition; some national adoption documents/catalogues record a larger total (e.g., 28–36 pages) when national forewords or translations are included.

Scope

This standard provides guidance for assessing the consequences of human exposure to life‑threatening components of fire (toxic effluents, heat and smoke obscuration) and for estimating the time to compromised tenability for occupants. It is intended to be applied as part of fire safety engineering analyses together with models of fire initiation and growth, smoke production and movement, species generation and decay, ventilation, detection and suppression, and people movement. The methodology yields compromised‑tenability endpoints for each hazard component and identifies the earliest limiting endpoint.

Key topics and requirements

• Definitions and concept of "compromised tenability" as the endpoint for human exposure assessment in fire situations.
• Toxicity assessment methods: detailed toxic‑gas model when effluent composition is known, and a generic mass‑loss model for cases with unknown composition.
• Heat exposure criteria and procedures to estimate when thermal environment becomes life‑threatening.
• Visual obscuration (smoke) and its impact on behaviour and escape capability.
• Procedure to compare multiple endpoints (toxicity, heat, obscuration) and identify the controlling (earliest) compromised tenability time.
• Guidance on application alongside fire dynamic models, people‑movement models, and for estimating rescue time limits for immobile persons.

Typical use and users

Used by fire safety engineers, building designers, risk assessors, fire investigators, regulatory bodies and emergency planners to quantify human tenability limits in performance‑based fire safety assessments, evacuation and rescue planning, and when evaluating the human consequences of different fire scenarios. The standard is applied in engineering analyses that combine fire dynamics, toxicant generation/transport and occupant movement models.

Related standards

ISO 13943 (Fire safety — Vocabulary) for terminology referenced in ISO 13571; other ISO and national standards on fire dynamics, smoke measurement and toxicity models; and the developing ISO/PRF 13571‑1, which is intended to revise/replace ISO 13571:2012 with a part‑based approach focused on toxicant exposure and escape capability.

Keywords

fire safety, compromised tenability, toxicity, smoke obscuration, heat exposure, time to incapacitation, fire effluents, fire hazard analysis, ISO 13571.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 13571:2012 is an international standard giving guidance to estimate the time at which people exposed to a fire are likely to experience compromised tenability from toxicity, heat or smoke obscuration.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers procedures and models (toxic‑gas and mass‑loss approaches) to determine time‑dependent human exposure endpoints in fires, and how to compare endpoints to find the earliest limiting factor that compromises tenability. It is intended to be used together with fire and people‑movement modelling.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Fire safety engineers, building designers, risk assessors, emergency planners, and regulators for performance‑based fire safety assessments, evacuation and rescue planning, and forensic analysis.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 13571:2012 is published and remains in force, but it has been scheduled for review and ISO has been developing ISO/PRF 13571‑1 as a replacement/part‑based update; users should check the latest ISO catalogue or national standards body for formal status and any newly published replacement.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: The standard is being developed into a part‑based series (for example ISO/PRF 13571‑1) that will provide updated, method‑specific guidance; ISO 13571:2012 itself is a standalone edition (Edition 2) but is connected to broader ISO work on fire safety and toxicity assessment.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Compromised tenability, fire effluents, toxic gas model, mass‑loss model, smoke obscuration, heat exposure, evacuation time, fire safety engineering.