Introduction
In 2022, significant changes were made to the National Construction Code (NCC) to enhance fire safety in early childhood centres, especially those located in multi-storey buildings. These new regulations require such centres to be divided into at least two fire-separated compartments and equipped with sprinklers to ensure the safety of children and staff. While there are some exemptions, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) often mandates sprinklers regardless, due to their internal policies. This article delves into these changes and the challenges they present for fire safety management in childcare facilities.
In 2022, Lote published a newsletter article on Changes to the National Construction Code (NCC 2022) For early childhood centres. Childcare facilities present unique challenges when it comes to managing fire risks and meeting the goals of fire safety within properties. A further elaboration on this has been deduced in Part Two of this article as questions arose, if the childcare centre is only used in the building for the purpose of C3D6.
New Fire Safety Requirements for Early Childhood Centres
Based strictly on BCA Part A6 and Clause C3D6, a two storey Class 9b early childcare building with a Ground Floor carpark is required to be fire separated into at least two compartments and have sprinklers. These new requirements introduced in BCA 2022 have come out of the increase of multi-storey mixed-use buildings where early childhood centres are being incorporated into these new buildings as per NCC's article from 2022 (link below). These changes aim to provide a similar level of safety to a single storey childcare centre provided with direct egress to road or open space.
New requirements for early childhood centres and primary schools in multi-storey buildings | NCC
Exemptions and Interpretations
However, the exemption can be interpreted in a way for the building to not meet the requirements of C3D6(2) and E1D11 if egress from the childcare portion does not require occupants to enter the carpark portion to reach road or open space. Do note that access from the carpark to the childcare portion still requires fire separation.
This is a way to utilise the exemption for Class 9b early childhood centre buildings on how we've been utilising the exemption for Class 9b early childhood centre buildings.
Challenges with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Policies
Despite this exemption, our recent experience with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) for all Fire Engineering Brief Questionnaires (FEBQs) submitted for Class 9b early childhood centres have required these buildings to be provided with sprinklers even when the BCA provisions permit it to be without sprinklers. This is due to their internal policy as outlined in their position statement (link below).
Fire safety in early childhood centres - Fire and Rescue NSW
The above is a challenge that all fire engineers are experiencing across the industry, and as such something which requires to work with relevant stakeholders to resolve these issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the recent changes to the National Construction Code (NCC 2022) are crucial for enhancing fire safety in early childhood centres, particularly those in multi-storey buildings. These new regulations, which require fire separation and sprinklers, aim to ensure the safety of children and staff. Despite some exemptions, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) often mandates sprinklers due to their internal policies. These changes highlight the ongoing efforts to improve fire safety standards and the challenges faced in implementing them effectively.