One of the biggest changes in family social activities and children’s play over the last ten years has been the usage of "Fully Enclosed" indoor soft play equipment. "Fully Enclosed" indoor soft play equipment is a term of reference used throughout Europe, but these type of facilities can also be referred to as "Contained" indoor soft play equipment in other parts of the world.
These facilities are continuing to grow in numbers and cater for infants to teenagers. With the ever changing face of modern technologies they are combining new attractions into their structure including soft contained play, rides, interactive games, animatronics and edutainment (a combination of "edu"cation and enter"tainment"). It is important to note that the project objectives and proposals as detailed below were developed and set prior to any research being conducted. The research has since demonstrated that some of the aspects in the proposals and objectives are inaccurate and may contain emotive statements. Therefore the terminology and statements used in these proposals and objectives must not be misconstrued.
Due to the fact that these facilities are fairly unique in terms of structure, materials, geometries and occupants they present a number of unique fire safety issues.
The following points highlight some of the generic issues:
the play equipment, which can be up to three storeys high, forms a major part of the building contents
the play equipment often makes for long and complicated escape
the equipment is designed to take large numbers of young children. Young children may not be able to escape unassisted in the event of a fire
fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus and protective clothing are likely to experience significant difficulties in accessing areas of the play equipment and making their way back out
management procedures in terms of staff responsibilities in a fire event are critical
the equipment is largely made of highly combustible material with very high fuel loads
The key objectives of this research were therefore to:
reduce the probability of death or injury due to fire in indoor play areas
produce a user-friendly guide which provides quantified criteria that will enable safety professionals to carry out objective fire risk assessments for new and existing facilities
ensure that this issue of risk assessment is addressed more fully on the basis of unbiased research data
provide technical guidance on how to improve building design and management procedures where the risk assessment highlights a deficiency
increase operators’ confidence in their fire safety strategies and approach
improve the consistency of approach to this issue throughout the UK. This could be extended into Europe through the input this work can have into the appropriate CEN committees.
share best practice significantly
increase awareness and knowledge of this issue by involving large numbers of operators, play equipment manufacturers and safety practitioners in the steering group, experiments, briefing and feedback workshops and seminars
provide a worked example approach, which can be emulated in other areas requiring pragmatic, data based risk control.
increase the use of the ILAM guide as a result of highlighting the need for good design and management through the experimental work
encourage the take up of the issue of fire safety approval of Indoor Play Areas by an appropriate enforcing agency/body
The ILAM guide referenced above has now been incorporated into British Standard BS 8409: 2002 Soft indoor play areas – Code of practice.
Approach
Prior to any risk assessment being developed or any large-scale laboratory testing being undertaken the potential hazards needed to be identified. To establish and understand these potential hazards a series of site surveys were undertaken.
The site surveys were conducted across the UK and a range of different establishments were visited. The aim of covering different styles of facilities across a large geographical area was to establish the significant fire safety issues that needed to be addressed by this project.
During the research project several incidents of fires or associated events were brought to the attention of the project team. The details and implications of these events were carefully considered within the context of the project.
To study the ease of the ignition of materials used in soft play equipment, samples of new and used play equipment were collected and exposed to the small flame ignitability tests. This testing had two objectives:
to identify the ease of ignition of a common sample of play equipment ignited via a small flame, similar to that of a cigarette lighter.
to test the hypothesis that the reaction to fire properties of the materials degrade over time and/or by the continued usage of cleaning products.
A series of experimental exercises were conducted with the objective of assessing how effectively search and rescue exercises could be conducted within the confines of an indoor play structure.
To facilitate the search and rescue exercises the full scale experimental indoor play facility known as ‘Lavender World’ was designed and built to be representative of an actual establishment, see Figures A and B.
All the attending fire crews were presented with the following general scenario:
A fire had been discovered in an electrical cupboard along the internal north wall of the play facility. All of the children within the play facility apart from one had been accounted for. On discovering that a child was missing the father of the child had gone back into the facility in attempt to rescue his child and had not reappeared.
A total of 14 experimental search and rescue exercises were conducted. The images on the flyer are of the simulated indoor play facility.
To study the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) from a fire occurring within an indoor play facility a series of fire tests were conducted inside Lavender World. The series of tests were designed to study the smoke layering and movement, temperature and tenability of the environment within the play facility with different ventilation conditions.
Three different fire scenarios were chosen to be representative of possibly real fire situations that could occur within a play facility. The different scenarios were as follows:
Arson event within soft play area
Within an area of soft padded equipment
Within an area of solid tubular/ pod equipment
Chip pan fire within lobby/kitchen area
A final experimental demonstration exercise was conducted utilising a larger scale test rig containing various items of soft and hard play equipment. The rig was designed to simulate 4 bays of play equipment, 2 bays wide, 1 bay deep and 2 bays high. The ignition source used for the demonstration exercise was an arson pack developed for the research.
The rig contained floor pads, vertical wall pads, a section of staggered horizontal climb, section of hard tubular structure, retention netting, hanging soft play structures and free standing soft play structures.
All the sections of equipment were weighed before and after the test. This mass loss data allowed an estimated calculation to be made for the heat release rate from the fire test.
Any combustible materials within the vicinity of a fire at this intensity (i.e. bays of play equipment in a larger structure) would become rapidly involved in the fire.
Complete involvement of an entire play structure the size of Lavender World would be likely to occur within a minute of the fire reaching this size.
The results of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling exercise have indicated that there is good potential for the use of CFD technologies to predict conditions in Indoor Play Facilities as part of a quantitative approach to fire safety design.
The CFD results have been generated from a Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) CFD model that requires further refinement, for example the air leakage paths and thermal property data for the lining material of the building. The project resources available did not allow a significant level of refinement and further CFD analysis to be carried out. The purpose of the CFD modelling conducted as part of this project was to establish whether the geometry and equipment within an indoor play facility could be inputted into a commonly used CFD package and to give an indication of the likely validity of model predictions. Figure D Time = 6 minutes 55 seconds. Shows a fully developed fire. The polypropylene tube has melted and is flowing to form a pool fire on the floor of the test rig.
Conclusions
The following conclusions were drawn from the research:
The research has demonstrated that the statistical frequency of fire events in indoor play facilities is currently very low and that no fire injuries or fatalities have so far been recorded.
Site surveys demonstrated that standards of monitoring of play equipment, as well as training and awareness of fire safety issues within the management of indoor play areas currently vary. Improved management focus is necessary in terms of ensuring escape times within the ASET for a real fire.
The research has shown that the ignition resistance of play equipment to non-flaming ignition sources and deliberate fire setting attempts using small flaming sources such as cigarette lighters or matches is very high.
The research demonstrated that close control of litter and other foreign bodies either within or being carried into a play structure is essential to prevent large ignition sources being available for deliberate or accidental (through play) fire setting.
The research demonstrated that different types of detection technology identify the presence of a fire within a play structure at different speeds. Careful consideration is essential regarding the most appropriate selection of detection technology for use within a play facility to provide early identification and possible location of a fire.
The research demonstrated that reliance cannot be placed solely on automatic detection systems to detect a fire that has been deliberately ignited or resulting from a large accidental flaming source. This is because as the ASET from the time of automatic detection may be too short to allow for actual escape and search and sweep time.
The research showed that fire fighters will find fire fighting and search and rescue operations within play facilities difficult without the assistance of some automatic ventilation or fire fighting PPV.
The results of a CFD modelling exercise demonstrated that there is a potential for the use of such techniques as part of the fire engineer’s approach for fire safety design in these applications.
Recommendations
The project has demonstrated that there is a need for a Risk Assessment Methodology for the indoor play industry to assist with the design, management and use of indoor play facilities. Such information is also required for the Fire Service and other appropriate enforcing bodies with respect to their interaction with indoor play facilities.
The Risk Assessment Method should identify priority fire risks and give clear details of appropriate control measures. The document must be quick and simple to use and be suitable for a wide audience including:
Operators (either independent or chain)
Staff working within the indoor play industry
Designers
Heath and Safety professionals
Fire officers
Local authorities or other enforcing bodies
The recommendations have been separated into sections of relevance relating to the hazards identified from the research. Each section recommends a number of ‘toolkit’ options that can be used to enhance fire safety provisions within indoor play facilities.
During the research there were a few areas identified by the project team that would have benefited from further, more detailed study. Within the confines of the project scope it has not been possible to undertake this research because it was not directly relevant to the project.
The primary area for further research identified whilst conducting the project related to the possibilities available for ‘way finding’ technologies within complex building structures when moving in low levels of visibility. The research showed that reflectance and luminosity of fire escape signage is affected by light refraction in smoke conditions. High intensity lighting applications capable of penetrating through smoke are possible way finding alternatives that can be employed in complex structures such as indoor play facilities. Another variation for possible way finding within a play structure is the colour coding of play equipment. Development of way finding technologies is not necessarily specific to indoor play but relates to other complex buildings. To investigate the possible benefits of this technology extensive work would need to be undertaken on a large number of different possible solutions that would have distracted from the original project objectives.
It is a recommendation of the project that there needs to be further work conducted relating to ‘real’ evacuations from play structures. This research may identify possible human behavioural conflicts that could have implications on evacuation times. The project research demonstrated that the ASET from a play structure can be as short as three minutes when the materials within the structure are subjected to a large flaming ignition source. At the time of producing this document there was no specific data available that relates to the evacuation of play facilities in ‘real’ situations. Many operators conduct evacuation exercises when the facility is not at peak occupancy and tend to inform their staff of the impending drill. Therefore the information generated relating to evacuation times during the operators evacuation drills cannot be considered as a true representation of ‘real’ evacuations.
It was identified during the debriefs with the Fire Service following the experimental search and rescue exercises that there were some difficulties in the execution of the exercises. The main reasons for this involved the relaying of information between the officers in charge and the BA crews during the deployment of a large number of fire fighters for search and rescue exercises within a structure of this nature. Further problems were also identified with the effectiveness of the radios used within the exercises. It was presumed that this was due to the nature of the play structure interfering with the radio signals. The nature of the play structure itself caused confusion for the fire fighters deployed within the facility that hindered them from conducting the standard operational tactics. The combination of these factors created difficulties for deploying the fire fighters effectively in the play structure. It is recommended that further work be conducted into the deployment and operational activities of fire fighters when working specifically within complex layouts in buildings.
Recommendations for the Building
The following recommendations relate to the play facility and the building that houses the play structure.
At the time of producing this document the majority of operators of play facilities have to produce a written fire risk assessment as directed by the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 (as amended) and may require a fire certificate as issued by the Local Fire Authority under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. It is recognised by the project team, at the time of producing the document, that the regulatory changes to be invoked as part of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order will have an impact upon these establishments in that it is the responsibility of each establishment to carry out and produce a written fire risk assessment for each premise without Fire Service assistance. It is a recommendation of this project that the Risk Assessment Method can be used as a tool by the operator’s of play facilities for the production of their fire risk assessment. The Risk Assessment Method can also be used as a tool by enforcing authorities such as the Local Fire Authority.
It is the recommendation of this project that each operator conduct a fire risk assessment for each play facility. A corporate standard document should not be used without some modification so that it relates to the specific site. This is proposed as each facility will have different considerations relating to their establishment. These factors will include but not limited to:
Size of premise in relation to size of play structure
Interaction with another establishment
Whether the play area is the primary attraction of the establishment
Differing management policies and internal procedures
The research demonstrated that a fire originating within an auxiliary area, specifically a kitchen involving the preparation of hot food, such as deep fat fryers or open hobs, could potentially create life threatening conditions within an Indoor Play Facility. It is recommended that consideration be given to providing fire compartmentation of the area to a minimum standard of 30 minutes or providing a fixed catering-specific automatic fire suppression system.
It is recommended as good practice to ensure that there is a minimum space separation between high voltage electrical equipment and the play structure itself.
In order to provide continuity of established published information it is a recommendation that the Risk Assessment Method should reflect recommendations of means of escape for similar structures e.g. travel distances from mezzanine floors, by suggesting limitations on the means of escape from the play structure to the final exit.
It is recommended that a door joining the play facility with adjacent accommodation used by parents/carers should not be utilised as the sole means of escape route without robust and established management procedures in place. This is to negate any possible conflicts in the event of an evacuation with parent/carers trying to locate and secure their children by entering the play facility against the flow of escaping occupants.
The research and experimental exercises have shown that plans of the building and play structure within it can provide a positive resource to the Fire Service in the event of an incident, if presented in a user friendly way. It is therefore recommended that A3 plans of each level of the building should be provided at a location accessible to the Fire Service and which can be taken to another location if required. The plans should also show services within the building.
The research demonstrated that natural smoke venting of a play facility was of limited use in the early stages of a fire. Therefore it is the recommendation that there should be consideration for the provision of mechanical extract ventilation within the play facility that would extend ASET from the play facility to outside or a place of relative safety. As the smoke temperatures early in the development of the fire would be considered as low, ambient rated smoke extraction equipment could be used to provide this provision. Such facilities must be designated with care since too high an extraction rate may assist the fire growth rate.
Recommendations for the Play equipment and structure
The following recommendations relate to the play equipment and the structure.
The research has shown that for there to be sufficient ASET from the play facility it is fundamental that detection of a fire must occur at the earliest opportunity. This must be provided through good supervision, good management procedures and the appropriate automatic detection technology.
It is acknowledged that good staff training and awareness of good management procedures can improve the reaction time. Consideration should be given to the fire alarm type so that information and instructions are presented in a clear manner to the occupants to ensure that there is a quick response and safe egress from the facility in the time available. It is also important that, following early detection of a fire, there needs to be immediate reaction to an alarm in order to ensure escape within ASET.
It is recommended that play facilities need trained and able-bodied staff who can gain sufficient access to the play structure to effectively carry out sweeps. This is to ensure that in the event of an evacuation the staff are able to check the structure quickly for trapped, lingering and/or hiding children so that all occupants are able to escape within the ASET.
The research experiments have shown that ionisation type smoke detectors reacted faster for all research fires than optical type smoke detectors. Play operators and Regulators should carefully consider the implications of the research on the guidance in the relevant parts of the current edition of BS 5839 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems for Buildings and associated documents regarding detector types in relation to play areas.
To provide emergency egress from an Indoor Play Structure the use of slides from upper levels can be considered as a good way of getting children out quickly. It is recommended that there is the provision of a slide from each of the upper levels of the Indoor Play Structure (level 3/2nd floor and above) that is within an appropriate travel distance from any point in the particular level of the Indoor Play Structure. The slides should discharge ‘close’ to an exit from the Indoor Play Structure to reduce further travel time to a fire exit.
If vertical drop slides are provided and also considered within the emergency escape plan for the Indoor Play Structure, appropriate documented management procedures for their use in an escape must be in place to negate any potential Health and Safety implications. The management procedures must consider the possibility of the vertical drop slides being closed during low occupancy levels or low staff levels. If vertical drop slides are closed the entrance to them should not create additional dead ends within the Indoor play Structure.
It is recognised that small children may interrupt their escape from a play facility by trying to find and put on their shoes. It is recommended that consideration be given to locating the shoe/clothing storage away from play structure in a location and type of storage facility such that it will not unduly compromise the means of escape partially if a fire should start within such storage.
It is recommended that there should be minimum dimensions of passage ways within a fixed play structure so that there is adequate access for staff within the equipment at all times.
Recommendations Relating to Human factors
The following recommendations relate to human factors associated with indoor play areas.
Research has identified that the risk of arson presents one of the biggest fire risks to play areas. It is recommended that operators will need to manage out the risk of arson by implementing good management procedures that include good housekeeping and close monitoring of the play equipment to keep rubbish/combustible items out. Good monitoring of the play structure will reduce the risk of deliberate fire setting and will provide for faster detection of a fire.
As previously recommended there is a need for further research work relating to ‘real’ evacuations from play structures so that they represent a more realistic evacuation model. There is evidence relating to the behaviour of children when presented with threatening or frightening situations, such as smoke and fire. This information highlights the fact that young children tend to freeze or hide when placed in these situations instead of making an escape to a place of safety. It is therefore recommended that when attempting to evacuate children from a play structure there should be consideration to turning off the fire alarm sounders as they may further frighten young children. It is also suggested that instructions on how to escape from the facility are provided in a clear concise and audible manner.
In order to control any large flaming ignition sources within the play structure, appropriate first aid fire fighting media should be provided close to the entrances to the play structure for use by appropriately trained staff. It is the recommendation that every play facility provides training for staff regarding the correct selection and use of first aid fire fighting media. It is intended that the Risk Assessment Method contains information on adequate location and selection of first aid fire fighting equipment for use within indoor play facilities.
Whilst conducting the fire risk assessment for the facility it is recommended that operators are aware of and comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 2002 when considering the safety implications of children with disabilities.
Fire Service Issues
The following recommendations relate to the interaction Fire Service with indoor play areas.
The operational research exercises using the offensive deployment of Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) demonstrated that this fire fighting technique was very effective in increasing visibility within the play facility and thus reducing the search and rescue time. It is the recommendation of this project that suitable PPV equipment is available on front line fire fighting appliances that would be attending incidents involving indoor play areas.
It is recommended that the information generated during the operational search and rescue exercises conducted during the research project can be used in the deployment of fire fighters when attending fires at similar high-risk complex buildings.
It was demonstrated during the research that prior knowledge of the play structure environment benefited the fire fighters and increased their effectiveness during the search and rescue exercises. It is therefore recommended that the Fire Service should consider indoor play facilities as a high priority when conducting, either, inspections of fire risk assessments, or risk assessments themselves.
The research demonstrated that the most effective tool to assist the Fire Service when conducting the experimental search and rescue exercises was good visibility by the provision of adequate ventilation. It is recommended that the Fire Service ventilate play facilities as early as possible when attending fires in these types of establishments.
It is recommended that there should be minimum dimensions of passage ways and maximum dimensions for dead ends within a fixed play structure so that there is adequate access for fire fighters (considering associated equipment such as breathing apparatus) within the equipment at all times.
During the experimental search and rescue exercises many of the fire fighters working within the confines of the play structure encountered difficulties in performing their standard operational procedures. It is a recommendation of the project that fire fighters are informed of and/or trained in respect to these difficulties associated with Indoor Play Facilities so that similar difficulties may be reduced in a real situation.
This report has been produced by Chiltern International Fire as part of a contract placed by the Department of Trade and Industry and managed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Any views expressed in it are not necessarily those of the Department or the Office
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Background and Objectives