The main requirement is that all homes must have at least one escape route that leads directly to the outdoors. Homes with several inhabited floors must have alternative escape routes as well.
The requirements escape routes that apply to your home depend on when the home was built. There may be a difference between the requirements that applied at the time and the requirements that apply today. It is still the requirement from the time of construction that applies.
The escape route from the home must either
- out into the open or
- cause a fire-resistant location, or
- lead to an escape route (corridor) with two independent escape directions. In practice, this means that the corridor should end in the open air or in two different stairwells, which in turn lead to the outdoors.
What requirements apply to your home?
Find your type of home in the list below and see which escape routes you should have.