Safety rules of an institution receiving from the public (ERP)
Verified 26 April 2022 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister), Ministry of city planning
The construction and operation of a ERP: titleContent are subject to fire and panic safety requirements. These measures are intended to ensure the safety of persons, to promote warning and intervention of relief and to limit material losses.
Manufacturers, owners and operators must comply with the ERP: titleContent.
Institutions shall be designed to enable the following actions:
- Prompt and orderly evacuation of all people, or sheltering if necessary
- Emergency response
- Limitation of fire propagation with suitable materials and elements
For the purposes of the safety regulations, an LES is classified both by type of activity and by category of accommodation capacity.
ERPs are classified as 5 categories according to their capacity. Employees are counted with the public admitted to the establishment except for the 5e category.
Eligible workforce | Category |
|---|---|
Over 1500 people | 1 |
From 701 to 1500 people | 2 |
From 301 to 700 people | 3 |
Up to 300 people | 4 |
Below the thresholds set for 5e category | 5 |
ERPs are classified by type according to the nature of their holding. The type is designated by a letter. The number of persons admitted shall be determined in accordance with the provisions specific to each type of establishment.
Nature of the holding | Type | Threshold for 5e category | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
In the basement | In stages | All levels | ||
Reception structure for elderly people | J | / | / | 25 residents (100 total staff) |
Reception facilities for disabled people | J | / | / | 20 residents (100 total staff) |
Hearing room, conference room, meeting room, betting room, room reserved for associations, neighborhood room, multimedia room, multi-purpose room, multi-purpose room with a sports-dominated area greater than or equal to 1,200 m2 or with a ceiling height of less than 6,50 m Other multipurpose room not specified in Chapter 12 type X article X1 | L | 100 | / | 200 |
Show room, projection room (including non-fairground circuses), cabarets | L | 20 | / | 50 |
Retail stores | M | 100 | 100 | 200 |
Restaurants or drinking outlets | N | 100 | 200 | 200 |
Hotels or family pensions | O | / | / | 100 |
Dance rooms or game rooms | P | 20 | 100 | 120 |
Nursery schools, crèches, drop-in centers, kindergartens | R | Prohibited activity | 20 (if the establishment has only 1 floor) | 100 |
Nursery home | R | 16 | ||
Other educational institutions | R | 100 | 100 | 200 |
Establishments with sleeping quarters | R | / | / | 30 |
Libraries or documentation centers | S | 100 | 100 | 200 |
Exhibition rooms | T | 100 | 100 | 200 |
Health care facilities | U | / | / |
|
Establishments of worship | V | 100 | 200 | 300 |
Administrations, banks, offices | W | 100 | 100 | 200 |
Sports establishments covered | X | 100 | 100 | 200 |
Museums | Y | 100 | 100 | 200 |
High-altitude hotels and restaurants | OA | 20 | ||
Air Stations | GA | 200 | ||
Outdoor Establishments | PA | 300 | ||
Capitals and tents | STC | 50 | ||
Floating establishment | EF | |||
Underground and mixed stations and floating establishments are never classified in 5, regardless of their sizee category.
Safety and preventive measures shall be proportionate to the activity and the public hosted in the establishment. Also, the safety regulations divide the ERP categories into 2 groups based on the number of people who can be admitted and their ability to evacuate the building during a fire. The 1er group includes the 1re, 2e, 3e and 4e category. The 2nde group consists of 5e category.
The Regulation includes general requirements common to all institutions and others specific to each type of institution.
Where the same building houses several activities, the preventive and safety measures for each activity shall apply to that part of the building which it occupies.
The technical rules shall apply in particular to the following:
- Development and isolation of the premises
- Façade (1 or more) bordering lanes or free spaces for evacuation of the public and access by firefighters
- Fire resistant building and interior fittings materials
- Indoor distribution and subdivision to limit the spread of fire and smoke
- Number and width of exits, possible safe waiting areas and internal clearances (proportional to capacity)
- Smoke-Free
- Alarm and warning devices, monitoring service and fire-fighting equipment appropriate to the hazards
- Prohibition of the storage, distribution and use of explosives or toxic substances, of any particularly flammable liquids (except in the case of special provisions in the safety regulations)
- Electrical lighting required
- Safety lighting required
- Guaranteed safety and proper operation of lifts and hoists, electricity, gas, heating and ventilation installations
FYI
when a person carries out a professional activity (doctor, accountant, physiotherapist, etc.) in his family residence, the premises are not considered as an LES. The fire safety regulations imposed on LES do not apply. In other cases, these premises are subject to the LES regulations of 5e category.
L'ERP: titleContent shall be provided with alarm and warning devices, a fire monitoring service and fire-fighting equipment appropriate to the hazards.
The safety regulation provides for additional rules adapted to the type of establishment.
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Group 1 (Category 1, 2, 3 and 4 ERP)
Security Service
In the presence of the public, depending on the type and category of the establishment, a fire safety service is mandatory. It is composed in one of the following ways:
- Persons designated by the operator, trained in fire-fighting and public evacuation
- Qualified fire safety officers
- Fire-fighters of a public fire-fighting and rescue service
- Combination of these different possibilities
The number of staff is adapted to the size of the establishment.
A security station shall be provided for security personnel where possible at the arrival point of external emergency services. It shall be connected to the fire brigade emergency center by a rapid and safe means of transmission.
When the service is provided by fire safety officers, 3 persons are present at the same time in the ERP, 1 of whom remains permanently in the security station.
Safety instructions
Precise and constantly updated instructions for the staff of the establishment are displayed on fixed and unalterable panels. They must indicate the following:
- Fire brigade alert procedures
- Measures to be taken to ensure the safety of the public and staff
- Arrangements for the evacuation of persons with disabilities or their deferred evacuation if necessary
- Implementation of the facility's emergency facilities
- Reception and guidance of firefighters
Evacuation procedures and instructions shall be developed under the authority of the operator of theERP: titleContent. They shall be included in the safety register.
Alarm
The safety regulations shall specify the type of alarm system to be settled according to the category and type of theERP: titleContent.
Manual actuators shall be provided in traffic at each level in the immediate vicinity of each staircase and on the ground floor in the vicinity of exits.
The general audible alarm signal shall not be confused with any other audible signal. The hotel staff is trained to recognize this. Periodic evacuation exercises complete this training.
Making it easier for firefighters to act
An unalterable schematic plan is displayed at each building entrance to facilitate the intervention of the fire brigade.
It must at least represent the basement, ground floor, each floor or the floor occupied by the establishment.
It shall indicate the following:
- Clearances
- Safe waiting areas
- Main divisions
- Technical premises and other special risk premises not accessible to the public (administrative, storage, staff accommodation, etc.)
- Safety devices and controls
- Devices for interrupting fluids and energy sources (water, gas, electricity, ventilation, air conditioning, etc.)
- Fixed extinguishing and alarm means
Establishments located, even partially underground, must allow civil security services to ensure the continuity of their radio communications at any point in the establishment.
Group 2 (Category 5 ERP)
Fire extinguishing device
The establishment has at least one portable fire extinguisher for 300 m² and at least one per level. Where an extinguishing appliance or device is not visible, it shall be indicated by a panel.
Rigid, stationary piping, known as a dry column, is settled in the ERP with the highest low floor more than 18 meters from the path accessible to fire engines.
Staff of the establishment
Personnel shall be trained on the action to be taken in the event of fire.
He is trained in the operation of the emergency means.
At least one staff member must be present at all times when the establishment is open to the public.
This provision does not apply to establishments accommodating less than 20 persons except in the case of sleeping accommodation (hotel, boarding house, etc.).
Guidelines
Safety instructions adapted to different types of disability are clearly displayed. They must contain the following information:
- Call number of the fire brigade
- Nearest Rescue Center Address
- Immediate steps to be taken in the event of a disaster
Alarm
All establishments have an alarm system.
The general audible alarm signal shall not be confused with any other audible signal.
The hotel staff is trained to recognize this. Periodic evacuation exercises complete this training.
The general alarm is given per building if the establishment has several.
The choice of alarm equipment is left to the operator.
The equipment must be kept in good working order.
FYI
The Autonomous Smoke Alarm Detector (AFAD) is not required in business premises unless they have a mixed residential use. However, an insurer may require it for certain professional activities (restaurant, liberal cabinet welcoming the public...).
Liaison with the fire brigade
The link with the fire brigade is made with a fixed telephone (DSL or fiber optic) in all establishments.
However, in cases of episodic or very temporary occupancy of the establishment, this connection is not required.
Making it easier for firefighters to act
When an establishment is upstairs or in the basement, an unalterable schematic plan is displayed at the entrance.
This intervention plan must represent at least the basement, the ground floor, each floor or the floor occupied by the establishment.
The plan shall indicate the following:
- Clearances
- Main divisions
- Technical premises and other special risk premises not accessible to the public (storage premises, staff accommodation, etc.)
- Safety devices and controls
- Devices for interrupting fluids and energy sources (water, gas, electricity, ventilation, air conditioning, etc.)
- Fixed extinguishing and alarm means
Establishments located, even partially underground, must allow civil security services to ensure the continuity of their radio communications at any point in the establishment.
The operator of an LES shall maintain a safety record containing the information necessary for the safety service:
- List of fire service personnel
- General and specific instructions in the event of fire, including evacuation instructions taking into account the different types of handicap
- Dates of the various checks and inspections and the observations they gave rise to
- Dates of development and conversion work, nature of the work, name(s) of contractor(s) and, if applicable, architect or technician responsible for supervising the work
The register shall be updated as soon as information changes. It is systematically presented to the Security Commission.
The operator shall be responsible for compliance with the safety rules in its ERP: titleContent. It is subject to various controls.
Monitoring by the Security Committee
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Safety and Accessibility (CCDSA) conducts monitoring visits to the construction, opening and during the operation of the facilityERP: titleContent. It identifies all breaches of regulations.
Operators are required to attend the visit to their establishment or to be represented by a qualified person. The mayor or his representative is also present.
Every 3 or 5 years, the Commission reviews the LES of 1er group (categories 1, 2, 3 and 4) and LES of 5e category with sleeping quarters (hotel, boarding house...).
Visits may be unscheduled.
The purpose of these controls is to:
- Verify compliance with safety rules and in particular the proper functioning of all fire-fighting appliances and of safety lighting
- Verify the application of provisions allowing evacuation of persons with disabilities
- Ensure that facility and equipment audits by organizations and certified persons have been completed
- Suggesting improvements or changes to be made within the framework of the regulations
- Explore potential accommodation measures
After the visit, the Security Committee shall give a favorable or unfavorable opinion.
The mayor notify to the operator the report of the visit with the opinion of the commission. It shall take all measures necessary for the safety of persons and property. In the event of danger, he may issue an ERP closure order setting out the nature of the improvements and the work to be carried out and the deadlines for completion.
FYI
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak health crisis, periodic LES security visits planned for 2020 can be postponed for up to 2 years, under certain conditions.
Checks carried out by approved bodies
Manufacturers, installers and operators shall have the installations and equipment of theERP: titleContent (electricity, lighting, alarm equipment, smoke-free, lifts, extinguishers...).
These checks take place during construction and regularly during operation.
They are carried out by organizations accredited by the Ministry of the Interior or by competent technicians.
The minutes and reports of the verifications shall be made available to the members of the Security Commission.
They shall be communicated to the mayor, who may require additional tests and verifications, after consulting the competent safety commission.
Police and gendarmerie monitoring
The police and gendarmerie departments may, during opening hours, check the regularity of the administrative situation of establishments receiving the public and record breaches of security rules
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