Verein Deutscher Ingenieure

Recommendations for fire protection in high-bay warehouses
 N VDI 3564

Annotation

The entirety of the recommendations in this guideline describes the prototype of a fire protection concept which, in some of high-bay warehouses, specifies protection measures differing from other rules of technology. These differences, however, cannot be considered separately and furthermore cannot be transferred to other use or type by implication.

The following recommendations apply to the planning and construction, as well as the operation of high-bay warehouses. A high-bay warehouse as defined in this guideline consists of the following areas, which are structurally separated from each other:

• High-bay warehouse area does not require the presence of persons during normal operation. In the sense of this guideline, this includes a highbay warehouse with goods stored in bays over 9 m (upper edge of stored goods measured from the surface of the finished floor), in which the shelves are fully or partially the supporting construction of the warehouse building and warehouses with self-supporting shelves, which are set up independently of the construction of the warehouse.

(High-bay warehouse areas, in which normal operation requires the presence of persons and in which the protection goals "saving oneself and others", as well as "inside fire attack by the fire brigade" are relevant, require a supplementary technical fire protection evaluation on the basis of this protection concept with regard to the selection of appropriate protective measures, e. g. escape and emergency routes, installations for manual fire fighting, etc. These supplementary measures are not covered by this guideline.)

• Logistical function areas adjacent to the highbay warehouse area for picking, goods receiving and shipping. These are separated from the highbay warehouse area by a fire-proof wall made of non-combustible construction materials (F90-A). Further requirements are to be taken into account if necessary for the planning and construction of these areas.