Attic Hatch Fire Requirements

Attic area exceeds 30 square feet and.

Attic hatch fire requirements.

An insulated fire rated door carries a temperature rise rating that uninsulated ones don t have. They must have a width of at least six metres they must have overhead clearance of at least five metres they must have a climate resistant surface like concrete or asphalt. Attics are the worst place to be in a fire because heat and fire rise rapidly. Any drywall edges on both the hatch and the surrounding area exposed to physical damage should be protected.

Fire access routes must meet the following criteria. It is for this reason that for safety and durability fire rated access door ceiling application requires an insulated product. The florida building code fbc and international residential code irc both require a minimum of one attic access opening for homes with combustible such as wood roof construction if the attic space meets these two criteria. Missing or opened covers should be called out as should covers made from flammable materials such as thin plywood.

In most codes this means an opening not fixed window to the outside. Minimum vertical height of 30 inches measured from the top of the ceiling framing members to the bottom of the roof framing members. Wednesday july 4 2018. Since the staircase to the attic can act as a chimney for the fire to quickly spread it s necessary to have a secondary point of egress or exit.