ABSTRACT
The concepts of fire safety engineering may be applied to any situation where fire is a potential hazard. The additional hazards from gas and oil installations are primarily caused by the far more rapid growth of fire and the associated faster rates of temperature rise. Before setting the groundwork for the complete subject of fire safety engineering and its influence on the overall planning, design and construction of building structures, it is necessary to attempt to define what is meant by 'fire safety engineering'. Elements within the discipline of fire safety engineering can be readily identified which relate both to life and property safety. The largest area of risk from fire damage is low-rise domestic housing which generally does not require sophisticated design methods as it is not a structural collapse which tends to be the problem, but the spread of smoke and toxic gases, and the resultant inability of the occupants to escape.
