INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH STANDARDS FOR FIRE CABLES

A review and introduction into the British Standards involved in the design,
manufacture and testing of fire resistant cables for emergency building
services.

June 2014
1.0 Introduction 3.2 “BS 5266-1: Emergency lighting. Code of
practice for the emergency escape lighting of
The British Standard Institution (BSI) is a private premises.”
company incorporated by Royal Charter and publishes
British Standards for a wide range of uses underlined First published in 1975 the latest and current
by their principle to ‘make excellence a habit’. New and revision is 2011 which is the first edition to
existing British Standards that involve fire resistant include reference to cables with ‘standard’
cables continue to be major discussion points with and ‘enhanced’ fire resistance. It details and
clients, consultants and installers so this review is categorises which applications require the use
Draka’s introduction to some of the common British of which of the cable types. Emergency escape
Standards that relate to fire resistant cables. lighting systems are employed to ensure that
in the event of power failure to lighting circuits
2.0 Risk Assessment and the Law that sufficient illumination is provided to guide
occupants along predetermined escape routes
UK building regulations are law and they make it clear and through appropriate exits to safety. This is
that buildings need a risk assessment conducted early especially needed for those unfamiliar with the
in the design stage to assess the fire risk. For public building layout; Transport hubs for example such
buildings this commonly results in the need for fire as underground metro systems or airports. As
detection, fire alarm and emergency escape lighting we saw for fire detection and fire alarms this
systems. It may also result in the need for life safety British Standard also does not decide if an escape
and fire fighting systems to be included. lighting system is needed, that is for others. It
provides design considerations and advice on
3.0 British Standards for emergency how to support the fire risk assessment should
an emergency escape lighting system be required
building services
and which cables are needed.
Whether a building requires these systems is for others 3.3“BS 8519: Selection and installation of fire-
and not the responsibility of a cable manufacturer, resistant power and control cable systems for
an electrical designer or installation teams. As life safety and fire-fighting applications. Code of
a manufacturer however, Draka has developed, practice.”
manufactured and tested cables for many years and
can provide information to building owners, design and Originally published in 2005 as BS 7346-6 and
installation teams on the performance of cables for replaced by BS 8519 in 2010 this new British
the systems. It is for these emergency building service Standard is also a code of practice. The standard
applications that BSI has researched, developed and lists a broad range of Life Safety and Fire Fighting
published British Standards as codes of practice and are systems and it details the fire resistance required
the most common applications for fire resistant cables. of cable for the power and control of each one.
The code defines the actual requirements for
3.1 “BS 5839-1: Fire detection and fire alarm systems fire resistance and a new set of parameters for
for buildings. Code of practice for design, installation, cables: Category 1, 2 and 3 for power or control
commissioning and maintenance of systems in non- cables. Life safety and fire fighting systems
domestic premises.” are different from the two British Standards
described above, BS 8519 does not address
This British Standard was first published in 1980 evacuation systems. Life safety systems include
and has been reviewed and revised with the current smoke and heat exhaust ventilation systems
edition published in 2013. It is a ‘code of practice’ which designed to manage deadly quantities of smoke
provides considerations and some specific criteria and very high temperature toxic gases to protect
for the design, installation and maintenance of fire people still in the building. Life safety systems
detection and fire alarm systems required as a result of include communication links to occupied, non-
the fire risk assessment. In terms of cable it describes evacuated areas as part of the fire strategy, for
the requirements for circuit integrity during fire and example intensive care wards in a hospital. BS
advises upon the use of ‘standard’ or ‘enhanced’ fire 8519 addresses fire fighting systems of the type
resistant cable for different parts of the building. It for fire fighters to take control of the fire. For
refers to a number of details, for example the preferred example, sprinkler pump power & control circuits
sheath colour of the cable, to the metallic fixing and also power and control of fire fighting lifts
methods and lists other British Standards to meet the used by the fire fighters move around large and
requirements for critical circuits in fire detection and complex buildings. BS 8519 helps designers select
fire alarm systems. This British Standard is the starting the appropriate cable for systems that prolong
point for designers and installers of fire alarm systems life and fight fire.
and forms part of the maintenance programme for the
life of the building.
4.0 British Standards for cable 5.0 British Standard tests for fire
construction resistance
British Standards for cable construction tell British Standards for fire resistance set out to test the
manufacturers what materials to use for conductors, for integrity provided by a cable during fire in particular,
insulation, for wire armour or metallic protection and circuit continuity at rated voltage. Each of these British
for the final sheath. It specifies exactly what conductor Standards is a specification for the actual fire test. They
resistance is required, the low smoke and zero halogen detail the design and dimensions of test rigs and how
performance required. Specific to each cable type they many cable samples are used, how they are prepared
are the recipe or construction manual for cable makers. and how the burners are calibrated. They list the
methods of cable attachment, how circuit continuity is
4.1 “BS 7629-1 Electric cables. Specification for 300/500 measured, the test voltages and the burner gas and air
V fire resistant screened cables having low emission mixture. These standards are the fire test instruction
of smoke and corrosive gases when affected by fire. manuals for the test engineers and ensure consistent
Multicore and multipair cables.” methods are used by all.

Draka’s FT30 Saffire and FT120 cables have been 5.1 “BS EN 50200: Method of test for resistance to
designed and tested to meet the requirements of BS fire of unprotected small cables for use in emergency
7629-1 and they are certified by BASEC and by LPCB. circuits.”
The British Approvals service for Cables (BASEC) also
conducts random sample collection and testing and it Originally written as the ‘EN’ or European Norm
audits a manufacturer’s procedures and test results standard it was adopted by BSI and published as a ‘BS
to make sure the cable is as it should be. This is third EN’ in 2000. The 2006 revision replaced its predecessor
party certification and provides confidence to engineers, and also BS 8434-1:2003 which has since been
building owners and insurers that the cable component withdrawn. As the title describes this is a test for small
of emergency systems meets all the necessary cables (it defines up to and including 20mm diameter)
requirements. This British Standard is the construction with a flame temperature of 850 °C and a physical
manual for the manufacturers of small cables that need impact. This impact is a steel bar striking the predefined
low fire hazard performance and fire resistance. backboard the cable is mounted on at intervals for the
duration of the test. The test durations are 15, 30, 60,
4.2 “BS 7846: Electric cables. Thermosetting insulated,
90 & 120 minutes with cable integrity given as PH15,
armoured, fire-resistant cables of rated voltage
PH30, PH60, PH90 or PH120 should they pass. When
600/1000 V, having low emission of smoke and
the 2006 BS EN was reviewed it was revised to include
corrosive gases when affected by fire. Specification”
BS 8434-1 test which was significant. The 2000 version
had testing elements of flame and indirect shock only
Draka’s FTP and FTP120 fire resistant armoured power
and this was insufficient to meet the requirements of
cables meet the requirements of this standard and
BS 5839-1: 2002 ‘standard’ fire resisting cables bacause
also feature BASEC and LPCB third party certification.
there was no water test. This meant that the most
These cables are designed to handle, install and perform
commonly needed fire resistant cable had to meet the
as a normal armoured power cable and can be used
requirements of two tests in two British Standards.
in calculation and design programs in the same way.
The 2006 review was revised to incorporate the water
This standard, like BS 7629-1 above, details all material
spray element of BS 8434-1 into it’s Annex ‘E’. This has
types, the physical dimensions such as conductor
meant that ‘standard’ fire resisting cables required
material and sizes, minimum insulation and sheath
by BS 5839-1 must achieve PH30 AND Annex ‘E’ of BS
thickness. BS 7846 is the design, manufacture and
EN 50200:2006. So, two tests now within the same
test manual for cable makers to provide fire resistant
standard. For emergency escape lighting systems
power cables for use in emergency building services.
described by BS 5266-1 ‘standard’ fire resisting cables
4.3 “BS 60702-1: Mineral insulated cables and their are required to achieve PH60 classification and Annex
terminations with a rated voltage not exceeding 750 V. E. This is still a regular discussion point: ‘standard’ fire
Cables” resisting cables must pass two fire tests ‘Annex E’ and
PH30/PH60.
This standard last reviewed and published in 2002
5.2 “BS 8434-2:2003+A2:2009: Methods of test for
details materials and dimensions of the original cable
assessment of the fire integrity of electric cables. Test
design to achieve fire resistance. This cable has a
for unprotected small cables for use in emergency
copper sheath which contains copper conductors and
circuits. BS EN 50200 with a 930°C flame and with
a powdered, hygroscopic magnesium oxide insulation.
water spray”
These mineral insulated copper clad cables (MICC)
require special terminations and glands and although
This test method is used to assess a cable for
certainly achieve very high levels of fire integrity,their
‘enhanced’ fire resistance required for applications in
use in building services has been replaced over the
fire detection, fire alarm, emergency escape lighting and
last twenty years by the modern design of extruded
some life safety and fire fighting control circuits. As the
composite cables such as Draka’s FT range.
title says, it is for small cables but at a higher nominal
flame temperature, 950 °C as opposed to 850 °C.
BS 8434-2 is a two hour test which includes direct flame, Common emergency building services described above, no
indirect impact and a water spray test. Cables that are longer call for cable to meet the requirements of this test.
required for ‘enhanced’ fire resisting circuits must meet BS It has now become a performance requirement called for in
EN 50200 PH120 classification and they must also meet construction projects typically in overseas territories where
BS 8434-2. This fire test is for the additional performance UK building regulations are not in effect but fire resisting
required by ‘enhanced’ fire resisting cables and is the cables are still required. The test is included in this review
procedure used by the fire test engineer. because between 1983 and 2000 it was the only UK fire
resistance test for circuit integrity with water and it had
5.3 “BS 8491 Method: for assessment of fire integrity of become synonymous with the requirements for emergency
large diameter power cables for use as components for systems. The current standard still retains the method of
smoke and heat control systems and certain other active testing flame only, flame with impact and flame with water
fire safety systems” spray as separate tests on fresh samples. It retains only
the C, W and Z tests and although classification allows
This fire test procedure is also part of the fire test engineer single or combinations of them, the most common is still
‘s tools to calibrate the rig, prepare the cable samples, CWZ. BS 6387 although current is no longer required in UK
conduct the test and record the result correctly. It is still emergency building services.
in the first edition, published in 2008, and supports in
particular, the use of fire resistant power cables for life 6.0 Summary
safety and fire fighting systems of the type typically
required by large and complex buildings. British Standards that involve fire resistant cables fall into
three types.
5.4 “BS 6387: Test method for resistance to fire of
cables required to maintain circuit integrity under fire i. Applications Standards – Systems that use
conditions.” fire resistant cables.
ii. Construction Standards – Specifications to
This British Standard is a fire test procedure only. The first manufacture fire resistant cables.
edition was 1983, the second, 1994 and third and current iii. Test Standards – Procedures for testing fire
edition is 2013 and over those editions it had included a resistant cables.
very wide variety of tests and classifications.
Protection of lives and property are prerequisites during fire
and electrical emergency buiding services are tools to help
achieve that. British Standards constitute the best practice
for systems, procedures and products; be sure your cables
meet them.

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Doc ref: BSFire/Draka/Jan/16

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