Stadiums – fire and life safety

Modern stadiums are not just eye-catching architectural statements but dynamic hubs that cater to diverse activities beyond traditional sports and concerts. The success of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the thriving tourism market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) promote the development of cutting-edge stadium designs across the Middle East. This evolution poses new challenges for design teams and fire-safety engineers and necessitates a comprehensive approach to ensure the safety and well-being of occupants.

Stadiums and arenas are transforming into multifunctional spaces, offering more than just spectator events. The shift towards year-round usability includes hosting conferences, banquets, private events and various other activities. The multi-purpose use introduces a range of hazards that demand the expertise of design teams and fire-safety engineers, extending beyond the traditional challenges associated with large assembly spaces.

The impact of past international disasters, such as the Hillsborough and Bradford City Stadium incidents in the UK, as well as the Heysel Stadium disaster in Belgium and the Ellis Park Stadium stampede in South Africa, has played a pivotal role in shaping stringent safety regulations. These tragic events have led to a heightened focus on crowd management, emergency preparedness and infrastructure improvements, ultimately prioritizing the safety of spectators.

As older multi-use sports facilities give way to sport-specific venues with modern amenities, the importance of compliance with fire-protection and life-safety requirements remains paramount. Design considerations now extend beyond major events to encompass non-matchday scenarios when the facility may not be fully staffed, emphasizing the need for flexibility in the design approach.

Stadiums now place a premium on crowd safety, incorporating features such as ample entrances and exits, major incident plans (MIPs) and the use of non-combustible construction materials like concrete and steel. International safety standards provided by organizations like the International Building Code (IBC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guide these design choices, ensuring a consistent and globally recognized benchmark for safety. Reference to the relevant local building codes, Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) requirements and safety regulations must be acknowledged within stadium design along with involvement with all relevant stakeholders.

Critical areas for consideration by fire engineers encompass a spectrum of factors, including egress availability, smoke-protected assembly seating, structural fire protection, sprinkler systems, occupant notification, fire safety and event management along and staffing protocols. The objective is to guarantee safety not only during fully staffed major events but also during less-staffed non-matchday occasions.

As with all multi-use buildings, the fire-safety engineer must analyse all spaces within the building when considering the fire-protection and life-safety systems. This has become increasingly important with stadium and arena facilities as new amenities and risks are introduced and facilities look to capitalize on year-round use. Care must be taken to adequately address how the facility functions during a non-matchday event for system performance and from a staffing perspective.

In the realm of football stadiums, UEFA and FIFA play a crucial role by offering safety guidance that serves as a reference for designers, stadium managers and security personnel worldwide. These guidelines aim to establish best practices for safety, sustainability and overall infrastructure development.

The main lesson for designers is not simply to build-in passive and active fire systems, but to look at the whole stadium or building’s capacity to withstand a fire. Those levels of containment are absolutely vital in a stadium, with very large numbers of people in a restricted area and who, in the event of a fire, may not always follow proper evacuation procedures. Evacuation models, based on engineering and computational tools, do not necessarily reflect the variable nature of human reaction. Human psychology is likely to delay any response because many people will assume it is a false alarm, or wait for further instruction from someone in a position of authority. More specific to stadiums, patrons will often seek to reunite with family members or friends.

FIFA guidelines

Many of the guidelines will apply to all football stadiums; however, in order to recognise the different sizes and individual circumstances of each stadium, FIFA have introduced five categories of stadiums. This is to ensure that the guidelines can be applied across a range of projects and budgets and it also recognises that, in many circumstances, a stadium needs to be used in other ways to make sure that the project is sustainable. Therefore, the multi-use aspects of stadium design and operations need to be fully considered. A key concern is to avoid overprovision and overspecification of football stadiums, which is a risk of any one-size-fits-all approach.

The guidelines are intended for use by the whole football community including:

Owners, operators and users of existing football stadiums should use them to benchmark current facilities and operations and to inform any future development projects.
Confederations and FIFA member associations should use them for guiding and assessing any stadium infrastructure projects and when setting standards for competitions and other activities within their jurisdiction.
Authorities involved in the licensing, certification and monitoring of football stadiums should refer to them.
Individual club organisations, particularly at professional or elite development level, should use them to inform their own stadium requirements.
Key suppliers and contractors to football stadium development projects and ongoing stadium operations should also refer to them.
Any key stakeholders in new stadium projects, including municipal authorities, stadium owners, architects and other key members of the stadium project team should use them so that they are familiar with the game’s latest standards and best practices and can incorporate them into their own projects.

Climate change

The influence of climate change has become an integral part of stadium design considerations. Architects and engineers must address the effects of global warming, such as increased flooding, extreme weather events and changing environmental policies. This necessitates a holistic and forward-thinking approach to sustainability in stadium development.

Fire safety

The effects of a fire can be devastating to human life and the structure of the building, so it is imperative that effective equipment and procedures are in place to detect and tackle any outbreaks of fire. Failure to do so will usually result in the stadium not being granted the necessary safety certificates (or local equivalent) to operate.

Detection and warning

In larger stadiums, it is important to avoid unnecessary evacuations. Manual call points should not raise an audible alarm to all areas. All detectors should be linked to a central panel, which should be located in an area that is easily accessible and permanently staffed, such as the main reception area or a 24-hour security post. This will ensure that a fire incident can be detected and its location can be determined, either by the stadium staff or emergency services. For larger stadiums, a duplicate control panel should be located elsewhere in the building as a back-up in case the main panel malfunctions or becomes inaccessible. The location of the duplicate panel would ideally be in the Venue Operations Centre (VOC), which should be as far away from the main panel as possible to reduce the chance of both areas being affected by a singular fire incident.

The alarm system should allow operation in two separate modes:

Non-matchday mode – when the alarm should operate normally and the signal to evacuate could be triggered automatically.
Matchday mode – when the sound of the alarm and start of the evacuation process is only triggered once the legitimacy and severity of the detected incident has been explored and verified.

Firefighting equipment

All stadiums must provide suitable and sufficient firefighting equipment appropriate to the fire risks present. This should be designed to comply with local requirements and regulations. The area around the stadium should provide easy access for emergency vehicles (preferably unimpeded and continuous access). In particular, easy access is required to fire mains/hydrants and the area where the main fire alarm control panel is located.

Emergency evacuation

All egress and evacuation routes from the stadium must be designed in such a way as to enable safe and unimpeded exit from the stadium without delay. The evacuation system should not rely on assistance from emergency services, and evacuation routes must have sufficient capacity to enable spectators, players and officials, and all operational staff to exit the stadium in good time.

Spectators should be able to leave the viewing area and arrive at an exit route within an acceptable amount of time (as defined by local codes – typically 8 minutes). A place of reasonable safety should provide separation from the effects of the emergency, for example, fire and smoke. This place of reasonable safety then allows sufficient time to reach a place of safety, such as a road, an external concourse or an open space adjacent to the stadium building.

Emergency exit

The required width and number of routes within the exit system will depend on the number of occupants in the space and its fire risk. It is important to note that the journey through the exit system should be free-flowing, and the route should not narrow at any point. Disabled people and people with limited mobility will have different needs and will not move as quickly or freely as other spectators. The emergency exit of disabled supporters should not impede the flow of other spectators, nor should it be impeded by them. Where possible, a separate exit system for spectators requiring assistance should be considered to allow all spectators to be evacuated simultaneously.

Venue Operations Centre

All stadiums should be equipped with a Venue Operations Centre (VOC), from where safety and security operations at the stadium can be monitored and controlled, and resources can be directed in both normal operations and during emergencies. For larger stadiums, the VOC is a dedicated room, often referred to as the ‘stadium control room’ or similar. The main functions of the VOC and its personnel include:

allowing the stadium safety and security management team to monitor the whole stadium and in its immediate vicinity;
coordinating responses to specific incidents;
providing, if required, a monitoring facility for the emergency services;
monitoring public order; and
assisting other stadium management functions in staging the match.

The building management system is the central control system linked to the stadium’s engineering systems. It is typically housed in the VOC. These systems are linked to other systems and functions such as the access control systems. A spectator entry counting system monitoring stadium entry points must relay this information to the VOC.

Other considerations

First-aid and medical facilities must be provided in all stadiums. These should include a dedicated room or rooms to provide medical care to spectators and staff. The entrances used for medical emergencies will ideally be located close to the designated parking for ambulances. The exact number of spaces required will be determined by local requirements, the capacity of the stadium, and the availability and level of medical facilities on the stadium site.

There should be an area, ideally within the stadium, identified for dealing with multiple casualties. The field of play should not be relied upon for this. The identified area could serve a different function on non-matchdays. As a minimum, an area outside of the stadium structure needs to be allocated, with consideration given to access and egress routes. Communication should be established and maintained between the mass casualty staging area and the VOC.

The presence of the local police and security services will depend on the risk profile and size of the stadium as well as the local law-and-order environment. In some cases, these services will require their own administration and briefing areas. In addition, a dedicated custody area might be required.

In conclusion, the modern stadium is a complex and dynamic entity that demands a holistic approach to fire safety, climate change adaptation and crowd management. The integration of advanced technologies, adherence to international guidelines and a commitment to sustainability ensure that these structures are not only iconic but also safe, adaptable and resilient to evolving challenges.