Creating a Fire Evacuation Route – Fire Curtains, Smoke Control & Modern UK Design Requirements

Fire evacuation routes are one of the most critical life safety elements in any building. In 2026, expectations around their design, performance, and documentation have evolved significantly following major UK fire safety reforms, tighter enforcement, and a stronger emphasis on occupant-specific evacuation planning.

Today, evacuation routes are no longer simply “escape corridors and stairwells”—they are part of an integrated fire safety strategy, combining passive fire protection, smoke control, emergency systems, and inclusive evacuation design.

 

 

The Legislative Framework Governing Evacuation Routes

Fire evacuation strategy in the UK is underpinned by a robust and increasingly scrutinised regulatory framework, including:

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) – places legal responsibility on the Responsible Person to ensure safe means of escape.
• Fire Safety Act 2021 – clarifies that structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors must be considered in risk assessments.
• Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 – introduces enhanced duties for high-rise residential buildings, including signage and evacuation information.
• Approved Document B (Building Regulations) – sets functional requirements for means of escape, compartmentation, and travel distances.
• BS 9991:2024 (Fire safety in residential buildings) and BS 9999 – provide risk-based design guidance for evacuation strategies.
• Emerging requirements for person-centred evacuation planning (RPEEPs) in residential buildings from 2026 onwards.

Together, these frameworks require a performance-based approach to evacuation design—supported by tested products, verified system integration, and clear documentation suitable for compliance, audit, and handover.

What Defines a Fire Evacuation Route?

A fire evacuation route is any protected pathway that allows occupants to travel safely from any point in a building to a place of ultimate safety.

A compliant evacuation route typically includes:

• Protected corridors and escape routes
• Fire-rated stair cores
• Final exit doors to open air
• Refuges or protected lobbies (where required)
• Smoke-controlled circulation spaces

For architects and specifiers working to RIBA Plan of Work Stages 3–4, these routes should be resolved early in design development to ensure coordination with fire strategy, façade design, and mechanical smoke control systems. Refer to government guidelines for more information about evacuation plans, and fire safety within the workplace.

 

The Role of Fire Curtains in Modern Evacuation Design

Fire curtains are a key component in contemporary passive fire protection strategies, particularly where open-plan architecture conflicts with compartmentation requirements.

How fire curtains support evacuation routes

Fire curtains deploy automatically in the event of a fire to:

• Create temporary fire-resistant barriers
• Protect escape corridors and stairwells
• Maintain compartmentation in open-plan spaces
• Prevent fire and smoke spread across circulation routes

In many modern commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings, fire curtains are specified as part of a fire engineered solution where traditional fire-rated walls would restrict architectural flexibility.

From a specification standpoint, fire curtains are typically coordinated at RIBA Stage 4 (Technical Design) and detailed in NBS clauses under passive fire protection systems, ensuring compliance with BS EN 12101-1 and related standards.

Smoke Curtains and Smoke Containment Strategy

While fire curtains manage fire compartmentation, smoke curtains are designed specifically to control the movement of smoke—often the greatest risk to life during evacuation.

The purpose of smoke curtains

Smoke curtains are deployed to:

• Channel smoke into designated extraction zones
• Protect escape routes from smoke infiltration
• Support smoke ventilation strategies (natural or mechanical)
• Maintain tenable conditions in escape corridors and lobbies

Smoke control is particularly critical in:

• Atriums and large-volume spaces
• Basement car parks
• Shopping centres and transport hubs
• High-rise residential circulation cores

When integrated correctly, smoke curtains work alongside alarm systems, smoke extract systems, and compartmentation design to maintain tenable evacuation conditions for occupants and safe access for fire and rescue services.

 

Integrated Evacuation Route Design (Fire Strategy Approach)

Modern UK fire safety design requires a coordinated strategy rather than isolated components.

A compliant evacuation route strategy should integrate:

• Passive fire protection (walls, doors, fire curtains)
• Smoke control systems (smoke curtains, extract, pressurisation)
• Emergency lighting and wayfinding signage (BS 5266)
• Fire detection and alarm systems (BS 5839)
• Inclusive evacuation planning (RPEEPs where applicable)

This systems-based approach ensures that evacuation routes remain functional under realistic fire conditions, not just on paper.

RIBA & NBS Specification Considerations

For architects, fire engineers, and specifiers, evacuation routes should be embedded into project documentation from early design stages.

RIBA Plan of Work alignment

• Stage 2 (Concept Design): Initial fire strategy principles established
• Stage 3 (Spatial Coordination): Escape routes defined and coordinated with structure and services
• Stage 4 (Technical Design): Fire curtains, smoke curtains, doors, and systems fully specified
• Stage 5 (Construction): Installation coordination and compliance verification
• Stage 6–7 (Handover & Use): Commissioning, certification, and maintenance strategy

NBS specification language considerations

Fire and smoke curtains should be specified with:

• Performance classification (fire resistance period, smoke leakage criteria)
• Compliance with relevant BS EN standards
• Integration with fire alarm and building management systems
• Tested installation methods and certified installers
• Maintenance and inspection requirements in operation phase

Clear specification reduces the risk of substitution, non-compliance, or system incompatibility during construction.

 

Fire Doors, Compartmentation & Escape Integrity

Fire doors remain a fundamental part of evacuation route protection, working in conjunction with fire curtains and structural compartmentation.

They:

• Maintain protected escape routes
• Restrict fire and smoke spread
• Preserve stairwell integrity
• Support phased or simultaneous evacuation strategies

Regular inspection and maintenance is a legal requirement under the Fire Safety Order and should form part of any building’s ongoing compliance regime.

 

Emergency Lighting & Wayfinding

Even the most well-designed evacuation route is ineffective without clear visibility.

Under BS 5266 guidance, emergency lighting must:

• Illuminate all escape routes
• Highlight final exits and directional signage
• Operate automatically during power failure
• Be routinely tested and documented

Increasingly, modern designs integrate lighting with architectural features to improve wayfinding clarity under smoke conditions.

Common Compliance Issues in Evacuation Route Design

Fire and Rescue Services continue to identify recurring issues such as:

• Obstructed or poorly maintained escape routes
• Inadequate fire-stopping within protected corridors
• Missing or poorly integrated fire curtains in open-plan areas
• Smoke control systems not properly commissioned
• Outdated evacuation strategies not reflecting building use
• Lack of inclusive evacuation planning for vulnerable occupants

These issues can result in enforcement action, remediation notices, or restrictions on building occupation.

Best Practice for Designers, Contractors & Duty Holders

To ensure compliance and performance, stakeholders should:

• Develop a fire strategy at early design stages
• Integrate fire and smoke curtain systems into coordinated drawings
• Specify tested, certified systems compliant with BS EN standards
• Ensure clear NBS specification wording to prevent substitution
• Coordinate evacuation routes with structural and MEP design
• Maintain up-to-date Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs)
• Review evacuation strategies when building use changes

Fire evacuation routes in 2026 must be designed as part of a holistic, engineered fire safety strategy rather than a simple architectural requirement.

With increasing regulatory scrutiny and a stronger focus on occupant-specific evacuation planning, the integration of fire curtains, smoke curtains, and coordinated passive fire protection systems is now essential to achieving compliance, safety, and design flexibility.

For specifiers working within RIBA and NBS frameworks, early coordination is key—ensuring that fire safety performance is embedded from concept through to completion.