Upgrading of fire safety requirement for tall buildings in Bulgaria and proposal of implementing fire safety management under facility management

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to check and fill the gap between the existing fire safety regulations for newly built tall buildings in Bulgaria and those in areas with rapid economic growth in the Asia-Oceania regions like the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Mainland China, by making comparative analysis and identifying good practices. The main focus is on the development of fire safety designs, facilities and management, which shall be recognized as essential parts of facility management in tall buildings. Design/methodology/approach: Bulgarian regulations are analyzed and then compared with those in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Mainland China. In addition, the scientific aspect of fire load density in the fire codes is discussed. The possibility of implementing a fire engineering approach to supplement prescriptive codes is outlined. The essential roles of fire safety management and fire safety culture are presented. Findings: Key points and recommendations that are worthy for discussion about incorporation in the Bulgarian tall buildings fire safety requirements are upgraded requirements for fire load density, detection and sprinkler systems in tall residential buildings, refuge floors, ventilation/air conditioning control systems, full-scale burning tests and fire engineering approach. The importance of fire safety management is emphasized as a main, key component in facility management. Originality/value: The research is the first study focusing on implementation of additional and specific fire safety regulations for tall buildings in Bulgaria.