Fire Risk Analysis: A Proposal for Historic Buildings in Brazil

Fire risk analysis is increasingly being applied to buildings as a tool for managing the risk of a fire event, and the extent of its consequences. However, such methods give different results depending on the fire code under which the building was designed, which can compromise the effectiveness of this type of analysis. Given that regulatory requirements for fire safety differ from place to place, methodologies focused on solely one legislation may not be applicable to buildings constructed under other legislation. This paper presents a proposal for a fire risk analysis methodology based on established parameters, independent of local legislation requirements. The method proposed in this article is called Cálculo Escalonar de Perigo de Incêndio — CEPI (Scalar Calculation of Fire Hazard). The aim is to make a free method, available to fire safety professionals; and to provide a practical tool for measuring fire safety in Brazilian heritage buildings.