Fire safety in high-rise buildings (IGH) - Specifications for fire prevention in air traffic control towers

For fire regulations concerning high-rise buildings (IGH) and very-high-rise buildings (ITGH), the legislator has laid down additional provisions for the various classes of activity defined in the fire safety regulations for public buildings (ERP) of June 25 1980, including those covering general provisions [TBA 3 050] (articles GH 1 to GH 5) and construction rules [TBA 3 051] (articles GH 6 to GH 56).

The purpose of this article is to specify the rules governing fire safety in air traffic control towers.

In general, all passenger airfields and airports are equipped with control towers. This article only applies to towers over 28 m in height at the bottom floor of the last level.

The parts taken into account in the fire safety regulations for these particular buildings are :

• the lookout: a control cabin with a sloping front (usually 15°) with anti-noise and anti-glare glass, equipped with a radio, communication recorders, a weather station and a time system;

• metal, concrete or existing buildings ;

• the technical block: technical rooms, living quarters, track office at the foot of the tower, etc. ;

• the direct surroundings of the tower.