Assessment of Fire Load and Probabilistic Temperature for Office Buildings in Pakistan

This paper presents the results from 92 fire load density surveys conducted in 52 office buildings of Pakistan. The combination method of surveying that includes both inventory and weighing methods is used to determine the fire load of 92 office rooms, including 44 private and 48 government offices. Multiple linear regression analysis techniques are applied to assess the relationship of Fire Load Density (FLD) with variables according to the characteristics of the office rooms, such as office type, category, combustible materials, room dimensions, and ventilation conditions. Probabilistic models for FLD are developed using the regression analysis of the survey data. The survey data is further used to determine the maximum fire intensity in office buildings in Pakistan. The survey results show that the FLD increases with the increase in the area of the office. The percentage of wood is found to be the most contributing factor in the fire load. It has been noted that the fire load values are different for government and private offices, whereas the Building Code of Pakistan (BCP) has the same value for both. Statistical results presented in this study will be helpful in the fire safety and fire-resistant structure design of buildings in Pakistan.