In fire safety, the rules that apply to a building depend on two things: what it is used for (the use type) and how risky it is (the risk category, from 1 to 4). In the Azores, the regime of Regional Legislative Decree no. 6/2015/A (DLR 6/2015/A, the Azores fire-safety regime) applies, together with the Technical Regulation on Fire Safety in Buildings (RT-SCIE).
First, the use type
There are 12 use types. Each space belongs to one, depending on the activity carried out there.
| Use type | Examples |
|---|---|
| I · Residential | Residential buildings (common areas) |
| II · Car parks | Car parks |
| III · Administrative | Offices, service counters, professional practices |
| IV · Educational | Schools, nurseries, training centres |
| V · Hospitals and care homes | Hospitals, clinics, surgeries, care homes for the elderly |
| VI · Entertainment and assembly | Theatres, nightclubs, auditoriums, places of worship |
| VII · Hotels and catering | Hotels, local accommodation, cafés and restaurants |
| VIII · Commercial | Shops and supermarkets |
| IX · Sports and leisure | Gyms, swimming pools, sports halls |
| X · Museums and galleries | Museums and art galleries |
| XI · Libraries and archives | Libraries and archives |
| XII · Industrial and warehouses | Workshops, factories and warehouses |
Then, the risk category
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Most cafés, shops and small offices. A safety sheet and self-protection measures are enough; no SCIE project is needed.
A SCIE project by a recognised specialist, hose reels and an SRPCBA inspection become mandatory. This is where you land if you exceed 100 people.
Adds a wet riser, sprinklers in many uses, an internal emergency plan and drills.
The maximum requirements and regular inspection every 3 years.
Each use type has a table of limits: height, number of people, floors below ground and, for industry, the fire load. The category is the lowest one that meets all the criteria. Exceeding just one of them moves it up.
People are counted by area
The number of people (the occupancy) is calculated from the floor area, using indices set in the regulation. Some examples:
| Space | People per m² |
|---|---|
| Restaurant or café room, with seated customers | 1 |
| Bar with standing customers | 2 |
| Shop on the entrance floor, up to 300 m² | 0.5 |
| Shop on the entrance floor, above 300 m² | 0.6 |
| Office rooms | 0.2 |
| Gym (activity area) | 0.15 |
Why knowing the category matters so much
- In category 1, a safety form (ficha de segurança) and self-protection measures are enough, and the municipal council is the enforcing authority.
- From category 2 upwards, a SCIE project prepared by a recognised professional is mandatory, and the inspection involves the SRPCBA (Azores Regional Fire and Civil Protection Service).
- The higher the category, the more complete the alarm has to be, and hose reels, the wet riser network, sprinklers and the emergency plan become mandatory.
Can my category change without any building work?
Yes. The category depends on the numbers: people, height and floors. If you increase the capacity, enlarge the room or use a floor below ground, the premises can move up a category.
Who decides the category?
The designer, in the safety form or in the project, and the authority that assesses it: the municipal council for category 1 and the SRPCBA for the others. The simulator gives you an indication so you can prepare.