A Survey of Fire Loads on Private Residential Balconies in England.

Fire loads are often used in the fire safety design of buildings as part of the assessment of the severity of potential fires. Despite recognition that balconies may contain combustible items which could contribute to fire development, there has been little research on balcony fire loads. This paper presents the results of a survey of 1020 balconies on private dwellings across England and the calculated fire loads. Consideration is also given to the influence of key parameters on the fire load energy density. It is found that balconies in England have an average fire load energy density of 64.4 MJ/m², with an 80th percentile value of 110 MJ/m². The influence of selected key parameters on balcony fire loads is also assessed. The results presented provide balcony fire loads which could be considered as part of building design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]