23 160264 000

Project Description

Alternative Solution for Humber College Station (HCS) is the terminus station on the western end of the Finch West Light Rail Transit (FWLRT) project, situated at 7932 Highway 27 in Etobicoke, ON. The HCS platform will be positioned below grade but will be open to the atmosphere. Passengers will be able to access the station through two entrance buildings, strategically located at the north and south end of the station, respectively. A set of stairs will be available at each end of the platform, facilitating easy access to the respective entrance buildings.HCS is classified as a rapid transit station per the Ontario Building Code (OBC). The major occupancy classification of the station is Group A, Division 2 ¿ Assembly Occupancy. As a rapid transit station, HCS is subject to the requirements of OBC Division B, Section 3.13, ¿Rapid Transit Stations¿. Per OBC Sentence 3.13.5.1.(1), a fire alarm and detection system conforming to the requirements of OBC Subsection 3.2.4 is required at HCS. In turn, OBC Clauses 3.2.4.19.(4)(d) and 3.2.4.20.(7)(a) require the provision of visual notification devices (devices that use light to notify occupants of a building of an emergency situation in a direct or indirect manner) integrated into the fire alarm system. Per the OBC, visual notification devices are prescriptively required to be provided for the following areas within rapid transit stations:¿ In public corridors,¿ In washrooms for public use,¿ Areas with high ambient noise, such as back-of-house (BOH) areas, and¿ In corridors used by the public and in floor areas or part of a floor area where the public may congregate.HCS will not have public corridors. Additionally, all washrooms within HCS, including the staff washrooms, will be provided with strobe lights that flash upon fire alarm activation. Further, all BOH spaces and rooms with high ambient noise will be provided with strobe lightsthat flash upon fire alarm activation. As such, the first three OBC requirements of the list above are satisfied. For compliance with the fourth requirement, strobe lights would need to be provided throughout HCS in all large publicly accessible areas such as at the platform, as well as the north and south entrances. Strobe lights are not proposed to be provided for these areas as the provision of such notification systems would directly conflict with the envisaged evacuation strategy for the station. The primary means of visual emergency notification within the public areas of the station is proposed to be provided via the Passenger Visual Information Screens (PVIS) through means of illuminated text boards displaying informational and instructional messages located in public areas.This alternative solution has been prepared to demonstrate that the proposed use of PVIS for visual emergency notification achieves an equivalent or better level of performance than the acceptable solution in OBC, Division B and satisfies all attributable objective and functional statements.

Permit Details