Means of Escape

DE6501

This online course will enable you to develop an understanding of the principles that govern safe egress from buildings in the event of a fire and how they influence the design requirements.

  •  
    Level
    6
  •  
    Credits
    15
  •  
    Cost
    $452 NZ Domestic
  •  
    EFTS
    0.125
  • Delivery type
    Online only
  • Teaching weeks 16 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 10 hours per week
  •  
    Prerequisites Check entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying

This course will cover the following: 

  • Relationship between fire safety systems and escape provisions
  • The principles of human behaviour in an evacuation situation
  • The different stages of the evacuation process
  • ASET/RSET principles
  • Occupant load of a space or a building and using it to derive the minimum requirements for egress, using hand calculations based on simple tabulated values;
  • Impact that various fire safety systems can have on both RSET and ASET and how strategically selecting fire safety systems can affect the balance to improve the level of safety in a building; behavioural response
  • Requirements of F6, F8
  • Reflective and illuminated signage
  • Interpretation and marking up of design drawings
  • Strategies for communication of means of egress design on drawings
  • Should also include simultaneous evacuation, phased evacuation and defend in place,
  • Factors that are critical to the successful evacuation of buildings beyond the initial design, including (but not limited to) good housekeeping, display of fire action notices, regular training, and maintenance of safety systems

Learners who successfully complete this online course will be able to:

  • Differentiate the key principles that govern occupant egress and the factors that can adversely affect it
  • Develop a compliant means of egress design for a simple layout of a building
  • Debate solutions to improve egress for existing non-compliant situations (ANARP)
  • Summarise the requirements for emergency lighting and egress signage, knowledge of the different type of systems available on the market
  • Prepare means of egress drawings that clearly identify the designated escape routes and supporting features
  • Summarise the different evacuation concepts, and the supporting features that are required for each strategy

Course Update

This course replaced DE6426 – Means of Escape; completion of DE6426 – Means of Escape will fulfil the same prerequisite requirements as DE6501 – Means of Escape.

Assessment

  • Assignment 80%
  • Exam 20%

For information on examinations, including a full list of exam times see our examination information:

Examination information

Assessments for this course include an examination that you need to attend in-person.

Learn more

 

 

Computer and internet requirements

To complete this course you will need access to a laptop or desktop computer, reliable broadband internet connection and a data plan able to support online learning such as streaming of videos (including YouTube), downloading content, and writing and submitting online assessments. If you are unsure if your current computer or internet access allows you to complete your online learning with us, please contact us before applying to enrol.

Work towards

You can do this course as part of these qualifications:

Certificate of Proficiency
Diploma

Course availability over the next 12 months

Dec
2025
Jan
Feb
Mar

March enrolment dates

Enrol by -
Course starts -
Course ends -
25 Feb 2025
10 Mar 2025
29 Jun 2025
Apr
May
Jun
Jul

July enrolment dates

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Course starts -
Course ends -
24 Jun 2025
7 Jul 2025
26 Oct 2025
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov

November enrolment dates

Enrol by -
Course starts -
Course ends -
21 Oct 2025
3 Nov 2025
22 Feb 2026
  •  
    Level
    6
  •  
    Credits
    15
  •  
    Cost
    $452 NZ Domestic
  •  
    EFTS
    0.125
  • Delivery type
    Online only
  • Teaching weeks 16 weeks
  • Workload Approximately 10 hours per week
  •  
    Prerequisites Check entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying