08.06.2026

Fire Safety in Child Care Centers: An Overview of the Basics and Requirements

Building design

Four fire extinguishers on a green wall—an everyday sight with great significance. Photo: jandira_sonnendeck

A daycare center is no ordinary building. Every day, dozens of toddlers and preschoolers spend time there—children who cannot recognize dangers or react on their own. This is precisely why fire safety in daycare centers places particularly high demands on planners, building owners, and operators: The safety objectives go far beyond simply preventing fires and include the safe evacuation of a group of people who are dependent on outside assistance. Anyone familiar with the basics understands why every planning decision in a daycare center—from the floor plan to the doorknob—has implications for fire safety.

Why childcare centers are classified as special buildings in terms of fire safety and what consequences this has
Which building code principles and special building regulations apply to daycare centers
How escape routes, exits, and evacuation plans are designed for people who cannot rescue themselves
What requirements apply to building materials, components, and room enclosures
What role technical fire protection systems—such as fire alarm systems, sprinklers, and smoke exhaust systems—play in daycare centers
How organizational fire safety, fire safety regulations, and drills are integrated into daily operations
What typical planning errors and vulnerabilities occur in practice
How fire safety and the educational quality of spaces can be balanced

Special Protection Needs: Why Daycare Centers Need Their Own Fire Safety Rules

Fire safety in daycare centers is not a separate area of law, but rather arises from the interplay of several sets of regulations that are based on a common fundamental premise: Infants and preschool-aged children are unable to save themselves in the event of a fire. Experts refer to these individuals as “non-self-rescuable persons”—that is, people who cannot evacuate a building on their own in the event of an emergency. This assessment is not a formal category but has direct consequences for the entire fire safety planning process: escape routes must be shorter, doors must be easier to open, alarm systems must activate sooner, and the staff must be able to bring all children outside within the shortest possible time.

Under German building codes, daycare centers, nurseries, and after-school care facilities are classified as special-purpose buildings. This classification is found in the state building codes of the individual federal states, which, although based on the Model Building Code (MBO), differ from one another in detail. Special-purpose buildings are not subject to the standardized requirements that apply to residential buildings or simple office buildings; instead, they undergo an individual assessment that focuses on the specific risks associated with their use and the corresponding protection objectives. In many federal states, there are also specific daycare center regulations or administrative guidelines that establish concrete requirements for room sizes, exit configurations, and staff-to-child ratios, while also specifying minimum fire safety standards.

The overarching protection objective of fire safety, as formulated in the Model Building Code, is: to prevent the outbreak and spread of fire and smoke, to enable the rescue of people and animals, and to ensure effective fire-fighting measures. For a daycare center, this means in concrete terms that the entire fire safety system must be geared toward a scenario in which a teacher must decide and act within seconds without being able to count on the children’s understanding or cooperation.

Fundamentals of Building Codes and Special Building Regulations

In Germany, the legal basis for fire safety in daycare centers is primarily provided by the State Building Codes (LBO), supplemented by the respective special building regulations of the states. Since building codes are a matter for the states, there is no uniform nationwide fire safety regulation for daycare centers. The Model Building Code (MBO) serves as a common framework of reference, which the states have adopted to varying degrees. Planners must therefore always review the specific state building code of the respective state as well as any supplementary decrees and administrative regulations.

In addition to public building law, technical standards play a significant role. DIN 18040 governs barrier-free construction and is indirectly relevant to the evacuation of persons with limited mobility, a category that includes young children to a certain extent. DIN 14096 provides guidance on the development of fire safety regulations. The Technical Rules for Workplaces (ASR), particularly ASR A2.3 on escape routes and emergency exits, are relevant insofar as daycare centers are considered workplaces for staff. In addition, the standards in the DIN VDE 0833 series for hazard detection systems and DIN 14675 for fire alarm systems apply, provided that such systems are required or planned.

In the practice of fire safety planning, this complex web of regulations means that a fire safety concept for a daycare center always requires a holistic approach. It is not enough to simply check off individual standards; rather, structural, technical, and organizational fire protection must be considered as a single unit. Regulatory authorities generally require a comprehensive fire protection concept as part of the building permit application, which must be prepared and certified by a qualified fire protection planner or expert.

Escape Routes and Evacuation: The Key Challenge in Daycare Centers

Planning escape routes is the most demanding and, at the same time, the most critical task in fire safety for daycare centers. Escape routes are the paths that allow people to safely exit the building in the event of a fire without being endangered by fire or smoke. In buildings occupied by people capable of self-evacuation, it is sufficient for these routes to be present, sufficiently wide, and clearly marked. In a daycare center, however, this approach falls short: Here, it must be ensured that the staff can lead all children—including those who are sleeping or crying—out of the building within the available evacuation time.

For this reason, most state building codes and special building regulations for daycare centers require that group rooms and sleeping areas be located on the ground floor or the first floor and have direct, short exits to the outdoors. Group rooms on the second floor or higher are generally not permitted or require special compensatory measures such as an automatic fire alarm system, a sprinkler system, or additional escape routes. Sleeping areas for young children, such as those provided in daycare centers for afternoon naps, pose a particular challenge: Sleeping children react to smoke and alarms much more slowly than awake individuals, which significantly prolongs evacuation time.

Emergency exits from group rooms must be designed so that adults can open them without a key and without exerting significant force, even if both hands are occupied with carrying a child. Panic bars or push-to-open hardware that can be operated with one hand or the elbow are the standard here. Doors in escape routes must not be blocked in the direction of escape and must open in that direction. The width of escape routes and exits depends on the number of people who must be evacuated through them; for daycare centers, the more stringent requirements of the special building codes apply.

External staircases serving as a second escape route are a common solution in multi-story daycare centers, but they require that staff be able to safely guide toddlers down the stairs. For nursery groups with infants and very young children, an external staircase as the sole second escape route is problematic; in such cases, exits accessible at ground level or special organizational measures are required. The fire department cannot be relied upon as the primary rescue service in daycare centers, as its response time is generally longer than the time available for evacuation in the event of a rapidly developing fire.

Structural Fire Protection: Building Materials, Components, and Room Enclosures

Structural fire protection encompasses all measures that limit the initiation, spread, and effects of fire and smoke through the selection of building materials, the construction of building components, and the design of room partitions. For fire protection in daycare centers, the general requirements of state building codes apply, which are supplemented and made more stringent by special building regulations for daycare centers.

Load-bearing and bracing structural components must have sufficient fire resistance so that the building does not collapse prematurely in the event of a fire, thereby enabling the children to be rescued. Fire resistance classes in Germany are classified according to DIN EN 13501; the requirements range from R 30 (thirty minutes of fire resistance) to R 90 and higher, depending on the building class and use. For daycare centers in building class 3 (up to seven meters in floor-to-ceiling height on the top floor), load-bearing components with F 30 (corresponding to REI 30 according to the European classification) are generally required; for higher building classes, the requirements increase accordingly.

Fire compartments are a key element of structural fire protection. They divide a building into spatially separate areas so that a fire in one compartment cannot immediately spread to other compartments. Partition walls between fire compartments, as space-enclosing structural elements, must have a defined fire resistance rating and must not have any uncontrolled openings. Doors in such partition walls must be designed as fire-rated doors (T 30 or T 90) and must be self-closing. In practice, this means that fire doors in a daycare center must be set to close automatically after someone passes through them, which can conflict with the daily routine of childcare, where doors are often left open. Hold-open devices, which keep fire-rated doors open during normal operation and automatically release them upon a fire alarm, are a proven technical solution here.

Building materials used in daycare centers must be evaluated for their flammability and smoke emission. The European building material classification according to DIN EN 13501-1 distinguishes between classes A1 (non-combustible) through F (no performance determined), with subclasses for smoke emission (s1 through s3) and burning droplets (d0 through d2). Stricter requirements apply to floor coverings, wall coverings, and ceiling coverings in escape routes and common areas of daycare centers. Textile floor coverings, acoustic panels made of wood-based materials, and decorative materials deserve special attention: In the event of a fire, they can produce significant amounts of smoke, which is particularly dangerous for young children because smoke is heavier than air and initially collects near the floor—exactly where young children are likely to be.

Engineered Fire Protection: Fire Alarm Systems, Sprinklers, and Smoke Exhaust

Engineered fire protection complements structural fire protection through technical systems that detect fires early, alert occupants, suppress fires, or control the spread of smoke. These systems are particularly important for fire safety in daycare centers because they reduce the time between the start of a fire and the activation of the alarm, thereby extending the time available for evacuation.

Fire alarm systems (FAS) consist of fire detectors, a fire alarm control panel, and an alarm notification device. In daycare centers, automatic fire detectors that respond to smoke, heat, or flames without human intervention are often required. Smoke detectors based on the ionization or scattered light principle are the most common type; for kitchen areas, where cooking smoke can cause false alarms, heat detectors or special multi-criteria detectors are used. The fire alarm system is typically connected to the fire department, so that in the event of an alarm, the fire department is automatically notified without staff inside the building having to take action. This is particularly important for daycare centers, as staff are fully occupied with evacuating the children in the event of a fire.

Automatic fire suppression systems, particularly sprinkler systems, are not generally required in daycare centers, but may be mandated or agreed upon as a compensatory measure for enhanced protection objectives or to account for structural deviations from standard requirements. A sprinkler system extinguishes a fire in its early stages or significantly limits its spread, which considerably extends the evacuation time available to staff. In multi-story daycare centers or those with sleeping areas for toddlers, a sprinkler system is a sensible investment from a technical standpoint, even if it is not always required by building codes.

Smoke and heat exhaust systems (RWA) are designed to remove smoke and heat from the building in the event of a fire, thereby improving visibility in escape routes and reducing thermal stress. In stairwells and long hallways of daycare centers, smoke and heat exhaust vents that open automatically in the event of a fire can shift the smoke layer upward and keep the area near the floor clearer. For young children who are moving near the floor or being carried in the event of a fire, this represents a significant safety benefit.

Organizational Fire Safety: Fire Safety Regulations, Drills, and Responsibilities

Structural and technical fire safety measures create the conditions for a safe evacuation, but they are not sufficient on their own. Organizational fire safety ensures that, in an emergency, everyone involved knows what to do and that technical equipment is regularly maintained and inspected. Organizational fire safety is particularly important for daycare centers because evacuation cannot proceed autonomously but depends entirely on the actions of the staff.

The fire safety regulations are the central document of organizational fire safety. In accordance with DIN 14096, it is divided into three parts: Part A is posted for all persons in the building; Part B contains rules of conduct for all employees; and Part C describes the duties of specific groups of people, such as fire safety officers and evacuation assistants. In a daycare center, the fire safety regulations must reflect the specific conditions of the facility: Where are the group rooms located, which exits lead outside, where is the assembly point, how are sleeping children woken up and transported, who alerts the fire department, and who conducts the headcount at the assembly point.

Fire drills are mandatory in daycare centers and should be conducted at least twice a year. They serve not only to train staff but also to identify weaknesses in the evacuation plan. How long does it take to completely evacuate a group? Which doors stick? Where are there gaps in the procedures? Children above a certain age can be involved in drills in an age-appropriate manner, which improves their ability to react in an emergency. The drills must be documented; any deficiencies identified during them must be corrected promptly.

The appointment of a fire safety officer is mandatory for daycare centers in many federal states or is expected by the regulatory authorities. The fire safety officer is the person responsible for keeping the fire safety regulations up to date, coordinating drills, reporting deficiencies, and serving as the point of contact for authorities and the fire department. In small facilities, the director often assumes this role; in larger facilities or organizations operating multiple daycare centers, it is recommended to appoint a specially trained professional.

Typical Vulnerabilities and Common Planning Errors

In practice, similar weaknesses in fire safety at daycare centers recur time and again, arising partly during the planning phase and partly during operations. A common source of errors is a subsequent change of use: a building that was originally approved as a school, office, or residential building is converted into a daycare center without the fire safety plan being fully adapted to the new use. The requirements for escape routes, room enclosures, and alarm systems for a daycare center differ from those for the original use; a building permit for the conversion alone does not automatically include a comprehensive fire safety plan for daycare center use.

Another common deficiency involves fire doors that are kept permanently open during daily operations without an approved hold-open device. Door wedges, hooks, or furniture propped up as doorstops are not permissible means of keeping fire doors open. They prevent the door from closing automatically in the event of a fire and, in the worst case, can allow fire and smoke to enter escape routes unimpeded. This deficiency is particularly common in daycare centers because staff prefer to keep doors open for understandable educational reasons.

Decorative materials represent an underestimated fire load. Paper crafts, fabric decorations, curtains, and arts-and-crafts materials hung in group rooms and hallways can quickly catch fire in the event of a fire and generate significant amounts of smoke. Fire safety regulations limit the permissible quantity and type of decorative materials in escape routes; in practice, these limits are often exceeded without anyone realizing it. Regular inspections by the fire safety officer should also address this aspect.

Fire Safety and Indoor Environment Quality: Not a Contradiction

A common misconception in planning practice is to view fire safety requirements as a limitation on the design and educational quality of a daycare center. In fact, the safety objectives of fire safety and the requirements for a child-friendly, stimulating indoor environment can be very well reconciled if fire safety is integrated into the planning from the outset rather than being applied retroactively as a corrective measure.

Short evacuation routes with direct exits to the outdoors also promote the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, which is pedagogically desirable. Generous glazing that creates visual connections between rooms can be designed as fire-resistant glazing without compromising transparency. Wood, a building material popular in daycare centers for ecological and tactile reasons, can be used in a way that meets fire safety requirements through encapsulation, cladding, or the selection of wood-based materials with the appropriate classification. Fire alarm systems and sprinkler systems are now so compact and unobtrusive that they have virtually no impact on interior design.

Ultimately, the quality of a fire safety concept for a daycare center is not reflected in the number of fire doors or the thickness of the design document, but rather in whether all children can safely evacuate to the outdoors in an emergency. Achieving this goal requires collaboration among architects, fire safety planners, operators, and authorities—from the initial sketch through ongoing operation. Fire safety in a daycare center is not a mere formality, but a fundamental prerequisite for the building to fulfill its true purpose: to be a safe place for the youngest children.

20.01.2025

Design

Sculpture of the month: Stone postcard from Solingen

Building design

Bush knife: The Solingen cutting tool turned stone on the right by the hedge. On the left, an unnamed steel sculpture by Thomas Röthel

Steel products from Solingen, especially knives, are known all over the world. Even in the South American jungle, Bud Spencer warned his partner Terence Hill of a “postcard from Solingen” in his back – i.e. the switchblade in the hand of the sneaking attacker – in the 1973 cinema classic “Two Heavenly Dogs on the Road to Hell”. For the tenth anniversary […]

The Solingen trade fair focuses on the products of local industry, in the classic city of blades, of course, especially the well-known steel products. Directly opposite the venue of this largest trade fair in the Bergisches Land region – the local ice rink – is the premises of Marmor Pauly, which has been working in natural stone since 1871. “A knife doesn’t always have to be made of steel,” thought owner Armin B. Pauly, architect and graduate civil engineer.

And it doesn’t have to be handy either: together with the self-employed stone sculptor Hartmut Hegener, he created a butter knife sculpture on a scale of 10:1 to place in front of the entrance to the trade fair and point out that, in addition to the proud steel tradition, there are also many years of stone masonry activity. The knife measures 2.30 meters with a handle made of polished Anröchter Grünstein, a calcareous sandstone from the Soest region. The finely ground blade made of “Belgian granite”, the Belgian equivalent of Aachen bluestone, was made with ground-in fiberglass reinforcement. The contrast between the darker blade and the lighter handle is enhanced by the different cut, which makes the Belgian bluestone appear particularly dark. For installation, the artwork was anchored on a base stone made of black Swedish in the area of the main entrance.

Art exhibition flanked the trade fair

Because Pauly is a cosmopolitan, art-loving person and the “knife made of natural stone” contains a wink at other materials, an art exhibition with a wide variety of materials was held on his factory premises opposite the trade fair from June 8 – 10, 2018 – in addition to works by sculptors and painters, including steel sculptures by Thomas Röthel and Stephan Mensler. This created a bridge between materials and street sides.

After the event ended, however, the city of Solingen showed no interest in keeping the potential postcard motif in front of the ice rink – so the monstrous knife will soon find a new home with a well-known steelware manufacturer.

12.01.2025

Design

Museum of 1000 Places

Building design

Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany has been commissioning art in architecture for its buildings in Germany and abroad since 1950. Over the decades, around 10,000 works have been created. Natural stone works are also included. Now the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) is making the works of art digitally accessible – via the online platform “Museum of 1000 Places”. In conversation with Dr. Ute […]

Ute Chibidziura: It’s an online presentation for the federal government’s art in construction. In other words, art that is created in connection with construction projects. Since 1950, art in construction has been realized in federal buildings, so that over the years an internationally unique stock of post-war art has been created, which includes the works of many well-known artists in all genres and techniques. We wanted to present this collection of art, which is spread across hundreds of properties in Germany and abroad, in a bundled form.

Many works of art are not accessible to the public …

One peculiarity of art in architecture is that it is tied to the building and is realized in places that are only accessible to a few people for security reasons or, like embassies, are in geographically remote locations. As a result, there are numerous works of art that are little known or have fallen out of sight over the years. With the “Museum of 1000 Places”, we can bring them back into the public eye and make them accessible to the general public.

Why in the form of a virtual collection?

The collection comprises around 10,000 works of art in total. We couldn’t present them in an illustrated book or in an exhibition – that would go beyond any organizational and personnel framework. The “Museum of 1000 Places”, on the other hand, is structured in such a way that works of art can be added bit by bit and the museum grows continuously. In addition, changes can be made to the content at any time. Art in architecture would be difficult to show in a traditional exhibition anyway, because in order to illustrate its location in the spatial context, you would have to build a model of each room or building and prepare picture galleries and texts for it, which would mean an enormous amount of work for just a few examples. Another advantage of a virtual exhibition is that it is not tied to a specific location, but can be viewed from home via the Internet.

How does the digital museum visitor navigate through the site?

There are several ways to access the art: an intuitive one via the images of the artworks on the homepage, a systematic one via the artworks, artists or locations tabs and one via the free text search. Within the artworks, you can sort by technique or context of use.

What information can you find when you call up a work of art?

You will find detailed information about the artwork in its architectural context, about the building and the property, and of course about the artist. It explains the artist’s career, the focus of their work and where else they have realized art on buildings. All information and photos relating to a work of art are stored in the form of a PDF that can be downloaded.

How does the virtual museum build a bridge to the physical world?

The museum indicates whether a work of art is freely accessible or at least open to the public, so that you can also view Kunst am Bau as part of a Sunday stroll. In addition, all works of art will gradually be equipped with a QR code that can be used to link to the “Museum of 1000 Places” to obtain detailed information about the work of art.

Which works of art are made of natural stone?

One important example is the “Rising Phoenix” by Hannes Schulz-Tattenpach on the Old House of Representatives in Bonn. This work of art made of limestone was the first work to be selected and commissioned after the Second World War as part of an open art-in-architecture competition. The phoenix rising from the ashes was intended to refer to the situation of the Federal Republic of Germany at the time, which had to reorganize itself as a democratic state after the war. The motif was still considered so apt in 1974 that it was used as a stamp on a special postcard issued by Deutsche Post to mark the 25th anniversary of the Federal Republic.

You can take a look at the database here: www.museum-der-1000-orte.de.