FIRE PROTECTION AND FIRE SAFETY

Suraj D Shinde

Fire : Friend or Foe ?

Fire Triangle

Heat + Fuel + Oxidizing Agent

Fire in building
Cause danger to human life. Cause damage to property. Cause air pollution.

Cause of fire in building

Gas leaks Electric short circuit Electrical equipment Smoking Flammable Liquids Barbecues Children playing with fire

Fire classes
Class A : Ordinary combustibles (wood, paper, cloth, rubber) Class B : Flammable liquid and gas (gasoline or natural gas) Class C : Electrical ( Electrical equipment) Class D : Metal (magnesium, potassium, titanium) Class K : unsaturated cooking oils

FIRE PREVENTION

 General Classification of building

Fire zones
The city shall be demarcated into distinct zones, based on fire hazard inherent in the buildings and structures according to occupancy , which shall be called as Fire Zones.

Fire Zone A Residential, Educational, Institutional

Fire Zone B Low hazard Industries, laboratories, Research establishment

Fire Zone C High & moderate hazard industries, Storage

Fire-resistance rating
A fire-resistance rating typically means the duration for which a passive fire protection system can withstand a standard fire resistance test. This can be quantified simply as a measure of time, or it may entail a host of other criteria, involving other evidence of functionality or fitness for purpose. Fire rating of building element shall be determined in accordance with test set forth in ASTME 119 or UL 72.

Fire-resistance rating
The fire resistance of a building or its structural and nonstructural elements is expressed in hours against a specified fire load which is expressed in kcal/m2, and against a certain intensity of fire.

Time/temperature curves
The standard-temperature-time-curve illustrates the phase of the fire after it takes hold. It enables building components to be classified according to fire resistance using fire resistance testing.

Time/temperature curves
It is used for testing the fire-resistance rating of passive fire protection systems such as fire stops, fire doors, wall and floor assemblies, etc., which are used in compartmentalisation in buildings and the petro chemical industry in Europe and North America.

Fire protection

Sprinkler systems
An automatic sprinkler system is a system of pipes with automatic sprinklers placed at various intervals. The orifice of the automatic sprinkler is normally closed by a disk or cap held in place by a temperature-sensitive releasing element. Each sprinkler is automatically activated to discharge and distribute water on a fire in sufficient quantity to either control or extinguish it.

Sprinkler system components

Types of sprinkler systems

Wet-pipe system : Automatic sprinklers are attached to a piping system that contains water under pressure at all times. When individual sprinklers are actuated, water flows through the sprinklers immediately . Dry pipe system : Dry pipe systems are installed in spaces in which the ambient temperature may be cold enough to freeze the water in a wet pipe system. Water is not present in the piping until the system operates. The piping is filled with air below the water supply pressure. Deluge systems : all sprinklers connected to the water piping system are open, in that the heat sensing operating element is removed.

Types of sprinkler systems

Pre-action systems : Pre-action sprinkler systems are specialized for use in locations where accidental activation is undesired, such as in museums with rare art works, manuscripts, or books; and Data Centres, for protection of computer equipment from accidental water discharge. Foam water sprinkler systems : foam water fire sprinkler system is a special application system, discharging a mixture of water and low expansion foam concentrate, resulting in a foam spray from the sprinkler. These systems are usually used with special hazards occupancies associated with high challenge fires, such as flammable liquids.

Standpipe systems
Standpipe is a type of rigid water piping which is built into multi-story buildings in a vertical position or bridges in a horizontal position, to which fire hoses can be connected, allowing manual application of water to the fire.

Types of standpipe
Dry standpipe : When standpipes are fixed into buildings, the pipe is in place permanently with an intake usually located near a road or driveway, so that a fire engine can supply water to the system. Wet standpipe : A "wet" standpipe is filled with water and is pressurized at all times. In contrast to dry standpipes, which can be used only by firefighters, wet standpipes can be used by building occupants. Wet standpipes generally already come with hoses so that building occupants may fight fires quickly.

Fire extinguisher
A fire extinguisher, flame extinguisher, is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations. Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel containing an agent which can be discharged to extinguish a fire.

Types of extinguishing agent

Dry chemical Foams Water
Wet chemical and water additives

Clean agents and carbon dioxide Class D Fire extinguishing ball Condensed aerosol fire suppression

Classification methods for hand-held fire extinguisher

Fire alarm system

A fire alarm system is a device designed to alert people from visual and audio alarms when smoke/fire is present. These alarms may be activated from smoke detectors, heat detectors, or from a fire alarm pull station

Features of fire alarm

Manual alarm signal initiation Automatic alarm signal initiation Activation of fire suppression systems Activation of fire safety functions Activation of alarm notification appliances Monitoring of abnormal conditions in fire suppression systems Emergency voice/alarm communications Process monitoring supervisory systems

Smoke detector
A smoke detector also called a smoke alarm is a device that detects smoke, typically as an indicator of fire. Commercial, industrial, and mass residential devices issue a signal to a fire alarm system, while household detectors, known as smoke alarms, generally issue a local audible or visual alarm from the detector itself.

Codes & regulation

Vehicular access

Means of access
Fire fighting access lobbies shall be provided at every floor & the level distance from the furthermost point of the floor does not exceed 45.75 meters. A fire fighting staircase shall be provided to give direct access to each fire fighting access lobby & shall be directly accessible from outside the building at fire appliance access level. A fire lift shall be provided to give access to each fire fighting access lobby or in the absence of a lobby to the fire fighting staircase at each floor level.

Travel distance

Storey exit
Storey exit is a fire rated door to a protected staircase or a corridor protected with a fire resisting structure in accordance with the 9th schedule to these By-laws & in the case of ground floor accommodation storey exit means a door leading direct to a place safety outside the building.

LIFE SAFETY

Lift Enclosure/lift
Walls of lift enclosures shall have a fire rating of two hours The number of lifts in one lift bank shall not exceed four. A wall of two hours fire rating shall separate individual shafts in a bank. Lift car door shall have a fire resistance rating of 1 hour

Fire lifts
The lift shall have a floor area of not less than 1.4 sq.mt. It shall have a loading capacity of not less than 545 kg. (8 persons lift) with automatic closing doors. a separate service from electric supply mains in a building The speed of the fire lift shall be such that it can reach to the top floor from ground level within one minute

Fire Dampers
These shall be located in air ducts and return air ducts/passages at the following points: i) At the fire separation wall. ii) Where ducts/passages enter the central vertical shaft. ii) Where the ducts pass through floors. iv) At the inlet of supply air duct and the return air duct of each compartment on every floor. Operate automatically and shall simultaneously switch off the air- handling fans

Static water storage tank

A satisfactory supply of water from underground static storage tank. Provided with fire brigade collecting branching with 4 Nos. 63mm dia instantaneous male inlets arranged in a valve box with a suitable fixed pipe not less than 15 cm dia to discharge water into the tank.

Q&A

Thank you