Essential Fire Prevention & Mitigation Strategies in Critical Infrastructure

1. Mission Critical Prevention & Mitigation John Mertens Fire Marshal, Phoenix AZ

2. Mission Critical Infrastructure

3. PREVENTION & MITIGATION • Layered Protection • Maintenance & Inspection • Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) Interaction

4. Layers of Protection: What’s Important? • Automatic Sprinklers • Pre-action? • Double Interlock – Smoke or Heat • Gaseous Systems Halogenated, Inert, HCFC Blend, HFC Blend • Aspirating Early Warning Systems • Power & Data Backup • Security vs. Egress and Fire Dept Access and Operations

5. Wet Piped Automatic Sprinklers • The best and most economical fire protection that can be provided • Water supply from municipality or tank • Reliable less than one in million fail rate • 90% of fires controlled with two or less heads activating on heat • 200# hydrostatic testing or more • Testing 1/4ly or as AHJ requires

6. Preaction Systems:Double or Single Interlock • Preaction Sprinkler System has air or Nitrogen (N2) in a dry pipe system • Single interlock requires a heat fused sprinkler head releasing air and tripping the valve on the system. • Fast water puts out fires sooner with less damage.

7. Single Interlock Pre-Action

8. Double Interlock Pre-action Sprinklers • Two things happen: • Smoke or heat detection triggers a fire alarm panel that energizes a solenoid • Sprinkler fuses release • Gas (air or N2) pressure released • Water starts to flow to fire location • Testing 1/4ly to annual as AHJ requires

9. Pre-Action

11. Gaseous Systems Halogenated, Inert, HCFC Blend, HFC Blend • Meant for equipment and business interruption protection • Requires room integrity for effectiveness • Does not substitute for the life safety and property protection that fire sprinklers provide

12. Gaseous Systems Halogenated, Inert, HCFC Blend, HFC Blend • Triggered by smoke usually, operating before sprinklers are activated by heat • Smaller cubic feet cost effectiveness • Annual testing of components (No discharge)

13. Advantage & Disadvantages • Early suppression, in seconds • If door is left open or new wiring cable is installed without protection compromises protection • Don’t see it usually over 10 K sq ft, as agent cost prohibitive • Every 5 years you may want a room integrity test, door fan see if it will still work. • When dealing with Inert, O2 or gas monitoring.

14. Fire stopping

15. Neatly or Disorganized

16. Door and Smoke Partition Inspection • IFC 2018 section 701.1 Scope. The provisions of this chapter shall govern the inspection and maintenance of the materials, systems and assemblies used for structural fire resistance, fire-resistance rated construction separation of adjacent spaces and construction installed to resist the passage of smoke to safeguard against the spread of fire and smoke within a building and the spread of fire to or from buildings. • Under floor and above ceiling also important.

17. Gaseous Systems Halogenated, Inert, HCFC Blend, HFC Blend

18. Aisle Treatment

19. Heat and Cooling Row Challenges • Obstructs Sprinkler spacing • Obstructs Airflow to Smoke Detection • Can over balance or obstruct gaseous distribution or total flood • Access and Egress effects • Add unintended combustibles to a data room.

20. Aspirating Early Warning Systems • Aspirating capable of sampling high volume of air movement for combustion gas products • Low as overheating circuit board • Multiple levels monitoring, curiosity, problem investigation, arm the system while sounding alarm, too late • Work in dirty and large environments • Warehouse data cloud facility

21. Aspirating Early Warning Systems

22. Carbon Dioxide(CO2 Gas) Equipment Protection • Transformers, generators, outside fuel supplies, electrical Turbines • Local application • Not recommended indoors, need Oxygen (O2) level depletion monitors • Testing annually

24. Power & Data Backup • IFC and IBC permit requirements when you install or change hazardous or electrical equipment • Various levels for business interruption, power outages, weather, criminal activity or environmental occurrences • Power keep going, UPS, Battery, Generators, second electrical grid transfer switches.

25. Power & Data Backup,Listed Servers Approved Means • Servers UL 860 listed for fire survivability

26. Power & Data Backup

27. Uninterruptible Power Source (UPS)

28. NFPA 70. 760.41

29. Security vs. Egress and Fire Dept Access and Operations • Card Access Accountability and Limiting Access • Premises Security Gates and Doors

30. Exit Rocket Science • Occupants cannot be locked in, nor prevented from egress • Fire Department Access must be provided • The occupants go out, the Fire department goes in.

31. 1008.1.9.8 Access-Controlled Egress Doors The entrance doors in a means of egress in buildings with an occupancy in Groups A, B, E, I-2, M, R-1 or R-2,… are permitted to be equipped with an approved entrance and egress access control system, listed in accordance with UL 294, which shall be installed in accordance with all of the following criteria:  • 1. A sensor shall be provided on the egress side arranged to detect an occupant approaching the doors. The doors shall be arranged to unlock by a signal from or loss of power to the sensor.  • 2. Loss of power to that part of the access control system which locks the doors shall automatically unlock the doors.

32. 1008.1.9.8 Access-Controlled Egress Doors •  3. The doors shall be arranged to unlock from a manual unlocking device “PUSH TO EXIT.” ..When operated, the manual unlocking device shall result in direct interruption of power to the lock—independent of the access control system electronics—and the doors shall remain unlocked for a minimum of 30 seconds.  • 4. Activation of the building fire alarm system, if provided, shall automatically unlock the doors, and the doors shall remain unlocked until the fire alarm system has been reset. 

33. 1008.1.9.8 Access-Controlled Egress Doors • 5. Activation of the building automatic sprinkler or fire detection system, if provided, shall automatically unlock the doors. The doors shall remain unlocked until the fire alarm system has been reset. • 6. Entrance doors in buildings with an occupancy in Group A, B, E or M shall not be secured from the egress side during periods that the building is open to the general public.

34. 2018 International Fire Code 1010.1.4.4 Locking arrangements in educational occupancies. In Group E and Group B educational occupancies, egress doors from classrooms, offices and other occupied rooms shall be permitted to be provided with locking arrangements designed to keep intruders from entering the room, where all of the following conditions are met: 1. The door shall be capable of being unlocked from outside the room with a key or other approved means. 2. The door shall be openable from within the room in accordance with Section 1010.1.9. 3. Modifications shall not be made to listed panic hardware, fire door hardware or door closers.

35. 2018 International Fire Code 1010.1.9.8 Delayed Egress • Delayed egress locking systems, shall be permitted to be installed on doors serving the followingoccupancies in buildings that are equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler sys tem in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 or approved automatic smoke or heat detection

36. Traditional Access Control Wiring

37. 2018 IFC 1010.1.9.3 Monitored or Recorded Egress • Where electrical systems that monitor or record egress activity are incorporated, the locking system shall comply with Section 1010.1.9.7, 1010.1.9.8, 1010.1.9.9, 1010.1.9.10 or 1010.1.9.11, or shall be readily openable from the egress side without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort.

38. 2018 International Fire Code 1010.1.4.4.1 Remote operation of locks. Remote operation of locks complying with Section 1010.1.4.4. shall be permitted. • Cell phone, computer, radio

39. Access Technology

40. Maintenance & Inspection • Now that you have it, spent money on it, you want it to work. • Regular inspection, maintenance, replacement cost in budgets, records of what’s there (really) • Record Keeping • Pre-plan and hazmat current

41. 910.5 Maintenance and Testing • 901.6 Inspection, testing and maintenance.Fire detection, alarm, and extinguishing systems, smoke management systems, mechanical smoke exhaust systems, and smoke and heat vents shall be maintained in an operative condition at all times, and shall be replaced or repaired where defective. • All fire protection systems shall be inspected and tested annually • Maintenance and testing of smoke and heat vents and mechanical smoke removal systems shall be maintained in an operative condition in accordance with Section 910.5.1 or 910.5.2, respectively.

42. 2018 International Fire Code 907.1.4 Monitoring • Fire alarm systems required by the provisions of Section 903 of this code shall be monitored by an approved supervising station in accordance with Section 903.4.1. • 903.4.1 Monitoring.Alarm, supervisory and trouble signals shall be distinctly different and shall be automatically transmitted to an approved supervising station or, when approved by the fire code official, shall sound an audible signal at a constantly attended location. • Exceptions:1. In building occupancies in Group A-2 that do not exceed 5,000 square feet (465 m2).  • 2. In all other building occupancies other than Group H that do not exceed 12,000 square feet

43. Smoke Management Testing • 909.12 Detection and control systems.Fire detection systems providing control input or output signals to mechanical smoke control systems Such shall be equipped with a control unit complying with UL 864 and listed as smoke control equipment. • Control systems for mechanical smoke control systems shall include provisions for verification. through a preprogrammed weekly test sequence, report abnormal conditions audibly, visually and by printed report.

44. 2018 International Fire Code • 701.2 Fire-resistance-rated construction. The fire-resistance rating of the following fire-resistance-rated construction shall be maintained: • Structural members. • Exterior walls. • Fire walls, fire barriers, fire partitions. • Horizontal assemblies. • Shaft enclosures.

46. 907.10 Smoke Alarm Maintenance • Smoke alarms shall be tested and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Smoke alarms shall be replaced when they fail to respond to operability tests, or when they exceed 10 years from the date of manufacture • Create some mass replacements of devices that are yellow with age.

47. 910.5 Maintenance and Testing • Maintenance and testing of smoke and heat vents and mechanical smoke removal systems shall be maintained in an operative condition in accordance with Section 910.5.1 or 910.5.2, respectively. A written record of inspection, testing and maintenance • Good • Bad • Fixed

48. AHJ InteractionsPartner KnowledgeMission Critical • Have you let your AHJ KNOW??? • How do you do that: • Permits, pre-plans, inspection reports, economic development meetings, hazardous materials reports, updated facility reports • Pre-plan and hazmat current

49. Responders are Coming Work with them for positive interaction

50. AHJ Interaction: 2018 International Fire Code • 1101.4.1 Construction documents. Construction documents necessary to comply with this chapter shall be completed and submitted within a time schedule approved by the fire code official. Unless specifically indicated in this chapter all work done on new and existing systems shall meet the requirements of the current adopted codes and standards.