Fire Prevention and Control System

1. REG 261 - BUILDING SERVICESTopic 5: Fire Prevention & Control System Sr Dr. Md Azree Othuman Mydin azree@usm.my 04-6532813 www.hbp.usm.my/azree

2. LECTURE CONTENT • Introduction to Fire Prevention & Control System • Fire prevention goals • Means to achieve fire protection • Nature of fires • Active Fire Protection - Portable extinguishers - Alarm detection - Automatic fire detectors - Hose reels & hydrants - Sprinkler system - Pressurised escape route - Smoke extraction & ventilation

3. What is fire prevention and control system?

4. Introduction Fire prevention and control system: • practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of fires • study of the behaviour, compartmentalization, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies Definition of fire prevention & control system: • Protection in the aspects of fire prevention, control and extinguishment for a certain area based on the availability of risks in that area" (JPBM:1997)

5. Fire prevention goals Fire prevention goals: • Continuity of operations - prevent the interruption of critical services necessary for the public welfare • Property protection - prevent area wide conflagrations. • Life safety - the minimum standard used in fire and building codes

6. Some general facts about fire prevention • No facility is absolutely fireproof. Nearly everything can burn, by given ignition, adequate fuel, and sufficient Oxygen. • Fire and flame will spread in a building both vertically and horizontally • Smoke and toxic gases are responsible for 66% of deaths from fire in buildings. • The contents of a building are usually a more important factor in the start of a fire than the physical structure of the building. • Very often only a few minutes pass between the beginning of combustion and the development of a destructive fire • What happens, or does not happen, in the first few minutes of a fire determines whether it can be controlled or not.

7. Means To Achieve Fire Protection MEANS TO ACHIEVE FIRE PROTECTION PASSIVE EDUCATION ACTIVE • Design of buildings • Structure • Fabric • Components & their installation • Portable extinguishers • Alarm detection • Automatic fire detectors • Hose reels & hydrants • Sprinkler system • Pressurised escape route • Smoke extraction & ventilation

8. Common Fire Hazards • Electrical systems that are overloaded, resulting in hot wiring or connections, or failed components • Combustible storage areas with insufficient protection • Combustibles near equipment that generates heat, flame, or sparks • Smoking (Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, etc.) • Equipment that generates heat and utilizes combustible materials • Flammable liquids • Fireplace chimneys not properly or regularly cleaned • Cooking appliances - stoves, ovens • Heating appliances - wood burning stoves, furnaces, boilers, portable heaters • Electrical wiring in poor condition • Batteries • Personal ignition sources - matches, lighters • Electronic and electrical equipment

9. Nature of Fires For a fire to start three conditions must be met at the same time: FUEL OXIDIZER IGNITION

10. FUEL • Fuels are materials that burn • The higher the temperature, the easier and quicker they burn Common fuels include: -- Solvents such as acetone, alcohols, and toluene -- Gases such as acetylene and propane -- Solids such as wood and paper

11. OXIDIZERS • Oxidizers: Oxygen or other substances capable of releasing oxygen to a fire • Common oxidizers include: • acids, especially nitric and perchloric acids • chlorine dioxide • Others such as potassium permanganate and potassium chlorate

12. IGNITION • An ignition source can be: • A Spark • Static electricity • Arcs from electrical equipment, faulty or otherwise • A lit cigarette • A hot light bulb

13. THE FIRE TRIANGLE • Fire prevention consists of making sure that the three legs of the fire triangle never meet FUEL OXIDIZER IGNITION

14. ACTIVE FIRE PROTECTION • Portable extinguishers • Alarm detection • Automatic fire detectors • Hose reels & hydrants • Sprinkler system • Pressurised escape route • Smoke extraction & ventilation

15. 1. Portable extinguishers • A fire extinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations. • It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which has reached the ceiling, endangers the user (i.e., no escape route, smoke, explosion hazard, etc.) • Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel containing an agent which can be discharged to extinguish a fire.

16. Types of Portable extinguishers SPECIAL POWDER Colour Code: Red with a blue panel

17. CLASSES OF FIRE & TYPES OF FIRES

18. Aim the hose or nozzle. Pullthe pin. Squeeze the lever. Sweepthe agent. The P.A.S.S. Method

19. 2. Alarm Detection Alarm bell Break-glass call button 1.5 m above floor level Fire alarm circuit

20. 3. Automatic Fire Detector • Objectives of automatic fire detectors • To indicate location of the outbreak of fire • To operate alarm bells, and • To communicate with the local authority • Various types of operating characteristics: • A bimetallic strip • An ionisation chamber • Light scattering devices • A laser beam

21. i. Bimetallic strip i. Bimetallic strip

22. ii. Ionisation chamber Ionisation smoke detector

23. iii. Light-scattering devices Light-scattering smoke detector

24. iv. Laser beam Effective up to 100 m distance Laser beam detector

25. 4. Hose Reels • fire hose reel is a physical assembly planned near to a fire service so that there is a reasonably accessible and effectively controlled water supply to fight fire incidents. • through the setting of a fire hose reel, people can help prevent more damage brought about by accidental fires and explosions in buildings and establishments • a fire hose reel provides a steady flow of pressurized water (or any other extinguishing agent) to combat fire.

26. 4. Hose Reels

27. Hose Reel Installation Indirect supply Direct supply Hose reel installation

28. Types of Hose Reel • attack hose • supply and relay hose • forestry hose • booster hose • suction hose

29. 1. Attack Hose Reel • hose is a fabric-covered • flexible hose used to bring water from the fire pumper to the nozzle. • nominal diameter 1.5 to 3 in (38 to 76 mm) • designed to operate at pressures up to about 400 psi (2,760 kPa). • the standard length is 50 ft (15.24 m)

30. 2. Supply and Relay Hose Reel • hose is a fabric-covered with larger diameter • flexible hose used to bring water a distant hydrant to the fire pumper or to relay water from one pumper to another over a long distance . • nominal diameter 3.5 to 5.0 in (89 to 127 mm) • designed to operate at pressures up to about 300 psi (2,070 kPa) for the smaller diameters and up to 200 psi (1,380 kPa) for the larger diameters • standard length is 100 ft (30.48 m)

31. 3. Forestry Hose Reel • hose is a fabric-covered used to fight fires in grass, brush, and trees where a lightweight hose is needed • nominal diameter 1.0 and 1.5 in (25 and 38 mm) • operate at pressures up to about 450 psi (3,100 kPa). • the standard length is 100 ft (30.48 m).

32. 4. Booster Hose Reel • is a rubber-covered, thick-walled, flexible hose used to fight small fires. • usually carried on a reel on the fire pumper, rather than being stored flat. • nominal diameter 0.75 and 1.0 in (19 and 25 mm) • designed to operate at pressures up to 800 psi (5,520 kPa). • standard length is 100 ft (30.48 m)

33. 5. Suction Hose Reel • sometimes called hard suction • usually a rubber-covered, semi-rigid hose with internal metal reinforcements. • it is used to suck water out of unpressurized sources, such as ponds or rivers, by means of a vacuum. • suction hose ranges in nominal inside diameter from 2.5 to 6.0 in (64 to 152 mm). • the standard length is 10 ft (3.05 m).

34. i. External Hydrant • Hydrants provide the means for drawing water from the mains. • One of the key reasons for their installation on water mains is for use by fire services during fire fighting operations for property protection and fire suppression. • These operations may include all manner of fire service emergencies and other situations requiring access to water ranging from those involving residential dwellings to major bush fires

35. i. External Hydrant Recommendations for installation of external hydrants: • The hydrant valves should attach to a ring system of supply with more than one source from the water authority’s main • Maximum spacing of 150 m apart, next to road • Maximum 70 m distance from building entry • A maximum distance of 6 m to a building

36. ii. Internal Hydrant • What is external hydrant? • Hydrants for use inside the building during fire • Installation guide for internal hydrant • - One rising main (wet or dry) must be provided for every 900 m2 of floor area • - Where more than one riser is required, they should be less than 60 m apart • - No part of floor must exceed 60 m from a landing valve

37. Types of Internal Hydrant 2 types of internal hydrant: 1. Dry riser - empty vertical pipe complete with hydrant outlets at each floor 2. Wet riser - permanently filled with water to supply hydrant valves on each floor.

38. i. Dry Riser • A dry riser is an empty vertical pipe complete with hydrant outlets at each floor. • A coupling within 18 m of an access road is provided at ground level for fire fighters to connect their hose. Appropriate in buildings and structures between 18 m to 60 m in height. • Above 60 m, wet risers must be installed because the limitations of fire tender pumps and the need for water for immediately available at hydrant valves.

39. ii. Wet Riser • The wet riser is permanently filled with water to supply hydrant valves on each floor. • A 100 mm riser can serve one outlet per floor and a 150 mm pipe will be sufficient for two. • Pressure requirements are between 400 and 500 kPa, the upper limit to protect fire-fighting hoses from rupturing. • Direct supplies from the street main must also provide a flow rate of 25 l/s.

40. 5. Sprinkler System • active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected. • historically only been used in factories and large commercial buildings, • but nowadays available for home and small building at a cost-effective price.

41. Types of Sprinkler System • Wet sprinkler system • Dry-pipe sprinkler system • Alternate wet & dry sprinkler system • Tail end sprinkler system • Pre-action sprinkler system • Recycling sprinkler system • Deluge sprinkler system

42. 6. Pressurized Escape Route • Objective • To create greater air pressure in escape routes than the remainder of rooms in buildings

43. 7. Smoke Extraction & Ventilation • Objective • To aid fire control by eliminating smoke, heat, toxic and inflammable gases from the source of a fire • To retain visibility for escapers, and • To provide clear access for fire fighters

44. Effect of smoke logging Smoke logging & ventilation

45. Fire Vent Area Calculation Number & size of vents Roof vent, ventilator factor

46. Fire Vent Area Calculation Example From table, vent factor is 0.37 m Vent area = 50 m x 0.37 m = 18.5 m2 or 18.5 = 0.0093 2000 Or approximately 1% of the floor area Fire vent area calculation