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International Fire Protection Articles
Below you will find a selection of articles from our International
Fire Protection magazine. These articles focus on the latest
international fire protection, prevention and safety articles, including
reports on firefighter equipment, apparatus and detection systems.
Modern design techniques offer
advanced structural fire engineering and modelling that can benefit all
concerned, with accurate prediction of the performance of steel for
today's modern buildings and the fire performance measures required to
protect them. However, over-assumptions to save costs can result in
compromised fire protection.
It is often said that in order to
shape the future you need to look back and understand the past. A
colleague of mine recently asked: "when and what was the last great
innovation in firefighting foam?" I have to admit, I had to think about
the question and before I could answer he stated: "Aqueous Film Forming
Foam (AFFF) in the early 1960s, at a time when vacuum tubes and
black-and-white television were considered advanced technology and John
F. Kennedy was the U.S. President." This time period is considered the
last significant innovation in firefighting foam - nearly some fifty
years ago. So it got me thinking about the advancements in firefighting
foam and where does the future of firefighting foams lie.
As the use of intumescent
coatings to protect structural steelwork from the effects of fire in
buildings grows the understanding of the technology and its correct use
needs to intensify.
Oxygen-reduction fire prevention
is a revolution in fire safety, and the world's latest technological
innovation in fire prevention. It has the unique ability to create an
environment of breathable, controlled oxygen-reduced air that prevents
fire ignition. Oxygen-reduction systems prevent fire proactively instead
of suppressing a fire after it has started and damage and business
interruption has occurred.
According to the latest Fire
Statistics issued by the U.K. Department for Communities and Local
Government, fire and rescue authorities attended 154,000 fires in
England between April 2012 and March 2013. This is 31 percent fewer
fires than in the same period the year prior. In addition, there were 14
percent fewer fire-related fatalities during this same period. While
this reduction is unquestionably good news for the population at large,
the official figures only record those incidents that municipal fire
services have been called upon to intervene. The statistics do not
record the thousands of smaller fires that start every year and are
personally managed through the use of a fire extinguisher.
- Who is Responsible?
The answer to the question regarding who is responsible for maintaining
the fire protection system once installed appears to be quite obvious
and simple. Most codes, including reference standards such as NFPA 25
and NFPA 72, clearly state that the owner is responsible for maintaining
the fire protection systems and that the owner may delegate that
responsibility, in writing, to the occupant if the owner is not the
occupant.
There are many elements to
consider when attempting to prevent and control fire within the built
environment.
The triangle of fire is a well-recognised and understood model for
determining the constituent parts necessary to create and sustain a
fire. If any one of the three key elements - oxygen, heat or fuel - is
missing then a fire simply cannot take hold. If any of the three
elements is removed during an established fire, for instance by cutting
off the air supply, the fire will go out.
Modern society relies heavily
upon interconnectivity. The word infrastructure is no longer restricted
to traditional means of conveyance such as roads. When used in 2014
vernacular it typically refers to networks that keep our interconnected
society moving at a rapid pace.
Epoxy passive fire protection
coatings continue to play an important role in fire safety for the
petrochemical and offshore industries but how do they stand up to
operation in very low temperatures?
On September 11, 2001, 3,000
people died in the 9/11 attacks that shook the USA, indeed the world,
through an array of coordinated attacks at the World Trade Centre,
Pentagon, and the airliner that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
This terrible event was an important day for the NFPA. Due to the fires,
mass communication, and building issues that led to the immense death
toll, NFPA developed codes and expanded and/or refined existing codes to
avoid future tragedies.
Fire is a terrible and ever
present danger for hydrocarbon processing facilities, capable of
inflicting huge social, political, financial, and ecological
devastation. Last year's fire and blast at Venezuela's Amuay refinery
killing 48 people and causing an estimated US$1.7billion of damage, is
just one of dozens of reported fires that occur annually at refineries
around the world.
The options available to buyers
of fire detection equipment are now more diverse than ever. This article
looks at the range of technologies on the market and offers some advice
on finding the most suitable solution for a particular situation, as
well as assessing the likely impact of innovation and regulatory
developments on the future of fire detection.
There are many elements to consider when attempting to prevent and control fire within the built environment.
Over the past decade, video image
smoke and flame detection has made significant progress in the fire
protection field. Video Image Detection (VID) is today widely used for
flame and smoke detection in a number of industrial and commercial
applications.
The introduction of a new
standard, EN54-23: Fire alarm devices - Visual alarm devices, is the hot
topic regarding beacons and sounders, so now is a good time to look at
what is new on the market. First though, Paul Pope of Apollo Fire
Detectors looks at the background to this new European product standard
and highlights the key considerations.
The correct application of fire
detection in industrial applications is no less important than that of
any commercial or residential application. The fundamental issue that
seems to challenge many however, is that of the selection of equipment.
What is the most appropriate fire detection equipment for the job?
Communication is the key.
With millions of tourists and
spectators expected to travel to Brazil for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World
Cup and the 2016 Games of the 31st Olympiad, many questions remain
about the host country's commitment to life safety and fire protection.
Over the past ten years Europe
has seen great strides in the recognition of sprinkler systems and
sprinkler technology. But, what is yet to come?
For most functions of glass -
such as energy and light control - an often too glib familiarity is of
little consequence. But where fire is a question, the issues are serious
ones and complacency is unjustified. Lives are potentially at stake and
there may well be major consequences in horrendous costs for building
owners and businesses.
An intrinsically safe (IS) system
is defined as one that 'comprises apparatus and interconnecting wiring
in which any spark or thermal effect in any part of the system intended
for use in hazardous areas is incapable of causing ignition'.
Applications where IS systems are required can include any locations
where an explosive mixture of air and gas or vapour is - or may be -
present continuously, intermittently or as a result of an accident.
Taking stock of passive fire
protection in non-domestic property is a major challenge worldwide, and
there are risks of not examining this issue thoroughly and
professionally throughout the supply chain.
On the 1st of July 2013 the Construction Product Directive (CPD) will be replaced by the Construction Product Regulation (CPR).
Fire is arguably the greatest
threat facing those responsible for safeguarding heritage buildings.
While risks such as theft, flood and even insect or fungal infestation
can damage buildings and their contents only fire can completely destroy
them. Each year, throughout the world, there are fires in every type of
historic and heritage buildings. A number of these outbreaks reach
serious proportions where measurable fire loss can soar into the
millions. The loss of important artefacts, cultural resources and
national heritage mean such fires are among the most feared.
The beginning of the IWMA - the
International Water Mist Association - was what might be called rather
provisional and informal. In the early days of the Association there was
neither a proper office nor any employees - let alone any major
activities. However, there was a target.
All traditional forms of fire
protection and extinguishing rely on a fire starting for them to work,
meaning damage and disruption is inevitable. In warehouses, conventional
fire protection is difficult to install and maintain. Where business
continuity and stock protection is paramount a different approach is
required - Fire Prevention.
The Construction Products
Regulation (CPR) was cited in the Official Journal in 2011 and all parts
finally come into force on the 1st July 2013. However, it appears there
are still missing gaps in the knowledge of the construction industry.
The life safety industry is
continually devising new and innovative ways to make well-established
technology keep people and property safe. EN 54-23 is impacting on the
way fire detection systems are specified and leads the way to showing
how an integrated approach to implementing different technologies can
have far reaching benefits.
In previous editions of
International Fire Protection we learned that a fundamental fire
protection strategy is to divide a building into fire-rated compartments
intended to contain fire to the compartment of origin. When openings
are created in the fire-rated walls and floors forming the compartments,
their fire rating and ability to resist smoke migration is compromised.
Often, openings cannot be avoided, in the case of penetrants or when
barriers intersect.
Changes to building design
practice place an increasing importance on the way manufacturers and
fire engineers consider each other's needs and requirements.
Water mist firefighting systems
have been around in the Middle East for the past 15 to 20 years.
However, it is only recently that water mist technology has achieved
broad recognition in most Middle East countries, leading to it being
specified in numerous prominent projects.
It has been called "codifying by catastrophe" - how fire and other safety regulations have often come about because of tragedy.
A new European standard for
rolling stock fire safety testing is expected soon. It follows a 20-year
project by experts from Europe's laboratories, train builders,
certification bodies, regulators and component manufacturers - and is
about
to culminate in seismic changes to the rolling stock sector.
Since their introduction in the
early 1990s, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) based clean agents have been the
most widely specified products for the protection of sensitive, valuable
and mission-critical equipment and assets. No other issues related to
these agents are perhaps more misunderstood or misrepresented than their
environmental impact and the implications of regulations on their use
in fire extinguishing applications.
The prospect of a fire in a tall
building is always an emotive subject, as the potential for loss of life
is that much higher. Towering Inferno was one of the most popular
movies of the 1970s and the image of people gambling on the smallest
chance of survival by jumping rather than being burned alive was an
extremely powerful one.
The risk that fire poses to the
efficiency and reliability of intermodal transportation has resulted in
many of the industry's decision makers taking the threat more seriously.
So much so that automatic fire suppression is now regularly being
fitted to "mission critical" mobile, handling and transportation
equipment.
Although the art of passive fire
protection continues to develop at a rapid pace, the humble fire
protection board still remains at the heart of an effective and reliable
system. But, these boards are not as humble as one may think.
All of us recognise fire when we
see it - we know what a fire looks like so this is, for us, a reliable
method of fire detection. The same idea is the basis for video image
detection, a fire detection technology currently creating a lot of
interest. But how does an automated system reliably detect fires simply
by looking for them?
The British Automatic Fire
Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) has published a Technical Guidance Note
for the UK Watermist Co-ordination Group to provide easy access to a
range of third-party information to illustrate the benefits of
incorporating watermist fire suppression into a particular building
design.
The effectiveness of Voice Alarm
(VA) systems has been documented in the fire industry for nearly two
decades. There is strong evidence that suggests the use of clear voice
messages greatly improves response time and provides the opportunity to
advise occupants of the safest emergency route.
When designing fire alarm and
detection systems for a heritage building it is often necessary to
satisfy a number of conflicting needs while also complying with fire
safety legislation.
When thinking of fire safety most
people think about the smoke alarms that detect a fire, the sprinkler
systems that are activated once a fire is established and the risk to
the building's occupants has increased considerably. However if a
building's passive fire protection is well planned and installed there
is every likelihood that these alarms may never be activated.
Most guidelines and standards for
road tunnels are what are called prescriptive; they tell the engineer
in detail how to build a safe tunnel. However, building codes are moving
more and more towards what are called performance-based codes, where
engineers have more flexibility to come up with new solutions. In new
complicated construction projects this may save money and make the
constructions safer, so a proposal for performance-based design of
tunnels has been developed by a research team in Sweden.
Modern data centres and
telecommunications facilities house a vast array of expensive and
sensitive electronic devices connected together and configured to
analyse, collect, distribute, manage and store information. They are
vital to business continuity and their protection needs careful thought.
Safety is a key priority offshore
and ensuring safety on-board, be it a vessel or production facility, is
absolutely vital. Passive and active fire protection systems, which are
designed to contain fire and provide protection for people when it
matters most, help to create a safer environment for all. However, with
the demanding and challenging offshore industry continuing to push the
limits of subsea exploration and drill offshore wells even further out
to sea, can these systems keep up and still provide the peace of mind
that the industry needs?
Technology is key to helping reduce false alarms that the UK government estimates cost the country around £1 billion a year.
Central train stations are
critically important strategic transportation hubs. In the future -
particularly in light of on-going urbanisation, the emergence of
megacities and the need for mobility - their importance will continue to
grow.
Up until the early 1990s, the
choice of a clean agent for a total flooding application was relatively
simple, as the clean agent market consisted of only two agents: Halon
1301 (CF3Br) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide systems have been
employed for more than a century and have extinguished more fires than
any other gaseous fire extinguishing agent. However, the minimum design
concentration for CO2 total flooding systems is 34 percent by volume,
well above the acceptable exposure threshold for personnel. As a result,
NFPA 12 prohibits the use of total flooding CO2 systems in normally
occupied spaces with specific exceptions, and where a gaseous total
flooding system was desired for a normally occupied enclosure, Halon
1301 was generally recommended.
Normal hearing is taken for
granted by most of us, but there are estimated to be nearly nine million
people who are deaf or hard of hearing in the UK alone, equivalent to
one person in every seven.
Understanding how crowds typically behave during a fire is critical to improving evacuation and, ultimately, to saving lives.
Due to their hazardous nature,
petrochemical and gas processing facilities have always been vulnerable
to the danger of fire, and the huge potential social, political,
financial and ecological impacts of a major disaster mean that safety
concerns are always a prime consideration.
Structural steel may be widely
used in modern buildings, but it shares a key weak spot with any other
construction method - vulnerability to fire. However, specifying the
most effective method of protecting structural steel against that danger
is not always a straightforward task. Sean Appleton of Promat UK
explains.
Fire safety legislation demands
that commercial, public and industrial buildings must be safe at all
times, so virtually all of them will need emergency lighting schemes
that are fit for purpose in protecting them and their occupants if an
emergency occurs.
Fire safety is changing such that the performance of designs, products and systems is coming under closer scrutiny.
The Construction Products
Directive (CPD) is set to be replaced by the Construction Products
Regulation (CPR) in July 2013. What are the implications, and what steps
need to be taken to ensure compliance?
Structural fire engineering can
bring many advantages to a project including reduced fire resistance
ratings and optimised fire protection requirements. Understanding its
application together with characteristics of a passive fire protection
material can bring cost savings to a project, while maintaining a safe
and robust structural design.
Building on progress was the
focal point at the UK's Fire Industry Association's (FIA) recent
conference that called for the industry to drive progress forward
through strong leadership and sector partnerships.
Even in the most sophisticated
fire system installed in the most modern of premises, call points
perform a vital role in enabling anyone to raise the alarm in the event
of discovering a fire.
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
is a common method used for design and construction in the built
environment. IPD is defined as a collaborative alliance of people,
systems, business structures and practices into a process that harnesses
the talents and insights of all participants to optimise project
results, increase value to the owner, reduce waste, and maximize
efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction.
The most popular method of IPD is design-build.
Mankind has long been interested
in what the future may hold in store for us. Whether one looks to the
Ancient Greeks who consulted with The Oracle at Delphi or Doris Day who
whimsically asks her mother, "Que Sera, Sera" (what will be, will be)?
We as a species have a collective curiosity of what has yet to
transpire.
London's major new
80,000-capacity 2012 Olympic Stadium has been built to wow the world -
and is a far cry from the local sports arenas used by communities across
the country.
While fire accounts for a
relatively small proportion of crane accidents, it is a constant
life-threatening risk that needs to be given greater attention.
It has long been recognised that
the best way to prevent fires spreading in a building, is to contain
them as quickly and effectively as possible. So, filling holes left by
the introductionof pipes and cables is essential for fire containment.
Choosing a fire-rated cable is
simple, right? No, it calls for constant vigilance. Sadly, not every
cable "does what it says on the tin"; the pedigree of some cable is
highly suspect; and standards and codes of practice are not always
applied with the diligence they deserve.
No structure best depicts
affluence and wealth than a high-end, luxury retail complex. The
Crescent Mall in Vietnam is the latest addition to a development set to
have a huge impact on the infrastructure of Ho Chi Minh City.
No other issue related to the
hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) clean fire extinguishing agents is perhaps more
misunderstood than the issue of their environmental impact.
High value assets come in many
different types, shapes and sizes but each creates a very real need for
reliable and effective passive fire protection. Fire and blast
protection systems have an important role to play in helping building
owners and designers provide that protection.
When Government research points
to attendance at automatic fire alarm signals, my question is: why are
the fire and rescue services opting to reduce attendance to them?
Successful testing of voice alarm
and mass notification systems depends on understanding the factors that
affect intelligibility and use of the proper commissioning methods and
equipment.
Watermist fire protection systems
are fire suppression systems that have emerged as an alternative fire
safety solution for specific applications over the past few decades -
butare they suitable for commercial low-hazard occupancies?
A hospital fire on 9th December
2011 resulted in at least 89 deaths in Kolkata, India. A fire in a drug
rehabilitation centre in Lima, Peru on 28th January 2012 resulted in at
least 27 fatalities. Reports from both fire incidents describe attempts
by the responding fire service personnel to rescue the patients or
residents inside the facility.
The debate surrounding open and closed protocol has recently reignited.
Making the right purchasing decision is critically important and calls for a
clear understanding of what is at stake.
The primary function of any alarm
system is to communicate to people that an emergency exists. The
development and evolution of alarm products has been and still is highly
dependent on the technologies available. Whichever techniques are used
there are only five human senses through which information can be
received and of these, hearing and sight are the quickest and easiest to
stimulate.
The consequences of a major
industrial fire can be catastrophic, potentially impacting on the
business' ability to survive, workforce safety and employment, the local
environment and the surrounding community.
One tends to think of fire safety
in relation to building regulations and codes as an evolutionary
process that developed in structure and stature throughout the twentieth
century. In fact, history tells a very different story in that building
regulations, (perhaps proclamations may be a better definition) in
relation to fire safety, go back many centuries.
Safety is a major concern for
rail operators around the world, as the implications of a major fire at a
railway station, in a tunnel, or on a rapid transit system have the
potential for major loss of life.
There are some 195,000 deaths
each year from fire; most, of course, are domestic fires. However, the
human cost can be much greater when fire breaks out in a commercial
building - particularly in countries that either have inadequate fire
safety regulations or the means to stringently enforce them.
Fire represents one of the
greatest threats to those working either above or below ground in a mine
environment. It takes little for a minor outbreak to escalate in
minutes into a disastrous conflagration, so stopping a fire in its
tracks has to be the top priority.
Having the right equipment in
place to detect and suppress a petrochemical fire is essential, but so
is having well thought out emergency preparedness plans, being in a
position to ensure fast response, and having effective incident control.
The Coalition for Responsible
Fire Protection began in 2010 as a healthy discussion about how to
balance environmental sensitivity with the need to preserve life and
property. Many large firms now expect or even demand more
environmentally responsible products and systems, which will reflect and
support their own environmental commitments. While small steps have
been taken to "green" the fire protection industry, to date the
Coalition believes it has been a mostly cosmetic exercise.
As far as fire resisting doorsets
are concerned, and to borrow a line from Bob Dylan, the times they are a
changin'- at least in Europe. This article sets out to explain the
historic development of fire door standards, how that has shaped where
we are now and what the future may hold for the industry. It looks at
fire door specific testing and installation requirements in North
America, Europe and countries that use their building codes, and how
on-going product certification will shape what the industry uses for
compliance in the future.
A new controlled-flow inert gas
suppression system developed by Kidde Fire Protection reduces
installation time significantly, having cut installation on a large data
centre project by at least 30% when compared with ordinary inert gas
suppression systems. It also resolves the problem of using inert gas
suppression when only minimal pressure relief is possible.
Voice and spoken instructions greatly reduce the time taken to evacuate a building after the fire alarm has been activated.
There is a lot more to fire
protection regulation than simply following the rules. Helping shape
them is important; so is the sharing of responsibility in the industry.
Siemens Power Generation Group
built a new gas-fired power plant at the site of the existing Emile
Huchet power plant in the Lorraine region of north-eastern France.
Central to the project was the provision of fire safety and security
systems, recognising the pivotal role that power generation has to play
in the modern world and the importance of ensuring business continuity
in such critical infrastructure.
The continuing tough economic
global landscape continues to put pressure on capital building
programmes in both the public and private sectors. One outcome of this
has been a switch in focus in many cases to refurbishing and upgrading
existing premises where the additional outlay for a complete rebuild or
replacement cannot be justified.
Fire resistant glazing and its
role in effective passive fire protection - Simon Ellison examines the
importance of system specification and best practice techniques.
Fire protection wrap systems can
provide a code-compliant solution for combustible items in commercial
building plenums, areas above the ceilings or beneath raised floors in
which various building services are often run.
Stadia have changed dramatically
in recent years, with more than 50 stadia in the world now capable of
holding more than 80,000 people. As centres for entertainment, housing
much more than just sporting events, stadia now host conferences, music
events and corporate hospitality. With this in mind, newly constructed
stadia need to be comfortable and provide areas to shop, eat and relax,
and accommodate large audiences and provide comfort for corporate
partners and VIPs. This can be a major challenge for civil engineers and
facilities managers, who need to keep visitors happy, and more
importantly, safe. Fire and safety systems need to be easy to install
and maintain, as well as large enough to cope with such a sizable venue -
failure is not an option.
A few eyebrows might be raised
when a company that has long argued the wisdom of in-cabinet fire
detection and suppression expands its offering to include a full-room,
total flooding solution. But mission-critical assets come in a variety
of sizes and combining the two systems can be the most effective and
cost efficient solution.
Video image smoke and flame
detection has made great progress over the past ten years. Advances in
Technology and experiences have led to the evolution of new applications
and the use of video image detection (VID) as a mainstream fire
detection solution.
The recent NFPA Technical Meeting
in the USA accepted a number of Standards, several of which are going
to impact on the provision of fire protection.
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