FIRE SAFETY-FIRE FIGHTING

SERVICES
MODULE-07
 To be covered:
Fire Safety
- Role and Importance, Fire safety design,
planning for fire protection.
- Fire detection & fire fighting
- Different fire fighting methods to be adopted
in buildings.
 NBC STIPULATIONS
All buildings, which are 15 m in height or above,
and all buildings used as educational, assembly,
institutional, industrial, storage, and hazardous
occupancies and mixed occupancies with any of the
aforesaid occupancies, having area more than 500 m2
on each floor shall have a minimum of two staircases.
They shall be of enclosed type; at least one of them
shall be on external walls of buildings and shall open
directly to the exterior, interior open space or to an
open place of safety. Further, the provision or otherwise
of alternative staircases shall be subject to the
requirements of travel distance being complied with.
 As per NBC, TABLE 24, MERCHANTILE BUILDINGS (F)
above 15 m and up to 30 m in height, following
Installations is required;
a)Fire Extinguisher,
b) Hose Reel,
c)Dry Riser,
d) Wet Riser,
e)Yard Hydrant,
f)Manually Operated Electric Fire Alarm Systems
Dry Rise
g)Automatic Detection and Alarm System
h)Underground Static Water Storage Tank.
i) Terrace Tank 30,000 liter capacity.
j)Pump Near Underground Static Water Storage Tank
(Fire Pump) with minimum Pressure of 3.5 kg/Sq.
cm. at Terrace Level (Two electric and one diesel
pump of capacity 4500 l/min and one electric
pump of capacity 180 l/min.

Wet Riser
 Every wall opening shall be protected with fire-resisting doors having the fire
rating of not less than 2 hours.
Internal walls of staircases shall be of brickwork or RCC having fire resistance
of not less than 2 hours.
For high rise building, the following additional provisions of means of access
to the building shall be ensured:
a)The width of the main street on which the building abuts shall not be less than
12 m and one end of this street shall join another street not less than 12 m in
width;
b) The road shall not terminate in a dead end; except in the case of residential
building, up to a height of 30 m.
c) The compulsory open spaces around the building shall not be used for
parking; and
d) Adequate passageway and clearances required for fire fighting vehicles to
enter the premises shall be provided at the main entrance; the width of such
entrance shall be not less than 4.5 m if an arch or covered gate is constructed, it
shall have a clear head-room of not less than 5m.
 SIX ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR FIRE PROTECTION

1. Early detection and alarm system.

2. Means of egress.
3. Compartmentation.
4. Smoke Control.
5. Fire-suppression system.
6. Emergency power.

The objectives of fire protection in any structure are to protect lives and
property and to allow continuity of operations in the building.

All codes require structures to be designed & constructed to resist the

fire for 1,2 ,3 or 4 hours, depending on the type of structure,
height & occupancy.
Alarm System:-
When the automatic fire alarm operates,
the respective air-handling units of the air-
conditioning system shall automatically be
switched off.
Buildings shall be equipped with manually
operated electrical fire alarm (MOEFA)
system and automatic fire alarm system
with call boxes on each floor.

Telephone or other communication

facilities shall be provided in lift cars for
building of 30 m in height and above.

Communication system for lifts shall be

connected to fire control room for the
building.
 FIRE AND SMOKE
When a fire starts, the first 5 minutes are more important than the
duration of the fire because-
Smoke can spread & overcome people in the first few minutes, long before
the fire reaches them. Smoke moves more than 15 m/minute & kills
people before the fire is even noticed. When the fire becomes visible, the
speed of smoke may be over 31 m/minute.
Fire spreads by radiation, known as radiant plate, across open and clear
spaces in a second.
The speed of fire is approximately 4.5 m/sec.

FIRE STANDARDS
The National Building Code, National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) generates standards covering all aspects
of fire control. Plus, there are Local Building Bye-Laws for all
towns, and other local building department regulations.
 Some terms used.
Automatic Fire Detection and Alarm System
Fire alarm system comprising components for
automatically detecting a fire, initiating an alarm of
fire and initiating other actions as appropriate.
NOTE The system may also include manual fire alarm call
points.
2.2 Automatic Sprinkler System A system of water
pipes fitted with sprinkler heads at suitable intervals and
heights and designed to actuate automatically, control
and extinguish a fire by the discharge of water.
 Some terms
Dry Riser An arrangement of fire fighting
within the building by means of vertical rising
mains not less than 100 mm internal diameter
with landing valves on each floor landing
which is normally dry but is capable of being
charged with water usually by pumping from
fire service appliances.
 Terms..
Wet Riser An arrangement for fire fighting
within the building by means of vertical rising
mains
not less than 100 mm nominal diameter with
landing
valves on each floor landing for fire fighting
purposes
and permanently charged with water from a
pressurized
supply.
 FIRE & SMOKE DETECTION-COMMONLY USED
DETECTION SYSTEMS
Automatic fire detection : This system is an audible &/or
visible alarm: remote, local, or both. This system warns
occupants to evacuate the building or to extinguish the fire.
Heat detector (thermal detector) These are the simplest &
most reliable fire-detection devices & are commonly used in
buildings. Also known as temperature detectors.
Smoke detector- When a fire starts before the flames actually
surface, smoke is generated. These devices are best suited for
areas within a building where an anticipated fire would
produce a large column of smoke before the temperature of
fire is sufficient to operate heat detectors.
Ionization detectors- These sense the products of combustion
emitted during the incipient stage of the fire. Are more
sensitive than heat or smoke detectors.
5. Fire Detector These are the most rapid fire-detection devices available. Respond
to the presence of either infrared or ultraviolet radiation, which are the
characteristics of fire.
6. Water flow detectors- These are alarm-initiating devices used in structures which
have complete or partial sprinkler systems.
SMOKE DETECTOR
Electrical Provisions:-

The electric distribution cables/wiring

shall be laid in a separate duct. The
duct shall be sealed at every floor with
non-combustible materials having the
same fire resistance as that of the duct.
Water mains, telephone lines, intercom
lines, gas pipes or any other service line
shall not be laid in the duct for
electrical cables; use of bus ducts/solid
FIRE PROTECTED ELECTRICAL WIRES
rising mains instead of cables is
preferred.
Meter rooms on upper floors shall not
open into stair case enclosure and shall
be ventilated directly to open air
outside.
Suitable circuit breakers shall be
provided at the appropriate points.
 FIRE SAFETY ELEMENTS

When fire starts in a structure, it must be suppressed &

controlled as follows-
1. Detection of fire.
2. Communication signals.
3. Action to suppress fire.
4. Response to site of fire.
5. Initiation of suppressant.
6. Control of fire from spreading.
 PROTECTION OF LIFE-
GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN
Clear & defined passageway to exit. Exit Access should be
cleared of smoke as far as possible.
Exit access, exit enclosure & exit discharge on first floor of
multi-storey bldg. shown in Figure on next slide.
Clear view of exits and enclosed stairways allows occupants of
the floors to escape the premises immediately.
A variation of smoke-proof towers can be used.
The distance to the exits are regulated as per local
byelaws/code.
Summary of Life safety Code provision for occupants load and
capacity of exits as given in Figure.
There are requirements for exit stairs.
Fire-rated doors are to be used & rating-glazing requirements
followed.
 EXTINGUISHING PROCESS
The most common means of fire suppression is the use of
water supplied by:
1. Standpipe systems.
2. Sprinkler systems.
Standpipe System - In multistory structures the hose from
fire-fighting equipment cannot reach the upper floors;
therefore, a standpipe system must be designed for such a
structure. A schematic design of a standpipe system is
shown in the next slide.
The local building codes specify the required liters of water
reserved in a reservoir for fire-fighting.
Sprinkler System Automatic sprinkler systems are
commonly arranged in a grid pattern close to the ceiling in
such a manner that the area which they are serving is fully
covered. Refer Figure in latter slides.
 FOUR TYPES OF SPRINKLER SYSTEMS COMMONLY
USED

1. Wet-Pipe : The pipes are filled with water.

2. Dry-pipe : The pipes are filled with compressed air or
nitrogen.
3. Pre-action : Similar to a dry-pipe system except water is
admitted to the pipe before any sprinkler head has opened.
4. Deluge: In this system, all sprinkler heads go on at the same
time.
 SPRINKLER HEADS
Sprinkler heads operate with a heat-sensitive control, as given below-
1. Metal alloys The low-melting metal will open the sprinkler heads at a
temperature for which they are designed.
2. Organic liquid contained in a glass when heated to a certain designated
temperature, the liquid will expand & rupture the glass container & open
the sprinkler head.
3. Flow-control sprinkler The flow-control will shut off the water in the
system when the temperature at the ceiling is reduced.
The temperature setting of sprinkler heads should be a minimum of 25
degree Fahrenheit above the normal temperature of the ceiling.
The temperature setting of ordinary sprinkler heads is between 135 & 170
degree Fahrenheit, and for areas with high temperatures, between 155
and 355 degree Fahrenheit. All sprinkler heads should be replaced after
they have been opened.
The water pressure in the pipes of a sprinkler system need to be maintained
at a consistent value.
SPRINKLER DEVICES
Automatic Sprinklers
Automatic sprinklers shall be installed in:
basements used as car parks or storage
occupancy, if the area exceeds 200 msq;
multi-level basements, covered upper floors
used as car parks, and for housing essential
services ancillary to a particular occupancy
or for storage occupancy, excluding any area
to be used for sub-station, A.C. plant and DG
set;
any room or other compartment of a building
exceeding 1 125 m2 in area except as in (g)
(see Note 1), if so advised by local authority;
departmental stores or shops, if the aggregate
covered area exceeds 500 msq;
all non-domestic floors of mixed occupancy
which constitute a hazard and are not provided
with staircases independent of the remainder
of the buildings;
godowns and warehouses, as considered
necessary; on all floors of the buildings other than
residential and educational buildings, if the
height of the building exceeds 15 m (45 m in
case of group housing and apartments) (see Note 1).
dressing room, scenery docks, stages and
stage basements of theatres;
in hotels, hospitals, industries low and
moderate hazard mercantile buildings of
height 15 m or above;
in hotels below 15 m, if covered area at each
floor is more than 1000 msq;
false ceiling voids exceeding 800 mm in
height (see Note 2); and
canteen provided in upper floors of D-1
and D-2 occupancies shall be sprinkered.
NOTES
1 It is desirable that all high rise buildings should be fully
sprinkered irrespective of their height and occupancy.
 REQUIRED INSTALLATION FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEM

Required installation for sprinkler systems is as follows:

Fire Department connection on each frontage of the building.
All water supplies should have a master alarm valve control.
Special firewall dividing protected area as required by local
code.
Floor drain as required.
When gravity tanks are used, the amount of water for
operating the sprinkler system should be enough to operate
25 % of the total sprinkler heads for 20 minutes.
Introduction to Smoke and ventilation system:-

In retail premises such as shopping centres, the Building Regulations have a

strong emphasis on the provision of life safety systems such as smoke control.
A well designed smoke control system should be able to maintain smoke free
escape conditions at low level to allow the building to be evacuated with
minimum risk of smoke inhalation, injury or death.

HOW DO FIRES START?

The cause of all fires can be generally divided into two categories, accidental
or malicious ignition (arson). Arson is still the largest cause of fire in occupied
buildings, and the main cause of death and casualties is smoke.
SMOKE

Killer facts:
Over 4,000 fires occur in retail outlets every year.
On average, large fires cause a lot of property damage every year in shops.
Following the outbreak of a small fire in a shop, it can take less than three
minutes to fill a mall with smoke.
It can take 30 minutes to evacuate a mall, taking into account parents with
children, the elderly and the disabled.
An alarm is often not heard. When it is, people often ignore it or
misunderstand the situation.
Once the alarm has been raised, people do not necessarily react as
expected.
SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

Sprinklers and smoke control do

different, but complementary
jobs. A sprinkler system will
control the size of the fire and
thus reduce the amount of smoke
generated.
In shopping centres it is generally
recommended to protect shop
units with sprinklers to control
the fire size, but not to install
sprinklers in the malls to prevent
overcooling of smoke and the risk
of wet and slippery surfaces on
escape routes.
BUILDING DESIGNERS

Building owners and Architects share a responsibility to limit the potential for damage
and tragedy caused by fire. Choice of building materials, the layout of escape routes,
the number of exits and the installation of alarms, together with the installation of a
smoke control system, are all key building design considerations.
Using the principles of ventilation Architects can ensure that occupants can escape
quickly and safely and that fire-fighters can see and tackle the fire source.
Smoke control systems have a critical role to play in the design of the building.

Smoke can travel at a speed

of over 2m/s , this is faster
than the probable escape
speed of an occupant.
This fire exit shows the
effects of smoke over a
period of just a few minutes
Smoke Detection System:-

Smoke venting facilities shall be provided automatic & manual controls

for safe use of exits in windowless building.
Smoke exhaust equipment should have a minimum capacity of 12 air
changes per hour.
Natural draft smoke venting shall utilize roof vents or vents in walls at or
near the ceiling level; such vents shall be normally open , or, if closed,
shall be designed for automatic opening in case of fire, by release of
smoke sensitive devices.
 AIR

AIR

Figure 1

Smoke from a fire in an enclosed area, rises in a plume to the ceiling. As it

rises, air is pulled into it which in turn increases the volume of the smoke.
As the smoke reaches the ceiling, a layer is formed, which is referred to as the
smoke layer. Control of this layer is the main task of a smoke ventilation
system.

Figure 2

Smoke starts to quickly recirculate in an unvented building. When the smoke

reaches a dead end, it will dip down and be drawn back towards the fire,
possibly confusing occupants and causing them to move towards the fire.
smoke ventilation
smoke barriers

Figure 3

By using smoke ventilation and smoke barriers, drop down smoke curtains
for example, the smoke layer is contained above a pre-calculated height
(normally 3m minimum) and is either extracted naturally or by mechanical
means by ventilators installed in the ceiling.
 MOVEMENT OF SMOKE

FRESH AIR

Figure 4
Without smoke ventilation.

MOVEMENT OF SMOKE

SMOKE VENTS

FRESH AIR

Figure 5
With smoke ventilation.
 CHANNELLING SCREEN

Figure 5

Channelling screens limit the spread of smoke under balconies, reducing the
amount of ventilation required.
 3.VENTILATION DIRECT FROM THE FIRE FLOOR
1.VENTILATION UTILISING THE CENTRAL ATRIUM.
USING A FIRE RATED MECHANICAL EXTRACT
SYSTEM.

2. VENTILATION DIRECT FROM THE FIRE FLOOR USING

VENTILATORS IN AN EXTERNAL WALL.

Figure 6

There are three ways to ventilate a multi-storey complex depending on

the design and layout of the building.
SMOKE CONTORL WITH THE HELP OF AIR
AIR INLET CHANNELLING SCREEN SMOKE VENTS

ZONE 1 ZONE 2

Figure 7

The above figure shows a two zoned system where the ventilators in
the ZONE 2 are providing extract and the adjacent ZONE 1 is
providing air inlet.
SMOKE CONTORL WITH NATURAL LOUVERED VENTILATION
Natural ventilation can offer a number of
important advantages in smoke control
systems.
LOUVERED VENTILATORS

A natural louvered ventilator can provide

the dual benefit of day-to-day climate
control and smoke control. Depending on
the louver blade option, it can also permit
natural daylight entry.
It can be of:-
- Aluminium
- Translucent polycarbonate
- Glass
SMOKE CONTORL WITH NATURAL FLAP VENTILATORS
FLAP VENTILATORS

Glazed flap ventilators have large

unobstructed openings combined with
high performance levels
SMOKE CONTORL USING POWERED EXTRACTORS AND DAMPERS

Some above mentioned scenarios,

require the smoke to be discharged from
the building via fire rated ducting. Roof
mounted powered extract units can
assist in this.
Powered extract is also used when
positive wind pressure occurs at
ventilator locations, due to taller
buildings being within close proximity.
Natural ventilation may not perform as
required in this situation, and powered
extract must be used.
 SMOKE CONTORL USING SMOKE BARRIERS
A smoke barriers is formed by dividing large spaces at high level. These divisions
between smoke barriers can be a building feature such as a permanent screen
(made of glass) or a failsafe automatic smoke curtain operated on detection of
smoke.

AUTOMATED SMOKE CURTAIN

A SPACE WHEN NO FIRE IS DETECTED A SPACE WHEN FIRE IS DETECTED

 Modern shopping centres with high glass roof allow deep smoke barriers which creates an
efficient smoke control system. On the other hand low narrow malls often found in
renovated projects present additional challenges due to the limited height available to
obtain an effective solution. SMOKE CURTAIN

SMOKE CURTAIN

SMOKE IS NOT
ALLOWED TO ENTER
THE ATRIUM AND IS
VENTED OUT FROM
THE FLOOR.

SMOKE IS BEING VENTED SMOKE CURTAIN

DIRECTLY OUTSIDE THE
SHOP WITHOUT CAUSING
ANY PROBLEM TO THE
ADJACENT SHOP.

THIS CONDITION IS GENERALLY SEEN IN OLD SHOPPING MALLS

AND UNDERGROUND SHOPPING MALLS. THE SMOKE CURTAINS
PREENT THE SMOKE FROM SPREADING AND IS EASILY EXTRACTED.
Channelling screens can be
positioned for every shop unit
facing the mall or increase the
span of the channelling screens
over two or more shop units.

CHANNELING SCREEN

WORKING OF A CHANNELING
SCREEN IN CASE OF FIRE