FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM

Er.Pavithra
Assistant Professor
Dr.M.G.R Educational & research institute
FIRE ESCAPE STAIR
CASE
Fire Escape Staircase
• A fire escape stair is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to
the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main
areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or
other emergency that makes the stairwells inside a building inaccessible.
• The Fire escape staircase as is the special type of emergency exist which
plays an important role to safely exit from the building during an emergency
or any fire hazard.
• Fire escape staircase is widely used in the multi-storey residential
buildings for commercial buildings.
• Every building should have a fire escape staircase to permit the safe
escape of occupants in case of the emergency. Fire escape should be
constructed with non-combustible materials.
• The building should be properly design and constructed as per the
required fire safety according to the fire protection of the National
Building Code of India.
• Fire escape stairs are mainly governed by the two main aspects which are
the Stability and Access.
Types of Fire Escaping Stairs
Different types of fire escaping stairs are as follows
• Drop Ladder
• Counterbalanced Stairs
• Gooseneck Ladder
1. Drop Ladder
2. Counterbalanced Stairs
3.Gooseneck Ladder
FIRE ESCAPE STAIRCASE REGULATIONS
• The width of fire escape staircase shall not be less than 0.75metre, the
width office escape stair tread shall not be less than 15 cm, the height
of the fire escape stair riser shall not exceed 19 cm, and the number of
risers shall not exceed 16 per flight of stairs.
Fire Escape Staircase Regulations
There are various regulations of fire escape staircase which are as follows
• The High rise buildings should have a minimum of two staircases and fire
escape and it should be connected to the public areas and the common areas on
the floors or ground.
• The route towards the fire escape staircase should be free from any type of
obstruction.
• The fire escape staircase shall not be taken into consideration while calculating
the number of staircases for the building.
• The entrance which is provided to the fire escape shall be separate and removed
from the internal staircase.
• The door which leads a way towards the fire escape staircase should be
made from the fire-resistant material.
• The fire escape staircase should have handrails of height not less than 1
metre.
• The fire escape staircase should be located such that it should have one
side of the external wall which has a large opening for the exit.
• The spiral fire escape staircase should not be less than 1.5 metres in
diameter and should have adequate headroom.
• All the fire escape staircase should be directly connected to the ground.
• Fire escape staircase should have straight flight not less than 25
metre in width and 25 cm treads and risers not more than 19 cm.
• The use of a spiral staircase should be limited to low occupant load and
a building height of 9 meters.
• The main staircase and the fire escape staircase shall be continuous
from the ground floor to the terrace level.
What Are the Fire Staircase Requirements?

• There are different types of fire staircase requirements which are as

follows
• The surface of the fire step should be slip resistance under all the
conditions.
• The landing of the fire staircase should be a minimum length of 900
mm.
• The landing of fire stair should be designed properly at an
appropriate interval.
• The handles of the fire staircase should be accessible by both sides.
• The distance between handrail and adjacent wall surface should
be 50-60 mm minimum.
Fire Stair Dimensions

• Fire stair should be designed as per the standard dimensions are as follows.
• The length of the fire staircase should be a minimum of 900mm in length.
• The width of the fire escape staircase should not be less than 75 cm.
• The height of the fire escape staircase riser should not be more than the 19 cm.

Fire Escape Staircase Material

The fire escape staircase is made up of the different types of materials
which are as follows
• Aluminium
• Stainless Steel
• Galvanized Steel
• Concrete
HOSE REEL INSTALLATIONS
• Hose reels are firefighting equipment for use as a first-aid measure by building occupants.
• A pressure of 200 kPa is required at the highest reel.

• If the water main cannot provide this, a break/suction tank and booster pumps should be
installed.
• Fixed or swinging hose reels are located in wall recesses at a height of about 1 m above floor level
• reinforced on-kink rubber hose in length up to 45 m to cover 800 m2 of floor area per installation.
FIRE HYDRANTS
• Fire fighting hydrant outlets with their control valves.
• The hydrant pipe work is remaining pressurized through the proposed jockey pump
taking care of any leakages in the system pipe lines, valves and fittings.
• Support manual firefighting operations
• Opening the hydrant and removing the caps requires a hydrant wrench, Water flows
from hydrant through hoses
• Wet barrel has water up in the barrel at all times Bollards surround hydrants to protect
them
• Wall hydrant: installed on the structure
• Flush hydrant: installed in belowground vault
• Yard hydrant: common at industrial facilities
WET RISER
• It is essential in buildings over 50 metres high
• A minimum running pressure of 400 kPa with up to three most remote landing
valves operating simultaneously
• A flow rate of 25 l/s is also required
• Alternatively, a pressure reliefvalvemay be incorporated in the outlet
of the landing valve
• The discharge from this is conveyed in a 100 mm i.e. drain pipe
• One 65 mm landing valve should be Provided for every 900 m2 floor area
FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM

IN BUILDINGS
The various types of fire protection system are :

⮚ AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM

⮚ CARBON DIOXIDE SYSTEM
⮚ HYDRANTS SYSTEM
⮚ DRY CHEMICAL SYSTEM
⮚ HALON SYSTEM
⮚ WATER SPRAY SYSTEM
1. AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM

⮚The automatic sprinkler system involves automatic

sprinklers attached to a piping system containing water
under pressure.
⮚These are connected a water supply so that water
discharges immediately from the sprinklers
opened by a fire.
⮚ The flow switch will allow the water to the affected area.
 2. CARBON DIOXIDE SUPPRESION
SYSTEM
⮚ Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a clean, non combustible & non
corrosive gas.

⮚ It extinguishes fire primarily by lowering

the level of oxygen.

⮚ Carbon dioxide may be stored in either high

pressure spun steel cylinder or low pressure

light wall.

⮚ They are adopted in areas like computer rooms, areas

containing flammable liquids etc.

 3. HYDRANT SYSTEM
⮚ In this system the hydrants are located at suitable points and they can be
operated automatically or manually.

⮚ In manual operation, the pump has to be started manually after opening the
hydrant valve, in automatic operation the pump is opened automatically
when the hydrant valve is opened manually.
⮚ It is the backbone of all fire protection system.
⮚ It can be installed in airports, textile mills, paper mills, hospitals etc.
EMERGENCY EXIT ARRANGEMENT
IN BUILDINGS
⮚An emergency exit in a building is a special exit for

emergencies such as a fire.

⮚The combined use of regular and special exits allows for
faster evacuation, while it also provides an alternative if the
route to the regular exit is blocked by fire, etc.
⮚ These are mainly provided in theatres, hospitals etc.
TYPES OF EXIT:

❖HORIZONTAL – It may be a door – way corridor or a passage

to a stairway or to a verandah or a terrace.

❖VERTICAL – It may be a staircase or ramp but not a lift.

EXIT REQUIREMENTS AS PER NBC OF INDIA :

⮚ Every building should be provided with sufficient exit to permit safe

escape in the case of fire.

⮚ All exits should be free of obstruction.
⮚ Adequate illumination ( lighting).
⮚ Alarm devices should be installed.
⮚ Sprinklers to be provided.
⦿ Water Fire Extinguishers:
The cheapest and most widely used fire extinguishers. Used for Class A
fires. Not suitable for Class B (Liquid) fires, or where electricity is involved.
⦿ Foam Fire Extinguishers:
More expensive than water, but more versatile. Used for Classes A & B fires.
Foam spray extinguishers are not recommended for fires involving electricity,
but are safer than water if inadvertently sprayed onto live electrical apparatus.
⦿ Dry Powder Fire Extinguishers:
Often termed the ‘multi-purpose’ extinguisher, as it can be used on classes A,
B & C fires. Best for running liquid fires (Class B). Will efficiently
extinguish Class C gas fires, BUT BEWARE, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS
TO EXTINGUISH A GAS FIRE WITHOUT FIRST
ISOLATING THE GAS SUPPLY. Special powders are available for class D
metal fires.
⦿ Warning: when used indoors, powder can obscure vision or
damage goods and machinery. It is also very messy.
 • Smoke and fire detection equipment is an integral part of any
building’s safety. When working properly, they alert the
occupants in a building of a fire before it spreads, giving
them enough time to evacuate. This type of equipment
comes in many forms: heat detectors, smoke detectors, flame
detectors, and CO gas detectors.

Here is an overview of the different types of fire detection equipment.

• Heat Detector
• Flame Detector
• Smoke Detector
⦿ Heat detector : Unlike other types of alarm systems, heat detectors
are not early warning devices. These devices are typically found in
spots with fixed temperature, including heater closets, small rooms,
and kitchen facilities. They should not be installed in areas with
fluctuating ambient temperature. This is because the alarm on heat
detectors is set to go off if there is a rise in the temperature.
⦿ Flame detector : Like their name suggests, these detectors are used to
detect flames. When working properly, they detect fire nearly at the point
of ignition. They are very useful for buildings involving with hazardous
processes, as well as gas and oil refineries and manufacturing industries.

⦿ Smoke detector : Smoke alarms are designed to detect fires quickly. Like
flame detectors, this fire detection equipment
• A fire alarm system has a number of devices working together to detect and warn
people through visual and audio appliances when smoke, fire, carbon
monoxide or other emergencies are present.

• These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors, and heat
detectors or may also be activated via manual fire alarm activation devices such as
manual call points or pull stations. Alarms can be either motorized bells or wall
mountable sounders or horns.

• They can also be speaker strobes which sound an alarm, followed by a voice
evacuation message which warns people inside the building not to use the elevators.
• Fire alarm sounders can be set to certain frequencies and different tones including
low, medium and high, depending on the country and manufacturer of the device.
Most fire alarm systems in Europe sound like a siren with alternating frequencies.
Fire alarm sounders in the United States and Canada can be either continuous or set to
different codes such as Code 3. Fire alarm warning devices can also be set to different
volume levels. Smaller buildings may have the alarm set to a lower volume and larger
buildings may have alarms set to a higher level.
Fire Pumps
o Fire pumps are required to be in situ when the water supply via a local
water authority does not provide adequate pressure to meet the hydraulic
design requirements of a fire sprinkler system. This is typically the case
if the building is very tall, such as a high-rise building, or where a system
requires a relatively high terminal pressure at the fire sprinkler head so as
to supply a large volume of water, such as in storage warehouses.
o Fire pumps are also required if the water supply for fire protection is
provided from a ground level water storage tank.
o Fire pumps can be powered by electricity or diesel and work to provide an
adequate water supply to a fire sprinkler system. The fire pump suction is
connected to a static water source, such as a water storage tank, and it is
capable of providing water flow at a higher pressure to the fire sprinkler
system than that available via the local water authority.
⦿ A fire pump operates when the pressure within a fire sprinkler
system drops below a certain threshold, such as when a fire sprinkler
head activates and discharges water. The types of fire pumps used
within fire sprinkler systems include:
⦿ Horizontal split case
⦿ Vertical split case
⦿ Vertical inline
⦿ Vertical turbine
⦿ End suction
⦿ A jockey pump is a small pump connected to a fire
sprinkler system and is intended to maintain pressure in a fire
protection piping system to an artificially high level to avoid false
alarms being caused from unnecessary sprinkler pump activation.
The jockey pump is essentially a portion of the fire pump's control
system.
⦿ Water Storage Tanks

1. The usage of buildings can vary considerably, a building may be used as a storage
facility or may have its own storage area, and the building usage and storage all
have a bearing on what is known as the hazard classification which is a
determination of the level of fire hazard.
2. In accordance to the determined hazard classification of a building, a fire sprinkler
system has to be able to deliver a specific amount of water over a designated area. If
the available water flow and pressure provided to a building by the local water
authority is below a required criteria and not adequate to fulfill requirements, a water
storage tank can be installed for the supply of water for fire protection.
3. A water storage tank remains filled with the desired level of water through the
use of a ball float valve which is connected to the local authority water supply. In
the event of a fire water may be drawn from these tanks by specifically designed
fire pumps and subsequently pumped at high pressure into a fire sprinkler system.
⦿ A close-up of hose coupling used with pneumatic drills and
jackhammers. A hose coupling is a connector on the end of
a hose to connect (or couple) it with another hose or with a
tap or a hose appliance, such as an irrigation sprinkler. It is
usually made of steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminium or
plastic.
Dry Riser System
⦿ Dry fire main water supply pipe installed in a building for fire-fighting purposes, fitted with
inlet connections at fire service access level and landing valves at specified points, which is
normally dry but is capable of being charged with water usually by pumping from fire and
rescue service appliances.
Wet Riser System
⦿ Wet fire main water supply pipe installed in a building for fire-fighting purposes and
permanently charged with water from a pressurized supply, and fitted with landing valves at
specified points.
⦿ Where fire mains are installed and there are no floors higher than 50 m above fire service
access level, wet or dry fire mains may be installed.
⦿ Where there are floors higher than 50 m above fire service access level, wet fire mains should
be installed owing to the pressures required to provide adequate fire-fighting water supplies at
the landing valves at upper floors and also to ensure that water is immediately available at ll
floor levels.
⦿ A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection method,
consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure
and flow rate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire
sprinklers are connected. Although historically only used in
factories and large commercial buildings, systems for homes and
small buildings are now available at a cost-effective price.

⦿ Fire sprinkler systems are extensively used worldwide, with over

40 million sprinkler heads fitted each year. In buildings completely
protected by fire sprinkler systems, over 96% of fires were
controlled by fire sprinklers alone.
❑ A fire escape consists of a number of horizontal platforms, one at
each story of a building, with ladders or stairs connecting them. The
platform and stairs are usually open steel gratings, to prevent the
build-up of ice, snow, and leaves.

❑ Railings are usually provided on each of the levels, but as fire

escapes are designed for emergency use only, these railings often
do not need to meet the same standards as railings in other
contexts. The ladder from the lowest level of the fire escape to the
ground may be fixed, but more commonly it swings down on a
hinge or slides down along a track.
⦿ A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside
of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the
building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency
that makes the stairwells inside a building inaccessible. Fire escapes are most
often found on multiple-story residential buildings, such as apartment buildings.

⦿ At one time, they were a very important aspect of fire safety for all new
construction in urban areas; more recently, however, they have fallen out of
common use. This is due to the improved building codes incorporating fire
detectors, technologically advanced fire fighting equipment, which includes
better communications and the reach of fire fighting ladder trucks, and more
importantly fire sprinklers. The international building codes and other
authoritative agencies have incorporated fire sprinklers into multi-story buildings
below 15 stories and not just skyscrapers.
⦿ A fire door is a door with a fire-resistance rating (sometimes referred to as
a fire protection rating for closures) used as part of a passive fire
protection system to reduce the spread of fire and smoke between separate
compartments of a structure and to enable safe egress from a building or
structure or ship.