The Interaction between Life Safety and Property Protection the Fire Strategy for an IKEA Type Building - Case Study Example

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN LIFE SAFETY AND PROPERTY PROTECTION WHEN CONSIDERING THE FIRE STRATEGY FOR AN IKEA TYPE BUILDING Critical assessment of the interaction between life safety and property protection when considering the fire strategy for an IKEA type building Name : Lecturer’s Name : Date : Introduction Several standards and regulatory documents exist, governing the interaction between life safety and property protection. There are divergent and convergent views on the requisites of the fire strategy, with some strategies promoting life safety while enhancing property protection, while other strategies consider life safety to be of paramount importance, therefore give less regard to property protection. Conversely, some strategies are perceived to be much aligned towards property protection, without much consideration on life safety. Therefore, there are several life safety and property protection systems intended to protect lives and property from diverse risks such as physical harm to a building’s occupants or property, unauthorized entry and the risk of theft. These strategies include installation of diverse security systems and equipment such as electronic locks, intrusion alarms, mechanical locks and closed circuit television. Critical Assessment There are various strategies, considered imperative towards life safety in an event of fire in a building. In the United Kingdom, there are various regulations governing life safety and property protection. This includes the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) order, 2005, The Building Regulations (2000), and the construction products regulations, (1996), The Construction (Design and Management) regulations 2006, the workplace (Health, safety and welfare) regulations 1992 among several other regulations. In order to promote life safety, several strategies are utilised in buildings. A common strategy is the utilization of fire alarms and fire detection systems. In an IKEA type of building, which comprises of a showroom, market hall, restaurant, self service warehouse and checkout area, fire alarms and fire detection systems play a crucial role. Therefore, it is important that an appropriate type of fire alarm/detection system is installed, while considering the means of escape strategy such as simultaneous, phased or progressive horizontal evacuation. In IKEA type of building, an important strategy in life safety and protection of property is the utilization of Fire alarm systems. The systems are intended to serve several purposes such as reporting the occurrences of fire to emergency services providers, notifying the occupants to evacuate and to prepare the structure and associated systems to control the spread of fire and smoke. The buildings should have diverse arrangements for fire detection, which can either be manual, as in the case of detection of fires by people, or considering the size of the building, utilize automated fire detection systems. Fire detection is a strategy, aimed at protecting both the property and safeguarding life, this involves detection of unwanted presence of fire, through monitoring environmental changes associated with combustion. The building should therefore have manually actuated and/or automatically actuated In terms of Fire alarm systems, IKEA type building should be provided with a manual call points sited adjacent to exit doors, and/or suitable electrically operated fire warning system with sufficient sounders. The electrically operated fire alarm system has to comply with regulatory requirements such as BS 5839-1:2002 Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings, Code of practice for system design, installation commissioning and maintenance. This is enhanced by simple alarm sounding such as person discovering the fire shouting “FIRE”, while ensuring that the warning can be heard and understood throughout the premises. The building should have manually actuated devices, which should be easily located, such as identified, and operated such as break glass stations and Buttons. The automatically actuated devices have to be placed strategically depending on their technique of operation, such as those utilizing cameras and computer algorithms, flame detector, smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, combustion gasses, heat detectors and radiant energy. In conformance with the UK standards, the building should have diverse fire alarm systems categories with the P category meant to protect property and L meant to protect life. In IKEA type of building, life and property are very vital constructs, the building should therefore adopt a strategy of installing P1 systems, which should be installed throughout the building, except in low risks areas, so as to alert the fire brigade as early as possible to minimize damages caused by the fire. In high risks areas, as well as areas with valuable contents, such as the payments area and the checkout area, the building has to be installed with category P2 fire alarms, so as to minimize the disruption caused by the fires on the property. In addition, the strategy should engage installation of category L2 system or category L3 system, depending on the products being sold in the building and the type of activities carried out in the building. Category L2 system is warranted if there are areas with high chance of ignition. The utilization of L2 and L3 is intentioned to protect lift through installation of automatic detectors in high hazard rooms, rooms adjoining escape routes and escape routes. The L3 is aimed at giving early warning to all occupants of the building and detectors should be placed in all escape routes and all rooms that open onto escape routes, to ensure that the occupants and evacuated before the escape routes become impassable. In addition, in order to protect life, L5 alarms have to be installed in other parts of the building, such as the server rooms, which serve under special requirements that may not be covered by any other category. The fire alarm strategies implemented for the protection of property and life safety have similarities and interactively collaborative. In this case, the Manual systems, P1 and P2 systems designed to warn of fires in order to protect property, this also helps in life safety due to alerting of fire brigade. On the other hand, L systems are designed to warn occupants to exit the building, which may also serve as a basis for responding to fire, hence reducing the damage on property. Another important strategy is the design for horizontal escape. The strategy involves provision of means of escape, from all parts of the building such that any occupant confronted by a fire outbreak within the building can turn away from it and make a safe escape, so as to avoid occupants being trapped by fire or smoke. In the strategy, there should be more than one exit from a point, to avoid the dead end condition. In addition, the access control measures put in place during the design of the building should not severely restrict the fire safety provisions, ideally therefore in an IKEA type of building, there should be sufficient escape routes within and outside the normal hours, to enable safe evacuations of persons left in the building. There are regulatory limitations on the maximum travel distances, where travel is possible in one direction or in two directions with BS 5588: Part 10 applying more restrictive provisions to units with only one exit in covered shopping complexes. The escape routes strategy can be sufficiently satisfied if the escape routes cannot be disabled at the same time through ensuring that the escape routes are at least 45º apart, or they should be separated by fire-resisting construction, if they are they are in directions less than 45º apart. The escape strategy demands that the height of escape routes be no less than 2m except in doorways. In addition, the width of the escape route should be wide enough, to serve the huge number of persons accessing the building. The use of escape routes strategy involves using protected and unprotected corridors; the unprotected corridors have to be enclosed with partitions, which provide some defence against the spread of smoke in the early stages of a fire. The design and implementation of the horizontal escape routes serves primarily to safeguard life. From the perspective of property protection, the strategy does not however play a crucial role in the protection of property in case of fires. Another important strategy is the design for vertical escape. IKEA type of building is not most cases multi-storeyed, therefore availability of a sufficient number of adequately sized and protected escape stairs is a very vital aspect. One such factor is the number of Number of escape stairs, where several constrain determines the adequate number and width of the stair. The implementation of the strategy serves to enable the occupants escape, but does little to guarantee the protection of property. This is bolstered by the provision of refuges, which are relatively safe waiting areas for short periods. The escape stair has to be wide enough to accommodate the number of persons needing to use it in an emergency. In the strategy, building with simultaneous evacuation, allows for all floors to be simultaneously evacuated. In addition, the strategy considers access lobbies and corridors, in circumstances where an escape stair requires more protection of a protected corridor or a protected lobby. Moreover, a smoke control system can be used, while the building has to consider provision of a place of special fire hazard, and in between an escape stairway provide a protected lobby. In addition, the strategy involves exits from protected stairways, where they should discharge to a fire resistant final exit. Moreover, gas service and installation pipes or associated meters are not supposed to be in a protected stairway. Moreover, the basement stairs have to be protected, so that they do not endanger the upper storeys with smoke. Moreover, in terms of External escape stairs, there should be more than one stair. The vertical escape strategy serves in ensuring safety of life; the strategy however does not guarantee or offer any provisions for protection of property, since the strategy serves to ensure that the occupants of buildings are safely evacuated, without enhancing removing of property from fire. In terms of protecting the escape routes, the strategy involves ensuring that enclosures are fire resistant; moreover, doors on escape routes doors on escape routes should not be fitted with lock, latch or bolt, and should have simple fastenings, which are easy to operate, without using a key or manipulating more than one mechanism. Whereas the strategy serves in safeguarding life, the strategy may not be appropriate in protection of property in case of fire, since thieves may utilize the unclosed doors to steal. This is further highlighted in circumstances where the door is operated by a code, combination, swipe or proximity card, biometric data where the security requirements have to be overridden, hence rendering the protection of property in jeopardy. There is also a strategy involving fire resistance of the items used in construction of the building. These include ensuring that enclosures are fire resistant, the doors should be fire resistant and glaced elements should be as well, fire resistant. In addition, doors on escape routes, have to be readily openable, and without being fitted with complicated fastenings, or be fitted with panic fastenings in accordance with BS EN 1125:1997. In addition, the IKEA type building has store rooms, where fully enclosed walk-in has to be separated from retail areas with fire-resisting construction. The strategy serves principally to safe life. The construction of walls and ceiling linings influence to a big degree the spread of fires, hence safety and protection of property. There is also a strategy engaging management of fire spread and lining materials. In this case, IKEA type building has to consider the material since the property of the lining materials affects the spread of fire. In addition, the floors and stairs construction material has to be fire resistant. In terms of the walls, IKEA type building adopts a strategy where the walls of the building have to maintain stability for a reasonable amount of time in case of fire. The strategy dictates that a common wall between two buildings has to be designed and constructed so that it adequately resists the spread of fire between those buildings, while ensuring that the design inhibits unseen spread of fire and smoke within concealed spaces. The collection of strategies serves as an interaction purposed on ensuring life safety, while enhancing property protection. Life safety in guaranteed by the strategy limiting the spread of fire from one part of the building to another, this also serves to ensure property protection. Another strategy is the load bearing elements of structures, which serves to guarantee that property is protected and life safety. This involves preventing property destruction and loss of life through premature structure failure in case of life. This serves several purposes such as reducing the danger to persons in the surrounding area of the building, who might be hurt by falling debris or to the property. The purpose is also meant to reduce the risk to the occupants, who may remain in the building, as well as decreasing the risk to fire-fighters, who may be engaged on search or rescue operations. In addition, another important strategy is the utilization of compartmentalization, which involves restriction of spread of fire through sub division into compartments, separated by walls and/or floors of fire-resisting construction. This strategy is meant to decrease the possibility of fires becoming large, hence decreasing damage to property and loss of life and as well prevent rapid fire spread which could trap occupants of the building. Another aspect of IKEA type of building is to ensure a complete barrier to fire between the compartments they separate, hence ensuring that property and life is not lost, or property destroyed in adjacent rooms. Furthermore, a common strategy used by IKEA type building is usage of concealed spaces. The strategy engages offering concealed spaces or cavities in the construction of a building, which provide a ready route for smoke and flame spread. Therefore, the strategy involves having cavity barriers provided to close the edges of cavities, including around openings. In the context, the design involves having the cavity barrier, being mechanically fixed in position and being tightly fitted to a rigid construction. In addition, the strategy considers several minimum requirements for cavity carriers, such that they are fixed, and are not made ineffective by failure in a fire of any material or construction which they are adjacent to, movement of the building due to subsidence, shrinkage or temperature change, failure in a fire of their fixings or the collapse in a fire of any services penetrating them. The strategy is an interaction between life safety and property protection. Protection of openings and fire-stopping is also a strategy enabling property protection and life safety. The strategy involves using fire dampers, fire stoppers as well as having the external walls of the building capable of resisting the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another, while the roof has to adequately resist spread of fire. Space separation is also an important strategy, where notional boundary has to be set in the area between the two buildings, which serves to ensure that property and life in adjacent buildings is protected. This is further enhanced by installation of Fire mains and hydrants, where buildings have to be equipped with necessary facilities, which enables the fire and rescue service to connect hoses for water to fight fires inside the building. In the arrangement, IKEA type buildings have to be fitted with fire mains, such as accessible dry fire mains, or wet mains. This is also enhanced by the Provision of fire-fighting shafts, which serve fire-fighters, hence decreasing incidence of property destruction. The strategy is further enhanced by the provision of Smoke outlets, connected directly to the open air, should be provided from every basement storey. Cumulatively therefore, there is much interaction between life safety and property protection strategies, which collaboratively function together towards ensuring that the property is protected, while at the same time enabling that there is safety in life. References Read More