External Fire Spread between Buildings and Determination of Unprotected Areas - Assignment Example

FIRE SAFETY STRATEGY Student name: Tutor’s name: Institution: Date of submission Table of contents Introduction……………………………………………………… 4 Building Description………………………………………………5 Means of Warning and Escape……………………………………6 Fire alarms and Detective System………………………………....7 Occupants’ Number……………………………………………….10 Travel Distance……………………………………………………11 Number of Routes…………………………………………………12 Evacuation Lift…………………………………………………….14 Emergency Lightning………………………………………………16 Fire Safety Signs……………………………………………………17 Fire Alarms Call Point………………………………………………17 Internal Fire Spread…………………………………………………18 Table of Classification……………………………………………….19 External Fire Spread………………………………………………….20 Space Separation……………………………………………………...22 Front Elevation………………………………………………………..23 Right and Left Elevation……………………………………………...24 Front Elevation…………………………………………………………24 Recommendation……………………………………………………….25 Appendix……………………………………………………………….26 Introduction The aim of this project is to guide the users concerning the fire safety tragedy of an academic building with a capacity of six thousand people. This will undoubtedly help them to apply in real life situation and escape safely in case of a fire breakout. The building has five floors, and every floor is joined to the other through stairs which wind their ways from the basement all the way to the fourth floor. Nevertheless, there is a lift which joins all the floors. The levels include the basement, ground floor, and the three other floors. Its height is 22 meters, and the entire building is estimated to measure 3872 square meters in. The fire safety strategy, therefore, has been designed to meet the conditions of building regulations. The following are the requirements of an academic building by security plan. - The sprinklers should not be used in the buildings whatsoever - The fire protection system should be cost effective Building Description Since the academic building is a large building, it should, therefore, be an open plan. It has six floors which include the following - Basement - Ground floor - First floor - Second floor - Third floor - Fourth floor. The academic building also has some rooms within itself and they include - computer room - reading area -catalogue room -offices -student cell - sick bay Primary concerns - Ways of escaping the building in case of emergency - Ventilation system - Smoke control system The report, therefore, seeks to discuss the safety measures in this building and how they can be helpful when the fire eventually breaks out. It further highlights the recommendations which include the measures which should be taken and which should not be taken. Main concerns - Ways of escaping the building in case of emergency - Ventilation system - Smoke control system The report, therefore, seeks to discuss the safety measures in this academic building. The user should be equipped with vast knowledge concerning the subject in question to be able to operate in the event of fire outbreak. The Approved Document B is further compartmentalized into five parts and this include - B1 - Means of warning and escape. - B2 - Internal fire spread (linings). - B3 - Internal fire spread (structure). - B4 - External fire spread. - B5 - Access and facilities for fire service. B1 Means of warning and escape: Requirement: By B1, schedule 1, of the buildings' regulation, there should be a prior warning concerning fire and most suitable means of escaping in the event of fire outbreak. The people should then converge in a safe point once they get out of the building. (ADB, 2013). The Fire alarm and fire detection system: The system of detecting and warning against the fire alarm recommends that an ideal type of power alarm or detector should be erected in a building. This is by ADB. In the building, the L2 category of fire detection and fire arm are needed, and this is the operation itself A manual call point is needed when constructing the academic building since the users of the facility will always stay inside doing some research, doing the assignment or just studying. The installation of manual call point should agree with the recommendations in ADB. On the contrary, the automatic alarm system will be best installed in specific areas where people rarely go since they are useful when there is a high-risk BS 5839-1, 2002. Based on the ADB, the following measures should be taken: - always install in 1.4 meters above the floor. - Should be a breakable glass call point. - Should be installed in exit routes and entrance (ADB, 2013). - Means of warning and escape Means of warning entails giving awareness to the occupants. Warnings come through verbal and audible instructions. The alarms are usually used as a communication tool in cases of a fire breakout. These warning devices are installed at a strategic place where they reach all occupants. They must be able to be understood by all, people with disabilities included. Apart from informing the occupants about the breakout, communication equipment shall also help in alerting the staff and other related bodies to take possible measures against it (Pan and Garmston, 2012). The fire safety management has included the plans that will contribute to locating these devices at different strategic places where the students will be reached easily by the alarms. The alarms are to be kept actively functioning whenever the rooms are in use. They shall be able to use audible signals, familiar to the people, to allow easy understanding hence the quick response. Means of communication is a required element that is essential during the breakout. The information is relayed to give direction the students in case of disaster. The information had to remain clear and understood. Hence, the equipment for the information has to be properly installed. The plans for the disaster management include the installation and administration to function effectively during the tragedy. Means of escape deals with the provision of means of escape from the affected point to the point of safety. The estimated length of the escape routes shall enable the occupants to move safely as they can accommodate the number. The well-spaced estimation will comfort to the students to escape smoothly despite the confusion that may occur. The presence of well-trained staff shall allow guidance to the students. The staff shall direct the student on the right way to follow. They also guide on the measures to be taken on as well as taking individual action against the breakout to avoid further damages. Fire alarms and detecting systems Generally, significant buildings require a proper arrangement for fire detection and fire alarms, unlike small buildings where observation and smell are enough to detect and spread warnings to the occupants. The alarms should be electrically connected to all rooms and be able to give warnings that can be clearly heard and understood by all people. The sensors and alarm system should have a consistent power supply. The power supply can be either rechargeable battery or non-rechargeable battery. The two detectors are smoke optical detectors and alarms based on ionization chamber. These sensors work differently depending on the fast flaming fire or the fire that might be expected. The optical sensors are considered more valid. They are less affected by the low level of particles like fumes that can cause false alarms. In the case of sheltered housing, a connection should be linked to the receiving point where the supervisor can be able to identify the flat of which is affected and raise the alarm to occupants (Purkiss and Li, 2013). The positioning of the detectors and alarm should be at a circulation place that is between the resident’s places and the places where the fire is likely to originate. Also, whenever there is more than one alarm connected, they should be interlinked so as to allow easy notification. The detection by one unit will send a signal to the others hence early warning is made to all premises. The design and installation of the systems should be done properly. The maintenance of the same should also be taken care of for the system to be reliable, and assure high quality of safety. Selection of the system to use in a given building system varies depending on the type of occupancy as well as the escape strategies. In cases of weak responses because of important warnings; that are unfamiliar fire warnings to the people, voice alarm systems considered appropriate to give both audible instructions and verbal signals. Most cases, fire signs should always be distinct from other signals that are generalized in their functions. It must be clearly understood as it is recommended to be accompanied by verbal instructions. In large premises as mentioned, a trained supervising staff is required to carry out the task of informing the public in cases of fire breakout through procedures in a planned manner. People with disabilities are not exclusive in this context. There is a unique way of creating awareness to these people. The visually impaired people are helped through the audible instructions while those with hearing problems are signaled verbally. Therefore, the academic building’s fire safety management shall employ the effective measures mentioned, to ensure that the detectors and alarms functions appropriately to create awareness to the occupants. Occupant’s number. The premise should be able to accommodate the number of residents who can be able to escape to safety during the disaster. The number, of course, will depend on with the size of the premise and the number of installed alarm system and the fire detecting units. As indicated above, the alarms should be able to provide warnings that reach the occupants as early as possible; the onset of the tragedy, to give time for escape. The preferred estimation for the number of residents should be directly proportional to the size of the premise (17.2). The evaluation of the academic building, which has four floors, gives enough rooms that accommodate six thousand students. The table bellow shows the number of students the academic building can accommodate Floor Number of occupants Basement 1086 Ground floor 1053 First floor 993 Second floor 987 Third floor 987 Fifth floor 977 Travel distance The travel distances should be shortened. This will allow shorter movement to the safety point. Long distances often create confusion. People scramble for safety. This change results in confusion that leads to injuries. Short distance minimizes the chances of unnecessary injuries as people reach the safety point as soon as possible. The fire can quickly spread and reach people before they reach their safety point, in cases of travel long distances. The plans outline the measure that shall be taken to ensure that the escape routes are shortened depending on the occupant's space, and the space fire is expected to originate. Number of escape routes In any premise, apart from the usual exit, there should be alternative escape routes. However, in some situation a single direction of flight can be used. These courses should be sufficient in numbers to allow the occupants to escape safely without further injuries, unlike the case of few escape routes where people scramble for exit creating more risks of injuries. Considering that the academic building’s capacity of 6000 people, the number of flight that is estimated to be sufficient is ten. Three routes located in the basement, three at the ground floor, two at the first floor and other two at the second floor to serve the occupants respectively. The escape routes shall be equipped with the lighting system to sustain the adequate light Width of escape exits and escape routes required. Maximum number of people Minimum width in mm 80 800 100 1000 150 1250 200 1450 250 1650 This avoids the blind movement that may cause further injuries during the escape. Ways to limit or restrict the presence of smoke in these routes shall be applied using appropriate facilities. The smoke detectors shall be installed to detect and proper exhaust system to control smoke presence in these ways. Furthermore, route shall be protected and well spaced; approximately three meters to meet the capacity of the rooms. Unprotected routes are limited. These unsafe routes traverse occupants before reaching their safety. The distance to the point of security is also a factor to be put into consideration. To prevent excessive traveling for the safety, these routes shall be shortened as discussed earlier (Heritage, 2011). Minimum number of escape routes from a room Maximum number of people Minimum number of exits 50 1 200 2 600 4 1000 6 More than 1000 8 Evacuation lift Removal entails a strategy to ensure that the occupants reach the safety point outside the premise. This is its primary objective. Its aim should not rely on external help, and so it should be chosen to take into account the buildings risk profile. As a matter of facts, the use of lift as in breakout fires is not a recommended strategy. People might be exposed to more danger as they can be trapped in the lift exposed to light causing it to become immobile due to loss of power. There is a possibility that the lift can discharge people on affected floors. Over waiting for the lift to arrive extending the time of escape will create more confusion. In some situations, for instance, the case of progressive movement the use of lift can be as well the part of management plans. This case calls for careful citation of these lifts. The number of these lifts must be able to accommodate the occupants to use them. They also have to contain features required to ensure it remains usable during the period of the tragedy. The guidance in BS 5588-8 1999 outlines the best design and location for these evacuation lifts. The academic building has involved these evacuation lift plans in the fire plan management. The two evacuation procedures have been put in place to assure the safety of the occupants, in the case of a fire breakout. At the basement and first floor, a total evacuation of the residents shall be employed. The two floors are at a greater risk since the fire breakout is more possibly to originate from these points. Occupants shall use the escape route to move entirely out of the building for safety. Also, the other four remaining rooms, following evacuation procedures, with the use of evacuation lifts shall be put in place. The initial movement of the occupants will be directed to a safer place within the building. Afterward, the procedures will be followed, with the help of the staff, to full evacuate from the building using the evacuation lifts. Progressive removal remains the safer way to the occupants of these floors as procedures will be followed to avoid scrambling movement. Also, the exits shall be dimensioned to proper spacing to allow and facilitate faster movement of the occupants to the safety areas. Their citation shall be chosen carefully. This strategy meets the fact that the residents' safety, for instance, will be faster when the exits are near the streets, pass ways or open areas. The exits are to be free from any obstacles that will interfere with movements especially wheelchairs users and other physically challenged persons. Similarly, the installation of exhaust system will help in controlling smoke in these exit areas especially the basement where too much presence of smoke can create invisibility. Emergency lighting This is provided in case of a typical light failure. The fire breakout can interfere with the usual sources of lighting or their power supply. To ensure that consistent lighting is maintained, the fire management plans outlines the alternative sources of light to keep escape routes clear for evacuation. The lighting systems are to be located at sites where they not easily interfere. The power supply to these systems shall be consistent and efficient (Dineen and Gallachóir, 2011). Backup power system shall also be installed to sustain the lighting system in case of alteration of the usual power supply by fire. The occupants should be able to evacuate on their own. This can never be achieved when the routes are not well lit. To assure the proper lighting of the routes, emergency lighting system must be placed. Fire safety signs The fire safety signs are essential elements that are required during the fire breakout. They help in fire protection to ensure that the occupants and the staff know what they should do and the things to avoid during the period of an emergency. The range of the signs to be installed in the academic building comply with the current legislation that quotes that all premises must clearly mark the exit routes as well as emergency exits. The below are signs that are intended to help the occupants in the academic building in case of a fire breakout. Fire alarms call point. This sign indicates the location of the alarm site. The alarm will be quickly found and used to warn the occupants as early as the fire breakout. Push bar to open sign. This sign clearly indicates the door to be opened in event of fire emergency Refuge points sign. These signs are used to direct the occupants to the safer area to seek shelter. Do not use this lift sign The sign prevents the residents from using wrong escape route especially unsuitable evacuation lifts. Fire extinguisher sign The sign is used to point out the location of the fire extinguishing equipment. They help the staff to respond quickly to the breakout to avoid damages at early stage. Fire action sign This sign clearly outlines the instructions to be followed and what to be done during the tragedy. This area must not be blocked as this may interfere with the movement of occupants during the breakout. This sign warns a person or people from enhancing danger by putting obstacles on the routes. Internal fire spread (linings) This strategy focuses on the measures that will inhibit fire from spreading within the premise and its environs. The interior linings are those that have been used in lining various partitions inside the premise. Walls and ceiling are examples of the internal linings. In the first place, the linings must be able to control the amount of heat that is released by the fire. Equally, they should be able to minimize or resist the fire spread on their surfaces. The fire management plan for the academic building has put on measures to carefully choose the material with the quality to be used to fix linings. The use of flammable materials shall be minimized and restricted. Classification Classifications of linings the ceiling should meet the recommendations of Approved Document B of lining wall recommendations. The rankings here are of two standards; the national and the European standard. The national standard complies with BS476-7 that entails fire tests of building materials and structures to ensure the materials chosen aims at preventing further spread of fire. European classification on the other side complies with the classification of elements and products of the construction. Table of classification of lining Location Post graduate Undergraduate Area not more than 10m meters square 30 meters square 5 D-s3 Computer room 3 C-s3 Reading area 1 B-s3 The buildings structure elements of such as structural frames, beams, columns, and load bearing walls, floor structures, and gallery structure should have at least the fire resistance features. As discussed, these elements feature shall prevent the spread of the fire. This entails the fire can only affect one area. Due to fire resistance feature of these items, the fire spread will remain slow enabling firefighters to manage and bring it down before much damage. Application The structures shall be able to resist the fire spread. They shall also be able to enhance the means of escape complying with Appendix A in Table A1 and A2 of ADB (ADB, 2013). Provision of refuges External fire spread The external fire spread entails the requirements that will enable the external part of the academic building to resist fire from spreading. The elements shall be able to conform to ADB, 2013 requirements. The external walls and other elements of the building and its premises shall efficiently resist the spread of fire to non affected premises as well as other buildings around the academic building, with regard to its height, the use and the location of the building. Similarly, the roof of the academic building shall adequately resist the spread of the fire over the roof and from one premise to another, with regard to the use and the location of the building (ADB, 2013). To avoid the spread of fire from one building to other within the location, the building shall have adequate space that separates it from other buildings in the same location. In case of insufficient spacing between the buildings and the academic building, there shall be in between walls that are as well having fire resistance characteristics. Fire resistance standard In the location, unprotected areas are normally present. There is no assumption that all premises within the location are protected from fire. The external walls shall be able to resist fire at a higher rate to avoid quick spread of fire to other premises in the area as indicated under the provisions of section 13. Refer to Appendix A table A1 (ADB, 2013). External wall construction The external construction takes into consideration of the materials that is to be used in construction. As have been discussed before, the materials to be used must be able to control heat and also be able to inhibit fire from spreading to other premises around the academic building (ADB section 12) Space separation: The buildings must be well spaced to avoid spread of fire in case of breakouts. The risks of spread are normally created when the buildings are located near each other and especially when other buildings are not well protected against fire breakouts. The building size also increases the fire spreading rate as in provision ADB, 2013. Giving an extent limit of non-protected areas on all sides of the academics building, will not provide enough protection beside external fire spread from one place of building to other (Rasmussen, 2010). The separation space, between the academic building and other buildings, aims at ensuring that the percentage of non-protected areas on the external side of the proposed academic building does not lead to an irrational risk of external fire spread to adjacent buildings. Non-protected areas in this case can be using the calculated method of enclosing rectangle as recommended in the ADB, 2013and Enclosing Rectangular BR187 Provision of ADB and the method of Enclosing Rectangles in BR 187, suggests that to decide the worst case event of fire in the relevant boundaries around the building the worst case will be the shortest elevation as provided below. External fire assessment: Based on BR 187, which is the calculation of enclosing rectangles, evaluation of the unprotected areas are made possible to examine the possibility of occurrence of fire spread from the academic building to next buildings. The below are the examination results Right elevation The distance of this elevation is as given 0.8 from the interface of the academic building to boundary. This does not comply with the ADB recommendations that suggest over 1m separation space. Left elevation The distance of this elevation is as given 19m from the interface of the academic building to the boundary; therefore, this elevation allows obtaining 100% of unprotected area. Front elevation The distance of this elevation is, as given, over 38m from the interface of the academic building to the boundary; therefore, this elevation allows to obtaining 100% of unprotected area. Back elevation The distance of this elevation is, as given, 26.4 from the interface of the academic building to the relevant boundary; therefore, this elevation allows obtaining 100% of unprotected are Recommendation As a matter of fact, the right elevation is the side that can create more risk of fire spread to neighboring premises. This hence calls for careful examination that shall enable the management team to use most suitable plans and strategies in this boundary construction. The use of most effective materials, that resist fire spread, shall be considered in the construction. Appendix Floor area and total occupancy Name of the area Size of the area Space of the floor factor Number of occupants based on floor space factor Number of occupants based on number from the plan 1. Reading area 106.7 4 200 201 2. Computer room 88.1 15 96 97 3. Catalogue room 20.6 40 4 5 4. Discussion room 15.3 14 2 2 5. Borrowing room 10.3 9 1 2 References Dineen, D. and Gallachóir, B.Ó., 2011. Modelling the impacts of building regulations and a property bubble on residential space and water heating. Energy and Buildings, 43(1), pp.166-178. Heritage, E., 2011. Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings, Application of Part L of the Building Regulations to historic and traditionally constructed buildings. English Heritage, March. Imrie, R., 2007. The interrelationships between building regulations and architects' practices. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 34(5), pp.925-943. Pan, W. and Garmston, H., 2012. Compliance with building energy regulations for new-build dwellings. Energy, 48(1), pp.11-22. Purkiss, J.A. and Li, L.Y., 2013. Fire safety engineering design of structures. CRC Press. Rasmussen, B., 2010. Sound insulation between dwellings–Requirements in building regulations in Europe. Applied Acoustics, 71(4), pp.373-385. Regulations, B., 2010. Approved Document F1A: Means of Ventilation. NBS: London. Read More