Fire Safety Engineering - Assignment Example

FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS By Name Course Instructor Institution Location Date Fire safety systems Fire safety engineering is defined as the application of scientific and engineering principles, rules and codes as well as expert judgement in protecting people, property and the environment from destructive fire and its effects. It comprises of fire hazards analysis, fire mitigation, installation of fire industrial processes and post fire analysis and investigation (ISO). According to International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005, the difference between fire safety engineering and fire services engineering is based upon the nature of activities and processes undertaken in each. Fire safety engineering deals with protection of destructive fire from occurring as well as taking preventive measures aimed at ensuring that fire does not lead to destruction in the event that it occurs. Fire services engineering deals with the cure in case of fire (MFB 2011; BCA). According to the regulatory framework for fire safety engineering in the state of Victoria, Australia is based on the protection of people, property and environment from destructive fire. The Victorian Fire services has an already set framework aimed at ensuring that buildings are safe from the destructive effects of fire (Victorian Building Authority 2014). The regulatory framework for fire safety engineering in New South Wales is based on the protection of people, property and environment from destructive fire. The framework encompasses the development of fire safety building designs where the fire services department in charge of the state engages in the development of alternative fire safety solutions. The framework includes the development of a Fire engineering brief and a fire engineering report (Victorian Building Authority 2014). According to International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005, alternative solution/performance solution is basically a building solution that is in line with the performance requirements and provisions of the Building Code of Australia (BCA), as indicated in the provision of A1.5 (NCC 2016). The role of the Relevant Building Surveyor (RBS) is to determine whether a building permit application and the alternative solution complies with various Acts or legislations such as the Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2006 (Watts & Hall 2002). Flow chart The Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2006 requires all building work in Victoria to have a building permit across all the various stages of construction. The stages are represented as follows: The chief officer’s role is to inspect existing buildings and check whether they comply with the Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2006 and identify any issues related to essential safety services as well as recommend fire safety elements to the owners and residents. The requirements of regulation 309 are based on ensuring that all buildings have fire hydrants, hose reels, fire control rooms, fire mains, booster assemblies, control valves, access to emergency vehicles, and fire service controls (Victorian Building Authority 2014). Form 5 is a certificate of compliance filled after inspection stating whether a building has met the essential safety provisions or not. It is usually filled at the end of construction by the Chief Officer and then forwarded to the relevant authorities (Building regulations 2005). Building Appeals Board (BAB) is a statutory body in Australia established under the Building Act of 1993 and oversees matters related to the Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2006 as well as hearing disputes and appeals on matters of building control. Also, this board can also determine whether an element of a building complies with the Act and Regulations (NCC 2016). There are different sections in the Building Code of Australia (BCA), some of which are relevant to fire safety. It contains sections A to I and only some are relevant to fire safety, such as section C on fire resistance, section D on access, and section E on services and equipment (NCC 2016). Building practitioners include building surveyors, inspectors, quantity surveyors, engineers, commercial and domestic builders, erectors, draftspersons etc. and must be registered with the Building Practitioners Board (BPB) for them to become Registered Building Practitioners (RBP). To gain a RBP status as a fire safety engineer, one must meet the educational requirements, complete application form, be insured, and give a signed authorization for inspection purposes. International Fire Engineering Guidelines (IFEG) was developed and published by the Australian Building Codes Board for the use in designing buildings with fire safety. These guidelines are used in approving building designs for building practitioners (NCC 2016). Week 2 Fire Engineering Brief (FEB) FEB is an essential step involved in the typical process of fire engineering. It takes into account the aspirations of the community during the process of developing alternative solutions and also ensuring that acceptable levels of safety are maintained. FEB is a brief on the whole process of fire engineering, and can either be a short or large document depending on whether the project is simple or complex. Ideally, FEB is developed in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, though this may vary depending on certain circumstances (MFB 2011). Fire Engineering Report (FER) This is a document developed at the end of the fire engineering process and summarizes all the findings and results of the whole process (MFB 2011). The difference between the two is that FEB is developed at the start of the engineering process whereas FER is developed at the end and summarizes the findings of the whole process (MFB 2011). Sub-systems in IFEG There are 6 sub-systems in IFEG used in analyzing the best fire safety system. These sub-systems are: SSA: Fire initiation, development and control-this sub-system interacts with SSB and SSC in that heat and smoke are produced in the event of fire SSB: Smoke Development and Control-this sub-system deals with the management of smoke SSC: Fire Spread, Impact and Control-this interacts with SSB as smoke and temperatures may lead to flashover. SSD: Fire detection and Warning-this relates to SSA in that it determines how fire spreads to adjoining buildings. SSE: Occupant evacuation and control-controls enable conditions of the building. SSF: Fire Service Intervention-all other systems need to be effective for SSF to come into play. There are various risks within each sub-system, each with safety measures. The risks within SSA are connected to smoke and heat that may shy away operators. In SSB and SSC, the risks are that fire may transfer to the next buildings and this can be controlled through leaving space between buildings. There are different types of fire engineering assessment methodologies. Probabilistic risk assessment methodology is commonly applied across Australia (NCC 2016; MFB 2011). Week 3 The fire triangle, also known as combustion triangle is a simple model that helps in understanding fire ingredients, namely; heat, fuel and an oxidizing agent mainly oxygen. The fire triangle can be represented as follows: The fire triangle can be used in mitigating fire risks. Oxygen makes approximately 20% of the air and this means that there adequate supply to fuel a potential fire. Basically, reducing the risk of destructive fire can be done through reducing the amount of oxygen in air, a principle commonly applied by some fire extinguisher. Dry powder of foam extinguishers can be used to deprive the fire of oxygen and replace it with carbon II oxide, hence reducing risks of fire from transferring to other areas. As far as heat is concerned, all flammable materials have the lowest temperature that will ignite them, known as flashpoints. Whenever a fire breaks, a water extinguisher will be appropriate in cooling the fire. Lastly, fire will always continue provided that there is fuel. Most common types of fuel are materials such as papers, clothing, furniture etc. to avoid the risk of fire from breaking, these materials as well as gas and liquid fuels should be stored away from heaters, radiators etc. (International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005). Solid timber is termed as a highly combustible material when exposed to fire. However, this depends on how the timber structure has been designed with properly designed timber being very strong when exposed to fire. The inner core of timber is affected by temperature and solid timber is characterized by loss of strength due to loss of moisture through evaporation, this making it highly combustible (MFB 2011). According to the Australian Standard 2118.5, an automatic Fire Suppression systems control and put off fire even without intervention of people. Water is commonly used as a fire suppressant whereby one can chose to have an automatic sprinkler system connected to a fire detector, which can be triggered in the event of fire. Also, the use of automatic sprinklers filled with inert gases such as argon and nitrogen can also be used to form automatic fire suppression system. A chemical agent such as potassium carbonate can also be used as fire suppressant (Watts & Hall 2002; Australian Standard 2118.5). Week 4 According to International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005, a standard fire test refers to the process of determining whether fire protection products within a building meet the minimum requirements in Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2006 of Australia. It is a requirement that all buildings in Australia undergo this test which applies across. The Building Code of Australia (BCA) develops and revises Australian Standarddocuments and provisions that govern standard fire tests. Standard fire tests are used to determine whether buildings comply with the Building Act 1993 and the Building Regulations 2006 of Australia, and if not, necessary legal actions taken (International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005). The design of smoke and fire control systems is supposed to be based on performance and an ASET/RSET analysis is usually conducted. The Available Safe Egress Time (ASET), is defined as the time taken between the ignition of fire and the time when untenable conditions begin to develop. The Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) is defined as the time taken between the fire ignition time and the time when occupants are able to evacuate a building and reach the protected exit enclosure. The difference between ASET and RSET is that for ASET, the fire situation is already unsustainable whereas for RSET, the fire can still be contained after people and property have been evacuated (International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005). According to International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005, ASET is calculated by applying the concept of fire modelling or empirical correlations. First, a design fire or heat release rate history is determined by looking at the combustibles available. Next, the design fire is used as an input to a calculation tool so as to determine time taken after ignition. The time at which the fire becomes untenable (ASET) is the time at which the amount of smoke or heat exceeds a pre-established tenability criteria. RSET is obtained by adding the alarm time, evacuation delay time as well as the movement time. Alarm time is the time at which residents of the affected building first become aware of the fire through the building’s fire alarm system. The evacuation delay time is the time taken between the moment the occupants are notified and the time they are making the decision to evacuate. The movement time is determined by applying aspects such as relative walking speed as well as flow rates through elements such as stairs, doors and corridors(International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005). Week 5 Fire safety refers to a set practices aimed at reducing the effects of destructive fire and even includes measures intended to prevent the occurrence of destructive fire within buildings; and those that limit the effects of fire after it starts. Fire safety also comprises of measures planned during the time the building is being constructed or executed on already standing structures as well as those taught to occupants of the buildings. Fire hazards are the threats to fire safety and include situations that alleviate the chances of likelihood of fire or may prevent someone from escaping in the event fire occurs (NCC 2016). Fire safety practices need to be reviewed from time to time so as to ensure that the building complies with the guidelines as stated out by the Building Code of Australia (BCA). There are possible hazards related to fire safety and these are discussed in relation to the following classifications of buildings: 20-storey office building According to the general provisions of BCA on classification of buildings, a 20-storey building belongs to class 5. In a 20-storey office building, there are several hazards that are threats to fire safety. Such hazards include: build-up of combustible materials such as papers and files stored in offices, blocked fire exits by cupboards that’s tore files, faulty electrical equipment, fire alarms that are not working, human error and negligence especially from the fire marshals in the building (NCC 2016). 20-storey residential building In such a building, a large number of people is hosted, including children and this increases the chances of fire outbreak from possible fire hazards. In an office building, some employees are trained on how to prevent fire outbreak as well as how to act and behave in case of fire. However, for the residential building, most of the occupants are untrained and this increases the likelihood of fire breaks. Some of the major hazards include careless and negligent occupants, poor storage of combustible materials, liquids and favors, faulty electrical equipment, overloading of power sockets, irresponsible smoking, overcrowding, among other related hazards (NCC 2016). 3-storey aged care building In such a building (Class 9C), a lot of care is taken as far as fire safety is concerned. Such building hosts the aged, who n one or another may be at risk to fire outbreaks. The old people may not be in a good position to take care of themselves and to apply the necessary measures of fire prevention. However, such buildings usually employ trained people on fire safety and are responsible for ensuring that everyone is safe. Possible hazards include human error, untested fire alarms, and dust among others (NCC, 2016). 2-storey shopping center According to the general provisions of BCA on classification of buildings, a 2-storey building belongs to class 7. In a 2-storey shopping center, there are various risks of fire as such a building hosts large populations. Also, such buildings are prone to attacks from outside, hence increasing the chances of fire and its devastating effects. The main hazards to fire safety include faulty electrical equipment, faulty fire alarms, smoking, unnecessary human error, faulty fire doors and extinguishers, flammable liquids and gases, poor storage of combustible materials such as office papers and other equipment, dust, objects that generate heat, overpopulation, misuse of power sockets, external attacks, irresponsible and unmanned entrance risking the entry of people with bad intentions, among other hazards MFB 2011 Bibliography Building regulations 2005 International Fire Engineering Guidelines Edition 2005 MFB, 2011, Performance Based Design within the Built Environment, Version 2, January 2011, Available from http://www.mfb.vic.gov.au/media/docs/Guideline_33_Performance%20Based%20DesignWithinTheBuiltEnviromentV2-f000d8de-6eb2-4989-9a2e-f4c10aea1117-0.pdf NCC, 2016, NCC 2016 - Standards Australia Referenced Documents Additions and Amendments, Available from http://www.masterbuilders.com.au/Content/ViewAttachment.aspx?id=1059&attachmentNo=402 NCC2016GuidetotheBCAVolumeOne Victorian Building Authority, 2014, Alternative Solutions Procedures and Documentation, Practice Note 2014-63, Issued April 2014, Available from http://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/20380/PN-63-2014-Alternative-Solutions-Procedures-and-Documentation.pdf Read More