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How Obstruction Can Influence Operation of the Fire Protection Systems Any part of the system should remain free from any obstruction. The obstruction may be in terms of the following conditions: there must be at least two feet clearance in all the direction of the fire alarm pull stations. These alarms must all the time be free from visual blockage and the heat or smoke detectors must also remain uncovered unless authorized by the fire safety divisions at the time of renovation or special operations.
Prevention of fire out brake start with the identification of the fire hazards. First to prevent fire outbreaks, accumulation of combustible waste materials should be prohibited around fire places. When these materials are allowed to accumulate around the locations with fire the then the risk of fire is increased. Under favourable environment, the build-up of dust fire very flammable materials like woods, plastics or even certain metal operations can cause explosion of fire very easily. Construction debris should be disposed of properly so as to eliminate the chances of fire out breaks.
There should be a safe clearance that exist between ignition sources for example light fixtures, heaters and any other device that is producing flame should be properly maintained. Fire rated doors are mostly found at any opening to corridors, stairwells, storage rooms and even electrical equipment rooms. Trying to block the fire rated doors may allow fire and smoke to spread very quickly through the building block and may deny occupant an opportunity to quickly evacuate the room during fire outbreak (Morten, Glaso, Stig, Eid, & Einarsen, 2013).
These fire and smoke rated doors are only allowed to be propped open only at the time of maintenance and housekeeping operations when the attendance is available. It is prudent to have fire and smoke rated doors that are well equipped with a self-closing devices that are internally installed so as to prevent fire from spreading in the whole building. Keeping fire doors open gives the fire and the smoke an opportunity to spread through uncontrolled avenues of the building and therefore fire rated doors should not be left or blocked open.
They can only be kept open under approved automatic magnetic release devices which can do the work of releasing the door in case the emergency alarm is activated. The differences in outcomes if the notification system worked properly and if it failed One of the key elements of the fire protection systems is to identify any unforeseen fire emergency in some good time and to make the occupants of the building and the fire emergency organizations be informed (Zick, 2012). Depending on the expected fire situations, number and the types of the occupants of the building, the systems can be used to provide very many functions for example they can be used to provide various means to identify fire that is developing either through automatic or manual means.
They can also alert the occupant of the building to the condition of the fire and the need to leave the building this can only be possible through the transmission of the notification of the alarm signals to the departments that are dealing with fire emergencies. The emergency organizations can then shut down any electric or air handling equipment so as to initiate automatic suppression system. When the system fails the effect of fire can be very fatal, it may include loss of properties and even lives of people.
References Morten, B. N., Glasø, L., Stig, B. M., Eid, J., & & Einarsen, S. (2013). Bullying and risk-perception as health hazards on oil rigs. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 28(4), 367-86. Zick, T. (2012). Falsely shouting fire in a global theater: Emerging complexities of transborder expression. Vanderbilt Law Review. 65(1), 85-187.
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