Fire Safety in the Building - Report Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Community safety Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Community safety Introduction Fire accidents in high rise buildings can cause great loss of lives and properties. This is because these buildings house many people who carry out several activities that can lead to fire accidents. When a fire starts in one floor, it rapidly spreads to other floors and dense smoke can hinder people from evacuating from the building. Fires in occupancy high rise buildings under construction present several challenges to fire service and rescue. Responding fire fighters find it difficult to fight fire due to limited accessibility to higher floors. The presence of high amount of combustible materials such as wood, lack of adequate water supply, poor human actions make the partially constructed structures susceptible to rapid spread of fire and collapse of the building. High rise buildings do not have fire alarm systems such as smoke detection which can alert people in case a fire starts. They also lack sprinkler systems which can aid in fire fighting especially in higher floors of the building. Community fire setting Environmental and individual factors may lead to fire setting in the community. Individual characters are determined by cognitive and social experiences, and involve self expectations, beliefs, values, and how an individual relate with other people. Environmental factors include controls, models, expectations, and supports of other people. A good understanding of the environmental and individual factors and how they relate to fire setting can help people to understand fire risk levels which will assist in preventing fire setting. Fire setting is closely connected with antisocial behaviors. Fire setters always display conduct problems like impulsivity, aggressiveness, and disobedience ( Slavkin, 2000) Fire setting may also occur as a result of stealing, vandalism, and lying. Adolescents who are fire setters are more hostile and aggressive than fire setters of other ages. Fire setters may be motivated by boredom, curiosity, attention seeking, and revenge, feelings of control and power and destruction. People may set fire in order to conceal evidence, to receive compensation or be given new housing. Categories of fire setters Curiosity fire setters Curiosity fire setters are usually young children aged between three to six years. These children set fire as they experiment and the desire to look at a flame. Disorders such as hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder cause children to set fires. The children always display remorse after they have started the fire and do not understand the impact of their actions. Curious firesetters do not have cognitive deficits because their entire cognitive capabilities are not completely developed since they are immature and do not have knowledge on the dangers of fire. The behavior of fire setting by young children is not responded to, they may view it as a suitable play activity or as a means of resisting parental authority. Accidental fire setters Accidental fire setters are generally children who are below the age of 11 years; even though this group may also involve teenagers experimenting with fire setting or exploring with what fire is capable of doing. Adult or young adult carelessness can also fall into the group of accidental fire setters. Accidental fire setting does not intend to cause havoc and in most cases it does not result from abusive or neglectful home environment. Delinquent fire setters Delinquent fire setters typically include youths aged between 11 and 17 years. Generally, their behavior is contributed by aggression and several conduct disorders. The fire setters may also be involved in vandalism and aggressive criminal activities mainly setting fire on stolen or abandoned vehicles. Delinquent fire setters have weakly developed conscience and little sympathy for other people( Kolko & Kazdin, 1991) Environmental factors that contribute to delinquent behavior which result to fire setting include harsh, erratic parental control, hectic family life, and poor relationships with family members, criminal peers, underachievement, expulsion from school, lack of constructive opportunities, and substance abuse. When the environmental factors are combined with the cognitive deficits like impulsivity, lack of sympathy, reduced problem resolving skills, social skills discrepancy and the inability to consider the consequences of fire, exacerbates delinquent behavior. Severely disturbed fire setters Severely disturbed fire setters are adults and youths who are psychotic or paranoid and whom obsession with fire can be a cause in the development of the mental disorder. They find satisfactory sensory support from the feelings provided by the fire, and therefore repeatedly set fires in order to fulfill their wish to experience these sensations. This group of fire setters usually faces early fire fixation, social neglect, and parental dysfunction. Pyromaniacs are a sub group of severely disturbed mental fire setters and they get sexual sensory support from the fires they light. Several severe fire setters in this category may harm or kill themselves using fire. Cognitively impaired fire setters This group of fire setters is mentally impaired. They have disabilities in learning which are as a result of organic brain dysfunction, foetal alcohol syndrome, or substances used by their maternal parents during pregnancy. They group usually tries to avoid intentional destruction but they lack suitable judgment of the consequences. In comparison to other groups of fire setters the cognitively impaired fire setters do not display deviant behaviors or other types of offenses linked with vandalism. Socio-cultural fire setters are usually light fires during civil unrest. They are enticed or enraged by actions of other people and set fires in order to call attention to the justification of their cause (Fineman, 1995). Causes of electrical fire accidents in high rise buildings Electrical equipments are a major cause of unintentional fires in high rise occupancy buildings. Fires are caused by overheating equipments and cables especially due to overloading of circuits, coiled or bunched cables, and spoilt cooling fans. Incorrect installation of electrical cables or incorrect use of electrical equipments, inadequate of damaged insulation of electrical cables may lead to fire accidents. Combustible materials can ignite fire if they are placed near electrical equipments which might generate heat or become hot due to fault. In order to prevent fire, electrical equipments must be installed and sustained in safe way by the occupants. People should not overload electrical cables or short circuit. Ignition by energy from electricity involves generation of both heat and high temperature where electrical current ignites materials that are too close. Home electrical fires are linked with wrong installation of electrical equipments. Light bulbs particularly the halogen bulbs get hot quickly and may ignite flammable materials that are too close. Lights give of considerable amount of heat that may damage wiring leading to short circuit and consequently the emergence of a fire. In order to minimize fires associated with electrical appliances, a fuse or circuit breaker should be used to eliminate overloading of electrical circuits. When constructing a building, there should be adequate outlets in all rooms to prevent use of multiple extension cables or plugs. Fire safety strategies in high rise buildings Fire safety strategies analyses the effect of several fire safety aspects, and identifies the measures that can be used in managing fire accidents. Fire impact may managed by controlling the fire or managing the exposed people. Fire may be controlled by managing the process of combustion, by suppressing the fire, or through controlling the fire through good design of buildings. Fire management also involves evacuation of people to safer places. Prevention of ignition Fire safety goals can be accomplished if ignition of fire can be prevented or if ignition occurs, the fire can be managed. Assessment of design for establishing fire safety can help in reduction of fires in high rise buildings. Prevention of fire ignition is the initial strategy in fire strategy. Fire prevention involves separation of potential sources of heat from potential fuels(Craighead, 2009). Majority of fires in buildings are caused by ignitable materials and heat sources within the building. For the purpose of fire prevention, the constructors should carefully observe the standards and codes in the plan and installation of lighting and electrical system, heating system and every equipment like refrigeration, air conditioning, cooking, washing machines and dryers. Venting system should also be designed well to potential fuels and carbon monoxide along protected conduit. Safety from lightning and exposure to fires influences the external plan of buildings. Ignition of fire in one building generates an exterior fire hazard to adjacent buildings by exposing them to high temperatures by radiation or through conventional currents. Evacuation systems for high rise buildings The security of people in high rise buildings should be part of fire safety program. A building should offer safety to people fire protection, refined fire detection systems, and use of effective fire fighting equipments. People cause fire accidents by their actions of carelessness, negligence, or ignorance. Fire protection, fire prevention, and successful evacuation planning and programming are required to ensure that loss of lives, properties and injuries are minimal in case of a fire. Panic of people in high rise buildings at early stages of fire is a threat that can lead to great casualty losses (Fay, 2007). Gases, super heated air, and smoke make it crucial for the establishment of an emergency evacuation plan for every high rise building. High rise buildings are built with the assumption that the whole building cannot be evacuated at once. This makes the occupants to evacuate to other floors until it becomes them for them to return to their residences. Several apartments are located in every floor and this makes the occupant load higher. High rise buildings should have fire exits to enable people escape in case of a fire emergency. The exits should not be blocked by things which may make it difficult for people to escape. Fire safety systems in high rise buildings In order to ensure fire safety in high rise buildings, the ceiling and floors should be constructed using fire resistant materials which are should be separated into fore compartments. These compartments may operate as barriers and prevents fire from spreading. High buildings should have fire alarm systems which are designed to alert people when a fire occurs. Fire alarms equipments include thermal detectors, sprinkler flow switches, and smoke detectors. Well installed and sustained smoke alarms in high rise buildings are seen as effective and least expensive way of offering an early caution of a deadly fire ( Cote, 2003). Smoke alarms prevent injuries, saves lives and minimize damage of property by enabling people to detect fires before they have spread. The risk of people perishing in fires in buildings which lack smoke alarms is greater than in buildings with fire alarms. Every smoke alarm should be tested regularly to make sure that it is operating properly. Alarm protection is essential in high rise buildings because fire control mainly depends on early detections of the fire. Even after discovery, fire fighters ad rescues may be delayed as they move to higher floors of the building. The delays may be counteracted by use of the sprinkler system which may detect the fire and also start fighting it on time. Sprinkler water system should be installed on every floor so as to serve as a constant fire protection. A sprinkler system also aids in locating the place where fire has started which is made difficult by dense smoke. High buildings should interior separated stairway shafts. Signs must be delivered within stairwells to indicate which floor one is in and also to enable people identify the closest crossover floors when particular floors cannot be easily reached. If a person encounters smoke when moving down a stairwell, he can cross over to an alternating stairwell. All stairwell doors should be closed every time in order to safeguard the safety of the escape stairs. Use of a voice communication system In high rise buildings, occupants are unlikely to respond upon the activation of an alarm system. People tend to examine which actions others are taking and if they are not responding to the alarm, they are also reluctant to take action. A communication system can be used to alert people in case of a fire. When people are alerted that there is a fire emergency, they are likely to take safety steps. Provision of information via a voice communication system is a best way to ensure that occupants take immediate reactions. They tend to instantly obey the instructions delivered through the voice communication system. The voice messages should describe the fire emergency and give instructions on the best actions to be taken. The messages given must be direct, truthful, and simple. Use of glass rated glass in high rise buildings In high rise building, the main strategy for fire protection is to enable people to escape safely without any panic, and to allow safe unimpeded access of the building by rescue workers and fire fighters. Fire rated glass offers safeguarded protection from heat, smokes, flames and other flammable materials which are vital for safe outlet. The fire should be contained to the place where it started and barred from spreading to other areas of the building, so that it is protected from general or local collapse. Fire resistant glass may be more efficient at accomplishing these safety objectives than solid walls. This is because of the openness and transparency offered by the glass, particularly enhancing clear vision, and consequently reduced panic and increased streamlined movement of people. Fire safety education Fire safety education and training are generally organized and offered by fire brigades with the aim of equipping people with fundamental knowledge on fire. The fire brigades teaches people on the major causes of fire, how fires can be prevented, how to respond to fire emergencies, and how to work with fire protection equipments such like fire extinguishers. Some fire brigades fire protection classes that educate teenagers and children on basics of fire prevention and safety. Even when there are absence of fire protection trainings in the locality, parents can always educate their children on fire safety. Parents can enlighten children on the importance of fire safety in their homes and the negative impacts of fire tragedies. With this knowledge, the children recognize the importance of taking fire protection and safety seriously. The parents should impose fire protection rules. Children should be prevented from playing with fire and should be taught to avoid playing with things that involve heat or flammable things such as ovens, gas tanks, and heaters. The parents should play their part in fire safety by ensuring that things which can cause a fire such as candles, matches and other flammable materials are kept out of the children’s reach. Children should be taught how to use fire safety equipments. Parents should set good examples to their children. Parents should ensure that they observe fire safety by taking actions like blowing off candles or keeping candles away from flammable materials such as clothing. Parents can promote fire safety by rewarding the positive behavior of their children. If they observe children actively participating in home fire safety, they can reward the children and this will motivate them in practicing fire safety. Children can also be punished if are found playing with things like matches and candles to deter them from doing the same action in future. Conclusion It is important to observe fire safety in every building since fire accidents result in disastrous personal injury, fatalities, and overwhelming damage of properties. Fire accidents also cause death from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases. In order to enhance fire safety and protection, people should be educated on the major causes of fire, how to respond to fire emergencies, and how to use fire safety tools such as fire extinguishers. With knowledge on causes of fire, people can be able to prevent fire accidents and this can lead to reduction of fire tragedies, fatalities and damage associated with these fire accidents. Bibliography Kolko, D, & Kazdin,A., 1991, Children’s descriptions of their fire setting incidents: Characteristics and relationship to recidivism, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol 33, 114-122. Slavkin, M., 2000, Juvenile fire setting: an exploratory analysis, Dissertation.Com publisher, New York. Craighead, G., 2009, High-Rise Security and Fire Life Safety, 3rd Edition, Butterworth Heinemann publisher, New Jersey. Cote, E., 2003, Operation of Fire Protection Systems, Jones & Bartlett Learning Publisher, Massachusetts Fay, J., 2007, Encyclopedia of security management, 2nd Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann Publisher, New Jersey. Fineman, K., 1995, A model for qualitative analysis of child and adult deviant behaviour, American Journal of Forensic Psychology, Vol. 1, 31-60. Read More