Fire Safety Engineering Issues - Essay Example

FIRE SAFETY ENGINEERING ISSUES There has been considerable amount of research in the field of fire safety in building structures since the last couple of decades, thereby leading to the issues concerning fire outbreaks being given due significance. It is now treated as a serious phenomenon which requires in depth research and comprehensive studies so as to prevent mishaps caused by it. The emergence of studies centered on gaining a wide perspective of issues is indicative of a trend which signifies its acknowledgement as a subject of critical importance. The outcomes of research concerning fire outbreaks in building structures are now widely used as a tool to understand the causes and consequences of fire in various scenarios which can be used by engineers in designing safety plans. Furthermore, several countries across the globe have undergone serious transformations in terms of their building safety regulations which is now increasingly focused on the performance based approach to fire safety design. However, the requirements related to fire safety design for various types of buildings differ largely according to circumstances of each individual case. Conforming to the requirements of the fire resistance norms laid down by the various regulating authorities, leads to a simultaneous increase in construction costs, since excessive use of safety materials during building construction is often inevitable yet superfluous and avoidable. These redundant expenses can be avoided through the recently emerged field of fire safety engineering and the latest trend which focuses on a performance based fire safety regulation policy aimed at enhancing the building designs in such a way that the safety of the inhabitants is not compromised and the costs are controlled. The term Fire safety engineering can be defined as: "The application of scientific and engineering principles to the effects of fire in order to reduce the loss of life and damage to property by quantifying the risks and hazards involved and provide an optimal solution to the application of preventive or protective measures" (Purkiss 2007, Pp.1). Such a concept applies to all situations where fire is a impending vulnerability. The low rise domestic buildings are the prime target of fire related damage since such buildings usually do not involve use of complicated design methods and also, in such building structures the chances of human fatality is higher as the causes of death in such a situation are usually the spread of smoke and other toxic gases, rather than through building collapse, which prevent the inhabitants from escaping (Malhotra, 1987). Contemporary architecture persists to grow in the quest of spatial utility and the needs and requirements of its occupants. Modern buildings are no longer confined to the old architecture where the rooms are merely a sequence of closed spaces connected by a common route. New buildings contain various open spaces within the buildings linked not by a single common route but by various interlinked routes throughout the entire building. Hence the regulations governing fire safety must keep pace with the changing building designs and design safety guidelines in conformation with the new landscaping trends. The conventional outlook towards fire resistance being provided by fixed and forceful submissive elements must hence, be broadened to include a relatively more harmonizing affiliation with the dynamic fire protection procedures, to offer security in buildings in actual fire scenarios. Numerous groups which are engaged in the development of plan, design, construction as well as safeguarding of building structures, perceive conformity with fire safety regulations as purely as an impediment to be conquered with the least possible cost and endeavor. A cogent engineering methodology for developing fire resistance measures is to create understandable goals for overall fire safety, and to scrutinize the function of fire resistance in accomplishing those goals, against all probable situations. The explanations should be based on standards and beliefs of motive, common sense, discipline, engineering and viability (N.A., 1996). Fire safety is an issue of international significance and relevance. Fires of enormous proportions occur almost every day in different parts of the world causing large scale devastation and harm to life and property. The following case studies present an overview of the various fire scenarios which may help in further understanding fire safety engineering issues in a broader perspective. Case Study: Norwich Central Library, UK (1994) The Norwich Central library fire is considered as one of the worst British library fires in living memory (BBC News, The Independent), which caused irreparable damage to the building and extensive losses (loss of rare and unique books) to one of the first major public library buildings in the U. K. The basic cause of the fire was estimated to be the old secondary electric writing in bookcase strip-lighting, and it expanded to other parts of the building on account of the various inflammable materials within the building and mainly on account of the structural design of the building. One of the key questions / concerns raised in this regard was whether it is appropriate and viable to use sprinkler systems within such building structures (i.e. the ones containing inflammable materials such as books) and heritage structures of national importance. The review report contained several recommendations which aimed at resolving the main concerns revolving around the use of sprinklers within such buildings and it was commonly agreed that such old libraries must have a sprinkler, mist or fog systems, since it helps in containing the fire and thus prevent such large scale damage (Dewe, 2006). Case Study: Fire in High Rise Building, Frankfurt, Germany (1973) A severe fire broke out in a high rise building in Frankfurt on the night of August 22, 1973 which quickly spread to the adjacent floors. Since the riser pipes (vertical pipes installed in buildings) were not attached properly, the firefighting was delayed by two hours and it took three hours to bring the fire under control and eight hours overall, to finally douse the fire and thereby prevent further damage (Beese, Kürkchübasche, 1975). Almost all the structural components of the building managed to endure the fire in spite of them being exposed to the harsh flames for several hours. Although, the building did suffer several minor damages such as scarred walls and damaged exteriors, the building overall was found to be in remarkably good condition thereby eliminating the need for refurbishment. Most of the damage was such that it could be easily repaired. Case Study: Fire at Bordeaux (1997) This incident took place at a slaughter house on account of a short circuit and spread rapidly, as observed in several other cases, in the matter of a few minutes. The fire caught up so quickly and spread to the adjacent compartments rapidly, that it took over three hours for the firefighters to control it, by the time, destroying a major part of the building. The fundamental reason behind the fire spreading up so swiftly was the explosion of the combustible insulation objects / components used in construction of the building. The above figure shows the type of construction of the building. The spreading of fire, as shown in the figure above, from one compartment to another may cause serious damage to the occupants. The geometry and structure of the compartment is responsible, partly, for the rapidity with which the fire spread to adjacent buildings. ‘Compartmentalization’ is apparently one of the greatest philosophies, developed in connection with fire safety, which is associated with encouraging the creation of various rooms or compartments, on a building floor. The basic objective behind such an approach lies in the fact that such an establishment would help in controlling the force with which the fire spreads to adjacent compartments, in the incidence of fire, thereby offering the fire fighters with added time, at their disposal, to bring the fire under control and prevent wide scale losses (Smith, Harmathy, 1979). Thus, it is quite obvious, that dividing the building into several smaller compartments made of concrete walls would act as blockades or obstacles or concrete panels, which would help in preventing the fire from spreading to the neighboring rooms. Case Study: The Windsor Tower Fire, Madrid (2005) A similar incident of havoc created by fire occurred at the Windsor Building – a 32 storey building, in Madrid, Spain, on February 12, 2005. The fire refused to die down and continued burning for over twenty four hours completely surrounding the upper ten floors of the building. It took over hundred firefighters to bring the fire under control and stop it from spreading any further and particular to the adjacent buildings (Craighead, 2009). The building was completely made from reinforced concrete with an archetypal floor plan which covered the two way floor. The building was made with heavily reinforced concrete transfer structures particularly between the sixteenth and seventeenth floors, i.e. the floors above the tenth floor where the fire had managed to spread. The building had to undergo a three year restoration programme to help correct the damage caused to it on account of the fire. The major areas which included repair included: the installation of fire protection equipments involving the use of a boarding system Installation of fire protection within the internal steel beams, by way of a spray protection equipment and Installation of a sprinkler system as well as a brand new aluminum cladding system (Dave 2005). Case Study: the One Meridian Plaza fire in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania This fire incident occurred at the One Meridian Plaza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., on February 23rd 1991. Similar to the incidents mentioned in the above cases studies this particular fire broke post the regular working hours the destruction to life was minimal, although the property was badly damaged. The fire started on the 22nd floor and spread downwards towards the 21st floor. The event could have caused extensive damage to people, had the building been fully occupied (Klaene, Sanders, 2007). In terms of a conventional plan with regard to a regulatory dictatorial setting, fire safety is typically realized by designing diverse elements in separately from each other. The design of the building structures must essential be in compliance with the guidelines issued by regulatory authorities for instance, the optimum size of compartments within a building or the number of exit routes in the event of fire, etc while other factors such as the materials used during building construction, structural issues, etc are required to be in consistence with the prescriptive rather than regulatory requirements. Any probable dealings associated with various fire safety issues may or may not be taking into consideration, unless clearly specified as a satisfactory substitution or a substitute prescriptive solution. Fire safety may be contained within the fire engineering safety design process in various ways such as by taking into consideration the achievements and satisfactory outcomes of various fire scenarios or through the conventional means of designing a building structure in accordance with the specified regulatory guidelines without taking into consideration the effects and consequences of probable fire breakouts. A coherent scheme for fire safety design of any given building structure entails the observance of fire safety directives which must be identified and stated clearly. The key issues to be taken into consideration with respect to fire safety must be clearly indicated for a specific project which in turn can be used as a foundation for the requirement of the fire resistance materials of the adjoining or load bearing structures. Issues concerning fire safety and fire fighting are generally obligatory and indispensible; however it is not the solitary means available at the disposal of the fire safety engineers in order to abide by the safety objectives laid down by the project manager of the concerned building. For constructing cost effective building structures a combination of balanced strategies and plans (concerning construction of buildings) must be used. The key objectives which are required to be taken into consideration with regard to the designing of a building include: ensuring of life and property; the environment (since the smoke emitted from the fire may damage the neighboring environment); safeguarding the cultural heritage (such as historical buildings and monuments as discussed in the case study of Norwich Central Library); etc (N.A., 2009). Diverse sets of policies and designs apply to different types of building structures depending upon the type of construction; the place or area where it is located; the resources at one’s disposal; as well as the relative significance of such buildings (i.e. culturally or nationally). Fire safety engineering ensures that various objectives such as safeguarding the occupants of the building in the even to of fire; ensuring minimum loss of property; ensuring the safety of the environment as well as buildings of architectural, cultural or historical relevance etc are taken into consideration while designing the building structures. Fire safety engineering (FSE) is a comparatively novel and emerging means aimed at developing fire safety measures and specifically dedicated to developing performance based methods while designing safety guidelines rather than the strict conventional methods and hence is inevitable to ensure safety of life and property. References BBC News, (2009). On This Day, [online] viewed: November 9, 2009 from: Craighead, G., (2009). High - Rise Safety and Fire Life Safety, Butterworth - Heinemann, Pp. 141 Dave, P. (2005). “Madrid tower designer blames missing fire protection for collapse”. New Civil Engineer, 2 June 2005 Dewe, M., (2006). Planning Public Library Buildings: Concepts and Issues for the Librarian, Ashgate Publishing, Pp. 169 – 170 Klaene, B. J., Sanders, R. E., (2007). Structural Firefighting: Strategy and Tactics, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Pp. 322 - 323 Purkiss, J. A., (2007). Fire Safety Engineering: Design of Structures, Butterworth - Heinemann, Pp. 1 – 5 Smith, E. E., Harmathy, T. Z. (1979). Design of Buildings for Fire Safety: A Symposium, ASTM International, Pp. 139 Appleyard, B., (1994). The Independent [online] viewed: November 9, 2009 from: N.A., (1996). The Evolution of Performance-Based Codes & Fire Safety Design methods, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Boston, U.S.A., Pp. 87 N.A., (1999). Fire Safety Engineering - The Application of Fire Performance Concepts to Design Objectives, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Pp. 53 Read More