Fire protection: Systems and Response - Essay Example

Fire Protection Name & ID Course Name & Code Instructor’s Name 27th January 2010 Disasters are inherent in the societies that people live. Numerous types of risks exist, and the requirement of ensuring all stakeholders come together and ensure their staying and championing human rights is encouraged. Fires and other accidents in both dwelling buildings and other types of building are common phenomena. Governments and local governments have formulated strategies that aids in ensuring buildings that have been or will be constructed have the right provisions. Thus, provisions should be made to enable fire appliances and equipments to gain access to a building, and safety facilities should be provided to assist the fire fighters in the protection of their lives. The underlying factor that helps in determining facilities and access requirements to assist in fire fighting is the size of the building. In the case of tall buildings, special access space and facilities that are equipped with fire mains will be required, but for dwellings, the fire fighting system should be sufficiently close to a point accessible to fire brigade vehicles (Stationery Office, 2007). Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss about access road for fire service and access in building championing passive fire protection in building. Access road for fire service and access in a building is paramount in championing the safety of people within the building. Governments and stakeholders understand the importance of providing enough space for fire and rescue missions, and thus they have passed policies and regulations commonly referred to as legal requirements (Burke, 2007). The legal requirements guides the ways the buildings are constructed, and include equipments and tools that ensures fires can be taken care of either actively or passively. This means that the building regulations ensure specifications for access and facilities for the fire and rescue service are readily available. Some of the provisions of the regulations relate to the initial designing and construction of the building, but stakeholders encourage safety measures should continue beyond these phases and should include maintenance and frequently checking and analysis of the buildings (Furness & Muckett, 2007). Obstructions and blockage against easiness for fire fighting engines to access areas of incidents should be eliminated. In certain surroundings, some buildings may prevent motor vehicles and thus such buildings should be removed from the vicinity while local government and central government ensuring that there is planned town growth. This will ensure that the fire engines and fire fighters can access the building easily and it also provides good environment ensuring the tasks that are in place are completed successfully (Stationery Office, 2007). Roads should clearly be marked while feeder roads should be strategically located. Moreover, the fire and rescue departments should ensure the community is educated on the signs and importance of certain sounds. For example, the community should be involved on importance of fire alarms, and sirens and what they are supposed to do when they hear these sounds or see such signs. Such approach ensures traffic is eased when the drivers hear sirens and thus the fire fighters can respond to distress promptly (Polley, 2008). The access to the building should incorporate numerous requirements one of which is vehicle access for fire appliances. Legislations are in place that determines vehicle access. In this case, the vehicle can be ambulance, fire fighting engine, or fire fighting ladder to name some (Tricker & Algar, 2008). Some minimum provisions that are in place and specifically detailed in ADB requires a minimum of 15% of perimeter or minimal access of a vehicle within 45m of every point of the footprint of the dwelling/building (Burke, 2007). The ADB also requires that for the case of access for fire fighting for buildings that has basements of more than 10m based on the requirements of fire and rescue service and those buildings that are taller than 18m should be provided with fire fighting shafts. The fire fighting shafts will aid the fire fighters to move swiftly towards areas that fire has been reported, and act appropriately to ensure the fire either is extinguished or rescue missions to be carried out smoothly (Stationery Office, 2007). Moreover, the access provisions should ensure facilities and equipments can easily be accessed. The major role and responsibility of fire fighters is to ensure fire and rescue missions are carried out effectively. This means that buildings that have fire fighting shaft should be fitted with fire main (Furness & Muckett, 2007). The fire mains provides easy means of accessing extinguishing agents and its presence in this level reduces distances that the fire fighter has to travel to ensure fire and rescue missions are completed successfully. In those cases that the building is more than 60m above the access level, a wet riser should be installed to provide the same benefits as those of fire main (Burke, 2007). Moreover, these equipments like any other fire and rescue strategy should be maintained and tested to ensure that it can be used anytime and thus safe for operation (Tricker & Algar, 2008). Access may also be in terms of ability of the fire fighter to go around/across the building and ensure they carry out effectively their duties. This means that the building should be constructed in a way that smoke and heat is vented out of the building especially the basement easily (Stationery Office, 2007). Thus, the basements should have good air conditioning that lets in fresh air, helps in releasing smoke and heat, and therefore makes access for the fire fighters possible. Even though, this requirement is not necessary, but should be included in designing and maintaining the building. Additionally, this strategy should be included in the fire fighting shafts (Tricker & Algar, 2008). Generally, ventilation is required to ensure the fire fighters can operate effectively championing the requirements of the society and community. Immerse fires may destroy a building because the walls and other supporting beams can weaken (Polley, 2008). The collapse of a building may prevent fire fighters from effectively fulfilling their duties, and may result in increase in number of casualties both of the fire fighters and of people within the building. Thus, the building should be insulated through protecting the core panels, and appropriate risk assessment should have been commissioned at design stage in identifying any weaknesses that may result due to fire on the building structure and if the fire may affect the core panels of the building (Burke, 2007). The collapse of a building because of rapid and intense fires is a common phenomenon especially in those buildings with a high concentration of certain types of insulated core panels. This means that if the building collapses it limits mobility of the fire fighters and they may not likely fulfil in addressing the problem at hand. Hence, the building structure should be insulated against fires and the strength of the structure should be determined and analysed based on immerse fires. Fulfilling these conditions may likely guarantee the safety of fire fighters and easiness in fulfilling fire and rescue requirements (Stationery Office, 2007). The building managers and local authorities should have information concerning constructed buildings e.g. blue prints. The blue prints and other documents will inform fire fighters, providing appropriate information that ensures they can access the building easily without breaking some parts (Burke, 2007). Moreover, access incorporates different dimensions that include easiness in terms of road transport and easiness in which the fire fighters can access, and accomplish their duties. This means that the fire alarms and fire indications should be installed in such a way that it is easy to pinpoint the actual place the fire is in, and the extent in which the fire can spread. Such information will enable strategically accessing specific points/levels in the building (Furness & Muckett, 2007). Fire fighters are required to maintain safety of the society and communities, and in the case accident occur, the response rate should be fast, and appropriate measures should be in place in those areas that there is distress. To fulfil their duties, access roads and accesses in the building should be provided. Building legislations have provided minimal distances that fire engines can access a building and provide footpaths around the building. Appropriate shafts should be provided with supporting amenities especially those buildings with basements and height. This could provide convenient means in which the fire fighters could accomplish their duties. The insulation core panel and building structure should be in a position to withstand the effect of the fire without weakening the building. The fire fighters should access equipments and facilities easily to ensure the fire and rescue activity is accomplished together. Moreover, appropriate documents should be available to understand the design of the building, and putting into consideration strategies to monitor fire development for the easiness of fire and rescue services. Generally, disaster control and mitigation is a collective responsibility and thus stakeholders should come together to ensure the community safety is championed. References Burke, R. 2007. Fire protection: systems and response. London: CRC Press. Furness, A. & Muckett, M. 2007. Introduction to fire safety management. London: Butterworth-Heinemann. Polley, S. 2008. Understanding the Building Regulations, 4th Ed. London: Taylor & Francis. Stationery Office. 2007. The Building Regulations 2000: approved document, B: Fire safety, Vol. 1: Dwelling houses: 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 the fire service. London: The Stationery Office. Tricker, R. & Algar, R. 2008. Scottish Building Standards in Brief. London: Butterworth-Heinemann. Read More