Fire detection and suppression systems - Essay Example

Fire detection and suppression systems Introduction The outbreak of fire is a common hazard in most cities in the world. It results to loss of lives, injuries and property loss worth millions of dollars if not contained in time. For this reason, most federal governments have put in place regulations governing the fire safety of buildings. Even though the rules and regulations about fire safety requirements vary from State to State; the following are the common components and tactical advantages of the various fire safety systems. Fire alarm system The fire alarm system is designed to create awareness of the occurrence of fire. This can be in form of sirens, flash lights, telephone calls and a signal sent to the city’s fire department. It comprises the following parts: Components The alarm system is composed of mainly the control panel, power supply, zone feature, input devices and the output devices. The input devices are the sensory zones of the alarm hence they include the smoke and heat detectors. If the signal is high enough, the control panel would provide notifications about the danger posed by the changes in the detectors. However, some signals may require immediate attention, for example a fire alert in a specific room of a building. In such an instance, the zone feature is programmed to activate instant sprinklers that would put off the fire. Finally, the output devices include the horns, voice announcements and flash lights that indicate danger (Hirschler, 1992). Tactical advantages of fire alarm systems Fire alarm systems are very important in notifying the occupants of the building under fire to vacate. They are designed to use both sound and visual warnings hence ensuring evacuation of the buildings thus saving lives. In the recent models of the alarm systems, they are programmed to inform an individual the specific location of the fire hence giving him or her right direction of the nearest exit (Sturzenbecker, Adams & Burnside, 2012). The alarm systems assist the fire fighters to easily locate the building under fire thus facilitating quick response to the fire. In addition, the alarm system may produce a human voice that informs them of the location of the fire hence quickening the rescue procedure. Smoke management systems Smoke management systems are designed to confine or exhaust smoke for the safety of individuals in the building and also the fire fighters. The modern designs of these systems allow removal of smoke without worsening the fire situation in the room (Harmathy, 1985). Many cities in the United States have put a regulation that the smoke management systems should comply with the EN 12101 series of standards. Components The smoke management systems are composed of smoke barriers, smoke ventilators, smoke dampers, inlet ventilators etc. The smoke barriers are mostly found in industries that operate at high temperatures. They prevent smoke from spreading to other parts of the industry in case of an occurrence of fire in one department. Smoke ventilators, smoke dampers and inlet ventilators are designed to purify the air in the event of fire. Advantages of smoke management systems The installation of smoke management systems helps to save individuals from inhalation which may have resulted to suffocation. Therefore, the individuals are able to identify the exit routes in time thus saving their lives. The cleaning of the air by the smoke management systems would ensure that the furniture and walls are not made dirty by the smoke. Also, in processing industries; the qualities of the processed products are maintained because the smoke barriers prevent smoke from reaching the processed products. Moreover, the fire fighters are able to penetrate easily in the buildings because there is no smoke hindrance. This is because, smoke in most instances affect the efficiency and the visibility of the building; thus installation of smoke management systems would facilitate easy put off of the fire. Fire suppression systems Fire suppression systems are facilities meant to decrease the spread of fire and eventually put off the fire. They may incorporate dry, wet or both methods of putting off the fire depending on the nature of the fire. The fire suppression systems are composed of: Components The fire suppression system comprises of fire extinguishers, gas valves, pulley elbows, tanks, blow-off caps, aqua fog mists and remote pull stations. These systems are designed to incorporate the use of dry or wet methods of putting off fire. The dry methods involve the use of carbon-dioxide and other inert gases in putting off fire. Therefore, fire extinguisher cylinders are filled with a combination of carbon-dioxide and other inert gases. On the other hand, the wet method of putting off fire involves the use of water with some dissolved solvents. Hence, water cylinders, fire fighting trucks, sprinklers and use of piped water are used in putting of fire in a building (Sturzenbecker, Adams, & Burnside, 2012). Advantages of using the fire suppression systems The fire suppression systems are important in safeguarding people’s property and also saving lives. This is because they help to contain the spread of fire and in the long run put off the fire. For example, the automatic sprinkler systems would help to reduce the spread of fire as the occupants wait for the arrival of the city’s fire fighting team. Moreover, the fire suppression systems have proved to be beneficial to the firefighting crew. This is because the sprinklers, puller elbows, fire-extinguisher cylinders boost their efforts of containing the fire (Norman, 2012). In addition, the fire suppression systems limit the spread of fire hence boosting their efforts of firefighting. Standpipe systems and fire pumps A standpipe system is an arrangement of pipes that are used to direct water to the burning building for the purpose of extinguishing fire. They are specifically designed to withstand high temperatures while delivering water at high speeds. They are composed of: Components They are composed of different varieties of pipes, nozzles which can deliver water in spray or in jet form, pumping generators etc. The connection of these components depends on the nature of the jet and the distance travelled by the water before reaching the intended region. Advantages of standpipe systems and fire pumps Standpipe systems assist in delivering of water to a burning region hence putting off fire. Due to their flexibility, they are able to assist the fire fighting crew to deliver water deeper into the burning buildings hence containing the fire. In addition, the incorporation of modern pumping generators to this system allows them to work faster hence delivering multiple jets to the burning regions. With faster put off of the fire, the occupant’s property would be saved from more damages. Private fire loop Private fire loops involves the supply of water to different buildings by private firms for purposes of containing fire. This water is mostly treated with hydrants that fasten fire suppression. Components Private fire loops are composed of separate water lines running through a city that supply water containing hydrants for the purpose of putting off fire. This water is however not allowed to mix with the city’s piping system because it may cause contamination. Advantages of private fire loops Private fire loop provide water which are treated hence allow faster putting off of the fire. If managed by credible firms, they are efficient because they cannot be over-whelmed by multiple fires in different locations; hence ensuring the safety of individuals and their properties. Moreover, the efforts of fire fighters are boosted by the existence of private fire loops. This is because; in most serious fires, the firefighting trucks may run short of water hence private fire loops become a necessity. Conclusion In conclusion, the containment of fire depends on the coordination of various firefighting systems. These systems involve the alarm system, the smoke management systems, the suppression system, standpipe system and the use of the private fire loop. This systems help in safeguarding the lives of the occupants and also provide a good environment for the working of the fire fighters. Therefore, the government should improvise on the fire-fighting equipment so as to ensure easy containment of fire. References Harmathy, T. (1985). Fire Safety, Science and Engineering. Baltimore, Bal: Baltimore publishers. Hirschler, M. (1992). Fire Hazard and Fire Risk Assessment. New York, NY: Cengage publishers. Norman, J. (2012). Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics. New York, NY: Fire engineering books publishers. Sturzenbecker, M.J., Adams, B., & Burnside, E. (Eds.). (2012). Fire Detection and Suppression Systems (4th ed.). Stillwater, OK: Fire Protection Publications. Read More