Fire Protection for building

FIRE PROTECTION

In general no building is perfectly fire-proof. Because every building contains some materials which can catch fire easily. The perspective of the builder should be to plan, design, and construct the building such that it ensures the safety of occupants from the outbreak of fie due to any reason. A building may be made more fire resistant by minimizing use of combustible materials, protecting steel by fire resistant paints and providing stairs at suitable positions and protecting them from fire. The fire resistance of a building is expressed in terms of hours when it is subjected to fire of known intensity. Fire protection word is used to cover the following aspects:

❖ To prevent fire and reduce the number of outbreaks of fire.

❖ To reduce the fire both externally and internally.

❖  Use of fire extinguishing apparatus.

Most of the outbreaks of fire are caused by carelessness. In case of an outbreak of fire, the danger is from fire, smoke, and panic. The prevention methods should be in relation to these dangers and the number of persons affected. There are three aspects that are considered in the fire safety of buildings and accordingly, protection should be provided against these hazards.

Personal hazards: It is the possibility of loss or damage to life. Personal hazards are naturally considered as of permanent importance and it requires the provision of liberally designed and safe exit escapes in all buildings, especially in multi-storeyed buildings.

Internal hazards: It is the possibility of a fire occurring and spreading inside the building itself. An internal hazard directly influences personal hazards and it concerns damage or destruction of buildings. It is directly related to fire load, which enables the building to be graded when considered along with the duration of the fire.

Exposure hazards: It is the possibility of fire spreading from an adjoining building. Exposure hazards deal with the risk of fire spreading into a building through the open air from fire in other buildings like, from the stocks of combustible material or from a division or apartment of a building through the open air from a fire in another division or apartment of the same building.

GENERAL FIRE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILDINGS

All buildings having more than one storey shall be provided with generously designed and safe fire proof existence. The general fire safety requirements for buildings are as follows:

❖ All exits should be placed in such a way that they provide immediate access and should be capable of taking all the persons on that floor as alternative escape routes may be hindered due to fire.

❖ Electrical or mechanical lifts which are used under normal conditions may not be always relied on during a fire outbreak as the electrical supply to the door may be cut off or interrupted.

❖ Fire-proof doors shall conform rigidly to the fire safety requirements and escape routes should be well-ventilated.

❖ False ceilings of the buildings shall be so constructed as to prevent either total or early collapse in the fire so that persons underneath are not fatally trapped before they have the time to reach the exits.

❖ The floors are required to withstand the effect of fire. The design of floors should be such that it shall obviate any replacement.

❖ Roofs for the various fire grades of buildings shall be designed and constructed to withstand the effect of fire for the maximum period.

❖ Fire resistance of basement shall conform to the highest order and all columns for supporting the upper structure shall have a grading not less than laid down types 1 to 3.

FIRE ALARMS AND FIRE EXTINGUISHING EQUIPMENTS

Fire alarms are installed in buildings to give an alarm and to call for assistance in event of fire. It gives enough time to the occupants to reach a safe place. Two types of fire alarms are there: manual alarms and automatic alarms. Every building should have the suitable fire extinguishing equipments depending upon the importance of the building.

(a) Manual fire extinguishing elements: Carbon dioxide type portable fire extinguishers are commonly used. Sometimes buckets of water, sand and asbestos blankets are kept ready at all possible places where fire is likely to catch. Foam extinguishing systems are effective for rapidly controlling and extinguishing flammable liquid fires.

(b) Fire Hydrant: The hydrant should be located in and around the buildings so that water is available easily for fire fighting. Fire hydrant protection system is designed to fight fire of huge proportions, in all classes of risks. It is designed to be in operation even if a part of the affected structure collapses.

(c) Automatic Water Sprinkler: In the buildings vulnerable for fire like textile mills, paper mills automatic water sprinklers are installed. As the fire takes place the sprinkling of water is automatically activated from the piping system containing water under pressure.