Fire Protection

05

FIRE PROTECTION Research by Lau Yee Seng

Abstract

Fire protection means fire prevention for buildings. All fire protection should be taken when designing a building to prevent fires before it happens and reduce the risk of fire to life and property. Fire prevention mainly determines the fire resistance rating of building materials and fire resistance construction, controls the number of combustible materials, and separates the fire-prone areas. In the unfortunate event of a fire, the main thing to do first is fire compartmentation, set up evacuation facilities, fire smoke extraction systems, and fire extinguishing equipment.

Fire Triangle

Three elements must be present for a building to catch fire:

Combustible materials, ignition sources and combustion aids. Therefore, all three elements should be effectively controlled in the design of building fire protection. Neglected details cause almost all major fires.

Glasgow School of Art

In 2014, Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Glasgow School of Art was damaged by a fire. Flames enveloped the building and the adjacent residential area was evacuated as people watched in horror. The damage was devastating, although the fine library was lost, no one was killed or injured. And the extensive restoration work was estimated to cost 35 million pounds. A second fire destroyed the building again in June 2018. Following this disaster, the entire interior, east and west wings, was damaged and the roof disappeared. The library, which had previously been renovated, was also destroyed. Once again, the relevant organizations and the government urgently appealed to the public to start rebuilding the Glasgow School of Art, but the sad truth is that little can be restored.

Fire Prevention

But how can we prevent a fire? Firstly, check that the electrical circuits in the building have been made fireproof. Circuits construction must be installed by professional and make sure it is not overloaded. After that, check diligently if the circuit and plugs are overheated or leaky, and check that the wiring is not aged or broken. Next, keep lighting appliances away from combustible materials, for example, spotlights are used to enhance the visual impact of a display or antique in museum, so try not to place any flammable materials under the high-power lamp. Lastly, there is a fire check for other electrical appliances. Check the electrical appliances unplugged after use and Whether someone is present when the appliance is in use.

Detect

Building fire generally spread after 10 to 15 minutes. In addition to the fact that fires can be detected by witnesses and reported to the fire department, the museum should be set up the flame detector and automatic alarm devices. Flame detectors have multiple types such as temperature-sensitive, smoke and light-sensitive. A fire control center is set up to command automatic alarm devices and automatic fire extinguishing devices to control the alarm, evacuation, fire extinguishing, smoke extraction, fire doors and windows, fire elevators, and emergency lighting.

Extinguish

If a fire has already occurred, the fire will be extinguished by eliminating one of the three conditions that caused the fire (Combustible Materials, Ignition Sources, Combustion Aids). Fire extinguishers must be installed at various locations in the building. When the fire is small, fire extinguishers can be used to stop the spread of the fire. The liquid or gas in the fire extinguisher is sprayed onto the burning material and the burning area, cooling the burning material, isolating the burning material from oxygen, and eventually causing the necessary conditions to maintain combustion to be destroyed and stop the combustion reaction, thus playing a role in extinguishing the fire. If the fire is raging, the fire brigade must be called in to put it out by using a fire hydrant or will have to be used. When the air temperature rises to or exceeds the equipment’s specified rated temperature, the sprinkler will automatically operate to discharge water in the designated area.

Fire Compartmentation

To reduce fire casualties, the design of the museum should take consider to fire compartmentation and fire evacuation. Smoke travels fast and can quickly fill a room. The spread of smoke can be slowed by compartmentation of the building. It helps keep users safe during evacuation and slows down the fire itself by cutting off the airflow. Fire compartmentation uses to zoning the building into smaller areas for firefighters and emergency personnel to manage effectively. The unaffected areas of the building can be enclosed to isolated from fire and smoke.

Fire Evacuation Plan

Public buildings should typically have no less than two safety exits, with more calculated exits for areas with a higher density of people and the straight-line distance to the nearest evacuation exit should not exceed 20 meters. The emergency exits from highrise building are staircases. Highrise buildings must have smokeproof enclosures or stairwells, which should be arranged so that there are two evacuation directions. Enclosed stairwells block smoke and facilitate evacuation, and it must be built from firerated walls and doors. Fire doors have a metal label listing the fire rating of the component. All openings through the firewall must be sealed with fireproof caulking so that no air or flame can pass through the wall. Stairwells are more conducive to evacuation as they have a front room. On evacuation route, emergency lighting, exit sign and evacuation direction indicators should be provided.