Components and tactical advantages of fire 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 fire fighting 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 fire fighting.
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 fire fighting 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 fire fighting
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: Baltimore publishers.
Print
Hirschler,
M.(1992) fire hazard and fire risk assessment. New York: Cengage publishers.
Print
Norman,
J.(2012) fire officer’s handbook of tactics. New York: Fire engineering books
publishers. Print
Sturzenbecker,
M.J., Adams, B., & Burnside, E. (Eds.). (2012). Fire detection and
suppression systems (4th ed.). Stillwater: Fire Protection
Publications. Print
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