Fundamental Concepts for Design of Special Hazard and Fire Alarm Systems Chapter 1

Fire Protection as a Profession Fire professionals are dedicated to saving lives Serious errors or less than minimal fire protection can lead to death Application of technical knowledge is fundamental Ethical behavior on the same level as technical knowledge

Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians Licensed professional engineer Can apply science and engineering to protect the public from the impacts of fire Fire protection technician: Achieved NICET Level III of IV certification in the appropriate subfield Knowledge, experience and skills necessary to lay out fire protection systems

Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) Functions of a fire protection engineer Fire protection analysis Fire protection management Fire science and human behavior Fire protection systems Passive building systems

Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) Functions of a fire protection engineer (con’t.) Evaluation of the hazards and protection schemes required to develop a workable, integrated solution to a fire safety problem Preparation of design documents Layout of fire protection systems

Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) Functions of a fire protection engineer (con’t.) Affixing a professional seal to documents Review fire protection installation shop drawings for compliance with engineer’s design Monitor installation of fire protection systems Responsibility for designing and maintaining competency through continued education

Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) Functions of a fire protection technician The system layout in accordance with the engineer’s design Shop drawings in accordance with the engineer’s design or as otherwise permitted by state regulations Supplemental calculations based on the engineer’s design

Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) Authority having jurisdiction (AHJ): individual or agency who reviews and approves drawings and completed installations Examples of AHJs Municipal permitting organization Fire prevention officer of the municipality Insurance company Governmental organization Code official

The National Fire Protection Association Publishes more than 290 codes, standards, recommended practices, and guides for fire safety and design of fire protection systems Codes: mandatory requirement suitable for adoption into law Standards: mandatory NFPA requirements that may be used to approve a fire protection system Recommended practices: NFPA documents that provide nonmandatory advice Guides: informative NFPA documents

Site (Underground) Drawings Civil drawings: coordinate underground utilities entering and leaving a building or group of buildings Profile plan: shows reference elevations with respect to finished grade Invert elevation: references the bottom of a pipe with respect to the reference elevation

Architectural Plans Architectural drawings: drawings that show dimensions of walls, floors, ceilings, and other building features Plan job: design performed using new architectural plans as the basis for design Survey job: a project involving an existing building for which plans cannot be obtained

Structural Drawings Structural drawings: provide details related to the floors, roof, and structural elements of a building Foundation plans: show floor and wall structural details and sectional views Framing plans: show beam and joist size and elevation

HVAC Drawings HVAC drawings: heating, ventilating, and air conditioning drawings Supply diffuser: ceiling element used to distribute fresh air to a room Return diffuser: ceiling element used to draw stale air from a room Plenum space: space above a suspended ceiling that is kept under negative pressure for return air

Plumbing Drawings Designated in the contract set with a “P” prefix May show fire protection system piping layout or schematic Water supply and other fire protection-related information may be in the plumbing general notes

Fire Protection Contract Drawings Strong preference in the profession to display all fire protection and detection requirements on a separate set of contract drawings

Electrical Drawings Contract drawing set has an “E” prefix Useful to special hazard and fire alarm system designers Provide the location and power requirements of lighting and other electrical devices Locations of other electrical devices may also be shown on electrical drawings

Specifications Developed by architects and engineers from Standardized computer specification database Revisions to specifications for a project that may conflict with the contract drawings Performance specification: a general specification that provides the minimum information necessary to estimate, design, and install a fire protection system

Automatic Sprinkler Systems Historically successful in protecting life and protecting hazards that are capable of being protected by water Fall into three categories Light hazard (churches, hospitals, schools) Ordinary hazards (parking garages, laundries, shopping centers) Extra hazard (saw mills, textile operations, paint dipping)

Special Hazard Suppression Systems Protects hazards not amenable for protection by an automatic sprinkler system Special hazard categories Large quantities of flammable liquids Facilities containing valuable or irreplaceable commodities Facilities where water may pose a danger

Special Hazard Suppression Systems (con’t.) Special hazard categories (con’t.) Automatic sprinkler systems are not always fast enough for effective suppression Mobile facilities where the transport of water is unfeasible Facilities where service loss is intrinsically linked to facility loss or water damage Facilities where high-tech research lost by fire or water damage could be significantly more than the dollar loss

Design Approaches for Special Hazard Design Requires evaluation of design objectives and design concepts, and implementation of design methodology Design objectives Property protection and preservation Life safety and preservation Business continuity Protection of the environment