TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 SCOPE

2.0 DEFINITIONS

3.0 GENERAL

4.0 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

5.0 ELECTRICAL

6.0 MECHANICAL

7.0 BUILDING MATERIALS, INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION

8.0 CEILINGS

9.0 SHAFT ENCLOSURES

10.0 PARTITIONS

11.0 CARPETING

12.0 EXTERIOR WALLS

13.0 FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM- EQUIPMENT ROOMS

14.0 REFERENCES

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 2 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

1.0 SCOPE

This Standard on fire protection shall apply to all SEC Transmission Communication
Facilities. The requirements in this Standard are in accordance with the Uniform
Building Code (UBC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards.

2.0 DEFINITIONS

2.1 CRITICAL FACILITIES - are those which serve vital communication

functions for Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the loss of which will have
serious and immediate impact on the ability to operate safely and efficiently.
This includes communication facilities in major locations and any satellite
facilities where alternate routing or back-up equipment is not available.

2.2 NON-CRITICAL FACILITIES - are those of which would have little or no

effect on SEC ability to operate safely and efficiently.

2.3 LISTED- shall refer to building materials listed in a booklet, "Building

Material List", prepared by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. and bearing the
"UL" listing mark.

2.4 APPROVED - as to materials and types of construction, refers to approval by

building official as the result of investigation and test conducted by him, or by
reason of accepted principles or test by SEC Industrial Security Department,
Loss Prevention Division, Technical Services Unit.

2.5 FIRE RESISTANCE OR FIRE-RESISTIVE CONSTRUCTION - is

construction to resist the spread of fire.

2.6 FIRE RESISTANCE RATING - means the time in hours that the material or
construction will withstand the standard fire exposure as determined by a fire
test made in conformity with the "Standard Methods of Fire Test of Building
Construction and Materials" . ASTM E119.

2.7 FIRE DETECTION AND ALARM SYSTEM - A combination of compatible

initiating devices, control panels and indicating appliances installed to produce
an alarm signal in the event of fire.

2.8 SMOKE DETECTOR- an approved detector which senses visible or invisible

particles of combustion. The detector shall bear a label or other identification
issued by" SEC Industrial Security Department, Loss Prevention Division,
Technical Services Unit.

2.9 AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM- is an approved system of

devices and equipment which automatically detects a fire and discharge an
approved fire-extinguishing agent onto or in the area of a fire. The said system
shall bear a label or other identification issued by SEC Industrial Security
Department, Loss Prevention Division, Technical Services Unit.

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 3 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

2.9.1 Carbon Dioxide System - A system utilizing carbon dioxide as the

extinguishing agent, which has a number of properties that make it a
desirable fire extinguishing agent. It is noncombustible, it does not
react with most substances, and it provides its own pressure for
discharge from the storage container. It does not conduct electricity,
which makes it suitable for use on energized electrical equipment.

2.9.2 Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing System - A fire suppression system

utilizing a gaseous agent similar to the fire extinguishing properties of
halogenated agent but does not affect the ozone layer.

2.10 INTERIOR FINISH - includes material applied to the building structure such
as panelling, wall covering, ceiling tiles, resilient flooring, carpeting, etc.

2.11 INTERIOR FURNISHING- includes desk, tables, chairs, filing cabinets,

draperies, furniture, covering, etc.

2.12 OPENINGS- are classified as A, B, C, D, E, in accordance with the character

and location of the wall in which they are situated.

2.12.1 Class "A" Openings - are in walls separating buildings or dividing a

single building into fire areas. Doors for the protection of these
openings have a fire protection rating of 3 hours. No glass shall be used
in these doors.

2.12.2 Class "B" Openings - are in enclosures of vertical communications

through buildings (stairs, elevators, etc.). Doors for the protection of
these buildings in a one (1) hour fire rated enclosure have a fire
resistance of one hour.

2.12.3 Class "C" Openings - are in corridor and room partitions. Doors for the
protection of these openings have a fire resistance rating of 3/4 hour.

2.12.4 Class "D" Openings - are in exterior walls which are subject to severe
fire exposure from outside the building. Doors for the protection of
these openings have a fire resistance rating of 1&1/2 hours. Doors with
a fire protection rating of 1&1/2 hours may be employed as shutters for
protection of window opening rated Class "D" when adequately
protected against the weather. No glass shall be used in doors or
shutters for severe exterior exposure locations.

2.12.5 Class "E" Openings - are in exterior walls which are subject to
moderate fire exposure from the outside of the building. Doors for the
protection of these openings have a fire resistance rating of 3/4 hour.

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 4 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

2.13 NON-COMBUSTIBLE - as applied to a building construction material means

a material which, in the form in which it is used, is either one of the following:

a. Material of which no part will ignite and burn when subjected to fire.

b. Material having a structural base of noncombustible material as defined in Item

'a' above, with a surfacing material not over 3.1 mm (1/8 in.) thick which has a
flame-spread rating of 50% or less.

3.0 GENERAL

3.1 Site

3.1.1 To ensure that a fire hydrant with pumper connection should be located within
91.4 m (300 ft).

3.1.2 Water mains at the site should be capable of supplying water at sufficient
volume and residual pressure for fire fighting purposes.

3.2 All outside utility entrance services (electric, water and air conditioning), including all
control valves, meters, etc. to these services, should be secured from tampering.

4.0 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

4.1 The communication building shall be provided with building fire detection and
protection systems which shall consist of the following subsystems:

4.1.1 A passive fire protection subsystem which shall minimize the risk of fire and
fire spreading by appropriate design considerations.

4.1.2 An active fire protection subsystem which shall compromise automatic fire
detection, fire fighting, clean agent type system and portable fire
extinguishers.

4.1.3 A smoke and fume extraction system to rapidly exhaust fire and combustion
products.

4.2 Provide standard exit ways according to building population, and physical arrangement
of the building occupancy layouts in accordance with the provisions of NFPA 1 - Fire
Prevention Code and NFPA 101 – Code for Safety To Life from Fire in Buildings and
Structures.

4.3 Smoking shall not be permitted in communication equipment areas, or in an office in

an equipment area.

4.4 Smoking will only be permitted in locations outside of equipment areas such as
lounges, private offices, conference rooms, etc.

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 5 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

4.5 An Evacuation Plan shall be developed for protection of all persons in the event of fire.
Preplanned Fire Response Procedures shall be established to assure prompt notification
of Fire Department and SEC Communication Management personnel.

5.0 ELECTRICAL

5.1 In Communication Building, all electrical equipment installed should be UL listed or

equivalent and installed in accordance with the latest edition of NFPA 70 - National
Electrical Code (NEC).

5.2 Power and Communication cables should be separated by running them in separate
cable trays. For unavoidable situation, the minimum separation between these two
cable trays will be based on the latest edition of NFPA 70 - National Electrical Code
(NEC), Article 800 requirements.

5.3 Fire system / alarm wirings shall run completely separated from all other wirings. It
shall consist of MICS cabling or RHH, RHW type to NEC Code, flame retardant
armored PVC cable.

5.4 Communication cables entering a building at below grade shall have a ventilated gas
"pre-vent" chamber or a ventilated cable vault Where gas distribution systems are in
the area.

5.5 Two bell alarms shall be provided in each floor and one outside the building.

5.6 The fire alarm system shall be operated as well by push-button alarm.

5.7 A central power control board shall be provided and shall be fed by a battery backed
electrical power supply. From this control board all automatic fire fighting equipment
fire alarms and warnings shall be actuated, and a fire alarm time recorder shall be
included.

6.0 MECHANICAL

6.1 All building air conditioning and heating systems shall be designed and installed in
accordance with accepted fire safety practices (NFPA 90A - Standard for the
Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems). Equipment and controls
shall be Factory Mutual (FM) approved and listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
(UL) or equivalent.

6.2 All air distribution systems shall be equipped with approved automatic smoke detection
shutdown system including manual reset features.

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 6 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

6.3 Fuel oil riser piping for emergency generators located above the ground floor level
shall be protected against rupture, pinhole leaks, piping flaws, etc.

6.4 Portable fire extinguishers shall be installed in zones with increased fire danger such as
rooms with electrical equipment. The fire extinguisher shall be filled with chemical
powder.

6.5 Means of locking out fire suppression discharge system shall be provided for
maintenance purpose.

7.0 BUILDING MATERIALS, INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION

7.1 This section outlines standard for interior construction recommnended for restricting
the spread of fire in all Comnunication Rooms.

7.2 Floors

7.2.1 Floor construction should have a fire resisting rating of 2 hours.

7.2.2 Perforating fire rated floors "poke through" If, to make connections with
underfloor primary electrical and communication wiring systems or other
utilities shall not be permitted.

7.2.3 All openings in floors for ducts, pipes and conduit, etc. shall be suitably fire
stopped.

8.0 CEILINGS

All ceiling construction should have a fire resisting rating of 1&1/2 hours.

9.0 SHAFT ENCLOSURES

9.1 Any series of floor openings providing communication between two or more
successive stories shall be continuously enclosed, to prevent the spread of fire
vertically throughout the building.

9.2 Vertical shafts for power cables, communication cables, piping, air distribution and
ventilation ducts shall be separated from the other areas by one (1) hour fire rated non-
combustible cut-off material.

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 7 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

10.0 PARTITIONS

10.1 Establish one (1) hour retardant rated non-combustible cut-offs for the following areas:

a) Heating Plant
b) Central Type Air Conditioning Equipment
c) Equipment Supply Storage
d) Maintenance Shops
e) Emergency Generator Rooms
f) Lounges

10.2 Telephone power equipment, excluding emergency generators, need not be separated
from other telephone equipment by fire rated non-combustible cut-offs.

10.3 Establish two (2) hours fire retardant rated cut-offs for cable vaults, central type air
conditioning equipment when serving more than two stories.

10.4 Establish three (3) hours fire retardant non-combustible cutoffs for the following:

a) Transformer vault for combustible oil-insulated transformers.

b) Other combustible oil-insulated electric gear as well as dry type.
c) Fuel oil supplies exceeding 550 gallons.
d) Askarel insulation for transformers at all voltage ratings shall not be permitted.

10.5 Other room partitions for private offices, quarters, conference rooms, etc. may be
constructed of non-combustible material that do not have one (1) hour fire rating,
because the partition itself does not contribute any additional combustibles to the area.

11.0 CARPETING

11.1For Communication Rooms, carpeting should not be considered.

11.2 If carpeting is provided in the office space of Communication Room, the carpeting
shall have jute backing. Sponge or foam rubber backing is unacceptable because of
generation of dense, pungent smoke under fire conditions.

12.0 EXTERIOR WALLS

The table below indicates minimum fire resistance ratings required for all exterior walls for
the Communication Room.

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 8 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

HORIZONTAL
SEPARATION
BETWEEN
OPPOSING WALLS BEARING WALLS NON-BEARING WALLS

0 to 1 m (0 to 3 ft) 3 hours 3 hours

1 m to 6 m (3 to 20 ft) 3 hours 2 hours

Over 6 m (20 ft) 3 hours 1 hour

13.0 FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM - EQUIPMENT ROOMS

13.1 This section outlines the standard for suppressing fire in all critical Communication
Equipment rooms of all SEC offices. The proponent associated with non-critical
communication facilities may determine that protection will be either in accordance
with these standards or with systems specified in the UBC.

13.2 Critical facilities shall be protected with fire protection systems as follows:

13.2.1 Equipment areas shall be protected with clean agent type systems. These
include FM 200 system (HFC-227ea Heptafluoropropane) and Carbon Dioxide
(CO2) system.

13.2.2 System shall be designed and installed in compliance with the applicable
NFPA Standards 12 and 2001, current edition.

13.2.3 Agent supply system shall consist of manifolded cylinders with a 100 per cent
piped in-placed reserve.

13.2.4 Fire extinguishing systems shall be actuated by cross zoned, dual chamber
ionization detection systems. Detection systems shall be designed and installed
in compliance with the latest edition of NFPA 72 – National Fire Alarm Code.

13.2.5 For clean agent extinguishing systems, a pre-discharge alarm and time delay,
sufficient to allow personnel evacuation prior to discharge. Where required,
abort switch can be provided to temporarily hold the specified time delay
(when press/operated), once release the remaining time (countdown) will
continue. Abort switch shall be of a type that requires constant manual
pressure to cause abort. Dry runs shall be made to determine the minimum
time needed for persons to evacuate the hazard area.

13.2.6 CO2 systems shall have a 30-second delay with predischarge alarm.

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 9 OF 10

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-T-111.17, Rev.0

13.2.7 Back-up power shall be provided to maintain the detection, alarm and
actuation circuits for a minimum twenty four (24) hours duration in the event
of power failure.

13.2.8 Audible and visual alarms shall be installed to signal at constantly attended
location within the communication facilities and at the nearest Fire
Department.

13.2.9 Non-equipment areas such as offices, storage rooms, loading docks shall be
cut-off from equipment areas by minimum two (2) hour fire resistive
construction.

13.2.10 All clean agent systems shall be performance tested upon installation to assure
the design concentration is achieved.

14.0 REFERENCES

14.1 ASHRAE Handbook

14.2 ARAMCO Engineering Standards

14.3 Uniform Building Code (UBC)

14.4 National Electrical Code (NEC)

14.5 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

14.6 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)

14. 7 Factory Mutual (FM)

TEST11117R0/MAR Date of Approval: June 25, 2008 PAGE NO. 10 OF 10