BLD 226: BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERING

(PLUMBING)

FIRE PREVENTION
&FIGHTING IN
BUILDINGS
Dr Isa R B
Department of Building
Federal University of Tech. Minna
SUBPART

WHAT IS FIRE?
 PREVENTING FIRES
• We can prevent fires by taking away one of the
triangle’s sides (Fuel, Heat, or Oxygen).
• We can make sure there is no fuel.
• We can make sure there is no heat (ignition).
• We can’t do much about the oxygen, but we can
use an extinguisher to take away the oxygen after
the fire starts!
CLASSES OF FIRE
 SUBPART

THE MAIN DANGERS OF FIRE

• Smoke inhalation kills more people than burns.

• Three out of four workers who die in fires die

from the smoke.
• Fires produce intense heat above 10000 F.
• Fires will use up the oxygen you need to breathe.
• Smoke is toxic and contains gases like carbon
monoxide, hydrogen chloride & carbon dioxide.
FIRE PREVENTION IN BUILDINGS

Fire
prevention

Passive Active

•Portable extinguishers
Design of buildings
•Alarm detection
•Structure
•Hose reels •Automatic extinguishers
•Fabric
•Pressurised escape route
•Components & their installation
•Smoke extraction & ventilation
 PASSIVE DESIGN GOALS FOR FIRE SAFETY

• Means for occupant evacuation in event of fire or rendered safe within

building
• Design effort must minimise damage to property in event of fire
• Design should also reduce the amount of money and time of repairs in
event of fire
• Design must ensure that adjacent properties are protected in event of fire
 PRINCIPAL TASK FOR FIRE SAFETY DESIGN

• Design and construction should minimise occurrence of fire

• In event of fire, building assembly should minimise growth and spread
• System should be present to detect and alert occupant at the onset of fire
• Means of evacuation should be well developed
• Fire suppression system should be present and function automatically
• Building assemblies must limit the spread of fire beyond the zone of fire
• Access to the fire point and extinguishment capabilities should be made available
 ACTIVE FIRE PREVENTION
Portable fire extinguisher
• Bucket of water and sands – inadequate

• ‹
 FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

fire extinguishers are Color-coded cylinders

containing compressed liquids and gasses
appropriate to various sources of fire –Standard
fire fighting equipment in all commercial & public
buildings
 TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
• Stored-Pressure Water Extinguishers:
• for use on Class A fires only (ordinary combustibles).
• Can NOT be used on Class B,C or D fires
• Standard water extinguishers contain 10 liters of
water. Under normal conditions, stream reaches 4 -10
m.
• Discharge time is 30-60 seconds.
 TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

• Film-Forming-Fluoroprotein (FFFP) Foam Extinguishers:

• Designed for use on Class A and B fires.
• They are essentially 10 liters water extinguishers with a FFFP
foam additive.
• When using this type of extinguisher on a Class B fire, you
must be careful to avoid splashing liquid fuels.
• The foam has the ability to make water float on fuels that are
lighter than water.
 TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

• Halon 1211 Fire Extinguishers (bromochlorodifluoromethane)

• Designed for Class B and C fires.
• Hand carried extinguishers are available in sizes (1 to 10) kg.
• Larger wheeled units are available up to 70 kg. Stream reach is about 2
to 6 m. Discharge time is dependent on the size of extinguisher.
• Caution: when used in a confined area.
• Halon can cause dizziness and loss of coordination. You should
immediately evacuate an area after using it. an extinguisher of this type.
 TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
• Powder Extinguishers (Hand Carried):
• The most common extinguishers at Davis-Monthan AFB.
• Two types available:
① Ones rated for Class B and C fires, and
② ones rated for Class A, B, and C fires.

• Available from (2.5 _ 30) pounds.

• Caution: when used indoors because these extinguishers produce a
thick cloud of dust, which obscures vision and may cause choking.
• They have a range of 5-20 feet, although they can be easily affected by
wind.
• Discharge time is 10-25 seconds.
 USING HAND-HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

• Extinguishers have their limits.

• A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the
Fire Department arrives.
• Portable extinguishers are not designed to fight a large or spreading fire. Even against small fires, they are
useful only under the following conditions:
• An extinguisher must be large enough for the fire at hand. It must be available and in working order, fully charged.
• The operator must know how to use the extinguisher quickly, without taking time to read directions in an
emergency.
• The operator must be strong enough to lift and operate the extinguisher.
USING HAND-HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
 USING HAND-HELD FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

• It's easy to remember how to use a fire extinguisher- simply follow the steps- "P-A-S-S"

1. Pull the Pin: at the top of the extinguisher that keeps the handle from being pressed. Break the plastic seal as the pin is
pulled.

2. Aim: the nozzle or outlet toward the fire. Some hose assemblies are clipped to the extinguisher body. Release the hose and
point.

3. Squeeze: the handle to release the extinguishing agent. The handle can be released to stop the discharge at any time.
Before approaching the fire, try a very short test burst to ensure proper operation.

4. Sweep: from side to side at the base of the fire until it is out. After the fire is out, watch for remaining smoldering hot
spots or possible reflash of flammable liquids. Make sure the fire is out.
 FIRE DETECTION
Objectives of automatic fire detectors
• –To indicate location of the outbreak of fire
• –To operate alarm bells, and
• –To communicate with the local authority ‹
Various types of operating characteristics:
• –A bimetallic strip
• –An ionization chamber
• –Light scattering devices
• –A laser beam
 BIMETALLIC STRIP DETECTORS

• when a fire occurs, the heat of the fire

causes the brass and iron strips to expand,
ultimately resulting in the bending of the
bimetallic strip, which on bending
touches the screw adjacent to it, thus
completing the circuit. Once the circuit is
complete, the bell begins to ring.
 IONISATION DETECTORS
• The ionization smoke detector uses a
radioactive source (typically Americium-241,
an alpha-emitting radionuclide) to ionize the
air within the sensing chamber. The ionization
of air by the radioactive particle causes a very
small flow of electrical current. When smoke
from a fire enters the chamber, its presence
causes a reduction in the current's flow. The
electronic circuitry senses the reduced flow and
triggers the alarm horn (Figure 2).
 LIGHT SCATTERING
• Photoelectric smoke detectors use the principle of
scattered or reflected light to indicate the presence of
visual smoke. They work much like the automatic eyes
used to open doors. When there's no smoke, the
chamber is dark. The light shines across the chamber
and is received in a light trap on the far side. When
smoke is present in the chamber, a photocell located at
right angles to the light source senses the light scattered
off the smoke particles and, at a certain level of
illumination, triggers the alarm horn
 FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM

• Automatic sprinkler: responds by releasing fluid or gas on sensing elevated temperature

HOSE REELS
HOSE REEL INSTALLATION
WET RISER
DRY RISER
FOAM INSTALLATION
GAS INSTALLATION
SPRINKLER HEAD
SPRINKLER SPACING
 TYPES OF SPRINKLER SYSTEM

• Wet
• Dry
• Alternate wet & dry
• Tail end
• Pre-action –Recycling
WET SPRINKLER SYSTEM
 ALTERNATE WET & DRY SPRINKLER
SYSTEM
• –Alternate systems can have the pipes full of water for the summer and be drained down and
filled with air (under pressure) for the winter –This is important for buildings that are not heated.

• Tail end sprinkler system –This is a variation on the wet system and the alternate wet and dry
system –It is appropriate where only part of a building is subject to frost of extremely high
ambient temperature
WATER SUPPLY FOR SPRINKLER
WATER SUPPLY FOR SPRINKLER
PRESSURISED ESCAPE ROUTE
 SMOKE EXTRACTION & VENTILATION

Objective –
• To aid fire control by eliminating smoke, heat, toxic and inflammable gases from the source of a
fire –
• To retain visibility for escapers, and
• To provide clear access for fire fighters
 HEAT AND SMOKE VENT

Heat and Smoke Vents are installed

in buildings as an active fire
protection measure •They are
openings in the roof which are
intended to vent the heat and smoke
developed by a fire inside the
building by the action of buoyancy,
such that they are known as
"gravity vents".
DRENCHERS