FIRE SERVICES

Fire safety Causes of Fire Types of Fire Components of Fire

safety Systems Fire Stairs, Fire Lifts etc.

Fire Detection and Fire fighting Systems Fire Extinguishing

Systems Planning and Design Consideration of Components of
Building as NBC and IS Specifications & Recommendations.

Introduction to Fire Safety Layout with Case Study.

Fire safety is a component of Building Safety. It
concerns safety measures to prevent the effects of fires and
is the result of proper use of fire protection measures.

Fire safety is the reduction of the potential for harm to life

as a result of fire in buildings. Although the potential for being
killed or injured in a fire cannot be completely eliminated, fire
safety in a building can be achieved through proven building
design features intended to minimize the risk of harm to
people from fire to the greatest extent possible.
 FIRE -evolution
It is a chemical chain reaction which takes place with the
of heat and light.

Fire is the rapid (self sustaining) Flame is the visible

oxidation of a material in the exothermic portion of the fire and
chemical process of combustion, consists of glowing hot
releasing heat, light, and various gases.
reaction products in varying intensities.
What about smoke?

75% of fire related

deaths are caused by
smoke inhalation
TYPES
All fire incidents can be divided in many ways depending on the
cause of fire outbreak, but broadly there are two types of fires,
Natural
Manmade

Forest fires can be either due to natural or manmade reasons.

All residential and non-residential structural fires are largely

manmade.

Similarly, all industrial and chemical fires are due to explosions or

fires made by humans or due to machine failures.
MAIN CAUSES OF FIRE
1. Carelessness and accidents
Lack of attention when cooking; careless placement of items near
the stove.
Inattentive use of candles.
Accidents involving gas, propane and solvents.
2. Electrical equipment
Short circuits
overloaded systems and fuses
Loose connections, frayed cords; improper use of extension cords.
3. Smoking or fire lighting material
Cigarettes (especially falling asleep while smoking or not properly
extinguishing cigarettes).
Children playing with matches or lighters.
Balanced Design
Active fire protection, includes
Total manual or automatic fire
Fire Protection detection and fire suppression.

Active Passive
Fire Protection Fire Protection

Passive fire protection, includes compartmentalization of the overall

building through the use of fire-resistance rated walls and floors.
Organization into smaller fire compartments, consisting of one or more
rooms or floors, prevents or slows the spread of fire from the room of fire
origin to other building spaces, limiting building damage and providing more
time to the building occupants for emergency evacuation or to reach an
area of refuge.
 Balanced design is defined as combining both active and passive
design elements, as well as the concept of compartmentation, to greatly
enhance fire protection at a minimum cost.
(Compartmentation is defined
as the use of the passive
protection of non-combustible
floors and walls to confine fire
to a specific area.)

Fire prevention includes minimizing ignition sources, as well as educating

the occupants and operators of the facility, or structure concerning
operation and maintenance of fire-related systems for correct function,
and emergency procedures including notification for fire service response
and emergency evacuation.
BALANCED DESIGN Passive Fire Protection
Active Fire Protection
Fire rated walls
Fire rated floors
Smoke detectors
Fire rated separation
Sprinklers
Fire alarms
Smoke movement through a building
 Class of
CLASSES OF FIRE Fuel /heat source
fire
A Ordinary combustibles/ SOLIDS
B Flammable liquids
C Flammable gases
D Combustible metals
E Electrical equipment
F Cooking oil or fat
Fire Lift The lift installed to enable fire services personnel to reach
different floors with minimum delay.
Fire Separation The distance in meters measured from the external
wall of the building concerned to the external wall of any other building on
the site, or from other site, or from the opposite side of street or other
public space for the purpose of preventing the spread of fire.
Fire Resistance Fire resistance is a property of an element of
building construction and is the measure of its ability to satisfy for a
stated period some or all of the following criteria:
a) resistance to collapse,
b) resistance to penetration of flame and hot gases, and
c) resistance to temperature rise on the unexposed face up to a
maximum of 180C and/or average temperature of 150C.
Fire Resistance Rating The time that a material or construction
will withstand the standard fire exposure as determined by fire test done
in accordance with the standard methods of fire tests of
materials/structures.

Fire Resisting Wall A fire resistance rated wall, having protected

openings, which restricts the spread of fire and extends continuously
from the foundation to at least 1 m above the roof.

Fire Tower/ Fire exit staircase An enclosed staircase which can

only be approached from the various floors through landings or lobbies
separated from both the floor areas and the staircase by fire-resisting
doors, and open to the outer air.
One Globally Applied Principle for Fire Safety: FIRE COMPARTMENTS

The spread of fire can be restricted by dividing a building into

separate compartments with fire-resisting walls and floors, thereby: -
increasing the availability of escape routes for occupants
Fire compartmentation in buildings
Fire escape route from various
Office and classroom similar rooms are protected.
level of risk no barrier.

office
laboratory

classroom
Classroom protected from higher
fire risks in laboratory.
MEANS OF EGRESS/ ESCAPE/ EXIT
The function of an egress system is to conduct occupants of a
building to a safe place in case of fire or other emergency.
A safe place is usually a public way or other large open space at
ground level.
For the occupants of the upper floors of a tall building, or for people
who are incapacitated or physically restrained, the safe place may be
a fire-protected area of refuge within a building.
Horizontal Exit An arrangement which allows alternative egress
from a floor area to another floor at or near the same level in an
adjoining building or an adjoining part of the same building with
adequate fire separation.
COMPONENTS OF AN EGRESS SYSTEM
1. Exit Access a corridor, an aisle, a path across a room, or a short
stair or ramp that conducts the occupants of a building to an exit.
2. Exit a protected means of evacuation (door opening, an enclosed
and protected exit passageway leading to a door, or an enclosed exit
stair or ramp) from an exit access to a safe discharge point, must
be of 2 hour construction with self closing doors rated at 1 1/2 hrs.
3. Exit Discharge a means (door, protected exit corridor, path
across a ground floor vestibule or lobby) of moving from an exit to a
safe discharge point (public way or other large open area.)
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 CODES
NBA NATIONAL BUILDING CODE
NFPA NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION
IBC INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE
IS CODE

Fire Zones
The city or area under the jurisdiction of the Authority shall for
the purpose of the Code, be demarcated into distinct zones, based on
fire hazard inherent in the buildings and structures according to
occupancy, which shall be called as Fire Zones.
Fire Zone No. 1 This shall comprise areas having
residential (Group A),
educational (Group B),
institutional (Group C), and
assembly (Group D),
small business (Subdivisions E-1 ) and
retail mercantile (Group F) buildings,
or areas which are under development for such
occupancies.
Fire Zone No. 2 This shall comprise
business (Sub-divisions E-2 to E-5) and
industrial buildings (Sub-division G-1 and G-2),
except high hazard industrial buildings (Sub-division G-3) or areas which
are under development for such occupancies.
Fire Zone No. 3 This shall comprise areas having
high hazard industrial buildings (Subdivision G-3),
storage buildings (Group H) and
buildings for hazardous used (Group J)
or areas which are under development for such
occupancies.

The factors like type of construction based on occupancy, dist

between the bldgs & size of the bldgs influence the severity of
fire hazard.
The minimum distance
between exits is one-half
the diagonal measurement
of the building or the space
served by the exits.
 DEAD-END CORRIDORS
Dead-end pockets in exit access corridors are undesirable, but
they are tolerated for most building occupancies within the length
restrictions listed in each model code.
General Rule is that a dead-end corridor must be 18 or less in
length.
MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE
Maximum travel distance to the nearest exit is specified by the
code. Travel distance is always measured along the actual path
occupants must take to reach an exit. There are two way to measure
as shown on the diagram.
 DOORS
Doors should
always swing in
the direction of
egress travel in
all buildings
except single
family dwellings
and in all rooms
except those with
fewer than 50
occupants.

Even locked, doors along an exit path must be easily openable in the direction of
egress travel.
Exit access corridors must be enclosed in fire-resistant walls and accessed via fire-
resistant doors
Doorways
EXIT STAIRWAY

An exit may also include a horizontal exit leading to an adjoining building at the
same level. Lifts and escalators shall not be considered as exits.
The floors of areas covered for the means of exit shall be illuminated to values
not less than 1 ft candle(10 lUX) at floor level
FOR PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE
Provisions such as lifts, ramps to be considered for Wheelchair
provisions
Signage for differently challenged people
Spiral staircases & revolving doors to be avoided in fire escape
routes
Floors to be non-slippery
Fire alarms at the reach
Fire alarms for differently challenged people
 Best Practice - Fire Safety

Evacuation devices to assist in the

evacuation of people unable to
evacuate independently.

Visual alarms activated by the fire alarm,

in the washroom.
EXIT REQUIREMENTS:
Number and type dependent on occupancy type and load, ie. greater
risk, more people, more exits
Every floor area must have 2 exits. Travel distance to the exit is
limited
Dead end corridors (more than 6m) not permitted
Exits must be fire separated from the rest of the building they are
serving
EXIT THROUGH LOBBY:
One of the two exits may pass through a lobby space IF:
lobby floor not more than 4.5m above grade
path of travel does not exceed 15m
rooms adjacent to lobby are fire separated (ie. doors and walls)
lobby is not part of an interconnected atrium space
EMERGENCY ESCAPE LIGHTING
Lighting provided for use when the supply to the normal lighting
fails.
Signs shall be illuminated and wired to an independent electrical
circuit on an alternative source of supply.
Provided on all escape routes to assist in evacuation and should
cover:
Exit doors and escape routes
Intersections of corridors
At each final exit and external escape routes and
stairways
Changes in level
Fire equipment and alarm call points
SIGNS AND NOTICES
Exits shall be clearly visible and the
route to reach the exits shall be
clearly marked and signs posted to British Standard
guide the occupants of the floor
concerned.
The sizes and colors of the exit signs European Standard
shall be in accordance with good
practice.
The color of the exit signs shall be
green.
Not mixed
Be fire resistant
Every exit, exit access or exit discharge shall be continuously maintained
free of all obstructions or impediments to full use in the case of fire or
other emergency.
Every building meant for human occupancy shall be provided with exits sufficient
to permit safe escape of occupants, in case of fire or other emergency.
In every building or structure, exits shall comply with the minimum requirements
of this part, except those not accessible for general public use. No building shall be
so altered as to reduce the number, width or protection of exits to less than that
required.
48
COMMON FIRE CLASSIFICATIONS
Ordinary combustibles
Paper, wood, rubber, plastics
and textiles.

Flammable liquids
Oil, gasoline, solvents

Energized circuits
Electrical equipment
and computers