Beginner’s Guide to Fire Protection Systems
What needs attention
- Active and passive protection serve different functions and neither can replace the other
- Detection and alarm create time for action but do not necessarily control the fire
- Sprinklers normally operate individually when heat at a head reaches its activation threshold; smoke alone does not open every head
- Water is not the correct extinguishing agent for every hazard, so special risks require engineered suppression
- Fire doors, penetrations and hidden barriers can be compromised by ordinary maintenance work
- A system out of service requires immediate risk management, notification and equivalent protection where required
Controls that reduce risk
- Ask for the approved fire strategy and current as-built drawings
- Create an asset register covering alarms, detectors, suppression, pumps, tanks, hydrants, doors, dampers, emergency lighting and smoke control
- Verify that testing demonstrates the complete cause-and-effect sequence, not only individual devices
- Lock or supervise critical control valves in their normal position and investigate every unwanted isolation
- Keep sprinkler discharge patterns, hydrants, fire-service connections and exits unobstructed
- Use a formal permit and reinstatement check for work affecting fire barriers or systems
- Train occupants to respond to the alarm and train designated personnel for their specific equipment roles
- Track defects to verified closure and provide temporary controls for impairments
Understand and apply the guidance
What is Fire Protection?
Fire protection is a set of practices and steps that are taken to lessen the effects of fires and keep people from getting hurt or losing things in a fire. There are two different kinds of fire protection that are found in buildings to minimize the damage caused by fires: active and passive fire protection.
- Active Fire Protection: When a fire starts, an active fire protection system finds it and puts it out. Sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems are two types of active fire protection systems.
- Passive Fire Protection. Fire doors, firewalls, and dampers are all examples of passive fire protection features that are built into a building to stop fires from spreading.
Buildings should have both active and passive ways to protect themselves from fires.
Types of Fire Protection Systems That Are Active
There are many types of active fire protection systems that are installed in buildings to help protect people and property from fires.
- Fire sprinkler systems. Water is used to put out fires with this common type of fire protection system. Sprinkler systems automatically turn on when they sense a fire and send water through the sprinkler head that is closest to the fire.
- Fire suppression systems – A fire suppression system is put in place in places where water damage could be very bad or where water wouldn’t put out a fire very well. To put out fires, these systems use things like gas, chemicals, or foam.
- Fire alarm systems: These tell people in a building that there is a fire so they can get out of the building safely. Someone in the building can manually pull the fire alarm, or it can go off automatically when a fire is found.
- Fire detection systems: These systems can tell when a fire is going on and turn on the sprinklers or fire suppression system. Some of the most common ways to find a fire are to look for smoke, flames, or heat.
Advantages of fire safety systems
Putting fire protection systems on your property has many benefits, such as:
- Save lives
- Protect your property
- Minimize downtime after a fire
- Protect irreplaceable assets
- Lower insurance premiums
- Meet new local, state, and national rules
- Responds faster to fires than the fire department
- Save money in the long run
Choosing the Right Fire Protection System
When it comes to fire safety, how can you choose the best solution for your needs? There are many factors, including local construction rules, insurance needs, and the specific risks associated with your institution, that should be taken into account when deciding on a fire safety system. Get advice from a knowledgeable expert when deciding which system is ideal for your needs.
Common unsafe practices
- Buying extinguishers or detectors without an occupancy-specific fire strategy
- Assuming every sprinkler activates simultaneously or that sprinklers are triggered directly by smoke
- Closing sprinkler valves, disabling alarms or isolating pumps without an impairment procedure
- Painting, obstructing, damaging or hanging items from sprinkler heads and pipework
- Leaving service penetrations, dampers or fire doors unprotected after renovation
- Selecting an extinguishing agent without considering people, electrical equipment, fuel and discharge hazards
- Failing to integrate alarm signals with evacuation, smoke control, lifts, doors and emergency response