Fire Protection
Fire Protection combines different fire safety equipment and procedures that detect fires and mitigate their negative impacts. Fire Protection includes alarms, suppression systems, sprinkler systems, extinguishers, and any technology that allows you to alert people or monitor the fire.
A Fire Protection system aims to protect a building’s occupants and minimize the damage associated with fire. Fire Protection within a facility relies on system components to detect and prevent fires and mitigate their consequences.
Fire Protection Systems can be categorized as either Active or Passive.
Active Systems are designed to help fight fires, such as fire alarms and sprinkler systems.
Passive Fire protection describes the structural measures which prevent the passage of flames and smoke, such as compartmentation, fire-stopping, and fireproofing.
A Full-fledged Fire Protection System Includes
Fire Suppression Sprinkler systems (Wet, Dry, Preauction, Deluge, Anti-Freeze, and Fire Pumps).
Special Hazards Fire Suppression Systems (Foam, Low and High-Pressure CO, and Clean Agent systems).
Mass notification (Notification appliances, Pull Stations/Callbox points).
Fire Extinguishers, Fire Hydrants, and Backflows.
Fire Alarm Monitoring.
Integrated security, access control, and video surveillance systems for appropriate actions from each system
What is Fire Prevention?
Fire Prevention Involves proactive steps to reduce fire hazards so that a fire does not have a chance to ignite.
Examples of fire hazards include:
Overloaded electrical sockets.
Dirty fireplaces.
Unattended burning candles.
Improperly stored flammable materials.
Poorly maintained heat or electric systems.
Fire Prevention reduces three hazards through regular maintenance, inspection, and testing of the methods to ensure they operate correctly and are effective during a fire in your building.
For Example, in addition to adhering to The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and local fire codes, you should perform regular risk assessments to identify potential hazards and improve weak areas within the facility that pose a threat.
These Steps Are Guidelines for Overall Fire Prevention:
Perform Regular Risk Assessments, and Identify weak Areas to improve safety.
Identify and resolve deficiencies sources within the facility that emit heat or are combustible, are flammable, or make the building more susceptible to fire.
Adhere to fire regulations and NFPA Standards.
Perform regular fire drills. Keep building owners, operators, occupants, and emergency personnel up to date regarding the operation of fire protection systems.
Regularly train staff on fire prevention practices.
Keep Systems in top working order with preventive maintenance contracts.
Utilize diagnostics and system analytics that can help predict trouble before it occurs.
What are Active Fire Protection Principles?
Active Fire Protection (AFP) is a group of systems requiring some action or motion to work efficiently in the vent of a fire. Steps may be manually operated, like a fire extinguisher, or automatic, like a sprinkler. Still, either way, they require some amount of action.
Active Fire Protection systems include but are not exclusive to the following:
Fire-Water Supplies.
Fire and Gas Detection and Alarm Systems.
Fire Suppression Systems (All Types).
What are Passive Fire Protection Principles?
Passive Fire Protection (PFP) is a group of systems that compartmentalize a building through the fire-resistance-rated walls/floors and form an integral component of structural fire protection and fire safety.
Four main areas of passive fire protection systems include:
Structural Fire Protection systems.
Compartmentation.
Opening Protection Systems.
Fire-stopping materials and designs.
Fire Protection systems must be tested, approved, and listed by Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory.
Classification of Fires
Class A – Ordinary Combustibles or fibrous materials, such as wood, paper, cloth, rubber, and plastics.
Class B – Flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, paint, thinners, and propane.
Class C – Energized electrical equipment, such as appliances, switches, panel boxes, and power tools.
Class D – Combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, potassium, and sodium burn at high temperatures and give off sufficient oxygen to support combustion. As a result, they may react violently with water or other chemicals and must be handled with care.
Fire Risk Assessment
Fire Risk Assessment is essential to consider all possible stakeholders during an FHA. Stakeholders should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
Regulators.
Facility Owners and Operators.
Employees.
Emergency Responders.
Insurers.
Neighbors.
Community.
Investors.
Design and Construction Team.
Engineering Team.
Performance-Based Approach
Performance-Based Fire Safety Design
Demonstrates how fire science can be used to solve fire protection problems in the built environment.
Used to better understand how a building will perform in the event of a fire.
Objectives Include:
Identify Key attributes of performance-based design.
Review the advantages and disadvantages of performance-based design over specification-based prescription design.
Provide a series of steps offering a framework/process for performance-based design.
Wildfire Safety
Home Wild Fire Safety
Inform home insurance companies if you live in a wildfire-prone area.
Home insurance companies have tools to protect your home from wildfire threats.
Insurance Companies use their proprietary underwriting and rating guidelines.
Why Homes are at risk of wildfires:
Build adjacent to the feeling source (i.e., trees and vegetation).
Lack of standardization of building, fire, and planning codes.
Misconceptions about vegetation; persistent drought conditions.
Objectives Include:
Identifying key attributes of performance-based design.
Review advantages and disadvantages of performance-based design over specification-based prescriptive method.
Provide a series of steps offering a framework/process for performance-based design.
Why Choose Us for Fire Protection Services?
Well-Maintained Fire systems will help save lives and property.
We provide Comprehensive Maintenance & Testing Services for all fire equipment.
We make it easier and faster for you to meet Fire Systems Compliance.
Global expertise, local support
Access a full range of testing, inspection, and certification services from the Lorcan & Fyon.