Prtfli for Building Fire Safety Systems - Coursework Example

Students Name Subject Name Lecturer’s Name Pоrtfоliо for building fire safety systems Due date Date Submitted Pоrtfоliо for building fire safety systems Executive Summary A wide range of knowledge was learnt from all the activities covered in this course. In reflection to the lecturers presentation, I learnt that the fire protection equipment and systems play a very significant part, in the whole process of fire protection. There are different pipe systems that are applied in the process. Fire detection and setting the alarm system is the first step of building fire safety system. Concerning the four assignment, different mechanisms that could be applied to enhance fire safety, such as separated firewall throughout the building. Introduction Effective fire protection and emergency intervention require effective building fire safety systems. These systems include the fire detection and alarm systems, which should be properly installed within the building. Effective intervention mechanisms and standards should be in place, in the case of fire outbreak. In relation to this the present paper presents a comprehensive portfolio. The portfolio contains a reflection of what I have learned in three cases. The first reflection will address what I have learnt during the class, based on different presentations, the second will involve a reflection based on the research about the Australian standards and the NCC while the third reflection will discuss the what has been learnt from the four assignments. Reflection on the lectures presentation Based on lecture one, it was learnt that fire protection equipment and systems play a very significant part, in the whole process of fire protection. Among the important systems is the sprinklers. These are four categories, which could be applied. These include dry, wet, pre-action and deluge systems. With regard to the wet pipe systems, the most preferred is the wet pipe sprinklers. They are the most installed, since they are simple, reliable, and can be operated automatically. The dry pipe systems are installed in situations where water will be freezed by the temperature, in a wet pipe system. They are often used in parking garages and unheated buildings. It was also learn that the dry sprinkler system require air pressure and are used in areas that may freeze. Deluge valves, on the other hand, are applied in specific areas, such as high hazard areas. They usually open on heat or smoke detection. It was learnt that fire protection starts with fire detection and setting the alarm system. In this case, the first step should include identification of any developing fire emergency in a timely manner, and immediately alerting the people occupying the building. There are several fire detection principles that could be adopted. The first one is the manual fire detection; it involves yelling at a person, to notify others of the fire emergency. It also involves installation of the manual alarm stations. Automatic detectors could also be used. These include the spot-type detectors, photoelectric detectors, lonization detectors, heat/thermal detectors, fixed temp detectors, rate-of-rise detectors, combination detectors, flame detectors air sampling, and linear type detectors. To build a fire notification, the various notification appliances are applied. The Australian standards indicate that automatic fire sprinkler system provides protection to the building occupants, as well as the environment. Reflection on what was learnt based on research about (Australian standards and NCC Australian Standard Under the Australian standard, significant knowledge was gained regarding the effective designing and installation of the automatic fire sprinkler systems. It was learnt that the automatic fire sprinkler provides an effective level of building structure fire protection. Additionally, it provides protection to the building occupants, as well as the environment. Through the standard, different classification and designs of sprinkler systems were learnt. It was learnt that the sprinkler systems should be classified based on the hazard classes. In this case, there is Light Hazard, Ordinary Hazard and High Hazard (Leblanc, 2014). In the installation of the sprinklers, different strategies maybe applied. In the sprinkler-protected buildings, two factors should be considered. These are the extent of the sprinkler protection, and the protection against the exposure hazards. The actuation of the automatic sprinkler system sends an alarm signal to the fire brigade receiving center. It was also learnt that water sources are very significant in this installation. In this case, there should be acceptable sources of supply, as well as in good pressure and flow. The minimum ware requirement should be met. In case it is necessary, private ware supplies could be ordered. The sprinklers should also be maintained at standard spacing. Reflection on what was learnt from the four assignments Assignment one From this assignment, different mechanisms that could be applied to enhance fire safety system were learnt. For instance, if a building has parts of different classifications located alongside one another in the same storey, these parts should be separated by a firewall throughout the building. If the distance of travel from any point on the floor to a single exit is not more than 20m, then another exit door should be provided as a mechanism for building fire safety system. Additionally, the entrance door should be designed in a way that the sole occupancy unit should not be more than 6 meters from an exit. Assignment Two In this assignment, different points to address, definition and requirements were learnt, as a mechanism of having an effective fire safety system. For instance, concerning the emergency lighting, there should be an emergency lighting system installed in all isolated stairway. It is also significant that every floor to have an emergency warning intercom system (Leblanc, 2014). Additionally, the exit signage should be placed in a place where it is visible to any individual who could be approaching the exit. Further, it is very important to have a call point in the building, which should be installed in a clear place within the building. Assignment Three In this assignment, various techniques were learnt regarding the approach of fire, in the case of an emergency. The techniques learnt include the eternal attack hydrants, internal attach hydrants and the fire bridge booster. Concerning the external attack hydrants, they should be installed within 50 meters of a hardstand. This will allow all parts of the building to be within reach of a 10-meter horse stream (Douglas & Henry, 2013). For the internal fire hydrant, it should be available to protect all those internal parts of the buildings, which could not be protected by the use of external fire hydrants. The fire bridge booster should be located on the ground floor, together with the external fire hydrant. Assignment four In this assignment, the standard procedure for setting up the fire safety system was developed. More specifically, the layout of the sprinklers within the system was learnt. In this case, it was learnt that there should be a maximum and minimum distance between the sprinklers on the range pipes, and between the adjacent rows. Additionally, sprinklers should not be placed closer than 2 meters, except in situations where there is intervening constructional features, which provide a satisfactory baffle. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that effective fire protection and emergency intervention requires effective building fire safety systems. These systems include the fire detection and alarm systems, which should be properly installed within the building. Effective intervention mechanisms and standards should be in place, in the case of fire outbreak. References Leblanc, D. J. (2014). Use NFPA 3 for new, existing buildings: NFPA 3 defines commissioning and integrated testing of new fire protection and life safety systems in both new and existing buildings. Consulting Specifying Engineer, (11), 17. Douglas W. Thornburg, A., & John R. Henry, P. (2013). Fire Protection Systems. McGraw-Hill Professional. Read More