The Design of an Intelligent Building and Solution of the Fire Safety Related Questions - Case Study Example

FIRE SAFETY ENGINEERING Student University FIRE SAFETY ENGINEERING Introduction Fire comes about from the oxidation of materials in an exothermic chemical reaction in the process of combustion. It releases light, gases like carbon dioxide and heat. Fire has different impacts into the environment. Some of the effects of fire are positive while others are negative. The positive effects of fire include but not limited to: encouraging growth and sustaining various ecological systems in the environment, Cooking, generating heat, light and other household chores. On the other hand, negative effects of fire are its ability to destroy vegetative cover that is essential in controlling soil erosion during heavy rains, destroy property if not properly controlled and cause deaths in many places when poorly controlled. 1 With respect to this, various methods of extinguishing fire have been devised. These methods include; turning off the gas supply in case of gas fire, applying of water, covering of flame and application of chemicals such as Halona to act as a retardant to flames. 2 In this paper, an analysis of a fire case study, the involvement of the design of an intelligent building and solution of the fire safety related questions have been shown. Part 1 Fire case study in USA Fire in Chicago, Illinois The fire in Chicago, Illinois happened on October 2003, at around 5p.m on a Friday afternoon. This fire affected a 37 storey, high-rise building, located in a downtown Chicago. The fire affected the 12th floor. The building was owned by Cook County. 3, 4 This fire resulted to a significant loss of life due to the locked stairway doors. Furthermore, a clear direction to the building tenants was not provided in case of an emergency that resulted to a lot of confusion when the fire outbreak was experienced. During the fire control and rescue operations, the Chicago Fire Department staged in the stair tower to attack the fire on the 12th floor which resulted to the stairwell being filled with smoke. This prompted the locking of stair doors to prevent re-entry from the stair side. Therefore, people entering the stair could not escape the stair once the doors had closed. This led to six deaths in this fire located within the stair enclosure. The loss of life prompted the International Building Code and NFPA 101 to address the locking of stairways doors a lengthy period of time that took about 15 years. As a result, corrections and modifications to the Chicago Building Code were adopted, addressing the stair locking arrangements. 5 Recommendations for firefighter response in high-rise buildings were also presented and the most practical ones applied such as the retroactive sprinkle ring of all high-rise buildings. From the above case study, it is important to note that, the fire that claimed the lives of people could have been properly controlled and no life lost. This could only be possible if the owners of the house had specified the emergency exits and well defined fire assembly points. All the areas likely to be fire source points must have been properly identified and fire extinguishers located in easily accessible points so that the fire could be easily controlled before the fire fighters could arrive to safe the situation. The design of the house was also poor; the staircase should have been placed in open space where there is free circulation of air. Therefore, for any residential house, the necessary design, emergency exits and fire assembly points as well as an effective alarm to alert the tenants in case of fire outbreak on time should be provided. A well written pre-plan disaster response roles and responsibilities should be made available to each tenant because they are vital in the fire control in built environment because each individual will have a specific role to play in case of a fire outbreak. This will reduce confusion and ensure effective fire control in case of any sudden fire outbreak. Proper planning of the adjacent buildings is also important. The distance between any adjacent houses should be sufficient enough to allow ease passage of the firefighters’ vehicles as well as ease access of all the rooms within the houses. This will also ensure that in case of a fire outbreak in one house, the probability of the fire spreading to the adjacent house will be minimal thus making the fire control easier. The residential house design should also allow longer fire resistance, the concrete cover on reinforced concrete should be able to withstand up to 6 hours of fire to avoid collapse of the building to extreme temperatures. Fire safety engineering Fire safety engineering encompasses human behavior and maintaining a temporary environment for evacuation from fire. 7 The most important issues considered in the fire safety engineering included: Escape facilities: These facilities help the occupants to escape from the building that is on fire within the shortest time possible. They include emergency exits for low-rise buildings and fire lifts for high-rise buildings. Therefore, they should be strategically placed so that they can be easily accessible and should allow for save exits and provide the shortest alternative roots. Building design, layout and space planning: the building design for low rise buildings should allow many exists located at convenient positions. For high-rise buildings, the stair way should be located in open positions, they should be sufficient for all occupants. The layout for all building should be that, sufficient distance is allowed between adjacent buildings to allow access for the fighters and they should be located near the main access route or there should be a well maintained access route to the residential areas. Fire detection systems: for efficient fire control, effective fire detection systems should be put in place. These devices alert the occupants of any sudden outbreak of fire so that they can be ready to escape or plan on how to extinguish the fire in the best way possible. These systems may include fire alarm systems for the occupants and brigade call systems to alert the fire brigade personnel on the fire outbreak so that they can respond on time. It is learnt that fire is very destructive if effective fire control measures are not put in place. Fire spreads very fast if poorly controlled leading to loss of lives and property. Improvement on human behavior by training on the best methods to use to prevent fire spread in the homes should be embraced. If provided with the basic information and the required facilities to control fire then effective control without any casualties will be achieved. It should be recommended that in any residential building, tenants should be guided on the facilities available related to fire control. All the fire assembly points should be well defined and isolated from the main building; all building design should adhere to the available fire safety engineering guidelines and all houses should be equipped with a functional fire extinguisher. In conclusion, fire has adverse impacts on the building environment if not properly controlled. Therefore, proper systems should be put in place to ensure that fire is effectively controlled in case it occurs. Part 2 An intelligent building is controlled through a Building Automation System (BAS) that ensures improved occupant comfort, efficient operation of building systems, and reduction in energy consumption and operating costs. With respect to this, various methods are used in intelligent building construction. 6 This methods include: Precast flat panel systems: In this system, floor and wall units are constructed off-site in a factory and erected on-site to form big structures. Panels can include services, windows, doors and finishes. 3D volumetric construction: this method involves production of 3-dimensional units controlled factory conditions prior to transportation to site. This offers the inherent benefits of concrete such as thermal mass, sound and fire resistance as well as offering factory quality and accuracy, together with speed of erection on-site. Tunnel form: this method is a formwork system that enables building of monolithic walls and slabs in one operation. It is suitable for repetitive cellular projects such as hotels, apartment blocks and student hostels because it offers economy, speed, quality and accuracy. Flat slabs: flat slab construction is important and economical because of rapid overall construction as it simplifies the installation of services. Hybrid concrete construction: it offers greater construction speed, quality and overall economy. It combines pre-casting with the cast-in-situ construction. Thin joint masonry: this method reduces the depth of the mortar from 10mm to 3mm or less, resulting in faster laying and improved productivity on long runs of walling. Insulating concrete formwork: this consists of thin-walled, expanded polystyrene panels or blocks. This formwork is thin-filled with factory produced, quality assured, ready-mixed concrete to create a big structure. Precast foundations: the precast foundations are essential especially in adverse weather conditions and reduces the amount of excavation required. The materials used in the intelligent building construction include: Lighting control units includes sensors and actuators linked to software, some naturally occurring substances such as clay, rocks, stone, sand and wood, structural clay blocks and bricks, cement and/or lime, glass, metal, plastics. 6 Design for fire safety The design for fire safety in buildings takes into account the following strategies: Careful observance of codes and practices in the design and installation of electrical and lighting systems, heating systems and any other built-in equipment such as air conditioning and drying appliances to prevent fire ignition. Determination of possible ways of controlling the combustion process which is influenced by the fuel load, interior finish of the room, air supply, size, shape and construct of the room and fire load. Installing fire resistant barriers to prevent fire from propagating from one place to another Suitable and effective fire detection systems and alarm systems should be installed to give early warnings to occupants. In large buildings, it is important to put in place both fire detection and application of sufficient suppressant to enable automatic fire suppression. In small residential buildings where manual fire suppression techniques can be used; distance of the fire department from the building, barrier effectiveness, initial agent application, ventilation, water storage and use and many other factors must be considered. It is also essential to consider designs for life safety which involves; evacuating the occupants, protecting the occupants in situ, providing effective area for refuge and practicing and evacuation drill. Smoke Control Smoke is fatal especially when in higher supply during fire outbreaks. It can suffocate individuals who are in rooms where air circulation is very poor. As a result, it is important to control smoke movement in a building effectively. This is enhanced by constructing chimneys to channel the smoke from the fireplace to the atmosphere where it can be effectively oxidized. Smoke movement can also be controlled by constructing windows and doors large enough and at a reasonable height to allow the smoke to effectively move out of the building. 8 Sustainable energy technologies and carbon management It is essential to consider sustainable energy technologies as well as carbon management in a building. Sustainable energy technologies save on cost as well as durability of the energy. Carbon management ensures clean environment as well as a pollution free condition in the building so as the occupants lead a healthy lifestyle.9 Extinguishing agents The most appropriate extinguishing agent is the use of automatic sprinklers because they operate directly over a fire, they are not affected by smoke, any toxic gases or any form of reduced visibility. The main advantage of using this method is that it needs a lot of capital in the initial installation process as well as skilled experts who may be few. Part 3 Solution to the fire problems 1. Flame height () Where; Therefore, 2. Lower flammable limit Therefore, 3. Where; Therefore, 4. Wavelength (λ)= speed/frequency; speed of electromagnetic radiation such as light Therefore, For sound, , the wavelength of the BBC radio is slightly larger than the wavelength of the infrared thermal radiation. 6. Refer to fig 2 Let the person speed v= width of corridor= Let the wind speed resultant upward speed (1.12+0.32)1/2= ; by assuming the person is moving at the centre of the corridor. Distance AB= , therefore, time= Therefore, Considering path AC, Therefore, The minimum time needed to reach the fire exit, this is because, following the path AC is direct without any negotiations and as a result it becomes faster since there are few obstructions 7. Let the person speed s By assuming, the person is moving at the centre of the corridor, Therefore, Therefore Considering path AC, Therefore, When the air movement changes its direction, resistance to motion increases and thus, it results to an increase in the time taken to reach the fire exit. 8. The chemical reaction at is negligible. The reaction increases with increase in temperature to a maximum at and then decreases with further increase in temperature after the optimum level. Because of this, at the chemical reaction is less than the optimum level because all the moles have been activated and no more reaction can take place. 10. Kyoto Protocol Is an agreement majorly concerned with climate change, it is mainly involved in the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. It imposes a law on the developed countries to reduce the current emissions because they are historically responsible for the present levels of high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It recognizes human activities as the main contributors to the climate change. It therefore projects the future effects of human activities to the atmosphere and how best to control the impacts. The ability of a region to adapt to the recommended standards of climate friendly activities became difficult. 9, 10 The protocol resulted to the formation of International Emissions Trading in different continents responsible for formulating policies to control the gas emissions, Intergovernmental Emissions Trading, Green Investment Scheme for ensuring a safe environment, registering of projects involved in Clean Development Mechanism, planning mechanism for joint implementation of the protocol. Every government was given a financial commitment to achieve as well as a target for the successful implementation of the protocol. Works cited 1. BABRAUSKAS, V. (2003). Ignition handbook: principles and applications to fire safety engineering, fire investigation, risk management and forensic science. Issaquah, WA, Fire Science Publishers. 2. INSTITUTION OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS (GREAT BRITAIN), & EUROPEAN PROCESS SAFETY CENTRE. (1994). Safety management systems: sharing experiences in process safety. Rugby, Institution of Chemical Engineers. 3. Karter,M,NFPA (2007). Reports U.S. Fire loss for 2006, NFPA journal, September/October 2007. 4. NFPA journal, (January/February 2004). It only Becomes Never Again. 5. McHenry Paul Graham, Adobe and rammed earth buildings (1984). design and construction, New York; Wiley. 6. Nabokor, Peter and Robert Easton. Native American architecture. New York; Oxford University press, 1989. 7. DELLA-GIUSTINA, D. (1999). The fire safety management handbook. Des Plaines, Ill, American Society of Safety Engineers. 8. WOODSIDE, G., & KOCUREK, D. S. (1997). Environmental, safety, and health engineering. New York, Wiley. 9. ORLANDO, B. (1998). The Kyoto Protocol: A Framework for the Future. SAIS Review. 28, 105-120. 10. TABAU, A.-S., & MALJEAN-DUBOIS, S. (2010). Non-compliance Mechanisms: Interaction between the Kyoto Protocol System and the European Union. European Journal of International Law. 21,. Read More