Fire Safety Strategy for Anywhere Community Centre - Case Study Example

Fire Safety Management and Legislations Fire Safety Strategy for Anywhere Community Centre 1. Introduction The Anywhere Community Centre offers the community a range of support services such as care and counselling and act as an education centre. It is also available for other purposes such wedding, religious meetings, family gatherings and other related functions. Due to the growing clientele and success of its various services, the centre management decided to enlarge the facilities and build a new building. The new building will have a hall, stage room, chapel, offices, youth room, infants’ room, kitchen, oil store and other facilities. In view of the fire safety requirements of modern Building Regulation, a fire safety strategy is needed to satisfy the functional requirements. Using the plan provided, the fire safety strategy should provide provisions for means of detection and warning in case of fire, means of escape at all times, fire fighting, stability of structure, portable and automatic fire fighting systems, and access for fire fighting and fire fighting facilities for the fire service for internal or external fire spread. 2. Building Regulations and Legislations As a consequence of the review of the Building Regulations 1985 undertake by the Department of the Environment, Approved Document B has changes significantly in a number of key area, reflecting advances in technology and building form. These areas include the adoption of guidance rather than mandatory rules for means of escape design, a new requirement covering fire service access, and a lessening of standards concerning compartmentation and periods of fire resistance where the benefits of sprinkler systems are further recognized (Polley 2005, p.30). The specific aims of Requirements B1, B2, B3, B4, and B5 are highlighted within the general introduction to Approved Document B, and it is compliance with these different aspects of fire safety that must be considered by the building designer. These include satisfactory means of warning and escape, restriction of fire spread over internal surfaces, sufficient stability of the building under fire load, sufficient fire separation within the building and between adjoining buildings, restriction of fire and smoke spread within concealed spaces and fire spread over the external envelope and from building to another. More importantly, building design should provide satisfactory access for fire appliances and fire fighters up to and within the building in the saving of life. In addition to the Building Regulations, consideration may need to be given to the application other legislation that may impose fire safety requirement including the Fire Precautions Act 1971 for fire certificate, Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 as amended, Housing Act 1985, Cinemas Act 1985, Lincensing Act 1964, Theatres Act 1968, and the Local Government (Miscellanous Provisions Act 1982), for licensed premises (Polley 2005, p.32). The Approved Documents quite clearly state that they are intended to ‘provide guidance’ for some of the more common building situations. They are published as practical guidance to the Building Regulations and they are not Building Regulations as such (Powell et. al. 2008, p.54). In other circumstance, alternative ways of demonstrating compliance with the requirement of the Building Regulations may be appropriate. There is no obligation to adopt any particular solution contained with the Approved Document but you have to demonstrate by other means that you have satisfied the requirements (Williams 2008, p.69). In sum, the solutions indicated in the Approved Documents are not compulsory, but the onus of proving that you have complied with Building Regulations falls on the applicant or agent. 3. Means of Detection and Warning in case of Fire In section B1 of Approved Document B for Buildings and other dwelling houses, all buildings should have arrangements for detecting fire. More importantly, the design of means of escape and the provision of other fire safety measures such as fire alarm system should be based on an assessment of the risks to the occupants should a fire occure. The assessment should into consideration the nature of the building structure, the use of the building, the processes undertaken, and materials stored in the building (Communities and Local Government 2007, p.18). Using the plan provided as the basis for computing the occupant capacity of the building, the factors from Table C1 of Approved Document B will use to determine occupant capacity of every room. For the Hall, the factor would be 0.5/m2 8.535x9.16= 78.18m2 78.18/0.5=156 persons For the Stage Room, the factor would be 1.5/m2 4.74x9.16=43.42 43.42/1.5= 28.94 or 29 persons For the Chapel, the factor would be 0.5/m2 8.53mx4.58m=39.09m2 39.09/0.5 = 78 persons For the Infants Room, the factor would be 1.0/m2 4.85mx4.58= 22.23m2 22.23/1.0=22 infants For the Store the factor would be 30/m2 4.85mx2.00m=9.71m2 9.71/30=1 person. In the Kitchen, the factor would be 7.0/m2 4.85mx2.5m=12.14m2 12.14/7.0=1.73 or 2 persons For the Entrance Lounge, the factor would be 1.0/m2 8.53x4.58=39.09m2 39.09/1.0=39 persons For the Youth Room, the factor would be 1.0/m2 8.53x4.58=39.09m2 39.09/1.0=39 persons For the Office, the factor would be 6.0/m2 4.74x4.58=21.71m2 21.71/6.0=3.61 or 4 persons Total Occupancy is 331 persons. In section B1 of Approved Document B, smoke alarms should be positioned circulation space and in places where fire will likely to start. Therefore, the selected area to install a fire alarm is near the kitchen and the oil storage room. These ceiling mounted smoke alarms should be linked so that the detection of smoke by one unit operates that alarm signal in all of them. They should be at least 300mm from walls and light fittings and 25mm and 600mm below the ceiling. Smoke alarms should not be fitted near heaters, air-conditioning outlet, bathrooms, showers, and boilers since this areas gets very hot or very cold. 4. Means of Escape “There is a close link between the provisions of means of escape and those for the control of fire growth, fire containment, and facilities for the fire and rescue service” (Approved Document B 2006, p.9). The basic criterion for means of escape is that there should be alternative means of escape from most situations. More importantly, these alternative escape routes should lead to an ultimate place of safety or an open air away from the effects of the fire. Studying the layout of the building, we will find that escape is possible through the lobby, a small door near the kitchen and through a narrow hall near the office-see plan below. If a broke-out in the kitchen, occupants from the hall, infant and youth room can take advantage of exit provided by the lobby. From the chapel and hall, occupants can take the exit door near the office. All occupants can actually either escape through the lobby or through the door near the office. Here, the basic criterion for provision of escape is satisfactory since both exits lead to an open air or ultimate place of safety. Widths of Escape Routes and exits Maximum number of persons Minimum width (mm) 60 750 110 850 220 1050 More than 220 5 per person The effective clear width of the lobby door is about 2100 and 1050 for the exit door near the office. The total number of persons, which two exits can accommodate, can be determined by adding the maximum number of persons that can be accommodated by each width. Following the table for widths of exit and considering that the lobby door width is twice the size of the width (1050mm) specified in the table, the lobby door therefore can accommodate 440 (2x220) persons. Meanwhile the exit width of the door near the office is 1050mm, which means it can accommodate 220 persons maximum. Therefore, the total exit capacity is 660 persons. Considering the total computed occupant capacity for the building is only 331, the two exits is more than enough to accommodate all escaping occupants in case of fire. Therefore, the building does not require additional exit points. Maximum Distance of Travel in Small Premises with a Protected Stair Storey Maximum Travel Distance Ground storey with a single exit 27 Basement or first storey with a single stair 18 Storey with more than one exit/stair 45 “The escape routes from any storey should be of such a number and so situated that the distance of travel from any point to the nearest storey exit does not exceed the appropriate limits” (Approved Document B 2006, p.43). Since we can consider this building a ground storey with two exit points, the maximum travel distance should be 45m. Based on the plan above, the travel distance from the infants room is only 13m which is sufficient enough to comply with safe travel distance. Almost everywhere, the travel distance to the nearest exist is way below 27 or 45 meters and therefore compliant. 5. Stability of Structure Maintaining a safe building is the first step to ensuring reasonable levels of fire safety for the building and its occupants in the event of a fire. Thus, the fundamental features that provide a basis for both building and life safety in all building are elements of structure, compartmentation, and internal linings. The elements of a structure should continue to function in a fire. They should continue to support and maintain the fire protection to floors, escape routes and access routes, until all occupants have escaped, or have been rescued. The degree of fire resistance for any particular building depends upon its use, size and location. Elements of structure must have specific fire resistance to minimise the risk to the occupants and reduce the risk to fire fighters who may be engaged in fire fighting or rescue operations. In addition, to prevent excessive fire damage and collapse of the building and excessive transfer of heat to other buildings and structures (Furness and Muckett 2007, p.176). Compartmentation on the other hand is subdividing the building into compartments separated by walls and floors, thereby restricting the growth and spread of fires in buildings. Effective compartmentation limits the extent of damage caused by the heat and smoke from a fire, which, in turn, will have direct and significant implications for the business continuity and resilience of occupants of the building. Compartmentation may be use as a means of preventing fire spread between adjacent horizontally within a floor area or vertically between floors. Compartmentation is also used to create areas of relative safety for occupants escaping from fire. In a single storey or on any one level of a multi-storey building, compartmentation can be applied to meet the travel distance requirements, to enclose specific fire hazards, to assist progressive horizontal evacuation, to assist phased evacuation, to separate areas of different occupancy, risk category, standards of fire resistance or means of escape (Furness and Muckett 2007, p.181). 6. Means of Fire Fighting -Portable and Automatic Fire Fighting Systems In sensitive areas, automatic fire-fighting devices initiated either manually or by the fire detection system must be installed. Such automatic devices will vary depending on the type of fire to be expected by they generally operate by smothering the fire and denying the fire any source of oxygen. Sprinklers effectively act by reducing the temperature of the burning contents. Any fire fighting system installed as part of fabric of the structure will be supplemented by the supply of both suitable portable fire extinguishers and hose reels for local fire fighting (Purkiss 2007, p.8). The maximum spacing of sprinkler heads on range pipes depends on the fire hazard classification of the building- light, ordinary, and high. The light category is for colleges and schools, hotels, hospitals, institutions, museums, offices, etc. Since the Anywhere Community Centre falls to category ‘light’, one sprinkler head should cover 21m2 of the floor area similar to the table below. Hazard Category Max. spacing of sprinkler heads (m) Max. floor area covered by one sprinkler hear (m2) Light 4-6 21 Ordinary 4-0 (standard) 4-6 (staggered) 12 12 High 3-7 9 7. Access for Fire Fighting and Fire fighting facilities for the fire service Buildings that have been constructed to modern building regulations or in accordance with certain local Acts will have been provided with facilities that allow fire engines to approach and park within a reasonable distance so that fire fighters can use their equipment without too much difficulty. These facilities may consist of access roads to the building, hard standing areas for fire engines and access into the building for fire fighters. It is essential that where such facilities are provided they are properly maintained and available for use at all relevant times. Fire fighting shafts are not relevant to this building since they are only normally provided in large buildings where fighters need to reach floors away from the building’s access point. (Communities and Local Government 2006). There are two separate elements that are dealth with in Approved Document B to the building regulations for vehicular access to a proportion of the of the perimeter of buildings and access to the perimeter for ladders. The fire appliance should be able to approach as near as is safe in order to minimise the distance which the ladders have to be carried. Approved Document B, recommends that fire service vehicles should have access to within 45 metres of the door that do not have fire mains fitted. In view of these requirements, the Fire and Rescue Service can use the car park for their fire engines and other activities (see plan below). They can also use the hose reels near the lobby door (see plan above). The fixed hose reel is normally located in a wall at a height of about 1 meter above the floor level. They are supplied by 25mm i.d. pipe to 20 or 25 mm i.d. reinforced non-king rubber hose in lengths up to 45m to cover 800m2 of floor area per installation. 8. Bibliography Read More