For centuries, fire has illuminated the darkness and allowed us to prepare meals. However, it was also an eternal terror, and its accidental ignition could end in a huge tragedy. Today we feel much safer, not only thanks to firefighters, but also modern fire protection systems. How does a fire protection installation work? and why is it so important?
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Fire protection installation - diagram
When designing any building, you should consider the safety of the people staying in it. However, one of the most dangerous situations is a fire. That is why many single-family houses are equipped with additional alarm or fire extinguishing devices: smoke detectors, sprinklers or fire doors to the boiler room. In the case of service and production buildings, such solutions are obligatory. Therefore, each investment, in addition to the electrical or sewage diagram, has a separate fire protection installation diagram.
What is the purpose of creating this type of systems? The arrival of the fire brigade to the place of fire may take up to several dozen minutes. During this time, all people staying in the building are at risk not only of serious burns, but also of suffocation due to the large amount of smoke or being cut off from exits. While single-family homes may have a few or a dozen residents, in the case of companies, the threat may affect hundreds, and in extreme cases, even thousands of people.
Fire protection installations in buildings
How can you protect the health and life of people inside?
- Escape routes. Exits from the building (including additional, emergency ones) should be clearly marked, and direction indicators to the nearest exit should be placed in the corridors. Even employees who theoretically know the layout of the production hall may turn into the wrong corridor in panic, and leaving a burning building efficiently is crucial during a fire.
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Fire protection materials. Fireproof doors and non-flammable combustible materials cannot completely prevent the spread of fire, but they effectively delay it, giving firefighters additional, valuable minutes to act. - Fire extinguishing systems. Easy access to a fire extinguisher allows you to extinguish a fire at the very beginning when it covers a small area. Sprinkler systems equipped with smoke or fire detectors also effectively extinguish small fires and operate fully automatically.
- Fire protection water installation. A mandatory element in every company, although it is not talked about as often as other components of fire protection systems. Its task is to provide the appropriate amount of water to the fire brigade during an emergency.
Only the cooperation of all the above-mentioned systems brings optimal results and allows for the safe evacuation of all people in the building and the negative effects of the raging fire to be delayed as much as possible. However, it is often only the arrival of the fire brigade that allows the fire to be finally extinguished.
How does the fire protection system work?
The exact operation of most of the ingredients mentioned is almost intuitive. Evacuation routes and additional exits designate the shortest paths to leave the fire scene, and refractory materials do not ignite, delaying the spread of fire to subsequent elements.
Popular powder fire extinguishers effectively suppress fire in the case of ABC group fires, which are the most common ones. However, they should not be used to extinguish flammable metals, fats or cooking oils. You should also check whether they can be used for electrical installations. Some foam and fog fire extinguishers can be used for burning fats. However, to extinguish electrical equipment, special types of fire extinguishers are most often used for this purpose.
Finally, fire protection water installations. Although little known, it is a key element of the fire protection system. The water connection is divided into two branches - utility (sanitary) water and fire protection installation. In the latter, the minimum pressure appropriate for the fire protection system must be maintained at all times (in the case of hydrants, from 0.2 to 1.2 MPa, depending on the diameter). For this purpose, a priority valve , also called a priority valve, is most often used. ds It has a pressure sensor and if it drops in the installation for fire purposes, it cuts off the sanitary system. It works completely automatically. It is a key element in providing water to fire brigade units, especially in the event of a leak in the sanitary installation (burning of pipes or connections, or even leaving the water turned on by a person escaping from a fire).
Automatic fds shut-off valves are also used, which constitute a permanent fire-resistant barrier to the spreading fire. These two elements, inconspicuous at first glance, ensure that every fire protection installation can operate efficiently during a fire, and fire brigades can use hydrants to extinguish a raging fire faster.
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