equipment should be installed, commissioned and maintained by a competent person. It is strongly recommended that installation, commissioning and maintenance of portable fi re extinguishers be carried out by a BAFE SP101/ST104 certifi ed company. This provides assurance that the service provider is competent. Portable fi re extinguishers form only part of building
fi re protection, and it should not be assumed that their provision removes the need for other protection.
For more details on the types, use and colours of various portable fi re extinguishers see Fact File 11 which is available on the FIA website:
www.fi a.uk.com.
HOSE REELS
Hose reels can be installed in all types of building, from factories and storage facilities to offi ces, shops and transport centres as well as schools, healthcare facilities, hotels, and prisons.
SPRINKLER AND OTHER WATER-BASED
FIXED FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS Several water-based fi xed fi re extinguishing systems are available and these systems can be installed in many types of building. The type and size of system and the requirement for pumps and other equipment will be determined by the system designer. Sprinkler systems should be installed to EN 12845 by companies certifi ed to either FIRAS or LPS 1048 third party certifi cation schemes, which will prove their competence in this area.
Most sprinkler systems are installed for property protection but very often they play a part in an
engineered fi re safety solution for a building. Sprinkler systems can be installed in many types of building. The size of system and the requirement for pumps and other equipment will be determined by the system designer. Several types of sprinkler system are available to suppress fi res in ordinary combustibles: • The most common sprinkler system is a wet pipe installation in which the system is permanently charged with water under pressure.
• Dry pipe systems are used where the system may experience low temperatures that would freeze the water.
• Pre-action systems are similar to dry pipe systems where the system is maintained dry and water is allowed into the system following activation of a fi re detector.
• In deluge systems the pipework is empty and unpressurised, and in this case the nozzles are open (i.e. without heat sensitive elements). A separate fi re detection system is used to activate deluge valves, allowing water to enter the piping system. Water fl ows from all nozzles simultaneously. These systems are used where rapid spread of fi re is a concern.
• Waterspray fi re protection systems are specialised versions of a deluge system; the piping and discharge nozzle spray patterns are designed to protect a uniquely confi gured hazard.
• Watermist fi re protection systems utilise the large surface area of very small droplets of water to rapidly absorb heat by generating steam. In addition, the steam reduces oxygen in the vicinity of the fi re. Watermist systems may use nozzles with glass bulbs (like sprinklers) for fi re suppression of limited amounts of ordinary combustibles, or may have open nozzles for fi re extinguishment of fl ammable liquid fi res.
18 | BEST PRACTICE GUIDE TO FIRE SAFETY
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