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FIRE & SAFETY BSEE


uLSHF is ideal where evacuaon caused by flre could be slow, such as hospitals, high rise buildings, schools, prisons or airports.


Specialist cable supplier FS Cables believes that awareness of the need for fire safety in UK buildings is growing. Government stascs reveal that the number of firerelated fatalies in England was up 37% in 2017 from the previous year and coupled with tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire, these numbers are a powerful reminder of the need to evaluate fire safety.


t is well known that most fire- related fatalities are caused by smoke and fume inhalation rather than burns from the fire itself. Recent regulatory changes, such as the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), are intended to make it easier to identify the performance of building materials, in particular their contribution to the spread of fire.


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CPR, however, appears to be a missed opportunity to outlaw the use of cables that emit excessive amounts of toxic fumes and smoke in the event of a fire. Strangely, circuit integrity cables are not covered by CPR – this is likely to be some years away. But the need for the next generation of cables is now upon us. Ensuring adequate fire safety starts with specifying and installing appropriate building materials. In the case of Grenfell Tower, it is believed that the building’s exterior cladding accelerated the spread of fire and unfortunately cabling systems can work in the same way as they run between floors, through walls, over ceilings and under floors.


One way to mitigate this risk is to specify cables that are flame retardant Low Smoke Halogen Free (LSHF), which are much slower to burn than traditional PVC or polyethylene. LSHF is ideal for use in areas where evacuation caused by fire could be slow, such as hospitals, high rise buildings, schools, prisons or airports.


LSHF cables give off less than 0.5% hydrogen chloride gas when burnt, compared with around 28% from traditional PVC or LSF. Hydrogen chloride gas can be deadly and, when in contact with water, forms hydrochloric acid. This poses a great risk to people – affecting both their respiratory system and sight – and electronic equipment in buildings in the event of fire.


Poisonous gases


FS Cables keeps huge stocks of LSHF cables for most applications, which are always LSHF throughout. Don’t accept standard PVC cables over-sheathed with an LSHF jacket or cables with PVC insulation. When the jacket burns


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IMPROVING FIRE SAFETY IN BUILDINGS Why we should all be concerned


through, the PVC inner sheath or insulation will give off poisonous gases in just the same way as if the LSHF jacket wasn’t there!


While it is important to recognise the part cabling plays in the spread of fire, it certainly doesn’t end there. So often, designers overlook other contributing factors that need to be addressed, such as airflow. This is critical if there is a steady supply of fresh air/oxygen to support the flame or even create a chimney effect in a riser.


Where circuit integrity cables are required, FS Cables stocks a comprehensive range of


high-performance fire survival cables. Manufactured by world-leaders such as Prysmian Draka, the range covers data, fire alarm, coaxial and fibre optic cables, which are designed to carry on functioning in the event of a fire. All cables meet relevant fire performance standards, which is essential for safety dependent systems, evacuation systems and in some cases, the orderly shutdown of networks and information storage systems.


Monitoring evacuaon


For safe monitoring of evacuation routes, Firetuf Data cables are ideal for high speed data transfer of video images. These twisted pair cables have been developed to mimic Cat 5E cabling as closely as possible and are popular with system integrators for BMS applications. The cables can be terminated using traditional LAN Insulation Displacement Connectors (IDC), making them an excellent choice for use in horizontal backbone wiring systems in offices and public buildings.


A large range of fire-resistant fire alarm cables is also stocked, from Prysmian FP200 Gold and Prysmian FP Plus to Draka FT30 and FT120. Some of these cables meet London Underground (LU) specification for fire performance. Prysmian FP200 Gold and Prysmian FP Plus Enhanced use Insudite insulation that’s tough, resistant to tearing and abrasion – avoiding all the installation problems commonly associated with silicone insulated soft skin cables. Approved by BASEC and LCPB, they are suitable for installations in fire detection, voice alarm,


emergency lighting and smoke alarm systems. Featuring a LSHF sheath and stocked in 2, 3 and 4 core in 1.5sq mm and 2.5sq mm. Other sizes are available to special order.


The Draka collection of FT30 and FT120 Enhanced fire alarm cables is popular on overground railways, other transport systems and commercial applications where fire and smoke propagation are critical factors. Applications range from CCTV and radio communications to alarm and emergency evacuation circuits.


Coaxial cable Draka Firetuf Coax is a high


performance fire survival coaxial cable that is designed to provide continued monitoring of evacuation routes in the event of fire. Where video is carried, this 75 Ohm coax performs in a similar way to RG59, which is widely used in the CCTV sector. Draka FT Coax is unique, meeting London Underground requirements, BS 5839 and IEC 60331-2. FS Cables has already seen an increase in demand to improve fire safety in public buildings and has increased stocks of Draka Firetuf fibre optic cable. Available in OM1, OM3 and OM4 multimode, OS2 singlemode and in 8, 12 or 24 loose tube configurations with a LSHF sheath. Ideal for installation in tunnels, stations, airports and high rise buildings, these cables can survive temperatures of up to 830°C for 120 minutes (EN 50200 PH120). The range also meets the requirements of both IEC 60331-25 (fire resistant) and IEC 60332-3-24C (fire retardant). Featuring BendBright technology, the OM3 and OM4 can tolerate a certain amount of microbending or pressure without compromising performance levels. Available with a corrugated steel tape armour for applications where mechanical protection is required. FS Cables is a leading supplier of specialist electrical cable, stocking possibly the largest range of Alternative to Belden and BMS cables in the UK. All stocked cables are delivered next working-day to most of mainland UK, free on orders over £100.


www.fscables.com BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MAY 2018 27


uAbove: Ensuring adequate flre safety starts with specifying and installing appropriate building materials, such as flre survival cables.


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Ensuring adequate fire safety starts with specifying and installing appropriate building materials. In the case of Grenfell Tower, it is believed that the building’s exterior cladding accelerated the spread of fire and unfortunately cabling systems can work in the same way as they run between floors, through walls, over ceilings and under floors.


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