BSEE FIRE & SAFETY O


Gijsbert van Rooyen, Product Manager ‐ Valves and Devices, Tyco Fire Protection Products, believes that by placing greater emphasis on critical fire protection, building owners can take responsibility for the safety of cold‐storage and unheated warehouses, multi‐storey car parks and loading docks to safeguard their operations and reputation.


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MANAGING EFFECTIVE FIRE PROTECTION How to maximise safety in unheated spaces


ne of the most significant challenges facing fire protection engineers is to design and specify a risk- based fire safety strategy that protects life, assets and the


environment, while also being cost-effective. The outlook for non-residential construction, specifically commercial and industrial (C&I) projects, appears positive, and protecting critical C&I buildings will be a key consideration as the market continues to grow. North America and Europe are forecasted to be the primary growth markets in C&I sectors, with five-year average annual growth rates projected at 2%, leading to a potential market value of US $1.3 trillion by 20202


Protection for cold spaces


Protecting extreme environments, and in particular cold and unheated spaces, poses further challenges when designing an effective fire suppression solution based on the specific needs of the hazard. Cold spaces cover a wide range of applications, including cold-storage and unheated warehouses, multi-storey car parks and loading docks, each with distinct design complexities for both fixed and manual fire protection.


Refrigerated warehouses can contain a wide variety of hazards, including flammable products and combustible packaging materials, which pose a significant fire risk. The construction materials of these cold storage areas also typically feature insulation, such as polyurethane and expanded polystyrene foam, to ensure the cold air remains within the required area. While newer buildings will include much safer materials with a fire-safe insulation core, including mineral fibres, treated polyurethane or polyisocyanurate (PIR), the problem remains that older buildings may still use more combustible materials. From an insurance perspective, although these building products tend not to be the cause of fires, they can contribute to a fire event becoming a total loss.


Fires in partially enclosed spaces, such as multi- storey car parks, present a different set of fire safety challenges. Car park fires tend to be started by vehicle defects or faults in the building’s infrastructure, such as the electrical system. Once a fire starts it has the potential to spread rapidly depending on the layout of the car park and the number of vehicles present. The open sides of a multi-storey structure can help to fan flames and smoke throughout multiple levels of the building, potentially hampering evacuation and firefighting efforts. Controlling the spread of fire in these spaces is critical to prevent an isolated fire in one vehicle or part of the building from escalating into a more serious event.


Understanding the impact


Fires in warehouses, multi-storey car parks and loading docks have far reaching impacts beyond the threat to life safety. Insurance losses through building damage and business interruption or closure have a significant effect on a business. From 2009-14 the economic impact of


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Cold and unheated spaces present a unique fire challenge for fixed fire suppression systems. These areas are particularly subject to intense and rapidly developing fires, with the added complexity of requiring a fire protection solution robust enough for cold environments.


’ 12 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER OCTOBER 2016


preventable warehouse fires in the UK alone totalled £1 million, which incurred the losses of 5,000 full-time jobs2


. Such fires also stretch the


resources of fire and rescue services globally. During the same five-year period in the US, fire departments responded to an average of 1,210 fires in warehouse properties per year3-4


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Cold and unheated spaces present a unique fire challenge for fixed fire suppression systems. These areas are particularly subject to intense and rapidly developing fires, with the added complexity of requiring a fire protection solution robust enough for cold environments. Storage configuration and building layout within warehouses are conducive to fire spread and can limit the effectiveness of fire suppression systems that aren’t designed for the appropriate hazards. The open spaces and heights of multi-storey car parks and loading docks require an effective protection solution. Automatic sprinkler systems provide a proven method of controlling fires in these spaces and are designed specifically for the hazard. These systems require a range of ancillary products, such as valves and piping components, to ensure robust performance characteristics, which meet the needs of the application.


An effective solution to fire risk


Dry pipe sprinkler systems are generally used in unheated warehouses, parking garages, loading docks and other areas exposed to freezing temperatures where water-filled pipe cannot be used. Tyco Fire Protection Products offers a range of systems and components to protect these spaces, such as the DPV-1 Dry Pipe Valve. When commissioned for service, the dry pipe sprinkler system is filled with air (or nitrogen), which prevents damage to the piping system by avoiding the freeze/thaw cycle. The subsequent loss of pressure when a sprinkler is exposed to heat from a fire causes the DPV-1 to open and allow a flow of water into the sprinkler system to be discharged.


The Tyco DPV-1 Dry Pipe Valve is a differential type valve that utilises a substantially lower system (air or nitrogen) pressure than the supply pressure to maintain the set position. Used to automatically control the flow of water into dry pipe fire protection sprinkler systems, the DPV-1 also provides actuation of fire alarms upon system operation.


Designed with a variety of inlet and outlet connections, and a unique offset single clapper for a compact valve footprint, the DPV-1 is supplied pre-trimmed and semi-assembled for ease of installation. Ductile iron construction also reduces weight and minimises shipping costs, while providing a 250 psi (17.2 bar) pressure rating. By eliminating the need for priming water, the valve features a simple reset feature, which includes external reset functionality for less complex maintenance and valve servicing. UL and FM approved, the DPV-1 valve is at the heart of an automatic sprinkler system designed to protect unheated and cold storage spaces. These features combine to provide an effective fire protection solution which limits water damage as well as the risk of total building loss.


Going further


The driving force behind risk reduction initiatives within unheated spaces across Europe typically comes from the insurance industry. Regulations have also had an impact, such as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) in the UK, which requires building owners and occupiers to operate a building safely and plan an effective response in the event of a fire. However, these initiatives could be perceived as not going far enough and can be confused by different local or regional legislation. For example, in England and Wales, warehouses must be 20,000sq m – a space


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uCold spaces, including cold‐ storage and unheated warehouses, multi‐storey car parks and loading docks, each have their own complexities when it comes to fixed and manual fire protection.


uDry pipe sprinkler systems are generally used in unheated warehouses, parking garages, loading docks and other areas exposed to freezing temperatures where water‐ filled pipe cannot be used. Tyco offers a range of systems and components to protect these spaces, such as the DPV‐1 Dry Pipe Valve.


roughly two and a half times the size of Wembley Stadium – before the installation of sprinklers is mandated. In comparison, the limit in Germany is 1,800 square metres5


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Insurance requirements alone are not enough to fully protect businesses from the impact of fire. Investing in proven products and total fire protection systems from a leading/accredited manufacturer ensures an effective fire protection solution designed around the needs of the building and its specific hazards.


www.tfppemea.com


IHS Economics - Global Construction Outlook: Executive Overview; February 2016 2


Centre for Economics and Business Research - http://www.cebr.com/reports/economic-impact-of- warehouse-fires/ 3


NFPA - http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and- statistics/fires-by-property-type/storage/structure-fires-in-u s-warehouses 4


This excludes refrigerated and cold storage facilities 5


http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Supply- Chain/Focus-on-cold-storage-Blow-hot-and-cold


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