interiors


Protecting our universities from fire


Fire safety is as complex as it is essential. These guidelines from Siemens illustrate some of the issues estates managers must consider


G


UARANTEEING the safety of our educational facilities from fire has always been a challenge. Today the


size of our universities, the diverse nature of the buildings involved and the sheer number of people present only serve to increase the complexity of this challenge Fire protection is not only concerned


with life safety and ensuring the uninterrupted daily routine of university life, it also includes the protection of the physical assets, such as the buildings themselves, the costly high-tech infrastructure, archived documents and manuscripts, etc. Personal safety is generally regulated by


law, while the protection of material assets is mainly determined by the requirements stipulated by insurance companies. To meet these legal standards of safety and damage mitigation, a comprehensive fire protection system must be implemented. This system should ensure early and reliable fire detection, activate all necessary warning devices and fire safety control functions, and notify the local fire services. University campuses often consist of a


large number of buildings which serve a wide range of functions. The size and complexity of these facilities, together with the functional diversity and the fluctuating numbers of students and staff present at any one time, means there is no universal fire protection solution that fits all cases. The diversity of uses of event


30 highereducationestates


venues or similar large halls will demand a high degree of flexibility. Being able to modify the response behavior of the fire detectors, in accordance with the anticipated level of deceptive phenomena, is an ideal way of ensuring this flexibility. The fire safety record of higher


education facilities is generally quite good. One area that is always a concern, however, is student accommodation, where a high incidence of false alarms and minor incidents result in numerous unnecessary evacuations and fire brigade call-outs. The cause can frequently be attributed to inappropriate behavior of the residents and their friends (for example, leaving cooking unattended, the use of candles or smoking materials etc.). Such incidents are a costly and frustrating waste of fire service resources. More importantly, frequent unnecessary evacuations can breed complacency among some residents, which may easily result in a genuine alarm being ignored. State-of- the-art products, together with the relevant technical know-how, can now practically eliminate false alarms caused by deceptive phenomena, such as steam, cooking vapors etc. The virtual elimination of false alarms quickly restores people’s confidence in the fire detection and alarming system. On hearing an alarm – because it is no longer a common occurrence – residents will react quickly and appropriately, rather than assuming it is simply another case of


an unnecessary evacuation. Smoke inhalation is widely known to


represent a very real threat to anyone caught up in a building fire. Today’s automatic fire protection systems can provide early and reliable smoke detection, programmable alarming concepts to suit different site conditions and automatic notification of the local fire services. When a fire alarm is activated, the fire protection system can be programmed to activate location-specific control functions. The air conditioning system can be switched off and smoke dampers closed to prevent smoke from spreading throughout the building; pressurization fans can be activated to keep stairwells and escape routes free from smoke: vents can be opened to allow smoke to escape to the atmosphere: elevators can be commanded to travel to the ground floor and remain there with the doors open. In recent years the vulnerability of


students and staff has been cruelly highlighted by a number of malicious attacks on university and college campuses. The integration of fire and security systems (e.g. video surveillance, intruder alarms, access control etc.) into a common management system can go a long way towards providing the improved security demanded.


www.siemens.com/firesafety-universities


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