FOCUS
Coming of age Management of smoke and airflow in a fire
is critical, says John Newton, who examines system features, compliance and standards
HE CONTROL of smoke and airflow in a building during a fi re situation is critical. Managing how smoke and air can travel within and be extracted out of a building is essential for safe evacuation, protecting occupants, helping to contain fi res, assisting fi refi ghters and clearing the building of fumes and hazardous smoke post fi re. While many technical solutions fit under the banner of smoke control, not all systems managing them are equal, and some make this critical and often complex process simpler, safer and more reliable. In all instances, a smoke control system becomes an effective tool that should operate with high degrees of redundancy, automation or full manual control as required by the installation, specification and the standards – which vary by region. Among the range of options available
T
in the world of smoke control, the electronic systems that manage them are becoming smarter than ever, and in some cases can be the building’s fire alarm panel, giving access to a wide range of interconnected components that enhances performance
30 MARCH 2019
www.frmjournal.com
in fi re situations and delivers signifi cant cost saving benefi ts.
System compositions
Smoke control systems can be dedicated, independent of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, possessing their own infrastructure, or non dedicated, sharing components with other systems including the HVAC system of the building. A comprehensive smoke control system comprises a number of elements: • the control panel, often a dedicated unit but increasingly integrated into the building’s fi re alarm control panel
• detection in the form of smoke, CO and other sensors
•
interface modules that handle the interaction between the panel and fans, dampers, fi re doors, elevators, vents, smoke curtains, HVAC and other systems
•
fi refi ghters’ smoke control stations, interconnecting cabling and containment
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