FOCUS
Failure to comply In the event of fire, lives depend on systems that
are appropriately designed for their specific environments. Why then, asks Carl Hunter, is the industry failing to comply with regulations?
that the extinguishing system wouldn’t put it out, because the fi re couldn’t be contained? No! People expect, and rightfully so, that in the event of a fi re the extinguishing systems would be in full working order to do just that – extinguish. Given the fact that the gaseous systems
W
are designed specifically to meet the individual need of a particular room, building etc, then a leak site in the room could mean that the compartmented area will not withhold the fi re. The likelihood of the gaseous system effectively extinguishing the fire gets lower and lower as the protected area becomes larger than the size that the extinguishing system was designed for. Enough is enough. This is not a game of
chance – the lives of people depend on effective protection. The technology exists right now to support door fan testing by providing a holistic and thorough integrity test of critical infrastructure.
26 MAY 2018
www.frmjournal.com
OULD YOU enter a building if you were told, as you stepped in, that in the event of a fi re there was a chance
Key facts
• compartmentation = fi re stopping, eg walls and fl oors
• every seven seconds, a fi re breaks out worldwide
• 700 fatalities are caused by fi re in the UK • £7bn is the cost of fi re to the UK economy according to
gov.uk – that is £3.4m daily or £1.3bn annually for business disruption caused by fi re
• 44% of all insurance claims result from fi re, according to Aviva Insurance (2012)
Requirements unravelled
Approved Document B The regulations demand that compartmentation is upheld for the safety of the individuals who entrust their lives to its integrity. Approved Document B (Fire Safety) – Volume 2: Buildings other than dwelling houses (ADB) states in B3-8.20a: ‘Every compartment wall and compartment floor should form a complete barrier to fire between the compartments
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