INSTALLATION OF FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM
By Mr. Yogesh Asher.
& Mukesh Asher Directors
INTRODUCTION
Design of fire protection systems installation for a given occupancy involves various aspects like overall configuration, supply requirements, drawing, structural cum environmental features, TAC norms. However even the basic designs and specifications can be outlined only after proper examination of plans and survey of site, due to the consideration of risk of life or property and consideration of action plan incase of fire emergency.
A system must be designed for optimum performance and retained in that condition through out its service life about 20 years. It is vital to review important technological and flexibility aspects that have a bearing on performance, effectiveness and reliability of the system on one hand these are very flexible. These are different fire detection and protection systems like smoke detectors, sprinkler, spray nozzles, CO2 extinguishers, hydrant system, etc. with varied capabilities and warning devices. On the other hand there are different occupancies like hospitals, hotel, laboratories, high rise buildings, electronic equipment installation such as transformers, warehouses, hangers, industrial premises, etc. Two implication of this flexibility are immediately clear. Firstly, there are device for virtually every risk area and secondly there are number of devices to choose from for general use. Thus this makes designing and installation of fire protection systems a very specialized job.
A hostile fire against which timely warning which is intended is vital element to understand. The specification and growth rate is the most uncertain factor. Sensitivity of a system depends upon response of the detectors which give alarm on to the panel which is also affected by the rate of growth of fire and complicating the matter on this account is the difficulty in predicting reliably the type of fire in a given area. Hence while outlining of an overall fire protection system specifications for a given occupancy several factors have to be properly evaluated particularly those related to the occupancy itself. A designer and installer has to analyses the importance of different factors in order to arrive at a balanced and efficient design. The identification of some of the major factors and the discussion of their importance here would help installation designer in engineering analysis of a practical situation from the view point of the fire protection system.
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