Fire Protection and Alarm System Project Technical Specifications
Developed technical specifications for preparing working documentation for fire alarm, notification, water and gas extinguishing systems for an office.
Fire Alarm and Water Supply Specifications
Automatic Fire Alarm System
The automatic fire alarm system should be implemented using professional equipment. Addressable analog detectors should be placed in tenant areas according to current regulations. The fire alarm control panel should be shared with the gas extinguishing system. Fire signals for engineering equipment control should be transmitted to the building dispatch center. Signal distribution, amplification and switching in the building dispatch center is performed by the building owner.
The fire notification system is integrated into the building's general notification system. Tenant premises should receive signals from the building's central equipment. Professional equipment should be used for the fire notification system design. The fire notification system connects from the floor's low-current riser. Signal distribution, amplification and switching in the building dispatch center is performed by the building owner.
Fire Alarm Functions
If suspended ceilings are installed in premises, the contractor must install second-level detectors above suspended ceilings at tenant's expense and according to tenant's project.
Notification Functions
According to the working project, notification system speakers will be installed in tenant premises for fire warnings and emergency announcements. The system will be connected to the general fire alarm system. Background music broadcast is not provided inside tenant premises. Any background music in public areas will be turned off. Tenant's own music systems, if installed, must be connected to nearest special control modules. Guidance and coordination is provided by landlord's electrical contractor.
Fire Water Supply
The automatic water fire extinguishing and water supply system is installed throughout the facility and operational. The system must be reconfigured in tenant areas according to new room layouts following current regulations and attached architectural plan. The gas extinguishing station should be located in the server room. Use gas as extinguishing agent according to mandatory standards. Use optical-electronic smoke detectors for fire factor detection. Use professional control equipment with control panel output to building dispatch center.
DESIGN INPUT DATA
Design of fire alarm, fire notification, automatic water extinguishing and gas extinguishing should be performed according to approved architectural layout attached to these technical specifications.
Design should follow:
- Construction documentation development procedures
- Fire extinguishing and alarm installations design standards
- List of buildings and equipment requiring automatic protection
- Premises categorization by explosion and fire hazard
- Electrical installation rules
And other current regulations and legislation. Protected premises purpose: office space.
Workshop Area Fire Alarm Modernization Specifications
Functional fire hazard class - F5.1 (production building, structure, production and laboratory premises, workshops).
Fire resistance rating – II
Structural hazard class – C0.
Building structure fire resistance limits:
Load-bearing elements - not less than R90:
Interfloor ceilings – not less than REI45;
External non-load-bearing walls not less than E15:
Roof-less covering elements:
Decking – not less than RE15:
Beams- not less than R15:
External walls – reinforced concrete panels.
Internal partitions – brick, drywall.
Roof structure- non-operational. Covering material- roofing felt.
Heating- central water.
Lighting – electrical.
Capital construction facility fire safety assurance.
Facility fire safety is ensured by fire protection measures, including organizational-technical measures.
Fire protection measures include passive and active safety methods. Considering facility specifics, active protection methods play increased role.
Active fire protection methods ensure fire extinguishing means usage and include:
fire alarm application;
notification and evacuation control application;
primary fire extinguishing means application;
city fire department forces and means usage.
Passive protection methods include:
layout solutions application aimed at ensuring people evacuation before reaching maximum permissible dangerous fire factor values.
For evacuation assurance, the following is provided:
sufficient quantity and appropriate dimensions of evacuation routes and exits, ensuring unobstructed people movement, organization and management of people movement along evacuation routes (light direction indicators and exit signs);
fire barrier application (walls, partitions, ceilings, doors) limiting fire spread;
construction and finishing materials application with standardized hazard indicators, fire protection materials.
Design solutions for people safety assurance during fire.
For safety assurance, this section justifies location, dimensions and length of people evacuation routes (including disabled persons and other mobility-limited population groups) during fire, wall, floor and ceiling finishing materials fire hazard characteristics on evacuation routes, number, location and dimensions of evacuation exits. Fire protection measures are developed to ensure people evacuation from premises and building overall within time during which dangerous fire factors don't reach maximum permissible values for people health and life.
Evacuation Exits
From the workshop area, one evacuation exit from premises through gates is provided. For people evacuation, pedestrian gates in swing and sliding vehicle gates with threshold height not more than 0.15m are permitted. Exits are not considered evacuation if installed in their openings: sliding doors and gates, except when doors meet requirements;
vertical-lift doors and gates, except when their rigid fixation in open position is ensured with evacuation exit height compliance;
swing gates wider than 3.5m, sliding gates, and railway and vehicle gates;
revolving doors;
turnstiles, except when turnstiles installed in lobbies with swing gates before evacuation exits outside having width not less than specified exits width. These gates unlocking should be performed automatically by automation signals, remotely from security room and manually.
Swing gates in specified gates, except vertical-lift, may be considered evacuation exits if they ensure necessary geometric parameters of specified exits at any gate position.
Evacuation exits through unloading zones are not permitted, except exits from premises with single workplaces related to loading-unloading operations servicing. Distance from most remote workplace in premises to nearest evacuation exit from premises directly outside, to corridor or stairwell should not exceed values in table.
For premises area over 1000m², distance specified in table includes corridor path length to exit outside or to stairwell.
Distance from premises evacuation exits to outside exit does not exceed 40m
Evacuation exit doors and doors located on evacuation routes should open in exit direction from building.
Evacuation Routes
Emergency lighting is provided on evacuation routes. Evacuation lighting in premises is provided: in places dangerous for people passage, passages serving for people evacuation.
Evacuation lighting ensures minimum illumination on floor of main passages: in premises - 0.5 lux, in open areas - 0.2 lux.
Natural lighting is provided.
Evacuation exit height should be, typically, not less than 1.9m. In reconstructed objects (if conducted work doesn't affect specified exits), and in objects being architectural monuments, preservation of their geometric parameters with dimensions less than required but not less than 1.5m is permitted. Appropriate justification considering existing exit height value should be conducted.
In premises without permanent people presence, and in premises with single workplaces, evacuation exits height not less than 1.8m is permitted.
In any case with exit height less than 1.9m, upper exit edge designation should be applied, and its injury safety ensured.
Evacuation exits width should be, typically, not less than 0.8m. From technical premises and storages area not more than 20m² without permanent workplaces, toilet and shower cabins, restrooms, and from premises with single workplaces, evacuation exits width not less than 0.6m is permitted.
List of buildings and premises subject to non-addressable and addressable fire alarm equipment.
In building, all premises should be protected regardless of area, except premises:
with wet processes (showers, restrooms, cooled chambers, washing premises);
ventilation chambers (except exhaust serving production premises category A or B), water supply pump rooms, boiler rooms and other building engineering equipment premises without combustible materials.
Main Solutions Adopted in Project
According to project, the fire alarm system represents a set of fire detection means (detectors, control panels) coordinated by common management, possessing technical, informational, software and operational compatibility, ensuring 24/7 object status monitoring, notification management and interaction with other engineering systems ensuring people safety during fire.
The fire alarm system is designed for:
early fire source detection in monitored premises;
issuing "FIRE" and "MALFUNCTION" signals to personnel carrying 24/7 duty;
automatic activation of fire notification technical means.
Control process of fire alarm zones status is centralized.
The system is organized based on control devices designed for collection, processing, transmission, display and registration of ring addressable loop status notifications, management of notification means and people evacuation control during fire and object engineering networks.
Designed devices include:
Linear smoke detector;
Separation-isolation blocks.
For fire detection in workshop area, linear detectors are designed which connect to existing device addressable loop. Linear detectors mount under ceiling at different heights, maximum height is 14.2m.
Sensors are installed in each premises (except premises with wet processes (showers, restrooms, cooled chambers, washing premises), water supply pump rooms, boiler rooms and building engineering equipment premises without combustible materials;
Quantity and placement of linear detectors. Linear smoke detectors should be used for premises protection height up to 21m. Distance between detector optical axis and wall should be not more than 4.5m, between optical axes - not more than 9m. When optical axes located at angles, maximum distance between them, and between them and walls is determined by projection on horizontal plane.
Distance from ceiling to detector optical axis should be from 25 to 600mm. Optical axes placement below 600mm is permitted provided distance between detector optical axes should be not more than 25% of detectors installation height, and distance between optical axes and wall - not more than 12.5% of detector installation height. Distance (vertically) to fire load should be not less than 2m.
Emitter and receiver of linear smoke detector should be placed so that various objects don't enter detection zone during operation. Minimum and maximum distances between emitter and receiver or emitter and reflector, and minimum distance between detector optical axes and between optical axes and walls (surrounding objects) is determined by technical documentation for specific detector types.
Ensured:
24/7 building protection;
event log maintenance recording duty personnel actions.
Two-wire line communication controllers monitor addressable zones status, issue alarm notifications when addressable detectors activate, to control panel installed at complex security post.
Main function – information collection and command issuance for people evacuation management from building, is performed by computer with installed software.
Installation Work Procedure
Perform demolition of previously installed linear detectors with removal of their addresses from device included in fire alarm system. Preserve two-wire communication line integrity.
Perform installation of new linear detectors connecting them to two-wire communication line of device installed in workshop area.
System Operation Principle and Procedure
In standby mode, detectors periodically send status signals to two-wire line communication controller.
When one detector activates in one premises or zone, "Alarm" signal with detector location indication is formed on control panel.
When second detector activates in one premises or zone, following control signals are formed:
for fire notification activation;
for access control electromagnetic locks unlocking for unobstructed people evacuation during fire;
for general ventilation shutdown;
air conditioners, fan coils and thermal curtains shutdown;
for emergency lighting activation,
Cable lines.
Loop lines should be executed with fire-resistant cable.
Cables should be laid:
in PVC corrugated conduit on ceiling, walls.
Joint laying of fire protection cable lines with other cables and wires in same duct, conduit, bundle,
closed building structure channel or on same tray is not permitted.
For maintenance personnel electrical safety assurance, device enclosures must be reliably grounded.
Grounding and neutral protective conductors connection to equipment parts should be performed by welding or bolted connection.
As natural ground electrodes, building metal structures laid in ground and contacting with ground may be used. Grounding and neutral protective conductor circuits should not have disconnecting devices and fuses.
Grounding conductors are laid directly along walls. Grounding conductors laying in places of passage through walls and ceilings should be performed, typically, with their direct embedding.
In these places, conductors should not have connections and branches. Grounding and neutral protective conductors connection to equipment parts should be performed by welding or bolted connection.
Installation and operation requirements.
Only organizations with appropriate permits and licenses are permitted for installation and operation.
Fire Safety Assurance Measures
Special attention should be paid to following points:
evacuation routes must not be obstructed by equipment, materials and other items;
working and emergency lighting on evacuation routes must be operational;
during equipment ignition, use only carbon dioxide fire extinguishers;
after shift end, combustible waste and materials must be removed from workplace.
Premises are equipped with primary fire extinguishing means - fire extinguishers.
During installation, ensure:
priority implementation of fire protection measures provided by documentation and approved in established procedure;
fire safety regime compliance, fire-safe conduct of construction and installation works; - availability and proper maintenance of fire fighting means;
possibility of safe evacuation and people rescue during premises repair.
All fire-technical equipment should be marked with safety colors and fire safety signs.
Fire protection technical equipment should have fire safety compliance certificates.
Roads, driveways, approaches and passages to building, accesses to fire inventory should always be free, maintained in proper condition, and in winter cleared from snow and ice.