Fundamental Concepts for Design of Special Hazard and Fire Alarm Systems

1. Fundamental Concepts for Design of Special Hazard and Fire Alarm Systems Chapter 1

2. Objectives • List the items that comprise a set of contract documents for the design of a special hazard or fire alarm system • List the categories of drawings that comprise a contract drawing package • Explain the differences among the categories of contract drawings 2

3. Objectives (con’t.) • Evaluate a set of contract drawings to determine the value of each drawing relative to the accurate development of a special hazard or fire alarm system design • Explain the problems associated with the designer of a special hazard or fire alarm system failing to reference drawings relevant to fire protection systems in a contract drawing package 3

4. Objectives (con’t.) • List the divisions of the contract specifications • Explain the relationship between a set of contract drawings and the contract specifications • Determine the divisions of the specifications that are of most value to the development of a fire protection system design 4

5. Objectives (con’t.) • Identify the problems that could develop if the contract specifications conflict with the contract drawings • List the items that should be found in every designer’s survey kit • Perform a survey of a building to be used for the design of a fire protection system 5

6. Objectives (con’t.) • Survey and accurately determine dimensions of a reflected ceiling plan • Survey a building using the structural elements as the primary points of reference • Field-check a drawing of a fire protection system • Perform metric conversions where appropriate 6

7. Objectives (con’t.) • Evaluate design objectives for special hazard suppression systems • Know the characteristics that define a special hazard • Evaluate branches of the Fire Safety Concepts Tree • Know the difference between prescriptive and performance-based design 7

8. Fire Protection as a Profession • Fire professionals are dedicated to saving lives • Serious errors or less than minimal fire protection can lead to death • Application of technical knowledge is fundamental • Ethical behavior on the same level as technical knowledge 8

9. Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians • Fire protection engineer: • Licensed professional engineer • Can apply science and engineering to protect the public from the impacts of fire • Fire protectiontechnician: • Achieved NICET Level III of IV certification in the appropriate subfield • Knowledge, experience and skills necessary to lay out fire protection systems 9

10. Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) • Functions of a fire protection engineer • Fire protection analysis • Fire protection management • Fire science and human behavior • Fire protection systems • Passive building systems 10

11. Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) • Functions of a fire protection engineer (con’t.) • Evaluation of the hazards and protection schemes required to develop a workable, integrated solution to a fire safety problem • Preparation of design documents • Layout of fire protection systems 11

12. Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) • Functions of a fire protection engineer (con’t.) • Affixing a professional seal to documents • Review fire protection installation shop drawings for compliance with engineer’s design • Monitor installation of fire protection systems • Responsibility for designing and maintaining competency through continued education 12

13. Fire Protection Engineers and Technicians (con’t.) • Functions of a fire protection technician • The system layout in accordance with the engineer’s design • Shop drawings in accordance with the engineer’s design or as otherwise permitted by state regulations • Supplemental calculations based on the engineer’s design 13

14. Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) • Authority having jurisdiction (AHJ): individual or agency who reviews and approves drawings and completed installations • Examples of AHJs • Municipal permitting organization • Fire prevention officer of the municipality • Insurance company • Governmental organization • Code official 14

15. Metric Conversions, Significant Figures, and Rounding • Metric Conversion Act of 1975: requires conversion to the metric system for all federal projects by 1992 • Buildings not designed using the metric system can cause problems • Most fire protection calculations performed with two significant figures to the right of the decimal point 15

16. Metric Conversions, Significant Figures, and Rounding (con’t.) • Metric units

17. The National Fire Protection Association • Publishes more than 290 codes, standards, recommended practices, and guides for fire safety and design of fire protection systems • Codes: mandatory requirement suitable for adoption into law • Standards: mandatory NFPA requirements that may be used to approve a fire protection system • Recommended practices: NFPA documents that provide nonmandatory advice • Guides: informative NFPA documents 17

18. Oral, Written, and Graphic Communication • Fire protection professionals depend on the ability to clearly communicate complex ideas to a wide audience • Communications skills include written communication, oral communication, and graphic communication 18

19. Graphic Communication: Drawing Fire Protection Systems • Graphic communication - conveyed through drawings • Drawing: graphic representation of a designer’s ideas • Computer-aided design (CAD): computerized method of preparing drawings • Fire protection system drawings are drawn to scale 19

20. Graphic Communication: Drawing Fire Protection Systems (con’t.) Figure 1-1 Computer aided design process for fire drawings

21. Graphic Communication: Drawing Fire Protection Systems (con’t.) Figure 1-4. An architect’s scale is needed for design of fire protection systems

22. Graphic Communication: Drawing Fire Protection Systems (con’t.) • Drawing medium - the reproducible surface on which a drawing exists • Size of the print medium must be larger than the drawing you are printing, to allow room for notes and a title block • Cover sheet of a contract drawing contains a wealth of information for the fire protection designer 22

23. Site (Underground) Drawings • Civil drawings: coordinate underground utilities entering and leaving a building or group of buildings • Profile plan: shows reference elevations with respect to finished grade • Invert elevation: references the bottom of a pipe with respect to the reference elevation 23

24. Architectural Plans • Architectural drawings: drawings that show dimensions of walls, floors, ceilings, and other building features • Plan job: design performed using new architectural plans as the basis for design • Survey job: a project involving an existing building for which plans cannot be obtained 24

25. Structural Drawings • Structural drawings: provide details related to the floors, roof, and structural elements of a building • Foundation plans: show floor and wall structural details and sectional views • Framing plans: show beam and joist size and elevation 25

26. HVAC Drawings • HVAC drawings: heating, ventilating, and air conditioning drawings • Supply diffuser: ceiling element used to distribute fresh air to a room • Return diffuser: ceiling element used to draw stale air from a room • Plenum space: space above a suspended ceiling that is kept under negative pressure for return air 26

27. Plumbing Drawings • Designated in the contract set with a “P” prefix • May show fire protection system piping layout or schematic • Water supply and other fire protection-related information may be in the plumbing general notes 27

28. Fire Protection Contract Drawings • Strong preference in the profession to display all fire protection and detection requirements on a separate set of contract drawings 28

29. Electrical Drawings • Contract drawing set has an “E” prefix • Useful to special hazard and fire alarm system designers • Provide the location and power requirements of lighting and other electrical devices • Locations of other electrical devices may also be shown on electrical drawings 29

30. Specifications • Developed by architects and engineers from • Standardized computer specification database • Revisions to specifications for a project that may conflict with the contract drawings • Performance specification: a general specification that provides the minimum information necessary to estimate, design, and install a fire protection system 30

31. Specifications (con’t.) • Detailed specification: requirements for the design of a fire protection system • Little latitude for interpretation or alternatives • Specification divisions: categories of building component groupings standardized by the Construction Specifications Institute • Specification sections: detailed requirements for each CSI division 31

32. Specification Division Numbers and Titles • Procurement and Contracting Requirements Group • General Requirements Subgroup • Facility Construction Subgroup • Facility Services Subgroup • Site and Infrastructure Subgroup • Process Equipment Subgroup 32

33. Specification Division Numbers and Titles (con’t.) • Fire protection systems and fire alarm systems are within Division 21 • Formerly part of Division 15 • Change resulted in better coordination and reduced conflict between two different contractors or subcontractors 33

34. Fire Protection Surveys • Survey: investigation of a building and its components to take detailed measurements of the building as a reference for a fire protection drawing • Get your bearings • Determine the general building layout • Bring proper survey equipment 34

35. Fire Protection Surveys (con’t.) Figure 1-11. Survey equipment

36. Fire Protection Surveys (con’t.) • Survey building details • Develop a system design strategy • Building elevations and ceiling measurements • Water supply information • Draw the building, layout the system, field-check the drawing and inspect the system after installation 36

37. Automatic Sprinkler Systems • Historically successful in protecting life and protecting hazards that are capable of being protected by water • Fall into three categories • Light hazard (churches, hospitals, schools) • Ordinary hazards (parking garages, laundries, shopping centers) • Extra hazard (saw mills, textile operations, paint dipping) 37

38. Special Hazard Suppression Systems • Protects hazards not amenable for protection by an automatic sprinkler system • Special hazard categories • Large quantities of flammable liquids • Facilities containing valuable or irreplaceable commodities • Facilities where water may pose a danger 38

39. Special Hazard Suppression Systems (con’t.) • Special hazard categories (con’t.) • Automatic sprinkler systems are not always fast enough for effective suppression • Mobile facilities where the transport of water is unfeasible • Facilities where service loss is intrinsically linked to facility loss or water damage • Facilities where high-tech research lost by fire or water damage could be significantly more than the dollar loss 39

40. Design Approaches for Special Hazard Design • Requires evaluation of design objectives and design concepts, and implementation of design methodology • Design objectives • Property protection and preservation • Life safety and preservation • Business continuity • Protection of the environment 40

41. Design Approaches for Special Hazard Design (con’t.) • Design concepts: Fire Concepts Safety Tree (see Figure 1-13, Page 40) • Design methodologies • Prescriptive design: direct use of national, local, or manufacturer standards to design a suppression or detection system • Performance-based design: an engineering approach to fire protection design (see Figure 1-14, Page 43)

42. Design Approaches for Special Hazard Design (con’t.) Figure 1-14. Steps in the Performance-Based Analysis and the Conceptual Design Procedure for Fire Protection Design 42

43. Summary • Must understand differences between a fire protection engineer and a fire protection technician • Knowledge of oral and written communication and media is essential, particularly computer-aided design • Contract documents consist of contract drawings and specifications 43

44. Summary (con’t.) • Contract drawings consist of the cover sheet and civil, architectural, structural HVAC, plumbing, fire protection and electrical drawings • All documents used to minimize conflicts or omissions that could affect performance of a fire protection system • Specifications generally take precedence over contract drawings 44

45. Summary (con’t.) • Specifications divided into specification divisions • Specifications for fire suppression systems are located in Division 21 • Fire alarm systems are in Division 28 • An organized and well-planned strategy for conducting a survey assures a successful result 45

46. Summary (con’t.) • Fundamental approaches, objectives, concepts, and methodologies related to special hazard and fire alarm design must be understood and evaluated before commencing design 46