Passive Fire Protection & the RR(FS)O; A fire-fighters view
Transcript of Passive Fire Protection & the RR(FS)O; A fire-fighters view
Fire Safety Regulation - Fire Engineering Group
Passive Fire Protection & the RR(FS)O;
A fire-fighters view
GM Paul Jenkins
LFB Fire Engineering Group
Copyright of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
Why do we need fire protection?
Regulatory - Life Safety
Building Regulations – functional requirements in case of fire.
Reasonable period of stability for occupants/fire-fighters.
Reasonable restriction of fire spread including unseen spread within concealed spaces.
Using either or both
• Fire resisting construction
• Automatic Fire Suppression
Why do we need fire protection?
Other
Property Protection – damage mitigation
Economic impact – cost/growth/employment
Societal risk reduction
Environmental damage
Sustainability
Fire - Residential Block
Residential flats built in the late 1970’s
Timber-framed construction
Refurbished since construction including replacement uPVC windows
Fire occurred in flat on first floor
Fire spread into wall cavity via window openings
Extensive further spread resulting in the destruction of the whole building (12 flats).
Evacuation procedures changed in adjacent blocks as a result
Fire - Residential Block
Residential flats built in 2006
Timber-framed construction
Fire started from cigarette in bark chippings on flower bed outside the building
Fire spread into wall cavity via ventilation opening ‘air brick’
Extensive further spread resulting in severe damage to roof and 14 flats.
Most of building uninhabitable.
Fire - Residential Block
New Residential block – being occupied
Conventional construction
Fire started in basement car park
Fire spread into riser
Extensive further spread into common escape routes
All floors damaged.
Building unusable
Fire - Warehouse
Document Storage
Sprinklered (but!)
Sub-compartmented
Fire spread throughout
Ineffective fire compartment walls
Building destroyed
Fire - Office
Partially occupied
Undergoing refurbishment
Fire started on upper floor
Fire spread upwards and downwards
Compartment floors compromised
Building severely damaged and demolished
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Fire – Construction Site Development
Partially finished building
Furnished and ready for partial occupation
Fire spread from construction site
Building destroyed
No prizes for guessing where the fire protection was that worked?
Structural Fire Engineering
SIPS Panels
ICPT/MMC
Engineered floor joists
Engineered Wood Products
Exposed to fire
Structural Fire Engineering
Courtesy of Arup Fire
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Temperatures (oC)
Time (min)
Beam D - Standard
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Temperature-time curves:
• Data provided by intumescent paint producer
• Material properties Eurocode
Courtesy of Arup Fire
Structural Fire Engineering
Structural Fire Engineering
Performance depends upon effective passive fire protection of specific structural elements
Courtesy of Arup Fire
OK I install Passive FP – am I responsible ?
Mr D Brent
Reading Regional Manager
Wernham Hogg Ltd
Sole occupier of the Reading office building – employ 20 staff
HQ in London
The RR(FS)O legally defines the person with responsibility for fire safety as Responsible Person.
So, its not me then!
(a) in relation to a workplace, the employer, if the workplace is to any extent under his control;
Article 3 The Responsible Person
But who is the employer David Brent or Wernham Hogg Ltd?
OK- I’m neither of these, again it’s not me.
32(8) Where an offence under this
Order committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, or any person purporting to act in any such capacity, he as well as the body corporate is guilty of that offence, and is liable to be proceeded against and punished
accordingly
Will be the body corporate
But it could also be him!
Great, I don’t trade on the premises or own it, still not me
(a) in relation to a workplace, the employer, if the workplace is to any extent under his control;
(b) in relation to any premises not falling within paragraph (a)—
(i) the person who has control of the premises (as occupier or otherwise) in connection with the carrying on by him of a trade, business or other undertaking (for profit or not); or
(ii) the owner, where the person in control of the premises does not have control in connection with the carrying on by that person of a trade, business or other undertaking
Article 3 The Responsible Person
So I can be me – but what does this mean in reality ?
Duties under the FSO
5(4) Where a person has, by virtue of any contract or tenancy, an obligation of any extent in relation to—
(a) the maintenance or repair of any premises, including anything in or on premises; or
(b) the safety of any premises,
that person is to be treated, for the purposes of paragraph (3), as being a person who has control of the premises to the extent that his obligation so extends
What am I responsible for ?
Article 8 Duty to take general fire precautions(1) The responsible person must—
(a)take such general fire precautions as will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of any of his employees; and
(b) in relation to relevant persons who are not his employees, take such general fire precautions as may reasonably be required in the circumstances of the case to ensure that the premises are safe.
Relevance to passive fire protection
Article 4 defines general fire precautions
paraphrased:
1. reduce the risk of fire on the premises and the risk of fire spread
2. providing means of escape from the premises
3. securing the means of escape
4. means for fighting fires on the premises
5. detecting fire and giving warning in case of fire
6. action to be taken in the event of fire on the premises
Conclusion
Passive fire protection is very important
Professionally specified, installed and maintained it:
Protects occupants
Reduces potential damage
Supports a sustainable built environment
Underpins innovative fire engineering design
From a fire-fighters perspective, is often the first (and sometimes the last) really
useful aspect of building construction that helps us do our job safely and effectively.
PLEASE DO IT PROFESSIONALLY