FIRE CONTROL SYSTEMS, SPRINKLERS,FIRE DETECTION/ EXTINGUISHER

GENERAL INFORMATION

A fire alarm system is number of devices working together to detect and warn people through
visual and audio appliances when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other emergencies are
present.

These alarms may be activated from smoke detectors, and heat detectors.

Alarms can be either motorised bells or wall mountable sounders or horns. They can also be
speaker strobes which sound an alarm, followed by a voice evacuation message which warn
people inside the building not to use the elevators

They may also be activated via Manual fire alarm activation devices such as manual call points or
pull stations.

FIRE PROTECTION

PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION- an integral component of the three components of structural fire
protection and fire safety in a building. PFP attempts to contain fires or slow the spread, through
use of fire-resistant walls, floors, and doors (amongst other examples). PFP systems must
comply with the associated Listing and approval use and compliance in order to provide the
effectiveness expected by building codes.

ACTIVE FIRE PROTECTION- an integral part of fire protection. AFP is characterised by items
and/or systems, which require a certain amount of motion and response in order to work,
contrary to passive fire protection.

FIRE DETECTION

FLAME DETECTOR- a sensor designed to detect and respond to the presence of a flame or fire.
Responses to a detected flame depend on the installation, but can include sounding an alarm,
deactivating a fuel line (such as a propane or a natural gas line), and activating a fire suppression
system.

HEAT DETECTOR- a fire alarm device designed to respond when the convected thermal
energy of a fire increases the temperature of a heat sensitive element. The thermal mass and
conductivity of the element regulate the rate flow of heat into the element. All heat detectors
have this thermal lag. Heat detectors have two main classifications of operation, "rate-of-rise"
and "fixed temperature." The Heat detector is use to help in the reduction of damaged property.
It is triggered when temperature increases.

SMOKE DETECTOR- a device that senses smoke, typically as an indicator of fire. Commercial
security devices issue a signal to a fire alarm control panel as part of a fire alarm system, while
 household smoke detectors, also known as smoke alarms, generally issue a local audible or
visual alarm from the detector itself.

FIRE ALARM

MANUAL-Manual fire alarm activation requires human intervention

AUTOMATIC-systems control and extinguish fires without human intervention. Examples of

automatic systems include fire sprinkler system, gaseous fire suppression, and condensed
aerosol fire suppression

FIRE SUPPRESSION

FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM-an active fire protection method, consisting of a water supply system,
providing adequate pressure and flow rate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire
sprinklers are connected.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER- an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires. It
is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire or otherwise requires the expertise of a fire
department.

Gaseous fire suppression- a term to describe the use of inert gases and chemical agents to
extinguish a fire. Also called Clean Agent Fire Suppression.

Condensed aerosol fire suppression is a particle-based form of fire extinction similar to gaseous
fire suppression or dry chemical fire extinction.

5 QUESTIONS

1. What is active fire protection?

2. What is passive fire protection?

3. How does a sprinkler system work?

4. What is a clean agent?

5. What can you do to keep your systems in good condition?

5 ANSWERS

1. systems, which require a certain amount of motion and response in order to work
2. PFP attempts to contain fires or slow the spread, through use of fire-resistant walls, floors,
and doors
3. Each sprinkler head is closed by a small piece of heat sensitive material. This piece acts as a
plug to prevent water from flowing at normal temperatures. When heated by a fire, each
sprinkler head near the fire is activated and releases water to put out the fire.
4. A clean agent is a fire suppressing chemical in a gaseous form that will not harm electrical
equipment or other objects that are easily damaged by water/
5. Problems can be prevented with periodic maintenance.