A technical perspective
The damage caused by a fire can be catastrophic if fire safety precautions are not properly observed. "National Building Code, a document published by the Bureau of Indian Standards contains standardized requirement for the design and construction of almost all types of buildings including residential buildings. Various fire safety measures as envisaged in the code depend on factors like type of buildings classified according to its use or the character of occupancy. For residential buildings the fire safety measures are based mainly on the height of the building and the nature of its occupancy.
It is not only the building design that plays the most significant role wherein (for e.g., provision of fire escape stairway directly connected to the public or common areas on all the floors and shall lead directly to the ground) all the aspects have to be properly coordinated but also safety measures post occupancy. It may be seen that is most cases the fire exit staircases are not free of obstructions instead the place acts like a dumping yard of old cartons boxes etc. Similarly the fire tender movement area all around the building are mostly used as car parking area.
The other issues that require focus are the choice of building materials. The code guides us on the fire ratings of the walls, floors, roofs etc. for various areas. Accordingly materials differing in their fire ratings are available in the market. One needs to choose the materials depending on their applicability and complying with the codal requirement. Compartmentation, to limit the spread of fire, is also an important part of building design. All floor openings/cutouts are sealed with fire sealing materials. Again an important point to note is the fire rating of the sealing materials.
Design and selection of materials for services of a building comprising of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning), Electrical & Fire-fighting also forms an important part towards fire safety measures. Buildings with basement for car parking are being provided with ventilation system – normal exhaust and smoke exhaust. Pressurization of staircases especially for high rise buildings to prevent smoke from entering during fire situation is important. Fire survival cables capable to withstand high temperature are available and can be used to connect these important installations.
Electrical short circuit shares a major part in building fires. Nowadays, various electrical components are available that helps us to mitigate the risk of fire. RCCB (Residual current circuit breaker) is one such example. It is used in the incoming side of the electrical distribution board installed inside every dwelling unit. But what one needs to keep in mind is the sensitivity (in milli-Amps) of the RCCB used.
With an appropriately selected RCCB, a person is cushioned from the fatal electric shock in case of any accidental touch of live wire / short circuit etc. Besides, there are arc guard protection devices that are used in low voltage electrical panels. The devices can detect large intensity of light within electrical panels and send out a trip signal that switches off the circuit breaker (MAIN SWITCH).
The major components that are used for fire-fighting system are fire extinguishers, Dry and wet risers, yard hydrants, automatic sprinkler systems, manual / automatic fire detection and alarm systems, underground & overhead tanks and fire pumps. Usage of these components depends on type of building occupancy.
All said and done, the most important point, in the end, is the coordinated operation of all these services. A fire matrix is established wherein the operation sequence of all these components is configured so that at the time of fire they operate in a logical sequence.
The damage caused by a fire can be catastrophic if fire safety precautions are not properly observed. "National Building Code, a document published by the Bureau of Indian Standards contains standardized requirement for the design and construction of almost all types of buildings including residential buildings. Various fire safety measures as envisaged in the code depend on factors like type of buildings classified according to its use or the character of occupancy. For residential buildings the fire safety measures are based mainly on the height of the building and the nature of its occupancy.
It is not only the building design that plays the most significant role wherein (for e.g., provision of fire escape stairway directly connected to the public or common areas on all the floors and shall lead directly to the ground) all the aspects have to be properly coordinated but also safety measures post occupancy. It may be seen that is most cases the fire exit staircases are not free of obstructions instead the place acts like a dumping yard of old cartons boxes etc. Similarly the fire tender movement area all around the building are mostly used as car parking area.
The other issues that require focus are the choice of building materials. The code guides us on the fire ratings of the walls, floors, roofs etc. for various areas. Accordingly materials differing in their fire ratings are available in the market. One needs to choose the materials depending on their applicability and complying with the codal requirement. Compartmentation, to limit the spread of fire, is also an important part of building design. All floor openings/cutouts are sealed with fire sealing materials. Again an important point to note is the fire rating of the sealing materials.
Design and selection of materials for services of a building comprising of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning), Electrical & Fire-fighting also forms an important part towards fire safety measures. Buildings with basement for car parking are being provided with ventilation system – normal exhaust and smoke exhaust. Pressurization of staircases especially for high rise buildings to prevent smoke from entering during fire situation is important. Fire survival cables capable to withstand high temperature are available and can be used to connect these important installations.
Electrical short circuit shares a major part in building fires. Nowadays, various electrical components are available that helps us to mitigate the risk of fire. RCCB (Residual current circuit breaker) is one such example. It is used in the incoming side of the electrical distribution board installed inside every dwelling unit. But what one needs to keep in mind is the sensitivity (in milli-Amps) of the RCCB used.
With an appropriately selected RCCB, a person is cushioned from the fatal electric shock in case of any accidental touch of live wire / short circuit etc. Besides, there are arc guard protection devices that are used in low voltage electrical panels. The devices can detect large intensity of light within electrical panels and send out a trip signal that switches off the circuit breaker (MAIN SWITCH).
The major components that are used for fire-fighting system are fire extinguishers, Dry and wet risers, yard hydrants, automatic sprinkler systems, manual / automatic fire detection and alarm systems, underground & overhead tanks and fire pumps. Usage of these components depends on type of building occupancy.
All said and done, the most important point, in the end, is the coordinated operation of all these services. A fire matrix is established wherein the operation sequence of all these components is configured so that at the time of fire they operate in a logical sequence.
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