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Response to Terror Threats Fire protective system designers are increasingly aware of external hazards such as terrorist threats, therefore systems that can only indicate an emergency with a horn & strobe are being replaced by systems designed to pass actual information. Managing Smoke in Open Areas Open interior areas, such as indoor stadiums, covered malls, and atriums that connect two or more levels are vulnerable to smoke that endangers occupants even remote from the origin, making smoke control systems necessary: »» To cause smoke to fill the volume at the same rate, either with or without exhausting, to create tenable conditions for evacuation »» To maintain a smoke layer at a constant, safe elevation for a predetermined time to permit evacuation Content provided by: Sponsoring Manufacturers: Fire Protection & Safety Do You Have the Right Protection for Your Building? Keep In Mind The practice of reducing fire risk in large commercial facilities for decades has proven to reduce the number of deaths, injuries & property loss from fires. Talk to a Certified Fire Professional Today! Company: Contact Name: Phone: Email: COMMERCIAL Wayne D. Moore, Hughes Associates, Inc. Recipient of the Standards Medal from the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA), the highest award presented by NFPA’s Standards Council for outstanding contributions to fire safety in the development of codes and standards. Talk to a Certified Fire Professional Lawrence (Larry) Wenzel, Hughes Associates, Inc. Larry is a Senior Fire Protection Engineer with Hughes Associates, Inc. He is a veteran Professional Engineer (PE) and Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) and serves on a number of NFPA committees, including the Technical Committee on Protected Premises Signaling; the NFPA Technical Committee on Initiating Devices; and, The NFPA 101: Life Safety Committee. Fire Protection Trends & Issues for Large Commercial Occupancies The practice of reducing fire risk in large commercial facilities for decades has proven to reduce the number of deaths, injuries & property loss from fires. Today, the use of fire protective systems is much greater in high-rise office buildings than in smaller structures. This prevalence of robust fire protection is credited with the lower rate of fire deaths & property damage in high-rises than in smaller structures. Large commercial spaces can house a variety of operations & occupancies: »» High rise office & residential buildings »» Large multi-screen movie theaters »» Warehouses for non-public storage uses such as groceries »» Leasable spaces for non-specified occupancies »» Data centers »» Business parks with shared spaces »» Repurposed industrial sites, such as old mill buildings converted to open, shared retail spaces »» Research & technology centers for industries such as drug or weapons development Much of the challenge of providing fire protection to these locations lies in understanding the occupants & their behavior as they go about their work. »» How does the occupants’ work affect their response to an emergency? »» How many occupants can be in the space at a given time? »» What should occupants be expected to know in an emergency? »» Are transient combustibles or other hazards present that may not be noticed? Structure & Tenant Considerations One of the biggest challenges of commercial occupancies, such as industrial parks, is that the type of prospective tenants is usually not known at the time of construction. When the building has no specific tenant in mind, several questions need to be considered: »» What types of occupancies does the owner allow? »» Are automatic sprinklers needed? If so, what design? »» Will a protective signaling system be required? »» What will need to be included in the design? »» What will be universal enough to fit any anticipated occupancy? Is the building’s structure suitable for commerce that will take place in the space? »» For example, a paper manufacturing or storage operation can’t be located in a wooden structure Simplicity is Key Fire protection features must match the characteristics of the larger commercial spaces. Because of the varying nature of the occupancies, and the fact that many locations will have constant changes in tenancy, keeping fire protection as simple as possible is key. However, this may be extremely difficult to accomplish with the following considerations: expectations of occupants and the future possibility of building & occupancy modifications. With a lease or rental, how does the lease assign responsibility for fire protection, such as inspections, changes to installations, and equipment testing? Protective Signaling Systems One vital component of fire protection is protective signaling systems. For these systems to suit their space and occupancy, these questions must be answered: Do all occupants need to be notified, or can the system be zoned? »» Can the form of notification be as simple as a system of horns & strobes, or must it be capable of passing information through speakers? »» What type of detection best fits the occupancy? »» Will the building be protected by automatic sprinklers? »» What other fire protection features or equipment will be used? »» Can the protective signaling system interface with other fire protection equipment? Risk Analysis Designers experienced in mass notification should analyze the risks in large commercial facilities, taking into account the wide variation in the characteristics of commercial occupancies. An objective risk analysis must include: »» Size of the structure »» Locations for “areas of refuge” »» Protection of circuits & pathways that transmit signals »» Message content »» Message intelligibility Get The Hands-On Service You Deserve!
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