User Manual

5
As universities continue to expand, it is important that the
interconnecting network can also be extended in a
straightforward manner, without encountering any
performance-related issues. A major role in providing
optimal site-wide fire protection is played by the ability to
integrate the numerous panels, installed in buildings
throughout a university campus, into a homogeneous
EN54-conform network. Great attention must also be paid
to cyber security issues, such as ensuring firewall
separation between the fire safety systems, security
systems, the university IT-network and the Internet.
1.2 Scope
This document focuses on universities and colleges,
which generally consist of numerous buildings (either
spread out in a city or concentrated within a campus
layout). Although areas such as administration buildings
can often be served by standard solutions, there are many
applications that need more sophisticated/specialized
solutions (e.g. lecture theaters, laboratories, libraries,
archives, kitchens, student accommodation, event venues
etc.). These applications will be dealt with in more detail
in section 3.2.
An equally important factor, however, is the coordination
and supervision of the multitude of systems installed
across the length and breadth of the university. Although
the primary focus of this document is the protection
against fire and the resulting consequences, we should
also consider the larger picture of security, CCTV, access
control and coordinated site management.
1.3 Challenges
Managing all the safety and security aspects of
a university or similar education facility is a continuous
process, which also requires investment in new
technology. Such systems may be designed to afford
better protection or may provide opportunities to improve
the efficiency of system management and maintenance.
Many factors must be taken into consideration when
reviewing the installed infrastructure and when planning
modernization or expansion projects.
Life safety
Over and above any legal obligations (see section 2.2),
university vice-chancellors and security managers have
a moral duty to provide as safe an environment as
possible for the large numbers of students and staff.
Tailored solutions can not only ensure that incipient fires
are detected at the earliest possible time, but also
practically eliminate false alarms.
In view of the recent history of shootings in schools and
universities, security concerns can no longer be ignored.
Decisions on the appropriate preventative measures and
surveillance infrastructure will largely depend on the
results of a local risk analysis.
Reputation
Any reported safety or security problems can easily have a
detrimental effect on the reputation of a university, with
prospective students possibly opting to go to other
universities. Rebuilding the lost trust in an institution may
take some considerable time. It is therefore essential to
do everything possible to reduce the probability of such
an incident occurring to the absolute minimum.
Business continuity
Anything that disrupts the daily routine of a college or
university should be avoided. Such incidents can vary
from unwarranted building evacuations (due to false
alarms) to large fires that cause significant damage to
property and infrastructure. Fire protection solutions
designed by engineers with the appropriate know-how
and experience can ensure that such incidents can be
kept to an absolute minimum.
Budget restrictions
In general, new buildings are designed to meet the latest
codes of practice. However, in a large number of cases we
are confronted with the upgrading of existing buildings to
fulfill requirements for which they were not originally
designed. This dilemma is frequently made worse by
limited financial resources. Maintaining the high safety
standard required under the constraint of limited budgets
is a challenge that must be met by good management,
good organization and the appropriate use of modern
technology.
Paradoxically, the good record that the education sector
has (in terms of the extremely low figures for deaths and
serious injuries) makes it difficult for university authorities
to obtain the necessary funds for upgrading their fire
safety systems. However, in this context we should not
forget to mention the relatively poor record regarding
property losses (see Section 2.1).
The costs of such losses are often underestimated as we
need to consider far more than just the physical losses.
Losing vital resources can greatly affect the university
revenue if certain (possibly specialist) courses can no
longer be offered for a year or more. It may also affect
the hiring of high-profile professors, with the consequent
inevitable loss of reputation.
System management
The technical infrastructure of a university consists of
a multiplicity of subsystems from various disciplines
(e.g. fire, security, CCTV, access control, HVAC, etc.).
The main purpose of the safety and security systems is to
trigger the appropriate warning signals when any
potential emergency situation has been detected. From
the system management point of view all these systems
also have a number of things in common, such as control
and maintenance. Being able to visualize the state of all
these systems from a central location makes the task of
the system manager considerably easier. The basis of such
a system is the network, a common interface protocol and
a management station.