Advantage Engineering – share the experience Fire protection in hotels Detection, alarming, evacuation, extinguishing Answers for infrastructure and cities.
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Siemens Switzerland Ltd Infrastructure & Cities Sector Building Technologies Division International Headquarters Gubelstrasse 22 6301 Zug Switzerland Tel +41 41 724 24 24 The information in this document contains general descriptions of technical options available, which do not always have to be present in individual cases. The required features should therefore be specified in each individual case at the time of closing the contract. The document contains a general product overview.
Content 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3 1.1. Fire hazards in hotels .............................................................................................................. 3 1.1.1. Fire load ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.1.2. Fire risks ...............................................
3.2.5. Alarm strategies................................................................................................................ 18 3.2.6. Alarm Verification Concept AVC ........................................................................................ 19 3.3. Smoke control ...................................................................................................................... 20 3.3.1. Objectives .............................................................................
1. Introduction Hotel fires represent a major risk to people’s safety, the hotel property and business continuity. Statistics from the U.S. show that a structure fire is reported by one of twelve hotels or motels every year. Between 2006 and 2010 the fire departments responded to an estimated average of 3,700 structure fires per year at hotel and motel properties, causing annual average losses of 12 civilian deaths, 143 civilian injuries and $127 million in direct property damage 1.
1.1.1. Fire load Fire risks are largely determined by the fire load of a room, an area, or a building. This term describes the latent energy which can be released by the combustion of materials in fixtures, fittings, furniture and furnishings during an outbreak of fire. The typical fire load in hotels can be classified as ‘low’ to 'medium'. Due to their construction and decoration, older buildings usually have a larger fire load than newer ones.
1.1.3. Potential danger to human life Over and above any codes and regulations, it is the moral responsibility of the hotel management to protect guests and staff from fire hazards. The reputation of a hotel is directly related to successful fire prevention. Even one incidence of fire where the prevention measures prove insufficient can damage a hotel‘s otherwise good reputation, which is then extremely difficult to re-establish.
The fire protection concept describes all protection measures which help: • • • • Reduce the risk of fire breaking out. Prevent the spread of flames and smoke. Ensure that all occupants are evacuated safely. Enable the emergency services to take action. 1.2.3. Fire protection measures Fire protection measures can be divided into passive measures and active measures.
• • Detection measures Keeping escape routes accessible and unobstructed. Use of fire resistant decorations, furniture and furnishings. The main tasks of an automated fire protection system are to detect (an incipient stage) fire, sound an acoustic alarm, notify the fire service and activate the preprogrammed control functions.
Intervention measures To limit the danger to human life and the extent of the damage, it is extremely important to start intervention and firefighting measures as soon as possible after the outbreak of fire. All firefighting equipment must always be kept in perfect working order: this is a prerequisite for any successful intervention. Intervention measures activated by the fire control panel include: • • • Automatic closing of fire doors etc. Activation of smoke handling systems.
2. Fire detection The earlier a fire is detected, the more time there is for evacuation and firefighting, and the less damage can occur. Earliest possible detection is thus the key to minimizing damage and gaining precious intervention time. 2.1. Fire basics To ensure reliable, early detection of fire, it is important to be familiar with the different fire phenomena, fire propagation and possible deceptive phenomena. 2.1.1.
In general, the higher the room, the greater the distance between the seat of fire and the fire detectors on the ceiling. This is why the intensity of the fire phenomenon to be detected (e.g. smoke density, temperature increase or radiation intensity) decreases with increasing ceiling height.
2.2.2. Elements Figure 2.2.2-1 Setup of a fire detection system Periphery Fire-related information is collected from all parts of the building by the input periphery (automatic detectors, manual call points and input contacts) and transmitted to the control unit. The intelligent, automatic fire detectors detect and analyze the different fire phenomena and automatically report the current hazard levels to the control unit.
2.3. Fire detection in hotels A total surveillance concept is most applicable for fire detection systems in hotels, ensuring that the entire building is monitored. This includes not only all rooms, corridors, staircases and anterooms, but also all air conditioning and cable ducts, supply shafts, false ceilings, raised floors, and similar structures which permit smoke and fire to spread.
2.3.2. Kitchens Large cooking vessels, frying pans and especially deep fryers, present a very serious fire hazard in hotel kitchens. This is mainly due to the strong possibility of fire breaking out due to overheating as well as the local high fire load. Multi-sensor fire detector with the combination smoke/heat and a sophisticated signal processing are recommended for monitoring these areas.
2.3.4. Restaurants These areas must be considered as relatively critical zones in a hotel, due to the variety of ignition sources such as candles or cooking and frying at the table and the number of guests in the room. Depending on the room dimensions and the expected deceptive phenomena smoke detectors or multi-sensor fire detectors with the combination smoke/heat are recommended for monitoring restaurant areas.
2.3.6. Parking garages A fire in an enclosed garage can very quickly create a dangerous situation for all people in that area. Due to the significant fire load of the parked cars, a fire which is not detected and suppressed early can develop into a fire that will be very difficult to extinguish and may threaten the stability of the building.
3. Alarming, smoke control and evacuation 3.1. Introduction Once a fire has been detected by an automatic detector, by sprinkler flow monitoring, or by a person activating a manual call point, the fire detection system will generate the preprogrammed control and alarm signals. A major factor that can affect the success of building evacuation is that many people do not take the sounding of fire alarm sufficiently seriously or do not understand the meaning of the acoustic signal.
Silent/coded alarm Broadcasting of a “silent” alarm in the form of a coded message transmitted via the hotel PA system e.g. “Will Mr. Black please report to the manager’s office.” 3.2.3. Alerting hotel guests Hotel guests can be warned of the impending danger in several ways depending on where the guests are currently located (bedrooms, restaurants, bars, discos, parking garages, etc.).
Hospitality TV The television set in each guestroom can be utilized as an ‘annunciator’, as it can be switched on automatically via the hotel’s hospitality TV-system. Emergency messages and evacuation instructions (and even prerecorded spoken messages) can be transmitted by state-of-the-art systems. In more basic systems the word FIRE can be displayed in a flashing format, possibly alternating with evacuation instructions or an escape route plan.
3.2.6. Alarm Verification Concept AVC Figure 3.2.6-1 Alarm Verification Concept The Alarm Verification Concept (AVC) allows in-house personnel to carry out a local investigation before the municipal fire service is alerted or the building evacuated. This reduces the number of unnecessary calls and is based on a dual timing principle. It is only applicable to the “day/manned” mode of the fire detection system.
3.3. Smoke control 3.3.1. Objectives Smoke presents the greatest danger to life in the case of a fire. This is not only due to smoke inhalation injuries and asphyxiation, but also due to smoke-filled corridors and staircases, which make evacuation considerably more difficult and raise panic levels. For this reason it is imperative that smoke is restricted to the immediate locality of the fire for as long as possible and is actively extracted from the building by appropriate means.
3.4.2. Evacuation concepts For each hotel an appropriate evacuation strategy must be defined in accordance with the physical organization of the building, local regulations and in discussions with the local fire authorities. Simultaneous evacuation (general alarm) In small hotels, evacuation will simply consist of everyone reacting to the warning signal given when a fire is discovered, and then making their way to a place of safety outside the building.
Depending on region and usage, the top floor and all basement floors may also be evacuated during this first phase. As the fire spreads, all other floors are evacuated one after the other in subsequent evacuation phases. During the first phase, a warning message instructs people on these floors to wait. 3.4.3. Organization A successful evacuation can only be achieved when the appropriate infrastructure and management organization are in place and are regularly reviewed.
Zonal messages As a voice alarm system permits different messages to be conveyed to different areas within the premises, they are of particular importance in phased evacuation, or in buildings where escape routes may vary according to the location of the incident. This can be controlled automatically, based on the alarm signals from the fire detection system or may be executed manually from the control room.
Emergency lighting The primary purpose of emergency escape lighting is to illuminate escape routes, but can also be used to illuminate other safety equipment. Following a power failure the emergency lighting should automatically switch on within 5s. The size and type of the premises and the risk to the occupants will determine the complexity of the escape lighting required.
In one- or two-story buildings the danger of panic may be considered to be relatively small. However, even here a simple voice system could be of great assistance in helping people grasp the situation more quickly. The infrastructure already available in many hotels to provide background music in public areas (e.g. lobby, bar, restaurant, fitness room, etc.) may include a personal address function, which could also be utilized for voice alarms.
conditioning system via its control outputs. The types of control may vary greatly depending on the construction and layout of the individual building and the air conditioning systems. As a general guideline, however, exhaust fans should be running and supply fans should be stopped for zones in alarm. This creates an under pressure in the area of smoke, and an overpressure in smoke-free areas, thereby greatly reducing the chance of smoke spreading.
Infrastructure The fire control room of such a building should contain a ventilation control panel from which the firechief can override any automatic controls. 3.5.4. High-rise hotels Characteristics These buildings are usually found in the heart of large cities. They are characterized by their skyscraper appearance and usually have underground parking areas. 3.5.
Smoke control The fire control room of such a building should contain a display and control panel that not only provides current information from the fire detection system but also for all HVAC systems in the building. This should enable the firechief to react to the changing situation and override any automatic controls as circumstances require (see also metropolitan hotel buildings.
3.5.5.
4. Extinguishing 4.1. Introduction For a fire to exist, four elements need to be present: • • • • Oxygen to sustain combustion. Fuel to support the combustion. Heat to raise the material to its ignition temperature. A chemical reaction between the above three elements. Extinguishing a fire implies interfering with the combustion process in such a way that the preconditions to maintain combustion are no longer present.
4.2.2. Gas Gases are fast, highly efficient, electrically non-conductive and clean. Their properties make them particularly suitable for rooms with high value content.
4.3. Extinguishing systems 4.3.1. Sprinkler systems These automatic systems use water as the extinguishing agent and provide a very effective protection both for property and human life. The advantages of sprinkler systems are their high reliability and wide application spectrum in the protection of people and material assets. Not only do they stand out due to their relatively simple and robust technology, there is generally a plentiful supply of the extinguishing agent – water.
Local conditions such as temperature and building usage determine which type of sprinkler system should be implemented. Wet-pipe systems Wet-pipe systems should only be installed in situations where the water in the piping network is not subject to freezing or overheating (+95 °C) during the year. This includes most applications in heated buildings.
Figure 4.3.2-1 Principle of a gas extinguishing system 4.3.3. Fire extinguishers Fire extinguishers are mobile or portable manual devices designed for preventing incipient stage fires from getting out of control. The extinguishing agent is expelled under pressure. In some types of extinguisher the agent is kept under constant pressure, while in others the pressure is generated by releasing a propellant gas at the time that the extinguisher is activated.
Notes: 1. 2. In the European norms electrical fires are not considered to constitute a fire class on their own, as electricity is a source of ignition that will feed the fire until removed. The above table reflects the European classification system. Definitions used by regulatory bodies in other parts of the world may show some minor differences.
4.4.1. General recommendations Fire extinguishers As a hotel is a commercial building fire extinguishers must always be provided: National fire codes (e.g. BGR 133) specify the type, size and quantity of extinguishers required with regard to the floor area and danger level of each location. It is important to provide an adequate number of fire extinguishers, which should be installed throughout the building.
always require a site-specific design, as all pipe diameters and nozzles must be calculated individually according to the particular application. Modular systems, on the other hand, consist of space-saving compact units that are installed within the protection zone itself. These units combine fast and reliable detection with quiet and safe extinguishing in one compact package.
4.4.3. Summary Although complying with the local standards, codes of practice and insurance guidelines is a legal obligation for hotel owners, they are also well aware that it is in their own interest to ensure that both the hotel and the occupants are well-protected. Extinguishing systems not only protect people and property extremely effectively, they also contribute to the smooth running of the hotel operations.
