Fire Safety Flashcards
FIRE SAFTEY: What are the main causes of fire within buildings?
- Cigarettes
- E-Cigarettes / Vaping
- Candles
- Plug-in Air Fresheners
- Electric Circuit Overload
- Electric Blankets
- Electrical Appliances
- Furniture (mad out of flammable materials)
- Gas
FIRE SAFTEY: What are the legal requirements of non-domestic buildings?
- The Fire (Scotland) 2005 and The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulation 2006 set out important responsibilities on the Duty Holder (e.g employer), these include:
a. Carryout a Fire Risk Assessment of the Workplace
b. Equip the building with fire fighting equipment (extinguishers / sprinkler and fire alarm system as required).
c. Provide clear emergency exit routes with clear signage as appropriate.
d. Ensuring all systems are suitably maintained and are in a good state of repair.
What conditions are required for a fire to start in a building?
- Oxygen, heat and fuel is required.
- The ‘flash point’ occurs where the temperature required for the fuel to be heated is reached with fire occurring when an ignition is applied.
- The ‘fire point’ is the temperature which fuel needs to be to sustain fire.
- The ‘spontaneous ignition’ temperature is the temperature at which vapours ignite spontaneously.
What are the 5 most common causes of fire according to the National Fire Protection Association?
- Cooking Equipment.
- Heating Equipment.
- Electrical Equipment.
- Smoking materials (cigarettes).
- Intentional fire setting.
How do fires spread in buildings?
- Fire passes through various stages from the moment of ignition to the time at which all combustible materials are alight.
- A critical moment occurs when flames reach the ceiling, where the heat transferred back to the source of the fuel dramatically increases to reach around 550 degrees celcius.
- The remaining combustible materials will then ignite within 3-4 seconds - this is known as a flashover.
- If the fire is contained within an enclosed area with a limited source of oxygen then the fire may fail to flashover and will continue to smoulder unless a new source of oxygen is supplied such as by opening a door.
- Once the flashover occurs the fire will sustain within the enclosed space and the highest temperatures will be reached at this point. The fire protection of materials at this point will be required to sustain the temperature,
How can a fire be contained by the structural layout of a building?
The spread of fire can be achieved by subdividing a building into a number of compartments (As per 2.1 of the non-domestic technical handbook either 30, 60 or 120 mins)
Compartments are formed from:
- Compartment walls
- Compartment floors
- Fire rated partitioning
- Cavity barriers
- Fire rates doors with fire rated seals.
How is the structure of a building protected from fires?
- Intumescent Coatings
- Create a fireproof layer so no oxygen can reach the embedded steel when exposed to high temperatures. - Compartmentation methods:
- Compartment walls
- Compartment floors
- Fire rated partitioning
- Cavity barriers
- Fire rates doors with fire rated seals. - Fire Stopping:
- Fire stopping service penetrations through a compartment wall incl. intumescent sleeves.
What are the different components of a fire door and how do they work together to keep people safe?
According to the Fire Door Inspection Scheme:
- Gap between the door and the frame cannot be 4mm or less (8mm or less at bottom).
- Smoke seals fitted to the door and appropriately filling the gap.
- Intumescent seal visible on the door side profile.
- Door closers.
- FD 30 , FD60 OR FD120 Depending on compartment.
- Fire door signage.
- Hinges 3 Nr. – There should be a minimum of 3mm.
- Vision panels are marked or Georgian wire.
What is the difference between passive and active fire suppression? Give me some examples?
- Active fire protection takes action in order to put out a fire.
- Passive fire protection will help prevent a fire from spreading or resist the initial ignition.
What are examples of Active and Passive fire suppression?
Active:
- Fire alarms
- Sprinklers
- Fire hoses
- Fire extinguishers
- Fire blankets
Passive:
- Fire doors
- Fire walls
- Fire floors
- Intumescent paint
- Compartmentation
- Dampers
- Fire plan
What products can be specified to uphold fire compartmentation?
Fire Doors.
Fire rated windows.
Fire rated
Dampers.
Intumescent sleeves.
Cavity barriers.
What Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024
This Bill gives Scottish Ministers powers to carry out assessments to find out if the cladding on buildings is safe.
If not, Ministers can then organise repairs.
If necessary, Ministers can also require people to move out of the buildings until the work needed is done.
The Bill applies to only some buildings.
What has been provided to assist in obtaining a mortgage to a high risk building?
EWS1- a report carried out which ranks and identify the danger the cladding has to the building. This can then be show to banks so they can determine which buildings are safe to lend too etc.
What is Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005?
Employers Requirements
a. Carryout a Fire Risk Assessment of the Workplace
b. Equip the building with fire fighting equipment (extinguishers / sprinkler and fire alarm system as required).
Employees Responsibilities:
Take reasonable care for the safety in respect of harm caused by fire of:
- The employee; and
- Any other relevant person who may be affected.
- Co-operate with the employers requirements.
