Fire Safety Flashcards
What three components are needed for a fire to start, according to the fire triangle?
Ignition source (heat), fuel source, and oxygen source.
What is the fourth element that makes up the fire tetrahedron?
A chemical chain reaction
How does removing one of the elements of the fire triangle extinguish a fire?
Removal of any one of the three components will terminate the reaction and put out the fire. For example, a fire can be extinguished by smothering it with a fire blanket to prevent oxygen from reaching the flames.
What are the classifications of fires as per BS4547?
◦ Class A - “normal” solid materials, e.g. wood paper, textiles
◦ Class B - liquids or liquefiable solids
◦ Class C - involve gases
◦ Class D - involves metals, requiring special extinguishing agents
◦ Class E - involves cooking oils and fat
What is flashover and at what temperature does it typically occur?
Flashover is when downward radiation is so strong that a large area of combustible materials in the room will reach a temperature at which these materials spontaneously burst into flames, and typically occurs at around 600 degrees.
What are the three distinct phases of a fire?
Growth period, post-flashover, and decay period.
At what temperature does steel lose most of its strength?
Steel loses most of its strength when it reaches a temperature of 550 degrees.
hat is the role of the “Responsible Person” according to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO 2005)?
The “Responsible Person” is the employer, owner, or any person in control of the premises and is responsible for fire safety.
How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
A fire risk assessment should be reviewed regularly and kept up-to-date, at least annually, and also if any aspect of the building, its occupants, or its management changes
What is active fire protection?
Active fire protection involves systems and equipment that activate in response to a fire, either automatically or manually
What are some components of active fire protection?
Fire detection and alarm systems
Sprinkler systems
Fire extinguishers
Fire mains and hydrants
Smoke control systems
Emergency lighting
Fixed gas extinguishing systems
What are the categories of fire detection and alarm systems specified in BS 5839-1?
- Manual Fire Detection and Alarm Systems (Category M)
- Systems for Property Protection (Category P): P1 (systems installed throughout the protected building) and P2 (systems installed only in defined parts of the building).
- Systems for the Protection of Life (Category L): L1 (systems installed throughout the protected building), L2 (systems installed only in defined parts of the protected building, typically including the coverage of an L3 system), L3 (systems designed to provide early warning), L4 (systems installed within escape routes), and L5 (systems designed to meet a specific fire safety objective).
Name three ways to demonstrate compliance with fire safety regulations.
- BS 9999: Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings
- Approved Document B (Fire Safety)
- Fire engineering solutions
How does the Building Safety Act 2022 affect the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO)?
Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) makes a number of amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) to improve fire safety in all buildings regulated by the FSO, such as new legal requirements for all Responsible Persons to record fire risk assessments and fire safety arrangements.
How do pipe closures work?
Pipe closures work by confining an intumescent compound which expands on exposure to fire, rapidly exerting pressure upon the pipe.
What is a protected escape route?
The route along which people can escape from any point in a building to a final exit.
When are protected corridors required?
Corridors serving bedrooms, Dead end, shared by two or more occupants.
What is a final exit?
The end of an escape route from a building that gives direct access to a street, passageway, walkway or open space, and is sited to ensure that people rapidly disperse away from the building so that they are no longer in danger from fire and/or smoke.
How do you calculate the width of a final exit?
BS 9999 & Approved Document B have a merging flow formula to calculate the width the final exit taking into consideration number of people served by ground floor storey exit and stair width.
What are the limitations on travel distances?
Table 2.1 in Approved Document B Volume 2 sets maximum travel distances based on the use of the premises. Some examples of these limitations include:
Residential (institutional): 9m (one direction), 18m (more than one direction).
Residential (other): 9m (bedrooms, one direction), 18m (bedrooms, more than one direction).
What changes did the RRO bring about?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO 2005) brought about significant changes to fire safety legislation in England and Wales. Key aspects of what it introduced include:
- Shift in Responsibility:
It placed the responsibility for fire safety on the “Responsible Person,” which could be the employer, owner, or any person in control of the premises.
- Fire Risk Assessments:
It mandated that the Responsible Person must carry out a fire risk assessment to identify and address fire hazards.
- Consolidation of Legislation:
It consolidated numerous pieces of fire safety legislation, simplifying the legal framework.
- Focus on Prevention:
It shifted the emphasis from prescriptive measures to a risk-based approach, focusing on preventing fires and ensuring safe evacuation.
At what temperature does an Intumescent product activate?
Activated typically between 200-250°C
What are the duties of a responsible person under the RRO 2005
Undertaking risk assessments
Taking fire precautions to ensure the safety of employees and premises.
Eliminating or reducing risks from dangerous substances.
Providing information and training to employees.
Providing information to employers from outside organisations and the self employed.
Co-operating and co-ordinating with other responsible persons.
What types of buildings do the RRO 2005 apply to?
it applies to:
offices and shops;
premises that provide care, including care homes and hospitals; community halls, places of worship and other community premises;
the shared areas of properties several households live in;
pubs, clubs and restaurants; schools and sports centres;
tents and marquees;
hotels and hostels;
and factories and warehouses.
What types of building do the RRO 2005 not apply to?
It does not apply to people’s private homes, including individual flats in a block or house.
What are the fire classification of materials?
European Classification (BS EN 13501-1): Materials are classified as A1, A2, B, C, D, E, or F, with A1 being the highest performance and F the lowest. Class F is assigned when a product fails to achieve Class E. Untested products cannot be classified under this standard.
- Additional classifications for smoke production (s1, s2, s3) and flaming droplets/particles (d0, d1, d2) accompany classes A2, B, C, D, and E.
- s1 indicates the lowest smoke production, while d0 indicates the lowest production of flaming droplets/particles.
- s3 and d2 indicate that there are no set limits for smoke production or flaming droplets/particles.
-s1 = Weak or no smoke
s2 = Medium smoke
s3 = High smoke
d0 = No dripping at all
d1 = Slow dripping recorded
d2 = High dripping recorded
What makes up “fire resistance”?
Fire resistance measures a material’s resistance to collapse (loadbearing capacity), fire penetration (integrity), and heat transfer (insulation).
European Classification (BS EN 13501-2 to 4): Performance is classified based on:
- R: Loadbearing capacity.
- E: Integrity.
- I: Insulation.
Fire resistance is measured in minutes, indicating the time elapsed in a standard test.
What does the BS476 fire tests consist of?
Combustibility test, ignitability test, flame spread, calorific value, smoke release, burning droplets.
At what height is a building prohibited from having combustible cladding?
A Floor Level Above 18m. This is expected to be reduced in the next few years
What is BS 9999?
BS 9999: Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings. Origionally published in 2008, when it part-superseded BS 5588.
What is the difference between a wet and a dry riser?
Wet Riser - Wet risers are charged with water from a pressurised supply, often pumped from a storage tank, with landing valves at specified locations on each floor.
Dry Riser - Dry risers do not contain water when they are not being used, but are charged with water by fire service pumping appliances when necessary.
How is a riser designed?
The three elements of the riser system, namely the external inlet, the pipework and the internal outlets should be designed to meet BS 5041 BS 5306, BS 9990 and Building Approval Regulations.
What are the types of sprinkler system?
Wet pipe systems
Wet pipe system with antifreeze
Dry pipe system
Deluge systems
What is a wet pipe sprinkler system?
Wet pipe sprinkler systems are the most common type used today. In a wet pipe system, water is constantly maintained throughout the pipes. Upon sprinkler activation, water is immediately discharged from the activated sprinkler head.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of wet sprinkler system?
Advantages include: Relatively low system installation and maintenance costs, Ease of modification, The system is the most reliable of all of the sprinkler systems, Short down time following a fire.
Disadvantages include: Wet pipe systems are not suited for sub-freezing environments, if the pipe leaks it can cause damage to the property.
What is a dry pipe sprinkler system?
A Dry Pipe System consist of pipes that contain pressurized air instead of water. Then there is a check valve that holds the water supply back from the pipes. A fire sprinkler head is then triggered when it is heated to temperature. This vents the air from the fire sprinkler head through the fire sprinkler pipe.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of dry sprinkler system
Advantages include: Pipes are not at risk of freezing, If a pipe leaks property is not damaged this is particularly useful in historic buildings,
Disadvantages include: Lower design flexibility, Increased corrosion potential due to residual water collecting in piping low spots. Increased fire response time as the water is take time to get to the sprinkler head. Higher installation cost due to the complexity of the design.
What is PAS 9980:2022?
It provides a methodology for appraising and assessing the scope for, and risk from, fire spread via external wall construction and cladding on existing blocks of flats.
What are some proposed changes to Fire Safety?
The introduction of BS9991 which introduces new provisions such as evacuation lifts, identifies stay put may propose a greater risk, and the introduction of evacuation alerts on buildings over 18m if the fire plan fails. Released in 2024.
What is the differences between BS 9999 and BS 9991?
BS 9999 provides recommendations and guidance for fire safety in the design, management, and use of buildings other than dwellings.
BS 9991 offers recommendations and guidance for fire safety measures in residential buildings, including individual dwelling houses, certain residential buildings, and specialized housing.
BS 9999 excludes individual dwelling houses, certain residential buildings and specialized housing from its scope. BS 9991 specifically addresses these building types.
