Fire Protection System

History
Introduction
Classification of Fire and Construction Hazards
Planning for Fire Protection
Fire Safety Design
Fire Detection and Signaling Devices
Fire Alarm Systems
Fire Suppression Systems
Automatic Sprinkler Systems
Smoke Controls

HISTORY
In 1806, Englishman John Carey
developed the idea of a heatoperated devise that would
distribute water through a
system of perforated pipes to
extinguish a fire.

It is generally accepted that the worlds first

sprinkler system was installed in the Theatre
Royal, Drury Lane in the United Kingdom in
1812. The system was designed by Sir
William Congreve, 2nd Baronet was covered
in a patent dated the same year.

The system consisted of a

cylindrical airtight reservoir of water,
fed by a 10 inch water main which
branched to all parts of the theater.
A series of smaller pipes feed from
the distribution pipe were pierced
with a series of 1/2 inches holes that
poured water onto the fire.

By 1852, yes thats before the Civil War,

perforated pipe systems were commonly used in
various industry buildings for fire protection in the
United States.

Many early inventors began investing time

and effort to improve these systems from the
time they were initially used. But it wasnt
until 1860 when interest of an automated
system began to have interest.

Barnabas Wood of Nashville,

Tennessee patented the first basic
sprinkler. His design included a
eutectic fusible solder link, which is
the foundation for all modern-day
sprinklers.

In 1864 Major Stewart Harrison of the 1st Engineer Volunteers

of London England, gave to the world the first Automatic
Sprinkler Head.
Working off of these overseas ideas, Philip Pratt of Abington
Massachusetts developed his own version and patented the
first automated sprinkler system in 1872 in the United States.

Two years later Henry Parmelee of

New Haven Connecticut improved
on Pratts design and created the
first practical automatic sprinkler
head. The first system using this
concept was installed in his own
piano factory in 1874.

 Interest in the Parmalee Sprinkler grew

throughout New England. Taking advantage
of this interest Parmelee and Frederick
Grinnell organized a test and demonstration
of a sprinkler system. It was a success.

Legislation for setting fire prevention,

suppression and installation of fire protection
systems began to appear in 1885.
In 1896 the National Fire Protection
association (NFPA) was founded. It
was the first time anyone had set and
implemented standards for the
installation of automatic fire
sprinklers.

INTRODUCTION
Fire protection refers to measures taken to prevent fire
from becoming destructive, reduce the impact of
uncontrolled fire and save lives and property. It involves
the implementation of safety planning practices and
drills, and includes education on fire, research,
investigation, safety planning, building construction, safe
operations, training and testing of mitigating systems.
A fire protection system includes: devices, wiring, piping,
equipment, and controls to detect fire or smoke, to
actuate signal, and to suppress the fire or smoke.

Objectives of fire protection:

1) Primary objectives: to save lives and
protect property.
2) Secondary objective: to minimize
interruptions of service due to a fire.

Current trends in building design and modern

lifestyles contributing to serious fire hazards:
1) High-rise buildings: Buildings become taller and
more densely situated.
2) Architectural design: Larger areas and open spaces.
Less separation walls.
3) Increased use of combustible materials:
Furnishings, equipment, and decorative finishesmade of
materials such as plastic and synthetics are a source of
toxic gas and smoke during a fire.

Classification of Fire and Construction Hazards

Classification of Fires ( according to NFPA, U.S.A.)
Class A
- Fires of ordinary combustible materials such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber,
and many plastics.
Class B
- Fires in flammable liquids, oils, greases, tar, oil-base paints, lacquers, and
flammable gases.
Class C
- Fires that involve energized electrical equipment. Extinguishing medium must
not be a conductor of electricity.
Class D
- Fires of combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium,
sodium, lithium, and potassium.

Classification of Hazards
Light (low) hazard: Locations where the total amount
of Class A combustible materials is minor.
Ordinary (moderate) hazard: Locations where Class A
combustibles and Class B flammables are present in
greater amounts than expected under light hazard
occupancies.
Extra (high) hazard: Locations with large quantities of
highly combustible materials and conditions are such
that fires could develop quickly with high heat release.

Use or Occupancy (Construction Type)

Group A: Assembly. Occupied by more than 1000
people (A-1), less than 1000 people , and other
situations (A-3, A-4, and A-5).
Group B: Business. Used for offices, professions or
service-type transactions.
Group E: Educational. Elementary schools (E-1, E-2),
daycare (E-3).
Group F: Factory. Moderate hazard (F-1), low Hazard
(F-2).
Group H: Hazard. Group H-1 through H-7, depending
on the hazardous material being handled or stored.
Group I: Institutional. Nurseries, hospital, nursing
homes (I-1), others (I-2, I-3).

 Group M: Mercantile- display, storage and sale of merchandise.

Group R: Residential
- Hotels, motels, or boarding houses (R-1)
- Multifamily dwellings (R-2)
- One-family or two family dwellings (R-3) child care (R-4)
Group S: Storage
- Moderate hazard (S-1)
- Low hazard (S-1)
- Repair garage(S-3)
- Open parking garage (S-4)
- Aircraft (S-5)
Group U: Utility. Buildings not covered by the above groups

Planning for Fire Protection

Step 1: Detection The presence of a fire is detected manually or
automatically.
Step 2: Signaling The buildings management, its occupants and the fire
department are notified of the presence of the fire.
Step 3: Suppression Manual or automatic fire suppression equipment and
systems are used to extinguish the fire and remove the smoke.
- 3A (Initial effort): Potable and manual firefighting equipment, such as fire
extinguishers, fans, and a first-aid fire hose, are used to extinguish the fire
and to remove smoke by dilution or exhaustion.
- 3B (Main effort): Fire suppression systems, such as automatic sprinklers, fire
hoses, and other systems, are used to extinguish the fire. Smoke control
systems are activated to remove or confine the spread of smoke.
- 3C (Last Effort): The fire department takes over the firefighting effort when all
previous efforts are ineffective

Fire Safety Design

Fire-resistant construction
Length of travel
Means of egress
Exit enclosures
Adequate lighting
Vertical openings
Vertical transportation
Coordination with mechanical and electrical
system
Compliance with code requirements for specific
use groups
Coordination with fire department

Fire Detection and Signaling

Devices

A. Manual Alarm Station

Typically achieved thru the use of a
pull station or call point
Manual fire alarm activation requires human
intervention
To avoid accidental operation of the switch,
the station is usually designed so that a
person must break a glass panel or glass
rod or must perform other preliminary
actions before the alarm can be operated

B. Thermal Detectors
Temperature activated sensors to initiate
the alarm
I. Fixed temperature heat detector

Operated with a bimetallic strip of two metals that expand at

different rates, eventually bending to touch a contact point and
complete the alarm circuit

II. Rate-of-rise heat detector

Measures temperature increase above a predetermined rate. The airsensitive device uses a diaphragm with a small hole that acts as a
relief valve for slow temperature increases. When a fast temperature
increase occurs, the diaphragm is pushed toward a contact point and
the alarm is activated

C. Smoke Detectors
Device that senses smoke
I. Photoelectric Detectors
This type operates on the principle of the scattering of light

II. Ionization Detectors

This type operates on the principle of changing conductivity
of air within the detector chamber

Photoelectric Detector

Fire Suppression System

Commonly used on heavy power
equipment. It uses a combination of
dry chemicals and/or wet agents to
suppress equipment fires.

Fire Suppression System

Water Based Suppression System
Portable fire extinguishers
Standpipe and Hose System (Standpipe
System)

Water Based Suppression System

Water based suppression systems utilize
the inexpensive and readily available
medium of water to discharge onto flames
through a normally fixed piping system.

Water Based Suppression System

FIRE STORAGE TANKS
FIRE PUMPING SYSTEM
THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

TYPES OF STORAGE TANKS

Fixed-roof tanks
External floating roof tanks
Internal floating roof tanks
Domed external floating roof tanks
Horizontal tanks
Variable vapor space tanks
LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) tanks

Fixed-roof tanks
The fixed-roof tank is the
least expensive to
construct and is generally
considered the minimum
acceptable equipment for
storing liquids. A typical
fixed-roof tank consists of
a cylindrical steel shell
with a cone- or domeshaped roof that is
permanently affixed to the
tank shell.

External floating roof tanks

A typical external floating
roof tank consists of an
open-topped cylindrical
steel shell equipped with
a roof that floats on the
surface of the stored
liquid, rising and falling
with the liquid level. The
floating roof is comprised
of a deck, fittings, and rim
seal system. Floating roof
decks are constructed of
welded steel plates and
are of three general
types: pan, pontoon, and

internal floating roof tank

internal floating roof
tank has both a
permanently affixed
roof and a roof that
floats inside the tank
on the liquid surface
(contact deck) or is
supported on
pontoons several
inches above the
liquid surface
(noncontact deck).
The internal floating

Domed external floating roof tanks

Domed external floating roof
tanks have the heavier type of
deck used in external floating
roof tanks as well as a fixed
roof at the top of the shell like
internal floating roof tanks.
Domed external floating roof
tanks usually result from
retrofitting an external floating
roof tank with a fixed roof.
As with the internal floating
roof tanks, the function of the
fixed roof is not to act as a
vapor barrier, but to block the
wind.

HORIZONTAL TANK
Horizontal tanks are
constructed for both aboveground and underground
service. Horizontal tanks are
usually constructed of steel,
steel with a fiberglass overlay,
or fiberglass-reinforced
polyester. Horizontal tanks are
generally small storage tanks.
Horizontal tanks are
constructed such that the
length of the tank is not greater
than six times the diameter to
ensure structural integrity.
Horizontal tanks are usually
equipped with pressurevacuum vents, gauge hatches
and sample wells, and

Variable vapor space tanks

Variable vapor space tanks are equipped
with expandable vapor reservoirs to
accommodate vapor volume fluctuations
attributable to temperature and barometric
pressure changes. Although variable
vapor space tanks are sometimes used
independently, they are normally
connected to the vapor spaces of one or
more fixed roof tanks.

LNG storage tank

A liquefied natural gas storage
tank or LNG storage tank is a
specialized type of storage tank
used for the storage of Liquefied
Natural Gas. LNG storage tanks
can be found in ground, above
ground or in LNG carriers. The
common characteristic of LNG
Storage tanks is the ability to
store LNG at the very low
temperature of -162C. LNG
storage tanks have double
containers, where the inner
contains LNG and the outer
container contains insulation
materials.

FIRE STORAGE TANKS

Light Hazard
Ordinary Hazard
High Hazard

FIRE PUMPING SYSTEM

Fire pumps
Control Valve

FIRE PUMPS TYPES

Horizontal split case

Vertical split case
Vertical in-line
Vertical turbine
End suction

Horizontal split case

Horizontal split case
pumps are the most
commonly used type of
pump. This is due to their
ease of access to all
working parts, availability
of various sizes, ability to
efficiently move large
amounts of water, and
their long term
dependability. This type of
pump requires a water
source that provides a
positive suction pressure.

Vertical split case

Functionality is similar to
Horizontal split case
pump with the exception
of the vertical orientation
of the pump and motor.
The vertical motor
placement offers the
advantages of less
required floor space and
the protection of the
motor against potential
flooding conditions. This
type of pump also
requires a water source
that provides a positive

Vertical in-line
Vertical in-line pumps also have a
vertical motor orientation. Generally
these are smaller, compact pumps
requiring less space than other
pumps. They are suited for
applications with limited space for a
pump room. Another benefit includes
in-line mounting that generally does
away with the need for special pads
or foundations. A drawback to the inline pump is that the entire driver
unit must be removed to perform
maintenance or repairs. A positive
suction pressure is required for this
type of pump.

Vertical turbine
the Vertical turbine pump does
not require a water source that
provides a positive suction
pressure. As such, this type of
pump is able to operate without
priming. The typical supplies for
these pumps are underground
tanks or wells. When operating,
these pumps force water up
through the column pipe to the
pump discharge.

End suction
An End suction pump is
considered a horizontal
pump. Similar to the
Vertical turbine pump,
the water flowing
through an End suction
pump makes a 90
radial turn from suction
to discharge.

Control Valve
Control valves are valves used to
control conditions such as flow,
pressure, temperature,
and liquid level by fully or partially
opening or closing in response to
signals received from controllers
that compare a "setpoint" to a
"process variable" whose value is
provided by sensors that monitor
changes in such conditions.

Why is water so good?

THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

consists of steel or galvanized steel pipes
that are painted red. These can be
welded together to make secure joints, or
attached with special clamps. When
running underground, they are wrapped
with a special coating that prevents
corrosion and protects the pipe.

Two types of distribution systems

Automatic Wet system
Automatic Dry system

 Automatic Wet systems are networks of

pipes filled with water connected to the
pumps and storage tanks, as described so
far.

 Automatic Dry systems are networks of pipes filled

with pressurized air instead of water. When a fire
fighter opens a hydrant, the pressurized air will first
rush out. The pressure sensors in the pump room
will detect a drop in pressure, and start the water
pumps, which will pump water to the system,
reaching the hydrant that the fire fighter is holding
after a gap of some seconds. This is done wherever
there is a risk of the fire pipes freezing if filled with
water, which would make them useless in a fire.

Portable Fire Extinguisher

A metal container fillled with some
contents with chemicals that is used to put
out a fire.

Australia

United Kingdom

 Class A fires involve organic solids such as

paper and wood.
Class B fires involve flammable or combustible
liquids, including petrol, grease, and oil.
Class C fires involve flammable gases.
Class D fires involve combustible metals.
Class E fires involve electrical
equipment/appliances.
Class F fires involve cooking fat and oil.

FIRE STORAGE TANKS

The storage tank type used to store flammable and
combustible liquids depends on the physical
characteristics of the product stored and the tanks
location (e.g., a tank farm or a gasoline service
station). Combustible liquids are typically stored in
large cone-roof tanks, smaller low-pressure
vertical or horizontal tanks, or underground tanks.
Flammable liquids are usually stored in open-top
or internal floating roof tanks in bulk quantities, in
small low-pressure vertical or horizontal tanks, or
in underground tanks.

Fire Pump
Fire hydrant pump systems (also known
as fire pumps, hydrant boosters, fire water
pumps) are high pressure water pumps
designed to increase the fire fighting
capacity of a building by boosting the
pressure in the hydrant service when
mains is not enough, or when tank fed.
They can also be used in water transfer
and irrigation applications.

OTHER FIRE
SUPPRESSION
SYSTEMS

FOAM SYSTEM
Foam systems are most effective for Class
B fires
caused by liquid, oil, grease, paint, etc.
The foam is made by
generators, which mix water
with detergent or other
chemicals to produce as
much as 1000 gallons of
foam for each gallon of water.

GASEOUS FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM

Gaseous
systems are
most effective
for Class C
fires caused
by electrical
equipment.
All these gases
are stored in
liquid state
under high
pressure.

GASEOUS FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM

Three varieties in agent
gases:
The carbon dioxide: CO2
Halogenated gas:
fluorine, chlorine,
bromine, or iodine
Atmospheric gas:
mixture of argon, carbon
dioxide, and nitrogen. The
gas mixture is nontoxic,
with zero ozone depletion
potential (ODP) and zero
global-warming (GWP)

H-cylinder canisters containing

argon gas for use in
extinguishing
fire in a server room, without
damaging equipment

DRY CHEMICALS
Dry chemical fire extinguisher

Dry chemicals are used

especially for Class D
fires caused by
combustible metals.
Examples of such metals
include sodium, titanium,
magnesium, potassium,
uranium lithium
plutonium and calcium.

Automatic sprinkler
systems

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

Automatic sprinkler systems are integrated

fire suppression systems consisting of a water
supply and a network of pipes, sprinkler heads
and other components to provide automatic
fire suppression in areas of a building.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

This system is the most effective for
suppressing a Class A fires in buildings
containing ordinary combustible materials,
such as wood, paper, and plastics.
The design and installation of the system
are strictly regulated by insurance
companies and in accordance with fire
codes.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

COMPONENTS

(1) Stop Valve The Stop Valve is

used to isolate
the water supply,
it may also be
called the
isolating valve.

COMPONENTS OF AN AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM

(2)
Valve Monitor is
used to monitor
the state (open or
closed) of
the Stop Valve.

COMPONENTS

(3) Alarm Valve The Alarm Valve

is used to control
the flow of water
into the fire
sprinkler system.

COMPONENTS
(4) Automatic Fire Sprinkler

(sprinkler heads)
The Fire Sprinkler is also
used to control the flow of
water. It is essentially a
valve that when exposed
for a sufficient time to a
temperature at or above
the temperature rating of
the heat sensitive
element (glass bulb or
fusible link) releases,
allowing water to flow from
only the affected sprinkler.

Automatic Fire Sprinkler

This discharges water in
specific pattern for
extinguishing or
controlling a fire.
A sprinkler head consists
of three major
components:
Nozzle
Heat detector: Fusible link
type / Frangible bulb type
Water spray pattern
deflector

Automatic Fire Sprinkler

The fusible link type of
heat detector is
constructed of a eutectic
alloy which melt at a
specific temperature
rather than gradually
softening. When the link
temperature reaches its
melting point, the link is
pulled apart by the water
pressure and opens
nozzle

Automatic Fire Sprinkler

The frangible
bulb type of
detector contains
a glass bulb
partially filled
with a liquid that
expands with
temperature.

Automatic Fire Sprinkler

COMPONENTS

(5)
Alarm Test Valv
e
- The purpose
of the alarm
valve is when
opened to
simulate the flow
of water from a
single automatic

COMPONENTS
(6) Motorised
Alarm Bell or Gong
- The motorised
alarm bell or gong is
a mechanical device,
operated by the flow
of water oscillating a
hammer that strikes
a gong, causing an
audible alarm signal.

ANCILLARY COMPONENTS
(7) Pressure Switch
- The pressure
switch is an
electro-mechanical
device that
monitors a fire
sprinkler system
for a fall in water
pressure after
the alarm valve.

ANCILLARY COMPONENTS
(8) Flow Switch The flow switch is
an electromechanical device
that monitors the
flow of water
through asection of
pipe within an
automatic fire
sprinkler system.

ANCILLARY COMPONENTS

(9) Jacking Pump

- provide a
method of
pumping
(boosting) water
from the water
supply to the fire
sprinkler system
after the alarm
valve

COMPONENTS

Pressure
Gauge - A
pressure gauge
us a mechanical
device that is
usually fitted to
an automatic
fire sprinkler
system.

TYPES OF AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM

Wet-pipe sprinkler systems employ

automatic sprinklers attached to a piping
system containing water and connected to
a water supply so that water discharges
immediately containing water and
connected to a water supply so that water
discharges immediately from sprinklers
opened by a fire.

Wet-pipe sprinkler system

TYPES OF AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM

Dry-pipe sprinkler systems employ

automatic sprinkler attached to a piping
system containing air or nitrogen under
pressure.
Dry-pipe systems are installed in lieu of
wet-pipe systems where piping is subject
to freezing

Dry-pipe sprinkler system

TYPES OF AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM

A deluge fire sprinkler system is similar

to a pre-action system except the sprinkler
heads are open and the pipe is not
pressurized with air. Deluge systems are
connected to a water supply through a
deluge valve that is opened by the
operation of a smoke or heat detection
system.

Deluge fire sprinkler system