In any form of construction, residential and commercial, the safety of occupants must always be of utmost importance. This means putting systems in place to ensure the safety and well being of the occupants in case of emergencies as Fire.There should be systems in place to ensure injury to persons as well as damage to property is prevented. You should contact qualified personnel to asses your structure and design or propose the kind of system that would be suitable for your needs and structures. What kind of Fire Safety equipment would you need in your structure? In this article we share with you fire safety equipment you should install in your structure.
1. Fire Extinguisher
The most basic definition is a portable device that discharges a jet of water, foam, gas, or other material to extinguish a fire. It contains a certain kind of extinguishing agent and includes a mechanism which puts the extinguisher into operation. We distinguish these kinds of fire extinguishers: handheld (portable), cart-mounted (also called wheeled), and trailers. The choice of the type of fire extinguisher to apply in a particular space is determined by the class of fire likely to break-out in that particular area(Classes Of Fire).Amongst others these are the type of fire extinguishers commonly available:Foam extinguisher, Water extinguisher, Dry powder extinguisher, Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
2. Smoke and Fixed/Portable Gas Detectors.
Remember that cliche saying: Prevention is better than cure. These are fire protection devices that automatically alerts when there is presence of smoke or gas leakage. Once you are alerted you can take measures to prevent a full blown fire outbreak or most importantly prevent injury to the persons in that particular space. These are wired to your fire alarm systems
3. Fire Sprinkler Systems
Automatic fire sprinkler systems helps in a big way to save lives.An automatic sprinkler system is intended to detect, control and extinguish a fire, and warn the occupants of occurrence of fire. The installation comprises fire pumps, water storage tanks, control valve sets, sprinkler heads, flow switches, pressure switches, pipe work and valves. The system should operate automatically without human intervention.
4.Fire hose reels
Fire Hose Reels provide a reasonably accessible and controlled supply of water to combat a potential fire risk. Various types of Fire Hose Reels are available to meet specific needs. They come in different lengths and various water flow rates.A control nozzle attached to the end of the hose enables the operator to control the direction and flow of water to the fire. e environmental applications such as marinas
Automatic fire sprinkler systems helps in a big way to save lives.An automatic sprinkler system is intended to detect, control and extinguish a fire, and warn the occupants of occurrence of fire. The installation comprises fire pumps, water storage tanks, control valve sets, sprinkler heads, flow switches, pressure switches, pipe work and valves. The system should operate automatically without human intervention.
4.Fire hose reels
Fire Hose Reels provide a reasonably accessible and controlled supply of water to combat a potential fire risk. Various types of Fire Hose Reels are available to meet specific needs. They come in different lengths and various water flow rates.A control nozzle attached to the end of the hose enables the operator to control the direction and flow of water to the fire. e environmental applications such as marinas
5. Fire hydrants
A fire hydrant is a pipe that allows water to flow from a water main with the control of a valve in order to put out a fire. A firefighter connects a fire hose to the hydrant and releases a valve to get water from the water main. The different valves on a fire hydrant allow it to be attached to different water sources that may be either pressurized or not pressurized. This is an important element of Fire safety that building designers must not forget to put into consideration.
6.Emergency Lighting
It is a standard requirement taht Emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting. The purpose of emergency lighting is to ensure the lighting is provided promptly, automatically and for a suitable time when the normal power supply to the lighting fails to ensure that people within the building can evacuate safely in the event of an emergency. Emergency lighting can be provided by means of local self-contained batteries mounted within the emergency luminaire or by a central battery wired via a dedicated network to the emergency fittings.
7.Fire Doors
This ia a complete installed door assembly comprising door frame, door leaves, other panels, hardware, seals and any glazing that when closed is intended to resist the passage of fire and smoke. They work together in an integrated system in order to preserve life and property through i) compartmentalising a fire; and ii) creating/protecting an escape route through the building.
The escape route in a fire situation is frequently the route of everyday traffic, hence the fire doors must not impede the normal functioning of a building. As earlier noted, door retainers can be used to keep them legally open, although the doors should be regularly closed as part of their routine maintenance in order to prevent warping or other malfunctions that could compromise their integrity in a fire situation.In serving to compartmentalise a building and/or preserve an escape route, the function of a fire door, when closed, is to provide resistance to smoke/fire for a minimum specified length of time.
8.Defibrillators
A defibrillator is an electrical device that provides a shock to the heart when there is a life-threatening arrhythmia present. The arrhythmia that we worry about is called ventricular fibrillation. This is a very rapid erratic beating of the heart. Multiple parts of pacemakers in the heart starts sort of beating erratically and the heart can't rhythmically contract. And what the defibrillator does, it provides shock that basically shocks the heart to stop so that it can start rhythmically contracting again. This could save a life in case an individual is over exposed to a fire which may cause heart conditions.
9. Firts AID Kit
A well-stocked first-aid kit, kept in easy reach, is a necessity for every home, vehicle and workplace. This would come in handy should one experience injuries as a result of fire. This is meant to take of small injuries. For severe, the victim should be rushed to a nearby hospital.
This is just but a few of Fire safety equipment that should be integrated into a building. We hope you are enlightened and you look forward to our next piece. Read, Learn and Share.
A well-stocked first-aid kit, kept in easy reach, is a necessity for every home, vehicle and workplace. This would come in handy should one experience injuries as a result of fire. This is meant to take of small injuries. For severe, the victim should be rushed to a nearby hospital.
This is just but a few of Fire safety equipment that should be integrated into a building. We hope you are enlightened and you look forward to our next piece. Read, Learn and Share.
