Fire Safety Testing

Frequentis has developed an application which allows location data and video from drones to feed directly into workstations in the control center, through its LifeX and ASGARD solutions. The integrated solution will be presented at the global trade fair for professional mobile communications and control centers, PMRExpo, in Cologne from November 27, 2018. UAVs/Drones Application In Emergency Situations Video and sensor data provided by drones could vastly support rescue forces in their mission Firefighters, police, emergency medical services, search and rescue crews, and lifeguards, responding to a wide range of emergencies every day, are all too often hindered by a lack of critical information. Video and sensor data provided by drones could vastly support these emergency and life safety forces in their missions. At PMRExpo, Frequentis will highlight how Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones can be efficiently utilized in emergency situations by directly integrating their critical surveillance information into the control center’s communication systems. Beyond Visual Line Of Sight Operations The system design is fully scalable and will support autonomous Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations in the future, if permitted by local legal legislation. This will allow emergency services to use drones to quickly gain a real-time aerial view of a situation as it unfolds. The application forwards the live video data to the control center. The data feed can be processed and displayed by both the Frequentis multimedia collaboration platform LifeX, as used in large national public safety organizations, or its communication system ASGARD, which is already used in 35 security centers for industry and fire departments in Germany. Resolution and quality can be configured by a mobile app to use the maximum available bandwidth of encrypted LTE connectivity.  High Efficiency Control Center “With the help of this technology the Control Center can quickly and directly gain an information advantage, improving situational awareness, allowing simplification and acceleration of emergency services work processes.” Says Jan Ziegler – Head of New Business Development UAVs.

With many families affected by wildfires unable to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at home, the American Red Cross urges families in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to focus on home fire safety this weekend. Thanksgiving is one of the leading days for home cooking fires. You can help protect yourself and loved ones from home fires—the nation's most frequent disaster—by testing your smoke alarms and practicing your escape plan with free resources from the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign. Preventing home fire tragedy The Red Cross responds to over 64,000 disasters every year, the majority of which are home fires"Families can prevent tragedy by reviewing their escape plans, testing their smoke alarms, even talking about home fire preparedness at the Thanksgiving table," said Guillermo Sanchez, Preparedness and Resiliency Manager for the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region. The Red Cross responds to over 64,000 disasters every year, the majority of which are home fires. As Red Cross workers continue to provide recovery services to those affected by the Woolsey and Hill wildfires, additional volunteers are standing by throughout the weekend to respond to new disasters. One can help people affected by disasters like wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief.     

The global market for Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Materials is estimated to reach US$ 30.2 billion by 2025. Growth in the market will be driven by the growing number of fire accidents, stringent fire safety regulations, and technological advances and product innovations. The growing number of fire accidents worldwide in recent years has led to the implementation of increasingly stringent regulations related to fire safety across the globe. In this background, demand for fire management products such as passive fire protection (PFP) materials has grown rapidly over the last few years. Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Material PFP materials prevent the structure of a building from collapsing by containing the spread of fire and are increasingly becoming an indispensable part of the building disaster management system. Use of PFP materials in buildings and complex structures enhances the structural stability and offers additional protection to load bearing beams and columns which prolongs their crumbling in the event of a fire breakout. Apart from construction, other key end-use markets for PFP materials are oil & gas, and electronics. Sprays, boards, and thin film intumescent coatings are the most commonly used PFP materials to protect steel structures from fire Sprays, boards, and thin film intumescent coatings are the most commonly used PFP materials to protect steel structures from fire. Intumescent thin-film coatings are one of the fastest growing market segments and are being widely used as substitute for boards and sprays. Water-based intumescent coatings are the most commonly used coatings for fireproofing steel. Global PFP Market The above findings are part of a comprehensive analysis of the global passive fire protection materials market published by Melvin Bright, which provides insights into key market segments such as coatings, bulkheads, cladding and panels, fire protection doors, sealants, fittings, sprays, boards, cables, ductworks, glazing systems, fire walls, and ceilings and partitions, among others. It also covers end-use markets such as construction, oil and gas, electronics, defense, automotive and transportation, chemical, energy and power, healthcare, waste management, and hospitality, among others. The study provides granular market information on the above market segments for all the major regional and country markets.

Leading lights in fire safety have been appointed by the International Fire Safety Standards Coalition [IFSS] to help improve building safety worldwide. A core group of twenty-two leading fire safety experts was appointed to the coalition’s standards setting committee that will work to develop landmark industry standards for fire safety in buildings. Overcoming Risk To Public Safety Past-president of the Association for Project Safety (APS) Bobby Chakravarthy – who is a founder member and represents the association on the IFSS – said that in an increasingly globalized construction market there needed to consistent principles, so fire safety could be tackled internationally. The standards aim to overcome the risk to public safety that can arise when there is confusion and uncertainty arising from different rules for materials testing and certification, building regulations or codes and standards on how buildings are managed. Chakravarthy said the standards being developed at an international level would provide guidance so professionals could improve safety locally. Improving Building Fire Safety Standards I believe that the experts who have joined the coalition will play a vital part in making buildings everywhere safer for everyone"Past-President Bobby Chakravarthy said: “The standard of fire safety needs to be improved at home and overseas. This is why the Association for Project Safety [APS] is part of the International Fire Safety Standards Coalition [IFSS] and why we are working with our partner organizations across the world to develop consistent standards which will take the guess work out of fire safety in construction. “The Grenfell Tower disaster was a wake-up call in the UK but far too many people are still killed in building fires worldwide. I believe that the experts who have joined the coalition will play a vital part in making buildings everywhere safer for everyone.” Best Practise For Fire Safety The International Fire Safety Standards Coalition consists of local and international professional bodies and standard-setting organizations committed to developing and supporting, in the public interest, a shared set of standards for fire safety in buildings. The standards aim to set and reinforce the best practice for professionals to ensure building safety in the event of a fire.

Earlier this year, Johnson Controls partnered with a third-party consulting firm and research group to successfully test a new technology that could potentially save countless lives with early fire identification and intervention for rapid fire protection to the external facade of a building. The standalone system was designed to quickly identify and accurately pinpoint the location of the fire and deliver water to that exact location within seconds. In addition, the system may use existing building fire protection infrastructure to minimise the need for additional water supplies, pipework and pumps. Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants (TBWIC) in cooperation with the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) conducted a full-scale fire test program to assess the performance of this new SPRAYSAFE Autonomous Fire Suppression (AFS) technology, licensed by Unifire AB. Small Target Fires Testing occurred from January to March of 2018 at the TBWIC facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The purpose of the test was to validate the ability of the new SPRAYSAFE AFS technology to autonomously detect and locate an early-stage fire, distribute water to its location and prevent it from spreading on the exterior surface of a building with combustible facade materials. The objective of the targeting tests was to verify that the system could automatically detect and accurately direct water spray at small target fires Two tests were conducted – a targeting test series and a large-scale fire performance test -- using combustible fire cladding. The objective of the targeting tests was to verify that the system could automatically detect and accurately direct water spray at small target fires within the limits of the coverage area at both minimum and maximum operating pressures. Prevent Fire Spread The large-scale fire performance test was conducted to verify the system could adequately prevent fire spread on a simulated full-scale facade. Three different attack types were assessed – vertical downward, diagonal downward and horizontal. A free-burn test was also performed to verify the combustibility and response of the facade material without suppression. The testing validated the new SPRAYSAFE AFS technology has the capability to rapidly and autonomously fight an early-stage fire anywhere within its coverage area. Additionally, the system also effectively contained flashover fires, prevented fires from spreading via the exterior of the facade surface and limited severe fire damage to the point of origin. “As buildings continue to reach new heights, the need for early fire detection and intervention of the facade is critically important,” said Fredrik Rosen, marketing manager, Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants. “This revolutionary technology from Johnson Controls can quickly and effectively fight fires in high-rise buildings, which is a major challenge in today’s environment.”

Fire detection is reaching new, advanced levels, designed to help save more lives. Edwards, continuing in its legacy as the inventor of the alarm bell, is the first multi-criteria smoke detector manufacturer to receive certification to the UL standard for Fire Alarm Systems UL 268, 7th edition, set to take effect May 2020. The new Signature Optica smoke detectors utilise a next-generation sensor that better distinguishes the type of fire and the danger it creates, as well as reducing nuisance alarms. Edwards is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. UL-certified Signature Optica smoke detectors The Edwards Signature Optica detectors will differentiate between truly threatening smoldering fires and nuisances such as burning food or steam The significantly revised standard incorporates three new tests, including a new cooking nuisance alarm test and two polyurethane foam tests for smoldering and flaming fires. These new tests better represent the smoke profiles and behavior of modern building fires to help ensure next-generation sensors are designed to give building occupants enough time to evacuate safely. All UL-certified smoke detectors are required to meet the enhanced requirements in 2020, representing a major change in the life-safety industry. The Edwards Signature Optica detectors will differentiate between truly threatening fast-flaming or smoldering fires and nuisances such as burning food or steam. The new detectors may also improve overall occupant safety, as commercial buildings typically contain furnishings comprised of synthetic materials such as polyurethane foam that are known to ignite and burn faster than traditional materials. This is a major advancement for commercial building operators, especially in hospitality, healthcare and other facilities that can be prone to nuisance alarms. Importance of multi-criteria smoke detectors “Through our research, we know that fire dynamics have changed over the last several decades,” said Chris Hasbrook, Vice President and GM for UL’s Building and Life Safety division. “We know manufacturers like Edwards have been actively working toward meeting the new smoke detector requirements and we are happy to see the first certification mark on a multi-criteria smoke detector. While expanding the smoke detector’s ability to respond to a range of types of smoke generated from various types of fires, today’s smoke alarm will be more technologically advanced and have the ability to help reduce cooking nuisance alarms, and that’s extremely important for fire safety.” The technology in Signature Optica represents a more sophisticated detection methodologyThe technology in Signature Optica represents a more sophisticated detection methodology. As particles enter the chamber, the size of the particles is analysed by a series of algorithms and consolidated into ratios to determine if the particles stem from a real fire or a nuisance source. This innovative approach was quickly matured using advanced design principles and the Edwards state-of-the-art fire test room. Signature Optica detectors can be retrofitted to existing Edwards systems without replacing control panels or software. Enhanced fire safety “Edwards is providing customers with the tools they need to alarm faster with greater accuracy, building on our 146-year legacy of fire and life-safety innovation,” said Edwards General Manager Angie Gomez. “The new Signature Optica smoke detectors will enhance protection of people and property while minimising false alarms that cause business interruption and unnecessary responses by fire departments.” In 2014 alone, according to the NFPA Journal, U.S. fire departments responded to 2.5 million false alarms. The Signature Optica detector line will become commercially available in the coming months.

A number of shocking incidents involving fire have highlighted the need to better manage risks in buildings. David Adkins, managing director at Risk Warden, explains why some organisations need to give compliance with statutory regulations more focus and how the use of state-of-the-art online risk assessment tools can help to ensure that a building is as safe as possible. The Grenfell Tower disaster in London, in which 72 people lost their lives, brought the subject of fire safety into sharp focus. A government review into building regulations in the wake of this tragedy, led by Dame Judith Hackitt, made it clear that competence – defined as a combination of knowledge, skills and experience – underpins safety for all. It also found that that the current regulatory system is not fit for purpose and, with little or no quality monitoring, has created a situation where poor language confuses guidance with regulation and means that there is an overlapping regulatory enforcement framework. Why you need a fire safety action plan Sadly, Grenfell was not an isolated incident and similar events have occurred throughout the world. In 2017 a fire at a 17-storey commercial building in Iran led to multiple deaths, including those of 18 firefighters, while in 2015 16 people died in a fire in a residential building in Azerbaijan. Perhaps what is most concerning is that these types of events have been regularly occurring for many years – in 2010 a fire in a 28-storey tower block in China killed 53 people and injured at least 90, while in 2004 a fire at a care home in Scotland led directly to the deaths of 14 residents. The inquiry concluded that this tragedy could have been prevented by a suitable fire safety action plan. These examples highlight why it is vital to take the issue of safety seriously by undertaking a formal risk assessment. Put simply, if risks aren’t identified, a building’s occupants are in danger. There are a number of important pieces of legislation relating to this area in the UK including The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which contain a consistent set of requirements. Employers also have a general duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. The Grenfell Tower disaster in London, in which 72 people lost their lives, brought the subject of fire safety into focus Responsibility for fire risk assessment When it comes to the dangers associated specifically with fire, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) places the onus on a designated responsible person within an organisation to carry out regular assessments to identify, manage and reduce the potential danger posed by fire. Article 9 of the RRFSO states that "The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions he/she needs to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him/her by or under this order". Any failure that leads to loss of life, personal injury or damage to property will expose a responsible person and could lead to prosecution. Outside fire risk assessors If the responsible person does not have the knowledge to carry out a fire risk assessment on his or her own, it will be necessary to call on a competent outside fire risk assessor. However, as Article 18 of the RRFSO points out, "Preference is to be given to a suitable competent person in the responsible person’s employment over a person not in their employment". Just as importantly, it states that, "A person is to be regarded as competent where they have sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable them properly to assist in undertaking the preventive and protective measures". If an outside fire risk assessor is employed then the responsible person must undertake due diligence to ensure that the individual concerned is competent and has successful track record in this line of work. Failure to do so can have enormous repercussions like, for example, in 2017 when a former firefighter and professional fire risk assessor was given a sentence of four months in prison suspended for 12 months for providing a ‘woefully inadequate’ fire risk assessment in his capacity as a private consultant. Failure to undertake due diligence when employing a fire risk assessor can have legal consequences Monitoring and reviewing fire risk It is up to the responsible person to put processes and procedures in place to enable compliance to be fully evidenced. This includes keeping up to date records of testing and maintenance regimes that can be scrutinised by relevant enforcement authorities, as well as enabling the responsible person to monitor, control and periodically review the fire risk assessment, especially during and after significant changes to the use or layout of a building. At the moment there are no hard and fast rules as to how fire risk assessments should be carried out. However, the most important requirement is to identify the fire hazards and how people could be at risk. In addition, emergency routes and exits, fire detection and warning systems, fire fighting equipment, the removal or safe storage of dangerous substances, and the needs of vulnerable people such as the elderly or those with disabilities must be factored in. The aim should always be to remove or reduce the risks as much as is 'reasonably practicable'. A failure to provide satisfactory evidence that a comprehensive risk assessment has taken place could result in invalid insurance, large fines and even the prosecution of any individuals responsible. To that end Article 11 of the RRFSO states that "The responsible person must make and give effect to such arrangements as are appropriate, having regard to the size of his/her undertaking and the nature of its activities, for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventive and protective measures". Today’s state-of-the-art solutions are structured around an intuitive internet-based interface Risk assessment and compliance tools Sometimes, particularly with large buildings or campus environments, the complexity of the risk assessment process requires a more methodical approach that takes subjectivity out of the process. When it comes to satisfying the requirements of Article 11 of the RRFSO where "the responsible person must record the arrangements", the latest generation of intuitive risk assessment and compliance tools can help. Today’s state-of-the-art solutions are structured around an intuitive internet-based interface, which allows a responsible person to be guided through the entire risk assessment process in a clear and thorough manner. This is a significant improvement on the old fashioned ‘pen and paper’ approach, as digital images can be captured and placed directly into a report at the relevant section, while templates for specific building types ensure consistency throughout. This simplifies the identification, management and prevention of any risks related to not only fire, but security, and health and safety too, thereby reducing the potential for danger within a wide variety of environments. It should always be remembered that the risk assessment is only the first stage of the process and where traditional methods often fall down is in taking – or not taking, as the case may be – any necessary remedial action. Online tools provide a more cohesive approach, as once the risk assessment has been completed all work undertaken is clearly outlined, logged and accounted for to comply with audits. This provides evidence of compliance and ensures organisations meet their legal obligations, validate their insurance, take a consistent approach to risk management and provide peace of mind for a responsible person. Making buildings safer There is a clear need for a digital record of risk assessment compliance for the whole life of a building – from design and construction through to occupation. As assessing risk can be a lengthy and complicated process, anything that makes this easier and enhances an organisation’s ability to negate the likelihood of injury or even death should be embraced. It stands to reason that risk management must be more strictly applied in order to prevent incidents that could be avoided – therefore, the use of online risk assessment and compliance tools should be at the forefront when it comes to making buildings safer.

A new study reveals that intelligent fire detection systems have the potential to unlock more than 30 percent cost-savings on routine maintenance checks through real-time, data-driven remote monitoring. Kevin Mears, Product Manager for Kentec Electronics, describes how remote monitoring and predictive maintenance can meet the competitive challenges of the digital age. Leading economists have identified the convergence and synergies delivered by The Internet of Things – the interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data – as a powerful force to create entirely new business models for system developers and integrators, by releasing the potential of remote interrogation. Remote diagnostics: A cost-efficient approach For the fire systems sector the definition of remote diagnostics is instructive: “Improving the reliability of life-critical installations and reducing maintenance costs by monitoring the condition of the system remotely to obviate unplanned maintenance.” The practical economic value of this data-driven approach to maintenance monitoring is highlighted by the findings by one of the largest global companies specialising in infrastructure solutions. The company found their costs for avoidable maintenance work were just as high, annually, as their actual profit from production: alerting them to seek a fresh rationale to release this massive saving potential. Intelligent system interoperability So, the message is clear: real value can be created by optimising predictive maintenance by means of smarter remote troubleshooting, enabled by liberating the interoperability between intelligent systems so their full potential can be realised – and it’s a message that fully applies to an AFD (automatic fire detection and fire alarm system) to the significant benefit of service providers and to end users. Specifically, programmed remote diagnostics that discriminatively interrogate an AFD can cut out the need for excessively scheduled maintenance intervals, a measured approach to risk management that harnesses the interconnected intelligence of versatile addressable field devices to deliver an immense reduction of on-site maintenance costs. Reducing false alarm downtime It’s worth remembering that of the more than 600,000 call out incidents were attended by Fire and Rescue Services, nearly 50 percent of these were due to false fire alarms. The cost of this wasted time for both business and the fire service is estimated to be well in excess of £1 billion per year, and that includes downtime from needless evacuations. Clearly, such preventable emergency alerts can be sensibly reduced by the use of intelligent predictive technology, reducing the need for fire risk professionals to travel to monitored sites by allowing potential problems to be resolved before they arise. To tackle this menace of false activations, one of the leading innovators in the fire safety market has now devised an entirely new future-proof management platform that fully exploits internet-enabled technology to establish a new concept in Life Safety System performance, designed to add value to system designer, integrator, service provider and the end user. Customisable fire detection control Entering the market as a new concept in fire detection control equipment, this life safety technology brings a new approach to system annunciation made possible by onscreen virtualisation of any life safety system via fire alarm system repeater panels, augmented by configurable, application-specific annunciator panels (such as nurses stations, sprinkler indicators, lift alarms, etc.), supported by an easy-to-configure modularity of software that makes any project customisable. The technology is designed to yield the key benefits bestowed by the virtualisation of remote monitoring Foremost, the system combines the efficiency of high-integrity fire data communications – whose performance to minimise false activations is defined by the highest reliability in resistance to outside interference – with a touchscreen-accessible configurable network whose high performance is measured by compliance with BS EN standards for control and indicating equipment, power supply equipment, and system components compatibility. At its core, this capability incorporates the latest hardware and software to deliver a system that fulfills the precautionary measures most frequently demanded by integrators and contractors. These include the management of fire and security servicing inspection routines, false fire alarm interrogation and diagnosis, or the scheduling of system maintenance call-outs. At the same time, this capability benefits users with the support of a full audit trail for traceability and regulatory compliance. Sophisticated network analysis tools, in addition, provide the ability to identify connection problems instantly. Fire management: A new dimension This internet-enabled resource permits information to flow according to the needs of each interface, and to match specific supervisory structures; for example, from the restricted entry-level user, through facilities management, to the maintenance engineer. Individual logins grant individual levels of access. This means that the intuitive touchscreen repeater screens are an easy-to-operate entry-point for those with specific safety duties in a fire zone. These screens can be programmed to ensure restricted users receive on-screen information relating only to their preordained tasks, which communicates clearly so they comprehend quickly and respond without panic. For more complex system demands, at the unrestricted level of engineer or building manager, for instance, these utilities permit layer upon layer of operating data to be retrieved for reliable incident reports. By drilling down, through the menu-driven interactions, management can review system event logs, conduct tests, change emergency notification, check trouble signals, disable the system, manage inspections and callouts, and improve servicing and maintenance regimes. Cloud notifications are accessed 24/7 for online monitoring via users’ smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices, ensuring full system event activity reporting, including multiple sites, false alarm diagnostics and functional testing of system devices. In addition, traceability for site compliance is delivered to benefit users with a full audit trail for regulatory conformance – including operational and performance records to register maintenance routines and all mandatory periodical tests are completed, with full confidentiality of all data. Virtuality: The new reality of predictive analytics The technology described here is designed to yield the key benefits bestowed by the virtualisation of remote monitoring: 1. To permit businesses to monitor status of devices in the field for maintenance or upgrade 2. To reduce downtime and improves network efficiencies when coupled with predictive analytics 3. To reduce servicing costs by enhancing maintenance regimes 4. To enable system integrators to harvest operational data and apply these insights to customise user services that build and retain customer loyalty 5. To deliver an operational and performance record for compliance and traceability.  Kevin Mears Product Manager Kentec Electronics Ltd. Article published courtesy SourceSecurity.com®, a division of Notting Hill Media Limited. View the original article here