Basement Fire Assessment Report: Hazards, Smoke Extraction System Design and Recommendations

This report evaluates the fire hazards and structural design of the fire compartment in the basement of a building. It identifies electrical hazards, fire loading and ignition points, smoking hazards and provides mitigation measures. A smoke extraction system design is recommended and the report provides recommendations to guarantee compliance with local fire regulations.

Basement fire assessment
Objective of writing this report
The purpose of this fire risk assessment report is to determine the suitability of the physical fire
precautionary measures and structural design of the fire compartment in the basement of the case
building. The basement structure will be evaluated for any fire hazards and the findings
compared to the fire protection requirements of other countries. This report will contain a fire
engineering study that will contain a smoke extraction system design for the fire compartment. In
addition, a worst case scenario will be determined for the fire compartment in case. The
information from the mentioned scenario and smoke extraction design will then be referenced in
making the conclusions and recommendations on a smoke control system.

SNO TITLE PAGENO
1 Introduction 3
2 Legislation references 3
3 Legislation references 3
4 Record of Significant findings 4
5 Evaluation of fire hazards within the basement 7
6 Fire loading and ignition points 8
7 Smoking hazard 9
8 Fire engineering study for the basement 10
9 Smoke Extraction System 11
10 Fire detection and alarm system 13
11 Dampers 16
12 Fire hydrant/hose reel system 22
13 Conclusion 23
References 23

Introduction
This is a report written as a result of participating in the fire safety design project of a fire
compartment with excessive compartment area. The aim of this report is to provide a list of the
fire hazards, a recommended smoke extraction system design and recommendations to guarantee
compliance with the local fire regulations.
The inherent risks to the property or its commercial use will not be addressed in this report since
that particular information is not clear.
The type of fire risk assessment carried out in this report in type A (van Hees, Holmstedt,
Bengtson, Hägglund, Dittmer, Blomqvist, Lönnermark, 2009). Typically, a type A fire risk
assessment is a basic risk assessment that is carried out on apartment blocks or commercial
buildings in order to satisfy the Fire Safety regulatory reform order of 2005. This risk assessment
involves consideration to the planning of escape routes, any partitions between compartments
without any interference to the building’s construction.
The following factors will be considered in carrying the fire risk assessment of the fire
compartment:
 Fire hazards detected in the basement structure
 People that may be at risk
 Evaluation of a severe fire occurrence
 Design of escape routes, compartments and fire separation
 Smoke extraction design
 Precautionary measures
Legislation references
The following legislation, policies or regulations have been referenced for purposes of this fire
risk assessment.
Risk level estimation
For purposes of this report, the risk levels will be estimated by following the table below. The
estimation is referenced from the risk estimator in BS8800.
Table1: Risk level estimation
Potential
consequences of fire
Slight harm Moderate harm Extreme harm
Likelihood of fire
Low Trivial risk Tolerable risk Moderate risk
Medium (normal) Tolerable risk Moderate risk Substantial risk
High Moderate risk Substantial risk Intolerable risk

Record of Significant findings
Date of site visit:
20th April 2018
Date of report:
25th April 2018
Report validation date:
25th April 2018
Report completed by:
students name
Report validated by:
students name
Signature:
students signature
Assessed area:
The fire compartment in the basement of the case building
Building use:
The building use was not specified. However, from the dimensions and arrangement of the
rooms, the building is assumed to be of commercial use for purposes of this report. Each of the
rooms in the building is 27m x 28m x 3m. The rooms are arranged in an open plan office design
with access doors.
Building description:
The area contains a basement with two floors under the ground floor level, rooms dimensioned
27m x 28m x 3m in each floor with the fire size 290kW/m2 which is determined as an ordinary
hazard by the fire engineer. The specific area of study is the fire compartment with excessive
compartment area. The basement is equipped with open parking spaces and service rooms
including a fire compartment, storage tanks and a laundry room.
Approximate dimensions:
The rooms in each floor are dimensioned 27m x 28m x 3m.

Materials used in construction:
The load bearing walls are constructed as masonry wall with concrete reinforcement. The non-
load bearing walls are built with brick and mortar or plaster on wooden stud frames. The ceiling
of the basement and the two floors below the ground floor are made of reinforced concrete. The
ground floor is made from hollow bricks and reinforced concrete.
Compliance with the existing building regulations:
The buildings construction is satisfactory in accordance to the current local building regulations.
Management:
The management system currently in place is a Level 1 fire safety system.
A level 1 fire safety system requires that the building manager in charge of fire safety ensures
that the initial testing, repairs and maintenance of fire safety facilities and has direct control of
the workforce that carries out such responsibilities. In anticipation of change of occupancy or fire
growth, level 1 fire safety system has measures that will ensure continuity or alternate protection.
Evacuation strategy:
All out- simultaneous evacuation
Occupancy:
General needs only. All the building users can read and speak in English.
Occupants at special risk:
None
Occupancy maximums:
A maximum of 80 persons at any single time.
Lone workers:
No lone worker was identified
Notices:
During the assessment, there was no enforcement or prohibition notices served to the building
management to the local authorities.
Site contact and liaison:
The building manager and the users were interviewed during the site visit. In addition, I carried
out general observations on the basement structure.

Access:
I was granted to all the areas in the fire compartment and the basement with no restrictions
during m site visit.
Priority time scales:
For purposes of this report, the following is the number legend to for the actions on the
recommendations to be carried out. All the timelines are developed in adherence to the
Regulatory Reform Fire Safety order of 2005.
1. Immediate action: to be implemented as soon as possible.
2. a period of up to 3 months
3. a period between 3 to 6 months
4. a period not greater than 12 months
5. Advisory action: a period greater than 12 months.
Actions that are rated advisory are not compulsory but can be carried out on a precautionary
case.

Evaluation of fire hazards within the basement
This section of the report will involve the identification and detailing of the hazards within the
basement, the existing control measures, people that may be at risk (Frantzich, 2008) in case of a
fire, firefighting provisions and the means to escape provided for in the basement.
Known fire hazards
The following fire hazards have been identified in the basement structure:
1. Electrical hazards
The electrical hazards identified include portable electrical machines and hard wired circuits and
electrical fittings.
Risk:
It has been documented from various fire reports that one of the main sources of accidental fires
is unmanned running electrical appliances and faulty electrical connections and appliances.
Existing control mechanisms:
The basement is routinely checked annually and an installation report is published and acted
upon by the building management.
Mitigation measures:
The following mitigation measures are proposed to deal with the risk of electrical hazard:
 Electrical installations (priority no 4)
All the electrical connections, appliances and installations should not be left unattended or
unmanned in the basement or adjoining areas. All the formal inspections that are required by
law should be religiously carried out and the recommendations (Richards, 2008) contained in
the report should be implemented by the building management. The Electricity at Work
Regulations stipulate the necessary guidelines that must be followed in the routine checks for
electrical installations in a commercial building (Isenberg, Woodard & Badolato, 2009). The
following checks should be considered in the routine checks:
1. Check for deterioration of electrical connections or appliances, breakages,
overheating, missing electrical parts or loose fittings.
2. Ensure that there is easy access to the switchgear, all the door cavities are secured and
the necessary labels are present.
3. Check that all the electrical equipment is functioning properly.
 Portable electrical machines (priority no 3)
The only machine that was being tested during the site survey was the smoke extraction
system for the fire compartment. It is recommended that all the portable appliances within
the basement be checked every 6 months for malfunctioning (Beyler, 2008). In addition,
none of the portable appliances should be left unmanned during operation.

The following are the recommendations in the UK’s Electricity at Work Regulations in
regards to portable electrical machines:
1. Any deterioration detected in an electrical appliance that is capable of causing human
injury should be fixed immediately and undergo routine checks.
2. Portable or movable equipment that are connected to the mains should be connected with
safety equipment such as RCD circuit breakers and plug multi-way adapters.
2. Fire loading and ignition points
Convection heaters, high wattage lighting, cotton lint and spontaneous ignition of natural
materials was identified as potential ignition points or fire loading hazards.
Risk:
The presence of combustible materials in the basement increases the chances of a fire eruption.
These materials act as fuel to the fire and if located in close proximity to the fire source, can
easily spread the fire over large distances within short periods of time. Some of the combustible
materials identified included laundry and refuse in garbage bins.
Existing control mechanisms:
The building manager noted that most of the convection heaters are mounted on the walls to
ensure that they remain uncovered (Babrauskas, 2008). All the washing machines and dryers in
the laundry room present in the basement are serviced annually, cleaned of lint weekly and their
power switched off when not in operation.
Mitigation measures:
The following mitigation measures are proposed to deal with the risk of ignition points and fire
loading hazard:
 High wattage lighting (priority no 2)
All the light bulbs in the basement should be replaced with low wattage bulbs. This will ensure
that there is a low risk of a fire in case the bulb comes into contact with combustible materials in
storage (BSI 2011). It is recommended that environmentally friendly LED bulbs be installed in
the basement.
 Natural fibres (priority no 2)
The laundry present in the laundry area pose a risk since some of it may be made from natural
fibres that is very combustible. It is recommended that all the laundry cycles should be
concluded with cooling cycles (Chiti, 2009). In addition, labels that indicate the safety measures
should be placed in strategic points in the laundry room.

3. Smoking hazard
Smoking materials and cigarette smoking was identified as a fire risk in the basement.
Risk:
The local regulations stipulate that smoking is prohibited in all covered areas in public buildings.
However, the basement offers a suitable secretive area that people may resort to smoking since
their actions will remain concealed (Coster & Hankin, 2008). This poses an increased fire risk to
the basement.
Existing control mechanisms:
The Smoke Free Regulations of 2007 instruct that no smoking should be carried out in enclosed
spaces.
Mitigation measures:
The basement area should be equipped with ‘No Smoking’ signs that are strategically placed.

Fire engineering study for the basement
The following is study on fire engineering for basement based on reported, published and
analysed cases. In order to understand the causes, triggers and fuel for basement fires, extensive
experiments with the construction materials, finishes and building elements will be carried out.
The building elements that will be analysed in this report will include various kinds of floor
joists, steel C-joists, hybrid trusses and castellated I-joints.
Samples of the named elements were taken to the laboratory and burned in the furnace and in
larger fires to observe their behaviour (Klason, Andersson, Johansson & van Hees, 2011). In
addition, two basement fire simulations were carried out in the lab; one of them being an
imagined worst case scenario for the basement in question (Krüger, Deubel, Werrel, Fettig,
Raspe & Piechotta, 2013). Each of the simulations was tested with various floor finishes, diverse
fuel loads, various loadings and ventilation.
The worst case scenario for the basement (Marquis, Guillaume & Lesenechal, 2012) would
include a large fire that would start from the laundry room. The fire would be aggravated by the
presence of the fire compartment.
The performance of the basement in case of a fire can be predicted according to the following
factors:
 The age of the building
 The methods and materials of constructions
 Structural support assemblies, components and systems
 Systems resilience

Smoke Extraction System
A smoke extraction system for a basement consists of a smoke outlet and an inlet vent for fresh
air. The system can be operated naturally or mechanically (Nilsson & van Hees, 2012) to
ventilate and remove heat from basements. The following are the requirements that a smoke
system should fulfil according to local legislation:
 The system may be natural or mechanical.
 Systems that are mechanically ventilated should be fitted with sprinklers.
 The air extraction system should give a minimum of 10 air changes hourly.
 The fire duct of the smoke extraction system should be assembled such that they resist
water impingement from the sprinkler system.
The figure below shows the mechanical smoke extractor system designed for the basement :
Figure 1: Smoke extractor system
Functioning in case of a fire

When a fire occurs in the basement, it is detected by the smoke censors on the ceiling. The fire
damper on the smoke shaft in the basement will open and in turn the vent at the top of the
extractor system will open up to allow smoke to get out and to ensure there is no vacuum within
the ductwork. The fan in the roof plant room will ensure that all the smoke is extracted from the
system and none of the smoke spreads to other compartments.
System requirements
All the ductwork in the system should be fire rated in order to be approved as appropriate for
removing smoke from the compartments (Nystedt, 2011). The fire rating for all the ductwork is
one-hour integrity and stability to resist fire and hot smoke. However, the first compartment
does not require any insulation fire rating.
The duct that rises from through the two floors from the basement should be capable of
marinating stability and insulation fire rating for the same period of time as the two floors that it
will go through until it gets outside.
In cases where there are combustible materials within a distance of 500mm from the duct, the
local regulations require that insulation may not be necessary for instance in the roof plant room
denoted in green colour. Thus all the ductwork in the fire compartment and the two floors that
are deemed of commercial use have fire rated insulation.
Precautions when using the smoke extractor system
At least 75 percent of the cross sectional area must be maintained in all regions of the ductwork
for a period of time similar to that of the compartment and floors that it passes through. All the
penetration seals and the fire rated ductwork should be tested to BS EN 1366-1 and classified in
harmony with BS EN 13501-3 by a recognised and established laboratory. Approval must be
obtained from the fire department of the local authority before operation.

FIRE DETECTION AND ALARM SYSTEM:
It has been proved that huge loss could be avoided initially when we have a detection
system to detect the fire at the early stage and give a warning sign. A fire detector and alarm
system helps us with this indication (Proulx, 2008). The Maintenance is very essential and the
fire suppression system (Rubin, Brewin, Greenberg, Hughes, Simpson & Wessely, 2007) along
with the fire detection and alarm system plays a major role in the fire protection system. This
could make the survival of the living and also protect from heavy property damage. Fire could
spread from the basement to the top floor in a multifunctional building. Hence precautions
should be taken at the beginning. The people who are trained in these aspects should serve the
maintenance purpose.
System requirements:
The contemporary detection system varies with the conventional one with the
improvement in their advanced signalling equipment. The designed system should be approved
before it is to be installed in the basement (Hu, 2017). Such approval is made by the qualified
individuals at NFPA® 70, National Electrical Code®, and NFPA® 72, National Fire Alarm and
Signalling Code. Other standards could also serve this purpose.
The wiring part could consist of the electronically activated devices which are called as the fire
alarm control unit or fire alarm control panel). The panel is provided with the external power
supply which could sense the input signal, process the signal and provide the output signal such
as providing the alarm signal or some visual signal indicating the fire. The circuits are altogether
bound into a single component. The fire alarm control unit could also convey the signal to an off-
site monitoring station. The part of the fire alarm system could also include the remote auxiliary
fire control units and notification appliance panels that are connected together (Richards, 2008).
The fire alarm control unit could also severe several purposes such as
 Promotes fire-fighter communication in two ways
 Promotes the annunciator assimilation
 Promotes control to several other protection features such as elevators,
HVAC, dampers, doors and other necessary emphasis
 Also provided with the voice notification and messaging features to the public
which is pre-recorded.
The figure below shows the schematic diagram of the fire alarm control unit showing various
component of the system.

Figure 2: The schematic diagram of the fire alarm control unit with various components and
central hub of the alarm system.
Primary Power Supply:
This power is usually taken from the main electrical supply of the particular building.
This is supplied to the local utility provider. In some cases when the electrical supply is
terminated we get the power from the generator which occurs from the engine driven motor. This
should be carefully driven with the help of the supervisor and it should be monitored for 24
hours. The best part of the working of generator is that it should be set to the automatic start of
the engine which comes under the secondary power supply category. The Fire Alarm Control
Unit is responsible for the operation of the alarm when the power supply is sporadic.

Secondary Power Supply
If there is a failure in the main power supply then it is necessary to set the secondary
power supply into operation. Each and every Fire Alarm should be provided with the secondary
power supply which is necessary to operate the alarm system without any human intervention.
The time of operation of the secondary power supply to work and their functioning capacity
varies and this could be found in NFPA® 72. The sources of the secondary power supply can be
the power storage batteries, heavy storage batteries connected to the engine-operated generators,
numerous engine-driven generators which should be set into automatic operation. A backup
battery which is set into operation is shown in the figure given below
Figure 3: A backup battery which is set into operation in the FACU.
Initiating Devices and Notifications
The fire or smoke initiating devices could be operated manually or automatic. When there
is a presence of the smoke or fire the indication (Stewart, 2008) could be detected through the
sensors and this indication is send to the fire alarm control unit. There are two ways in sending
the signal to FACU: 1) Hard-wire system. 2) Origination of radio waves which are transmitted at
a particular frequency to the radio station. These functionalities are extended and are not limited
to the particular functioning devices such as smoke detectors, heat detectors, water-flow devices
etc. The notification devices could be of many types but the most commonly used devices is

indication systems such as buzzers, speakers, flash lights, horns etc. Depending on the building
height and width we should use those specific devices. Here we have to see the device which is
suitable for the basement area (Thompson & Bank, 2007). The horns and speakers could be used
for this purpose which should have an audible range in the particular frequency. The flash light
and strobe lights can be used for the visual purpose when the area is below 230 square meters
since this could be visible and it’s enough source of indication. Visual text messages and
symbols could also be used for this purpose. Moreover a tactile device which produces vibrations
could be used in the larger area of more than 230 square meters.
Signaling systems:
The fire detection and alarm system should operate based on the signal it receives from the
signalling devices. Certain signals could be an indication of fire. Some could be an indication of
malfunction that occurs in certain working devices. Hence it is necessary to analyse the signal.
There are three types of speciality signal based on the type of alarm it produces
Alarm signal: This is said to be the hazardous situation which indicates the presence of the fire.
This signal should be taken care and when this signal is produced then automatic operation of
smoke detectors, manual pull stations, water-flow switches and the other fire extinguishers could
be activated.
Supervisory signal: This signal is indicated when all the functioning devices is in a normal
situation. This could be the indication in which the fire is destroyed and the system is off-normal
situation. This will scrutinize the probity of the fire protection devices.
Trouble signal: This signal is an indication of the improper functioning of certain devices. This
could be a signal that occurs due to the malfunction that occurs in the fire detection and alarm
system.
DAMPERS
Based on the compartments of the building the fire-rated system are classified as fire barriers,
fire walls fire partitions, smoke barriers and smoke partitions (Utne, Hokstad & Vatn, 2011).
When the incursion happens through these walls then the fire could be avoided with the
ventilation system (HVAC), which could work together with the help of the smoke dampers or
fire dampers or with the combination of both. As a fire engineer, one should have a thorough
knowledge regarding these dampers. The fire dampers are different from the smoke dampers that
vary in their methodology, installation and their working. This variation could be used
essentially in the life safety system. When a duct temperature reaches an enough level to
dissipate a fusible link then the fire dampers will be closed. When a smoke is detected then the
smoke dampers will be closed. Many fire safety engineers had approved that the combination of
fire and smoke dampers plays a necessary role in the safety system. According to the UL555S
standard (Winter, Moore, Davis & Strauss, 2013), the smoke dampers and the combination of
fire and smoke dampers are said to be the leakage rated devices which is described at the table
given below

Table 2: UL555S classification under the leakage rated device
Leakage classification Leakage, cfm/sq-ft at the standard air conditions
4.5 in wg. 8.5 in wg. 12.5 in wg.
I 8 11 14
II 20 28 35
III 80 112 140
FIRE DAMPERS:
A fire damper is designed in the pathway of the distribution of air which is installed in ducts or
due to the detection of heat the smoke control system will be automatically closed. It also acts in
disrupting the migration of the flow of air, flame path will be blocked and preserve the reliability
of the fire rated division (Xin, & Khan, 2007). The main function of the fire damper is to block
the flame pathway from one side to another. This damper consists of a melting fuse wire. This
damper is tested by UL555S standard which is the standard for the safety provided by the fire
dampers. The melting point of the link is between 165°F up to 286°F. Until the link melts the
blades are kept open initially. When the link melts the blades are closed that result in the
blockage of the movement of flame to the near joining compartments.
Place of installation:
The fire dampers are placed in the walls or the floor of the building. This should be placed at an
area near the duct diffusing pathway that could maintain the integrity of the fire rating of the
floor or the wall. The fire dampers give the appearance like the wall of the building. The fire
dampers could be installed in the form of sleeves (Zimmerman & Restrepo, 2009). Lighter gauge
sleeves of about 18-20 ga, needs a separate connection from the duct to the sleeve. Heavier
sleeves of about 16 ga, needs a rigid ductwork connection. The process of manufacturing and
installation is carried out in a proper guided manner. After the installation of these dampers, it
should be properly sealed. The duct and the damper pathways are not sealed due to the thermal
expansion. The broken connection and the other closure way could be sealed if the manufacture
list has a proper UL approved sealant. There are two purposes of fire dampers and they are static
and dynamic dampers. The static dampers could be used in the purpose of HVAC system which
will stop its function during the indication of fire. The dynamic dampers close at an airflow of
about 2400 fpm that is 4.5 in. Wg (Nilsson, Frantzich & van Hees, 2013). The installation of fire
dampers is shown in the figure given below

Figure 4: Installation of fire dampers at the basement of the building.
SMOKE DAMPERS:
Smoke dampers are also mounted in ducts that block the path of the air or smoke through the
smoke control system or the air distribution system. This does not need any manual operation.
These smoke dampers could also be operated from the nearby fire command station. Their basic
functionality is to block the passage of smoke that could be spread through the air supply and
other ventilation systems. This does the operation with the help of the electric or pneumatic
actuators. They have two separate functions based (Nilsson, Johansson, & van Hees, 2014) on
the UL555S standard: 1) Acts as a passive smoke control system which will be closed once the
smoke is detected. This will prevent the distribution of smoke through the air and the ventilation
aperture 2) Engineered smoke control system that block the smoke transfer through the walls and
the floors that acts as a block in creating the difference in pressure. By this system the smoke can
be avoided in spreading to the other areas.
Place of installation:
Smoke dampers should be placed adjacent or in the smoke barrier and their distance should not
be more than 24 inch. NFPA 90A says that smoke dampers are to be worn to separate air
handling units over 15,000 cfm. Like fire dampers, the smoke dampers are also fitted in sleeves
and it is fitted in the ducts. The guidelines regarding the spacing and the distance will be given in
each and every guide of the manufactures of dampers. To prevent the leakage of air, the dampers
and the duct opening should be sealed appropriately. The combination of fire aand smoke
dampers is shown in the figure given below

Figure 5: Combination of fire/smoke dampers
AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM
One of the fire protection systems is the automatic fire sprinkler system, which is the integration
of water tank with several pipes connected together (Nilsson, van Hees, Frantzich & Andersson,
2012). The system includes regular water supply. When the fire tries to contact the surface of the
sprinkler system then it could be identified by the sensor resulting in the flow of water which is
sprayed in the fire occupied area. The schematic diagram of the automatic fire sprinkler system is
shown below

Figure 6: Automatic fire sprinkler system
System requirements
As said previously a sprinkler system is composed of series of components that includes a stop
valve, pressure switch, valve monitor, Alarm valve, fire sprinkler/head etc.
Stop valve: This is used to separate water supply. Initially, the valve is opened that provides the
supply of water at a regular case. This is painted in red colour with the large black handle to it.
The stop valve isolates the water supplied to the fire sprinkler system. This is fitted with the
valve monitor that monitors the operation of the stop valve (Herpen, 2013). Generally the water
supplied to the sprinkler system is divided into two parts: 1) Main water supply tank that
provides water to the system till the stop valve. 2) Installation which is the water formed after the
stop valve is set into operation.
Alarm valve: The water flow control is done with the help of the alarm valve. This valve is
normally in a closed position till the pressure of the valve of the sprinkler system exceeds the
supplied water pressure (Mierlo, van and Tromp, 2013). When this pressure falls down or when
it equals the valve is opened. This is one side operated valve.
Fire sprinkler/head: This could consist of the glass bulb or a fuse element. When the head of
the sprinkler is exposed to a certain temperature then the sprinkler is set into operation which
allows the flow of water from the affected area. Due to this there is a pressure drop in the
sprinkler system.

Alarm bell/gong: The device is also fitted with the mechanically operated alarm bell which hits
the gong and produces an audible sound at a wide range.
Pressure and flow switch: In order to make the sprinkler system to work accordingly, pressure
switches are used. This could sense the fall in pressure after the alarm valve and operates
accordingly. Flow switch provides the water supply. The flow switch is always provided with the
time delay of certain minutes to avoid the fluctuation of water. These both are electro-
mechanically operated switches.
Working:
There are several types of sprinkler system such as dry pipe, wet pipe, tail end and domestic
sprinkler system (Brink & Van den, 2015). The most commonly used one is wet pipe automatic
sprinkler system. When the fire is in contact with the sprinkler/head and when it is exposed to
certain temperature then the filament could break and generates the flow of water from the alarm
valve which is initially in the open position. Water flows through the affected sprinkler.
Sometimes, water could also flow from the other sprinkler when the temperature of the fire
exceeds. This could supply water until the pressure drops or equals to the particular level. The
alarm bell will give out its audible sound which could an indication for others. The water supply
could be stopped with the stop valve. Deluge systems could be used in a highly hazardous place
where there is a chance of fire to spread at a high rate. A typical fire sprinkler system is shown in
figure 7.
Figure 7: Typical automatic fire sprinkler system

FIRE HYDRANT/HOSE REEL SYSTEM
The fire hose reel could be used in the emergency situation and this could be carried out by the
professionals (Prétrel, Saux, Le Audouin, 2012). The hose reel system consists of water supply
pipes with the control valve. One should know the type of the fire before handling this
equipment. This should not be carried out in the fire that is produced due to the electricity. The
fire that is caused due to the oils and certain chemicals should not be treated by this system
which could cause the fire to spread (Suard, Hostikka, Baccou, 2013). In other way we can say
that the fire hydrant system supply water and with the help of the lengthy pipe we could able to
provide water to the area affected by fire.
System Requirements
Water supply: The water supplied to the fire hydrant system must be a reliable source of water
that comes from the street mains, dams, tanks etc. There should be automatic replacement of
water when the water gets vanished due to the evaporation, leakage, periodic testing etc.
Pipes and valves: The pipe should be fixed in a manner to bring the flow of water from the
source place to the destination. The pipes are designed in the Australian standard AS2419. The
control valve plays a major role in the hydrant system to provide water supply through the pipes.
The control valve should be opened to promote water through the pipes.
Fire brigade booster: A booster is generally mounted in a cabinet and provides water in the
case of emergency situation from the fire brigade when the water is not available in the water
supply tanks. The location of the fire brigade booster should be known to the experts who handle
that. There are some limitations in pressure maintenance which should be safe for the users who
use that. Booster pumps could provide water supply when there is a scarcity of water.
Hydrant valve/ Landing valve: The end point of the fire hydrant is called as hydrant valve or
Millcock that is made according to the Australian standard AS2419. The valve is of size of about
65mm. Some hydrant valve varies in their sizes depending on the standard.
Block plan: This is the diagram regarding the fire hydrant system that is located in the cabinet,
emergency department and fire stations. This diagram includes all details regarding the water
supply tanks, pipe lines, pressure limits, water flow, year of installation etc. This is very
necessary to know each and every thing regarding the booster connection.
Working:
During the fire, the operator just opens the hydrant valve and takes the pipe to the desired
location. During the opening of the valve there is a fall in pressure and when the nozzle of the
pipe is opened water will be directed to the particular area (Dobashi, 2017). In case when there is
a requirement of water then fire hydrant plays a major role. This is carried out with the help of
fire truck by providing a connection between the alternate water and the booster supply.

Figure 8: Fire hydrant and hose reel system.
CONCLUSION
The different fire protection system and methods to handle the fire from the basement of a
building has been implemented in this report. The smoke extraction system with its purpose had
been mentioned. Inspection carried out in fire signalling and alarm system is very necessary to
monitor the system at the regular basis. From this study we had made a brief contribution
regarding the handling methods and procedure during the basement fire and the fire safety
engineer’s contribution towards this scenario. One should purely have these concepts in mind
and try to handle those situations accordingly.
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