Adapting Fire Safety Solutions to the Commercial Office Building
Source: Siemens Fire Safety Applications
Fire safety is a vital component of all business operations, however, it is important to understand that not all parts of an office building require the same fire protection solutions. Elevators and corridors pose a different set of risks than break room kitchens or private offices which must be taken into consideration when choosing the fire mitigation technology for your facility.
For each component of the commercial office space, Siemens has highlighted the most common challenges for fire safety, as well as possible solutions for mitigating risk.
Office Rooms
Challenge: In general, personal offices contain various combustible materials, such as, flammable liquids and chemicals, paper, books, clothing as well as the waste and litter products. Occupant safety has the highest priority. Thus, early and reliable detection and extinguishing is required to avoid spreading of the fire throughout the facility.
Solution: Smoke detectors ensure an early detection of smoke-generating flaming and smoldering fires without or with minimal deceptive phenomena. Alternatively, ASA detectors with various parameter sets, depending on the ceiling height, ensure reliable fire detection.
Reception Areas
Challenge: The reception area is one of the most important areas in every building because all people who enter the premises come through this area. There are some typical hazards such as electrical equipment and/or flammable liquid as well as combustible material. On the other side, there is a frequent motion and oscillation of the number of people and potential hazardous sources they cary. Early detection is essential in oder to timely inform and evacuate the occupants. However, unnecessary evacuation activities due to false alrms can be counter-productive and must be avoided.
Solution: ASA detectors and smoke detectors are able to detect even the smallest aerosol concentrations and offer the ideal solution for reception area. Depending on the ceiling height, different parameter set are suitable.
Corridors
Challenge: Electric installations, electronic devices and glowing cigarettes are typical fire hazards within office corridors. A fire must be detected and dealt with at the earliest possible stage and prevented from spreading because corridors must allow for rapid and continuous evacuation of people to a place of safety.
Solution: ASA detectors or smoke detectors, depending on the ceiling height and the presence of deceptive phenomena, are able to detect even the smallest aerosol concentrations at an early stage, and offer the ideal solution for corridors.
Elevators
Challenge: Human behavioral actions inside an elevator, as well as the electrical and mechanical aspects can be presented as fire hazards. Rapid detection and evacuation are the highest priority, followed by preventing the fire from spreading. The elevator compares to a chimney, thus it is important that smoke and fire do not reach any other floor or level.
Solution: Smoke detectors ensure an early detection of smoke-generating flaming and smoldering fires with minimal deceptive phenomena. Alternatively, depending on conditions, aspirating smoke detectors or ASA detectors are able to detect even the smallest aerosol concentrations.
Stairways
Challenge: Stairways play an important role as the primary escape routes in buildings, as elevators must not be used in case of fire. Overload or short circuit of electrical equipment are typical hazards, where easily flammable materials that should not be present in a stairway. In the event of a fire, alerting and evacuating all parties at risk in good time has the highest priority. A fire protection system is needed that guarantees rapid, reliable fire detection and activates both the alarm devices and the relevant fire control installations.
Solution: In the electrical enclosures and the installation ducts, smoke detectors with sensitive parameter set, depending on the ceiling height are ideal for early detection of smoke-generating, flaming and smoldering fires. Additionally, for stairways, our ASA detectors with sensitive behavior parameter set ensure an early detection of all types of fire and robust behavior toward deceptive phenomena.
Break Rooms
Challenge: Faulty wires and carelessness are typical hazards for this application. Early warning of a fire is essential, not only for protecting people, but also for ensuring business continuity. However, unnecessary evacuation activities due to false alarms can be counter-productive and must be avoided.
Solution: ASA detectors and smoke detectors are able to detect even the smallest aerosol concentrations and offer the ideal solution for break rooms. Depending on the ceiling height, different parameter sets are suitable.
Shared Kitchen/Lounge Areas
Challenge: Kitchen area involves cooking processes, which automatically implies a high fire risk. Flammable liquids, electric components and human behavior are typical fire hazards. Primary objective is to ensure the safety of the occupants followed by preventing fire from spreading. However, unnecessary evacuation activities due to false alarms can be counter-productive and must be avoided.
Solution: ASA detectors, with either balanced or suppression parameter set, depending on the ceiling height, ensure early and reliabe detection of all types of fire and a robust response to deceptive phenomena (steam, heat).
Retail Areas
Challenge: For retail areas, electrical wiring/outlets, lightening and potentially flammable products like chemicals, clothing, paper, are just some of the fire hazards. A fire protection system is needed that guarantees early, reliable fire detection and enables timely evacuation and extinguishing.
Solution: ASA detectors and smoke detectors, depending on the expected deceptive phenomena, are able to detect even the smallest aerosol concentrations and offer the ideal solution for retail area. Depending on the ceiling height, different parameter sets are suitable
Parking Garages
Challenge: A fire in an enclosed garage can very quickly create a dangerous situation for all people in that area. Due to the significant fire load of the parked cars, a fire which is not detected and dealt with quickly can develop into a fire that is very difficult to extinguish and may even threaten the stability of the building. Not only can deceptive phenomena such as exhaust emissions affect early and reliable fire detection, the harsh environmental conditions in garages can also affect the service life of ordinary fire detectors. In the event of a fire, alerting and evacuating all parties at risk in time has the highest priority.
Solution: ASA detectors, in this case with parameter set for CO monitoring for harsh environmental conditions is recommended. Alternatively, Siemens aspirating smoke detectors with a high level of dust suppression is the ideal setting in harsh environments with deceptive phenomena, such as a parking garage.
Understanding the different fire safety needs for each area of your commercial office building is crucial to the prevention, detection and suppression of fire-related emergencies. Customizing the fire safety solutions to these different areas can make all the difference in the event of a fire, ensuring the protection of your staff and facility when it counts.
For more information on customizing the fire safety solutions within your commercial office building, contact Communication Company today or visit our dedicated Fire Safety Solutions web page to learn more.
