Fire alarms indicating equipment

Fire detection and fire alarm systems. Control and indicating equipment. With BS EN 54-4 1997, superseded BS 5839 Part 4 1998 which remains cuiTcnt... 

Safety equipment, including spill control kits, safety shields, fire safety equipment, respirators, safety showers and eyewash fountains, and emergency equipment should be available in well-marked, highly visible locations in all chemical laboratories. Fire alarm pull stations and telephones with emragency telephone numbCTs clearly indicated must be readily accessible. In addition to the standard items, thwe may also be a need for other safety devices. It is the responsibility of the laboratory supervisor to ensure proper training and provide supplementary equipment as needed. 

BS 3116 Automatic fire alarms in buildings Part 1 1970 Heat sensitive (point) detectors Part 4 1974 Control and indicating equipment BS 4422 Glossary of terms associated with fire Part 1 1969 The phenomenon of fire Part 2 1971 Building materials and structures Part 3 1972 Means of escape Part 4 1975 Fire protection equipment Part 5 1976 Miscellaneous terms BS 4547 1972 Classification of fires... 

The heart and brains of any fire alarm installation, tiie control and indicating equipment provides the power as well as monitoring tiie system and indicating the location of any detected fire. The control equipment should be in an easily accessible location so that it can be seen quickly and easily in the event of an alarm and give immediate information on the location of the fire. More advanced systems (known as programmable or intelligent systems) can identify exactly which device has actuated and... 

The appropriate fire safety signs should be used to indicate the location of fire-fighting equipment and fire alarm call points which should be on fire escape routes. If equipment and call points are located together they can be mounted on a panel to form a Fire Point. In crowded and irregular shaped work areas high level signs can make the location of fire exit routes and fire-fighting equipment easier to identify. 

This sign may be used to indicate the location of a fire point. A fire point being an area where there is a cluster of emergency equipment, e.g. fire alarm call point, fire extinguishers and emergency teiephones. 

Fire alarm panels comprise control and indicating equipment and perform three principal functions ... 

Red a. Stop buttons or electrical switches used for emergency stopping of machines. b. Emergency stop handles or bars on machines. c. Hazardous operation indicating lights on control, alarm panels, or in the installation. d. Fire protection equipment and systems (e g., fire hydrants, monitors, reels, alarms, etc.). e. Portable flammable liquid containers. f. Stop condition. g. Identification of ESD isolation valves and actuators. 

Where the need for fire detection is identified, the required performance of the fire detection system is already specified as part of the grading process. Fixed fire detection is typically installed to protect equipment that is high value, long lead time, or likely to be significant fire escalation hazards. The performance specification defines fire size and response time thresholds for alarm and action(s). Fire hazards are defined by radiant heat output (RHO). RHO gives a reasonable indication of the potential damage and the probability that the fire will escalate or cause loss. The RHO should not be used to determine fire thermal loading onto equipment and structures. Table 8-3 compares RHO and flame area for some typical hydrocarbon fires. 

Failure rates of complex equipment can often be greatly reduced through redundant arrangements. Redundancy provides multiple means of warning and shut down systems to ensure personnel and equipment are safe from failures that could result in a hazardous situation. Redundancy is based upon how critical an event is to worker safety or process continuation. Two separate switches or two separate alarms provide redundancy. In addition, there is standby redundancy. In this case, a piece of equipment operates until a failure is indicated, at which time another duplicate piece of equipment is turned on either automatically or manually. An excellent example of redundancy is fire water pumps. There are always at least two or more. A unit does not want to experience a fire, the site has only one pump, and that is the day the pump fails. 

Hazardous operating indication lights on controls, alarm panels, or in the installation Fire protection equipment and systems (e.g., fire extinguishers, hose reels, alarms, etc.) Stop condition Warning signs... 

The premises must be equipped with appropriate firefighting equipment and with fire detectors and alarms any non-automatic fire-fighting equipment provided must be easily accessible, simple to use and indicated by signs. 

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