Fire protection, defined

Combustible Eiquid A term used to classify certain liquids that will burn on the basis of flash points. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines a combustible liquid as having a flash point of 100°F (37.8°C) or higher. See also, Flammable Liquid. Class II liquids have flash points at or above 100°F, but below 140°F. Class III liquids are subdivided into two subclasses. 

Fire Protection FIVE and FRANC support quantitative and qualitative fire risk, assessmeiil. FRANC also supports the analysis of alternative safe shutdown paths during an Appendix R review. System train availability is exhibited on a system status panel, Using this a strategy can be defined to upgrade Thcrnm 1. if identify risk significant areas. 

In 1967, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) issued NFPA 493-1967 which defined specific tests and construction techniques to be employed. Today, the current standard is NFPA 493-1978. 

Before the need of fire protection measures is defined, the type of hydrocarbon fire exposure should be identified. By determining the type of fire expected, the adequacy of the fire protection measures based on the philosophy of protection for the facility, can be assessed. The easiest method to arrive at the protection requirements is to identify the materials and pressures involved in the process. Once this is accomplished, the most appropriate fire control or suppression mechanism can be identified from NFPA 325M. Tables 3 and 4 provides examples of a tabular format that can be used to document the fire control mechanisms that have been chosen. 

According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Regulations Governing Committee Projects, codes and standards are defined as follows ... 

Corporate Leadership—Senior executives define the basis for the development of fire protection philosophies. Their commitment and recognition of the value of fire protection is vital to integration into an RMS and implementation of fire protection strategies. 

This Guideline focuses on fire protection. For the purpose of this Guideline, fire protection and fire prevention are defined as ... 

Management has a responsibility to fully define the roles and responsibilities of each individual. These duties should not be assigned as an add-on or left to chance as this creates the impression that fire protection is not a priority issue. No matter the size of the organization nor the complexity of the program, the need for an effective fire protection program is always present. 

The use of cost-benefit analysis plays an important role in the decision-making process for fire protection systems. A cost-benefit analysis sums the expected benefits and is divided by the sum of the expected costs. A challenge often lies in determining what "expected" means and estimating the value of money over the time period the fire protection is in use. In fire protection, the expected benefits can be defined as the difference between the cost of a loss without protection and the cost of a loss with protection. The exported costs include the initial costs of the fire protection as well as any annual testing and maintenance costs. The likelihood of an incident is factored in to obtain residual risk. This residual risk is compared to the benefit to determine what benefit is available each year versus the annualized cost. 

One approach in beginning the development of a fire protection strategy is to define the level of risk that the company is able or willing to accept. Acceptable loss is defined as the cost of a loss event (repair/replacement, including demolition and debris removal, plus consequential business loss) that is within the capability of the company, business unit, or division to absorb financially and culturally. This loss can be retained within the company or partially transferred to others through insurance. 

A common aspect of any fire protection strategy is defining how hazards are managed and describing the order of priority for managing those fire hazards. Table 3-1 identifies the priority of how hazards should be managed. 

A fire protection strategy serves as a bridge between the company s perceptions of fire-related risks and the details of howto manage specific risks. The fire protection strategy should be considered as the tool that defines when certain protection levels are required for a facility. The fire protection strategy should attempt to define general performance requirements or controls for specific situations. Below are examples of the types of statements that could be used in the fire protection strategy. 

Note that the above statements define when a specific control should be implemented. The fire protection strategy should avoid using general statements about how something should be protected. As shown in Figure 3-1, the fire protection procedures are intended to describe how to implement the fire... 

Listed equipment is typically defined as materials that have been tested to a standard by an organization that is acceptable to the AHJ. The listing organization, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM), maintains a periodic audit of listed equipment or materials to ensure that the equipment or material meets appropriate designated standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose. The testing organization then publishes a list of equipment that has passed the evaluation process. Hence, the fire protection community uses the term "listed" to define equipment that has been specifically evaluated for use in fire protection applications. 

An integral part of defining the fire-scenario envelope is determining the appropriate dimensions for use in planning fire protection. For liquid hydrocarbon fuels, a frequently used frame of reference is a fire-scenario envelope that extends 20-40 ft (6-12 m) horizontally, and 40 ft (12 m) vertically, from the source of liquid fuel. For pool or spill fires, the source is generally considered to be the extent of the fire as defined by containment such as dikes and curbs. 

From a fire protection view, all proposed or existing outdoor storage areas should be reviewed, assessed and controlled as to type and quantity of material stored and that the storage area boundaries are well defined. The review and assessment should consider the fire or explosion hazards that the outdoor storage presents to nearby operations or that may be presented by those operations to the storage area itself. 

Bryan, J.L. 1986. Defining Damageability - The Examination, Review, and Analysis of the Variables and Limits of Damageability for Buildings, Contents, and Personnel from Exposure in Eire Incidents. Symposium on Quantitative Fire Hazards Analysis. Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Boston, MA. 

NFPA Hazard Classifications — The indicated ratings are given in "Fire Protection Guide on Hazardous Materials," National Fire Protection Association. The classifications are defined in Table 1. 

Higher irradiation levels give better reproducibility, more clearly defined ignition, and shorter measurement times, but correspond to more developed fires. Thus particularly for flame-retarded polymers, a smaller irradiation level often corresponds better to the fire protection goals addressed. Cone calorimeter results for the HRR at small irradiances correspond to flammability tests such as LOI and UL 94, if a reasonable set of materials are compared and the behavior is not dominated by dripping effects. Thus different considerations govern the choice of external heat flux.76 77... 

An explosion is defined in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire Protection Handbook as a rapid release of high-pressure gas into the environment. This release of high-pressure gas occurs regardless of the type of explosion that has produced it. The high-pressure energy is dissipated by a shock wave that radiates from the blast center. This shock wave creates an overpressure in the surrounding area that can affect personnel, equipment, and structures (see Figure 3.2). An overpressure of just 0.5 to 1 psi can break windows and knock down personnel. At 5 psi, eardrums can rupture and wooden utility poles can be snapped in two. Ninety-nine percent of people exposed to overpressures of 65 psi or more would die. 

There are several area classification standards such as API RP 500 (2012), API RP 505 (1997), NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) publication 70 (2013), NFPA publication 497, NFPA 70, and local standards in practice. They define classified areas surrounding the individual equipment, based on characteristics and probability of leaked/released liq-uid/gas/solids. This approach reduces fire/explosion risk due to the simultaneous occurrence of a flammable atmosphere and eleetrical ignition to an acceptable level. The project team can use an appropriate area classification standard acceptable to the company and local government authorities. 

The practice of safety, as defined, includes all fields of endeavor for which the generic base is hazards occupational safety, occupational health, environmental affairs, product safety, transportation safety, safety of the public, health physics, system safety, fire protection engineering, et cetera. 

Losses from fires total billions of dollars per year. Fire, formally defined as a process during which rapid oxidimtion of a material occurs, gives off radiant energy that can not only be fidt but also seen. Fires can be caused by malfunctioning electrical systems, hot surfiices, and overheated materials. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 1896 to provide codes and standards to reduce the burden of fire. The NFPA publishes the National Electrical Code , the Life St ety Cod, the Fire Prevention Codd, the National Fuel Gas Code , and National Fire Alarm G>de . It also provides... 

Notwithstanding the above, heat and fire protection afforded by any material is environmentally and time dependent and the concept of a perfectly heat protective textile should be dismissed. Levels of protection are therefore relative rather than absolute and so, for example, should be qualified by time of exposure to a heat source having a defined character (e.g. radiant versus flame), intensity, and temperature as well as a measure of access to oxygen as mentioned above. 

Both these measures indicate that PBO is the least flammable and hence most protective fibre while the respective orders for the other fibres differ. However, given that cone calorimetry is recognised to be a reasonable simulation of a fire, then the FIGRA order is probably closer to defining the relative fire protective behaviour of these fibres. 

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