Having a fire protection system is essential for any type of building. The choice of the system used is based on factors like the type of building, components present in the room and purpose of the building. The budget of the owner is also important to incorporate the required fire alarm system. The complexity of these systems will depend on the building and its height. Most of the old buildings are not equipped with this system. Professional companies will charge higher installation fees for these types of buildings due to their complexity. For a building in construction the installation fees is low as it can be done much easily along with the construction.
Choosing the type of system required is very essential. For residential properties either stand-alone or multi-sprinkler systems can be opted for. For commercial and industrial properties choosing the right system is of utmost essential. Wet sprinkler systems are commonly used in many places. Dry sprinkler system is used where there is no heating facility in the buildings, freezer facilities and warehouses where water is bound to freeze. Rooms with sensitive electronic systems like computers will need to be fixed with preaction system, protecting the electronic systems from unnecessary damage from water.
Sprinkler system is useful to delay the spread of fire. For a complete protection fire alarms need to be installed and if possible be linked to local firefighting unit/team. This will help the fire fighters to arrive as early as possible with minimum loss of time. Fire alarms are connected to heat detectors which will warn the people around about the fire in the building. All the fire alarms in the building are interconnected to ensure people are able to evacuate the building before the fire spreads. Local firefighting team can be notified immediately as soon as the fire alarms get activated by connecting the alarm system to their unit. Having equipment like fire extinguishers might be helpful in extinguishing the fire at source if possible. Passive protection in form of mortar based coatings, intumescent coating, sublimation coating, mineral fibre coating and earth mounds for a building will help in minimize spread of fire. It also helps in protecting the internal structure of the building from damages. Along with that emergency fire exits must be made during construction to help people escape from multiple routes within minimum amount of time before the fire spreads.
Beyond sprinkler installation of such systems it is essential to maintain them regularly. Maintenance is very essential to ensure the system is in good working condition to operate during fire accidents or incidents. Knowledge about the fire safety protection system must be given to all the members of the building, staying or working in that building. This will help the members to have a check on the system regularly and the knowledge can be used to stop the fire from spreading or in helping evacuation operation. It will also be helpful for members to be careful and warn the cleaning staff, plumbers, construction workers and other facility service personnel about where the fire protection system sprinklers, pipes, valves are present while conducting any work. During any fire incidents the members can give this knowledge to the firefighters to help them get a better understanding of the building, fire protection system installed and rescue operation.
Beyond maintenance fire protection repairs need to be conducted whenever necessary to upgrade and keep the system in good quality. Replacement and repair of valves, sprinklers, alarms, backflow preventers and indicators will be essential every few years or after any fire incident. Protection is important to save lives, documents, components and equipment, and building structure. Fire mishaps, accidents and incident cannot be prevented completely. With reliable and efficient fire protection systems it is possible to minimize the damage due to fire.