MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology Course Syllabus Course Description Introduction to the design, specification, approving, testing, maintaining, and installing of fire protection systems. Examines a wide variety of simple and complex special hazard fire alarm systems through the use of real-world applications. Course Textbook Gagnon, R. M. (2008). Design of special hazard and fire alarm systems (2nd ed.). Albany, NY: Delmar Learning. Course Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1. Understand how to utilize fire protection system design contracts and conduct site surveys prior to installation, perform field checks during construction and inspect functioning systems. 2. Apply ethical standards to situations regarding fire protection standards and requirements. 3. Explain the chemistry and physics of fire and the classification and phases of fire. 4. Identify fundamental principles, design criteria and installation requirements for fire suppression, detection, and alarm systems. 5. Differentiate among low, medium and high expansion foam systems and understand their respective applications. 6. Understand the emerging technologies of water mist and water spray systems and identify potential applications. 7. Identify characteristics of gaseous extinguishing systems, including clean agents, such as halocarbon, inert gas agents, halon, and carbon dioxide. 8. Describe the various applications for particulate agents, such as dry chemicals. 9. Understand the methodology for designing and installing fire alarm initiating and notification systems. 10. Discuss the various system requirements related to detector and notification placement along with circuit design. Credits Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit. Course Structure 1. Unit Learning Objectives: Each unit contains Unit Learning Objectives that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit. 2. Written Lectures: Each unit contains a Written Lecture, which discusses lesson material. 3. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook. Supplemental Readings are provided in the unit study guides to aid students in their course of study. 4. Learning Activities (Non-Graded): These non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study in Units I-III and V-VII. 5. Key Terms: Key Terms are intended to guide students in their course of study. Students should pay particular attention to Key Terms as they represent important concepts within the unit material and reading. 6. Unit Assessments: This course contains six Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of Units I-III and V-VII. Assessments are composed of multiple-choice questions and/or written response questions. 7. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units I, III, IV, and VIII. Specific information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with the Unit I, III, and VIII Assignments. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below. MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology 1
8. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions. 9. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Unit Assignments Exploratory Assignments The unit Exploratory Assignments are to be completed for Units I and III. In completing these assignments the university requires that you follow APA guideline in preparing citations and references. Unit I Exploratory Assignment: For this assignment, you are to choose one activity from the end of Chapter 1, 2, or 3 and discuss it thoroughly using the objectives as a foundation to discuss the concepts. Unit III Exploratory Assignment: For this assignment, you are to choose one activity from the end of Chapter 6 or 7 and discuss it thoroughly using the objectives as a foundation to discuss the concepts. Steps for exploratory assignments: The purpose of this assignment is for you to apply the concepts and knowledge you learned within this unit. Also, this provides you with the opportunity to use your skills, expertise, and experience to enrich your response. Since you are offered the choice of which assignment to complete, you should provide a rich and thorough discussion on the concepts and how it could relate to your field or career choice. To supplement your discussion, you may use journal articles, case studies, scholarly papers, and other sites you may find pertinent. Your response should be at least two pages double spaced and appropriately cited using APA style writing. Any material that is directly quoted is required to have the necessary citation. If your assignment contains 20% or more of directly quoted material, it will be considered plagiarism and may be subject to punishment. This should largely be original work. Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubrics for these assignments is provided below. Unit IV Article Critique The Article Critique assignment for this class is to investigate a peer reviewed professional journal for an article in the field of fire protection technology of interest to you. The object of your critique is to describe how the study followed or failed to follow the criteria for good research. Speculate on which of the writer's conclusions were warranted and which were not. Please include the following topics in your critique of the selected article: 1. A brief introduction of the article 2. A statement of the research problem 3. A description of research procedures 4. Flaws in the procedural design 5. Analysis of the data 6. Limited and justifiable conclusions The article you select for this assignment should not be more than two years old. You are encouraged to utilize the Research Database found in the CSU Online Library located in the Course Menu. This database will allow you to quickly search through thousands of journal articles. Research Paper (Unit VIII) Please select a topic in the field of fire technology of interest to you and prepare a well-organized and thoughtful 5-7 page research paper. The research paper title page and reference page are required but not included as part of the paper length. CSU requires that students use the APA format in writing course papers. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting, quoting, paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. Your paper must contain at least five references, and may include Internet sources, books, and professional journals or resources related to the profession. Submit your selected topic and summary outline to your professor via e-mail prior to writing your paper. Your paper should include section headings per APA publication guidelines. Include an Introduction section and a Conclusions section as parts of your paper, as well as other relevant subject headings MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology 2
Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below. APA Guidelines CSU requires that students use the APA style for papers and projects. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting, quoting, paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. A document titled APA Guide is available for you to download from the APA Guide link, found in the Learning Resources area of the mycsu Student Portal. It may also be accessed from the Student Resources link on the Course Menu. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides links to The CSU Success Center and the CSU Online Library staff. Blackboard Grading Rubrics Assignment Rubrics One or more assignments in this course utilizes a Blackboard Grading Rubric. A rubric is a tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of an assignment. Your professor will use the Blackboard Grading Rubric to assign points and provide feedback for the assignment. You are encouraged to view the assignment rubric before submitting your work. This will allow you to review the evaluation criteria as you prepare your assignments. You may access the rubric in My Grades through the Tools button in your course menu. Click the View Rubric link to see the evaluation criteria for the assignment. Upon receiving your assignment grade, you may view your grade breakdown and feedback in the rubric. CSU Grading Rubric for Papers/Projects The course papers will be graded based on the CSU Grading Rubric for all types of papers, unless otherwise specified within assignment instructions. In addition, all papers will be submitted for electronic evaluation to rule out plagiarism. Course projects will contain project specific grading criteria defined in the project directions. To view the rubric, click the Academic Policies link on the Course Menu, or access it through the CSU Grading Rubric link found in the Learning Resources area of the mycsu Student Portal. Communication Forums These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below. Once you have completed Unit VIII, you MUST unsubscribe from the forum; otherwise, you will continue to receive e-mail updates from the forum. You will not be able to unsubscribe after your course end date. Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums. Ask the Professor This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students. Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a nonpublic nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the professor within 48 hours. Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information. MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology 3
Student Break Room This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers. Grading Assessments (6 @ 8%) = 48% Exploratory Assignments (2 @ 8%) = 16% Article Critique = 8% Research Paper = 28% Total = 100% Course Schedule/Checklist (PLEASE PRINT) The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology 4
MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology Course Schedule By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. Please keep this schedule for reference as you progress through your course. Unit I Special Hazard and Fire Alarm Fundamentals Chapter 1: Fundamental Concepts for Design of Special Hazard and Fire Alarm Systems Chapter 2: Ethics and Professional Development Chapter 3: Special Hazard Suppression Agents and Their Applications Exploratory Assignment Unit II Low, Medium, and High Expansion Foam Systems Chapter 4: Low-Expansion Foam System Design Chapter 5: Medium- and High-Expansion Foam System Design Unit III Water Mist and Water Spray Systems Chapter 6: Water Mist Systems Chapter 7: Ultra High-Speed Explosion Suppression Systems and Ultra High-Speed Water Spray Systems Exploratory Assignment MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology 5
MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology Course Schedule Unit IV Article Critique Article Critique Unit V Gaseous and Particulate Agent Special Hazard Systems Chapter 8: Clean Agent and Halon Replacement Extinguishing System Design Chapter 9: Carbon Dioxide System Design Chapter 10: Dry Chemical and Wet Chemical Extinguishing System Design Unit VI Fire Detection and Alarm Systems, and Fire Alarm System Initiating Devices and Notification Appliances Chapter 11: Fire Detection and Alarm Systems Chapter 12: Fire Alarm System Initiating Devices Chapter 13: Fire Alarm System Notification Appliances MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology 6
MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology Course Schedule Unit VII Fire Detector Placement, Circuit Design and Fire Alarm Control Units Chapter 14: Fire Detector Placement Chapter 15: Fire Alarm Circuit Design and Fire Alarm Control Units Unit VIII Research Paper Research Paper MOS 5301, Fire Protection Technology 7