Maintenance of Fire Systems Duty Holder Facilities Manager Responsible Person By John Briggs
All Fire Facilities, equipment, systems and devices are required by law to be subject to a suitable system of maintenance, be in efficient working order and good repair. To demonstrate good maintenance regimes, companies adhere to the British standards or other guidance where this exists. This presentation outlines the requirements of that maintenance as defined by standards and indicates what the contractor must do and what the owner or user must do.
It will never happen to me! In the United Kingdom: The fire brigade receives over 1.2 million calls per year 496,014 Fires False alarms or Special services attended In 2016 263 people were killed by fire 7569 non fatal injuries Losses due to fire exceed 8.15 Billion annually Our rivers and air are damaged by pollution Business fail Our Heritage is Destroyed
Initial Fire Risk Assessment Step 1: Identify fire hazards - Combustible materials, Sources of ignition, Work processes Step 2: Identify people at significant risk Step 3: Evaluate the risks - Are existing fire safety measures adequate? - Control of ignition sources/sources of fuel - Fire detection/warning, Means of escape, Means of fighting fire, Maintenance and testing of fire precautions - Fire safety training - Carry out any improvements needed Step 4: Record findings and actions taken - Prepare a fire management plan Step 5: Keep risk assessments under review - Revise as and when necessary 4
Fire Alarm & Detection Systems
Fire Alarm Codes of Practice BS 5839-1 : 2013 (2002) (non domestic) BS 5839-6 : 2004 (1995) dwellings BS 5839-8 : 2013 (2008) voice alarms HTM 05-03 B hospitals BS 6266 : 2011 (2002) additional guidance for critical electronic equipment installations BS 7273 (various parts) interfaces with other systems
BS 5839 Part 1 2013 Types & categories of system Planning Zones Monitoring and integrity of circuits System components should comply with the relevant part of BS EN 54 Devices - types, spacing, usage, etc. False alarm control measures Control equipment Power supplies Cabling Installation, commissioning and verification User Responsibility and servicing requirements
User Responsibilities Daily Inspection of panel and other equipment Weekly / Monthly Test Call points in rotation and sound. Day and Night if necessary Log Book daily inspection Reduction of False Alarms devise own policy Ensure Detectors and Call Points are unobstructed define frequency.
Periodic Inspection [By maintenance company and User] Max interval 6 months Inspection of site and log book Thorough test of the Control panel and PSU Operation of one device per circuit Confirm operation of Alarms and ARC Review False Alarm record Train User where necessary
Annual Inspection [By maintenance company] Can be spread over year - normally Quarterly Periodic Inspection Plus: Test of all resettable detectors Operation of all call points Inspect cables Confirm Programming/descriptors Review of Analogue Levels Radio site audit Audibility
Third Party Approval LPCB LPS 1014 BAFE SP203 NSI / SSIAB Advantages: Proof of competence Guaranteed quality Market place differentiation Openings for new business Protection of existing business Demonstration of due diligence
Hydrants and risers
TESTING AND/OR INSPECTION Fire Hydrants shall be subject to a test/inspection. There are two types of inspection, involve: Above ground inspection: The Hydrant frame, cover, and the surrounding surface are checked for damage. The hydrant marker post is checked to see if the information shown is correct and is clearly visible. Any overgrowth is cut back and the post and lid may require re-painting. Below ground inspection: This involves checking the Hydrant pit and the Hydrant itself. It is checked for leakage, the pit itself may require clearing of silt or debris which may affect the delivery of water for fire fighting purposes. The hydrant is also wet tested to ensure the hydrant is working properly. They may also be tested for water pressure and flow. PUBLIC and / or PRIVATE HYDRANTS
Maintenance and Testing Fire crews should be familiar with the layout and function of any dry riser in their risk area. If any buildings are fitted with a Wet riser. then it is a special risk (PRM/SSRI). Specific and detailed information on the riser s size, location and performance limits should be included within the risk data. The annual testing and maintenance of both Dry and Wet Risers is the responsibility of the property owners or managing agents. British Standard 5306: Part 1 1976 (Revised by BS9990) recommends that the system is visually inspected every 6 months and serviced annually to ensure that the equipment is ready for immediate use in an emergency. In addition, it is recommended that a full wet test be carried out annually.
Wet riser Wet rising mains consist of vertical pipes similar to the dry rising main system with landing valves at each floor except the ground. The pipe system is connected to a permanent water supply normally a tank fed from the town mains. Duplicate automatic pumps, one duty and one standby supply this water to the pipe system.
Annual pressure testing For dry risers, this normally entails connecting the inlet to a pump and water supply. The system is then completely charged with water to a pressure of 10 bar measured at the inlet for a period of at least 15 minutes. During this period an inspection is made to ensure that there is no leakage of water at any of the joints or landing valves. Once the pressure test is completed, the system must be drained so that it is left ready for immediate use. In the event of system failure due to inability to hold pressure for the recommended 15 minutes at 10 bar (at the inlet), a retest will be required. For wet risers there are additional checks, on cleanliness of storage tanks, booster pumps and associated mechanical and electrical equipment.
6 month visual inspection checking: All valves open and close, leave close (checking strap and lock if required) All outlet washers For damaged and missing blank caps and chains That all hand wheels and nuts are undamaged and in place Landing outlets are free moving and undamaged The inlet cabinet and door for corrosion The inlet breeching valve springs and rubbers are free moving and in good condition The cabinet glass All required signage is present and correct
Sprinkler Systems & Other Active Systems
Sprinkler Design Codes BS EN 12845:2015 Fixed firefighting systems. Automatic sprinkler systems. Design, installation and maintenance LPC Rules for Automatic Sprinkler Installations which incorporate an annotated version of the BSEN and the LPC Technical Bulletins
MATTHER+PLATT WET SET 150MM
Weekly routine Monthly routine Yearly routine TB203 - Care and maintenance of automatic sprinkler systems User / Owner Quartely Half Yearly Annually 3 Year 5 Year 10Year 25 Year Maintenance Company Both TB203 - Care and maintenance of automatic sprinkler systems
Fire Extinguishers
Examples of old and new colour coding Powder Carbon dioxide
User inspections Check for the following signs of damage or neglect: Missing safety pin Dents and gouges Rust or other form of corrosion Used indicator visible (where fitted) No service label Not serviced or installed within the last 12 months Pressure gauge (where fitted) not reading normal
Extinguisher servicing, inspection and testing BS5306-3:2009 User - inspection Monthly schedule Competent person - servicing and inspection Annual schedule Competent person - testing Discharge test at 5 year interval Overhaul Test (CO2 and Halon) 10 yearly
Emergency Lighting
Daily Inspection - Client Check all maintained lamps are lit Check faults logged have been given urgent attention Record faults and action taken Inspect central power indicator (7.2.2)
Testing BS 5266-8 2016 BS EN 50172 Test and check every emergency lamp to see it is illuminated during simulation of normal power failure: DAILY Visual inspection of power supplies and control panels indicating normal operation - Check all maintained lamps are working. MONTHLY Each Luminaire and emergency exit signs tested by switching off the power - inspected to ensure they are clean and operating correctly All monitoring devices checked Then restore power ANNUALLY Same test as monthly but test duration should be for the full design duration of the system [e.g. 1 hour 3 hours] Remember after this test the system may not be fully charged for a period of time and may not illuminate for the required time in an emergency.
Fire Doors
USER CHECKS Daily? Check fire routes not blocked Corridors Security [open if required to be] Doors function correctly Weekly? Door closers Monthly? Physical check and logged in log book Hinges Door furniture Annual? BS8214 Installation of timber fire doors 2016
A FIRE DOOR IS NOT A FIRE DOOR UNLESS EVERYTHING ON IT FURNITURE FRAME GLASS IS RATED TO EXACTLY THE SAME STANDARD AS THE DOOR ITSELF BS 476
Passive Fire Protection Compartmentation Fire stopping
Active systems Fire alarms Extinguishers - Sprinklers Passive systems Compartmentation Fire Doors Fire stopping Both of these systems form part of the Fire strategy of your building and the measures you take to protect your staff from harm and allow them to get out of the building in an emergency without injury. The passive systems will also help to contain the fire and thereby limit the growth of the fire and the damage to the property.
Compartmentation when properly done contains the fire and smoke and prevents it escalating
SUMMARY
Statistics FSO Articles that have led to Convictions since 2006 Article 14 Emergency routes and exits 276 Article 9 Risk assessment 190 Article 8 Duty to undertake Fire Precautions 186 Article 13 Firefighting and fire detection 153 Article 17 Maintenance of Premises 123 Since 2009 Total 928
Summary Fire Alarms Risers Sprinklers - Fixed firefighting systems BS5839 Pt 1 Pt 6 BS5306: Part 1 1976 (Revised by BS9990) BS EN 12845:2015 Fire stopping and Seals Fire doors. Emergency lighting Fire extinguishers Hydrants Risers Hosereels BS 476 BS 8214 BS 5266-8 BS EN 50172 BS5306-3:2009
Summary IF you have not written down that you have done the checks You haven t done the checks IF you have not got proof from Sub contractors that they have done their job The work has not been done IF you fail to comply with all the parts of a standard, you are not maintaining equipment to that standard.