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Providing fire and rescue services with appropriate information about your building can make the difference between life and death for your business. Alastair Thompson highlights what sort of information should be passed on, using an example of temperature controlled environments.
The International Association for Cold Storage Construction (IACSC) is publishing an updated version of the guide that has become the ‘bible’ for the temperature-controlled storage and food processing industries. The guide – Design, Construction, Specification and Fire Management of Insulated Envelopes for Temperature Controlled Environments – highlights the importance of providing the fire service with information on building layout and construction. One of the recommendations is for a fire safety labelling scheme and an enhanced fire plan, which is placed at the nearest point of entry to provide the incident commander with information about the building.
Fires in sandwich panel buildings potentially present a combination of problems for firefighters, including hidden fire spread within panels, production of large quantities of toxic smoke, and the loss of structural integrity. When providing an emergency response pack for fire service use, building owners should be mindful of the importance of accurate information about building construction.
Ian Seward, assistant divisional officer at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, gives the firefighters’ perspective: “Firefighters who attend fires in buildings constructed of sandwich panels need as much information as possible about the premises, its design, construction and its use. An absence of information will lead to concerns at the possible consequences of committing crews in particular areas, and will almost always result in a ‘defensive tactical’ mode that will involve as little risk to firefighters and members of public in the area.”
Communication is key
One reason the fire service may not be provided with information about a building’s construction is that the occupants were not involved in the design and fire strategy. The new edition of Approved Document B, which came into force last month, includes an appendix on providing such information (Appendix G). It requires that important information on the fire strategy, and the justification for the performance of the elements used in the construction, is to remain on site. For building owners who are complying with the recommendations of Appendix G, it seems a sensible step to ensure that the fire and rescue service can get hold of the ‘as-built’ drawings when they have an urgent need for them.
There are some reservations from a firefighter’s perspective. The main concern is that the information provided under Appendix G could be too extensive and detailed. “The plan provided needs to be precise and clear” adds Ian Seward. “It must be presented in a manner that is easily understood and can be quickly assessed. It must be readily available and the information presented must accurately represent the current building stock.”
Given that the time taken to control an incident has a direct bearing on the extent of damage, building owners need an effective route to provide their plans to the fire service. The key recommendations are to store the plans in a way that is available at the point of delivery, directly accessible to the fire service and independent of staff or power supply, such as a premises information box system. Some fire services use a vehicle mounted data system, so information should also be provided for entry onto their computers as this type of system complements an on-site one.
Insurance angle
As well as helping building occupiers to provide information to the fire service on special risks – for example the location of highly flammable materials (as per the guides that accompany the Regulatory Reform Order) – providing plans can also help protect the building beyond ensuring that fire spread does not impede people’s escape. Many businesses will find that in spite of being fully compliant with fire safety law, they will be relying on the efficiency of the fire service to protect their business premises and its material content. Indeed, the ABI Technical Briefing Fire Performance of Sandwich Panel Systems says that “building regulations do not necessarily provide sufficient fire protection for insurance purposes”. Fire crews will need to communicate with the building occupier about the protection or salvaging of business critical assets, and it helps to see where these are located on a plan.
“One important consideration is the effect of water, which will seep through to the lower floors” advises Ian Seward. “Some equipment may survive smoke damage, but water would kill it. Fire crews could potentially assist if they know where it is and what they could do to protect it, such as covering equipment with plastic sheets.”
This is a crucial point for any business looking to reduce its potential exposure to loss. In accordance with expected standards, business continuity management can make all the difference between survival and collapse following an incident.
With insurers keen to see business continuity in practice, it’s not surprising that providing information to the fire service is becoming more customary. Mark Newton of Royal and Sun Alliance adds: “We look favourably on companies who provide plans to the fire service, particularly if they are made available in a premises information box. It’s a relatively low cost investment that can bolster every business’ chance of surviving a fire.”
Alastair Thompson is managing director of Gerda Technology Ltd: www.gerdasecurity.co.uk
PLANS IN COLD STORAGE
A new edition of a guide to fire management in food processing and storage plants which use sandwich panel construction is due later this summer.
The European division of the International Association for Cold Store Construction is busy finalising the second edition of the guide Design, construction, Specification and Fire Management of Insulated Envelopes for Temperature Controlled Environments. The new edition will update the previous document published in 1999, and will include guidance for ambient as well as temperature-controlled conditions.
The new guide addresses the issues in selecting types of panel and their cores, which has become insurance-led in recent years following some serious fires in the early 1990s. It contains information on the types of construction possible for these buildings, along with improved fire performance and fire safety management. The pink pages of the original edition have been revamped into three chapters providing basic information on fire, how designers need to approach their job, and pointers for Building Control bodies when approving these types of building. The current issue of the guide is cited in Appendix F of Approved Document B.
IACSC is a US-based organisation with an active European division, concentrating on the design needs of the food process and storage industry employing sandwich panel construction. In 2003 it also published a model building specification for the design, installation and commissioning of insulated envelopes and insulated floors for temperature controlled and ambient environments, together with a CD-Rom version for designers to use. It expects to make the fire chapters (the pink pages) available to download from its website http://www.iacsc.org/iacsc