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Protecting Property, Life and the Environment Newsletter No 17 Page 8 Technical Matters Clarification of LPC Rules —Help is at hand ! Industry stakeholders who need clarification of LPC Sprinkler Rules should contact : - Dr James Glockling of the FPA E-mail: jglockling@thefpa.co.uk The Review of DD251 Extracts from a presentation by David Warman of RMD and BASA council member given at the recent Stamford seminar Hopefully by later this year we should be at the final draft stage DD251 (2004) which at that stage will still not be a British Standard. The technical differences between domestic and residential systems and their incorporation into the standard have caused some problems in the review and perhaps we would have been better served by 2 separate standards for Domestic & Residential, Domestic being single family dwellings. BASA/LPCB would like to see DD251 incorporated into the LPS1048 installer scheme. Concerns have been expressed by many experienced industry stakeholders relating to DD251’s design criteria’s possible inadequacy for certain residential premises containing large rooms or openly communicating areas. Queries have also been raised relating to the non protection of loft space or allowing only partial protection. All these points and others need careful consideration and should not be overlooked in the haste to get the standard reviewed which would also be highly irresponsible. Some people are promoting the stance “Anything is better than nothing’. However, this is considered irresponsible where lives are concerned. Implementation of the new 4 Level LPS1048 (Installer scheme) should be up and running in 2005 The current status of installer’s position/level in the new scheme and details of the future programme/implementation are available on the BRE web-page. Changes to BS EN 12845:2003 CEN have proposed to amend the text of EN12845 in response to a complaint from Germany. The text will revert to the original Voting Draft which is already on the BASA site. The proposed new text and a full explanation can be found at:-http://www.basa.org.uk/snews The document is 200 pages in length. Stewart Kidd is contacting the FPA to determine how they propose to handle this matter by suggesting that they issue free amendment sheets to all those who have bought copies. EN12845 will run in tandem with BS5306 to August 2006, then the BS is discontinued. BASA training courses are to be run, not only for LPS1048 competency tests, but also for the new EN12845. See page 21. Review of LPS1254 (Tank Standard) BRE have invited comments on the review of LPS 1254 and below, abbreviated, are some of the comments put forward by BASA /BASA members. Peter Armstrong, David Robinson and John Carr will be attending the review meetings and if you have any further comments please let any of the above know asap. as the first meeting is on 15th June. Tank Type Why not just have one tank Type A/D and simplify the matter. 15 year life-- “suitable for sprinkler service without emptying, cleaning, maintenance or repair for a period not less than 15 years”. These words need to be deleted in full. If these words are not removed then the tank suppliers/BRE must take full responsibility and provide some kind of insurance backed scheme to kick in, in the event the tank supplier is no longer in existence. eg. Malgar In any event what do these words mean in practice ie. no maintenance or repair? What about the ball valve ? ♦ Do we need immersion heaters? ♦ What about external corrosion protection ? ♦ Low level access panel for maintenance ? Galvanising /Equivalent Protection Measures /Bitumen Coating --Future tank specification By BRE's own admission there was very little evidence/ scientific analysis/ tests/calculations carried out by BRE , or the like, for the existing specification requirements (ie. 610 g/ m) being suitable for 15 years, even though BRE amazingly confirmed " fitness for purpose " at this 15 year level . It is therefore vital to learn from the previous shortcomings and ensure that whatever specification is arrived at, particularly for the butyl liners, is adequate. Installers and customers have relied exclusively on BRE's endorsement of the tanks. The installers will leave it to the experts to decide on an adequate specification in future but will hold them liable for their actions. Other Issues BRE Assessment/Ongoing Audit Regime In view of the acknowledged failings in BRE’s procedures (ie.Galglass saga), BRE to fully detail their assessment and ongoing audit procedures of tank suppliers, so another "Galglass" can never be allowed to occur again . Tank Inspection Procedures These are to be fully detailed ie. frequency, service engineers checklist / reports, etc. ie what is expected at any inspection and how does this fit in with the "maintenance free" statement and who is qualified to carry it out. Resolution to the on going Galglass saga , to the satisfaction of the installers, and as detailed in the BASA correspondence on this issue.
Protecting Property, Life and the Environment Newsletter No 17 Page 9 Technical (cont) Sprinkler Water Supplies: The New Protocol This issue arose some time ago when water companies began to ask for large sums (up to £5000) for connections for single domestic sprinkler systems. A committee comprising of the ODPM, BASA, FBU, CACFOA, FPA, LPCB and RSA chaired by the Network, negotiated with the water companies to agree a protocol for sprinkler water supplies. We now have Mark 9 of this protocol document and this covers the terms under which water for sprinkler systems will be provided and it will be supported by a Technical guidance bulletin. This protocol is jointly issued and can therefore be used by industry stakeholders if they encounter problems with water companies. It will take time for the message to get down to the grass roots following publication in June 2004 by the FPA. Some important points to note however in the protocol:- The onus is on the end user to record / notify any change in supply characteristic, not the water companies who refused to accept any liability in this respect. Sprinkler water will not be required to be metered nor w ill - the water be charged for and boosted towns main maybe accepted. It covers all sprinkler systems connected to a service main (even where a tank is installed) which must be notified to the water companies on the appropriate form by the end user or contractor. On Tuesday 25 th May 2004 in the Houses of Parliament, Jim Knight MP, Chairman of the Fire Protection Association Council and others launched the long awaited water protocol document. The document which is entitled “Guidelines for the Supply of Water to Fire Sprinkler Systems” is being placed on BASA’s website and published by the Fire Protection Association in hard copy from whom copies may be obtained within the UK for the price of postage and packaging at; Fire Protection Association, Bastille Court, 2 Paris Garden London, SE1 8ND Telephone 020 7902 5300 Fax 020 7902 5301 Email www.thefpa.co.uk FIRAS CERTIFICATION SCHEME REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTORS INSTALLING COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Warrington Certification Ltd (part of the Warrington Fire Research Group), in partnership with BASA, has developed a new scheme for the installers of commercial and industrial sprinkler systems. The scheme is operated under the FIRAS banner, an operating division of Warrington Certification. FIRAS has been operating schemes for the installers of passive fire protection since 1994 and for installers of residential and domestic sprinkler systems since 2003. The philosophy of FIRAS is to work in partnership with the relevant trade association and to have technical dialogue through a FIRAS Liaison Panel representing trade and certification interests. A draft of the scheme has been prepared and is currently with BASA Council for comment. The core principles of the scheme are: 2 categories of contractor o approved – entry level under verification for 12 months o certificated – working within defined scopes o option to add to scope of activity on-going surveillance at 6 monthly intervals quality systems to ISO 9001:2000 o small scheme approach (for smaller contractors) – audit interval of 9 months o use of any UKAS accredited certification body demonstration of competence of personnel o formal training and examination, or o technical interview and competency assessment (grandfather rights) refresher training if appropriate all documentation on-line via the FIRAS website Listing of contractors will be on the FIRAS website so that information will be bang up to date. No hard publication will be produced. The scheme is expected to be launched in mid-summer
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