Building Operating Management September 2011 - FacilitiesNet

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buildingoperatingmanagement
SEPTEMBER 2011
they need to do and how they need to
do it. As opposed to generating a standard
evacuation signal, voice alarm
systems have speakers that provide
voice messages. Because voice systems
can clearly state the problem
and give specific instructions on how
to evacuate, people are more likely to
respond. These systems can also instruct
occupants to relocate to areas
of refuge when complete building
evacuation is not feasible.
Second, when a fire alarm system
is installed in a building, it is imperative
that everyone in the building
can hear the evacuation signal. And
if the system transmits a voice message,
occupants must understand the
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message. Audibility does not guarantee
intelligibility. In other words, just
because an occupant can hear that a
voice is speaking, it doesn’t mean the
occupants can understand what the
voice is saying. It is imperative that
fire alarm system speakers be designed
and distributed so that people
can understand the voice messages.
Third, to increase system credibility
and avoid unwanted alarms, it
is important that the best type of fire
detection is installed and is placed
properly. When properly selected and
placed, fire detectors can provide early
warning that a fire emergency has
occurred in a building. The proper
selection and placement of automatic
fire detection equipment is dependent
on the expected fire signatures
(heat, smoke or radiant heat); ambient
and environmental conditions;
and ability to adequately maintain
the individual fire detectors.
Finally, it is important that every
building’s emergency plan has provisions
for emergency evacuations and
exit drills. This will give the building
occupants the opportunity to become
familiar with the building’s fire alarm
notification signal and better understand
the building’s evacuation plan.
qRemember Fire
3.
Protection When
Planning Security
Security and fire protection have
common goals in building design —
protecting life and property. Although
both have the same goals, the desire for
increased building security has contributed
to countless deadly building fires.
In 1911, one such fire occurred in
New York at the Triangle Waist Factory,
where locked doors to an exit stair
contributed to 146 fatalities. Although
the Triangle fire occurred 100 years
ago, the threat can still exist today if
security is not balanced with fire protection.
For instance, locked doors on
the inside of an exit stairwell contributed
to six fatalities in Chicago’s Cook
County Administration Building in
2003. Another catastrophic fire occurred
in a Buenos Aires nightclub in
2004 when padlocked exit doors contributed
to the deaths of more than
190 concertgoers.