FRAME Calculation examples book. - FRAME Fire Risk Assessment ...

F.R.A.M.E.
These improvements result in higher values for the normal protection ( N=0.66) , for the
special protection ( S=1.63 and F = 1.45) and for the escape protection (U = 2.65) . The
calculated risk levels are R =0.62 , R1=0.81 and R2 =0.44 . This means that an adequate level
of safety can be obtained for all 3 aspects of the fire risk assessment.
Case study 21. Sweets manufacturer safety improvement program.
A sweets manufacturer asked fire safety consultant in 2004 for a fire risk analysis and
improvement program for his factory. The consultant used FRAME to support his findings and
recommendations. A total of 7 FRAME calculations were made for this job.
The plant has his own water storage tank for fire fighting with an electrical driven fire pump
and a hydrant network, but no sprinklers. The nearest fire station ( day time manned) is at 10
-15 min. from the plant. The plant has a guard service outside working hours and a small first
intervention team during working hours.
A first series of calculation was made for the production unit.
The building is 125 m long and 67 m wide, mainly ground floor but with upper levels for about
30 % of the ground floor area. Construction is mainly concrete and brickwork, and ceilings are
at an average of 4 m. The fire load is estimated at 900 MJ/m² . For hygienic reasons, there are
no openable windows or smoke vents. About 60 persons per shift work in the factory, and
there are 8 exit doors. The value of the factory is estimated at 5 Million Euro.
Some part of the production process is heated by steam or hot water and there is a zone with
an occasional dust hazard without proper dust removal system.
The 1 st calculation was made for the factory “as is” and gave the following results : R =2.17 ,
R1=1.58 and R2 = 1.91, which indicate an unacceptable high risk level. As Ro, the initial risk
was = 2.60 , sprinkler protection was recommendable
A 2 nd calculation was made with sprinklers, and resulted in the following risk levels: R=1.01,
R1=0.80 and R=0.73 or a well protected risk.
As the investment in sprinklers was beyond the financial possibilities of the plant, an
alternative improvement program was proposed: Solve the dust problem by adding a dust
extraction system and compartimentation of that part of the process and installation of an
addressable automatic fire detection (rate of rise detectors mostly). This resulted in the
following risk levels R=1.31 R1=0.82 and R2=0.96
This would lead to an acceptable level of risk for the personnel and the business and also
reduce the property loss expectancy to about 20 % for an affordable investment.
The next calculations were made for the finished good warehouse.
This was a 82.5 m x 32.5 m large steel building, 11 m high with a rack storage of palletised
goods. The mobile fire load was estimated at 12000 MJ/m². It was accessible from 3 sides.
No smoke venting was provided. Warehouse value was estimated at 1 million Euro.
The building has no heating, the electrical installation was code compliant, handling operations
were done with electrical lift trucks with a battery charger station outside the warehouse.
The impact of the warehouse on the business is limited: warehouse capacity is available at
other locations too.
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