Fire Protection

Fire Protection

-- May be defined as a system used to defend houses, buildings or any structures from fire.

* Four Classifications of fire:

CLASS A – Fires of ordinary combustible materials such as wood, cloth, paper and many plastics.

CLASS B -- Fires in flammable liquids, oils, greases, tars, oil base paints, lacquers and flammable gases.

CLASS C – Fires that involve energized electrical equipment. In such fires, it is important that the extinguishing medium is not a conductor.

CLASS D – Fires in combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, lithium and potassium.

In order to avoid these kinds of fire, fire protection is highly required where fire line systems may be installed.

* Three types of systems generally approved:

1.) Wet Standpipe

An installation directly associated with the water distribution system under the same pressure with water immediately available when needed. However, it does not have facilities where the equipments of fire department may be connected. It is intended for smaller buildings with moderate height and has less difficulty in directing the cause of fire where water is needed.

This kind of installation should have a gate valve that must have a tag stating that it serves as a fire standpipe and is allowed to remain open at all times. A drip connection at the bottom of the riser is needed, where the standpipe extends vertically through the floors and is also equipped with a hose and a nozzle connected to a wheel-handle gate valve. The hose should be folded on a hose rack in a way where it can be easily detached which allows the person to easily make his way to the room where fire is burning.

The diameter of the hose used is the standard 2 ½-inch unlined linen, 50 to 75 feet long and a nozzle of 1 or 1 ⅛-inch diameter are required for every unit. The number of units installed varies depending on the size of the building as long as every part of the building is protected.

The hose...