Fire safety in buildings requires a complex mixing of a approaches from different disciplines;Which are:
1) Architects are generally responsible for the overall building geometry, including escape routes, and arrangement of external and internal walls.
2) Structural engineers are involved with providing structural integrity and maintaining the containment functions of barriers such as floors and walls.
3) Building service engineers design the installed active fire protection measures such as sprinklers, risers, smoke control etc.
The main areas of consideration are to meet the following objectives:
A. Life safety
i)Contain fire and delay collapse atleast until people escape.
ii)Contain fire and prevent collapse atleast for duration of fire (if people cannot escape).
iii) Prevent collapse into other buildings.
iv)Consider safety of the fire fighter.
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B. Protection of fire in building.
i)Contain fire to the area of origin.
ii) Prevent collapse of other parts.
iii) Reduce cost of repair.
C. Protection of other buildings.
i)Maintain stability of external walls.
ii)Prevent collapse onto other buildings.
Influences on Design:
There are three main factors that may affect the design strategy for fire and safety:
a)Building type, form, function and location.
b) Construction methods, material and sequence.
c) Method of procurement.
The planned occupancy of the building will have a significant impact on its design. Since special requirements for fire risk, means of fire escape, structural fire resistance, smoke control etc, may apply to certain types of buildings, for example, hostels, offices, schools, industrial premises,shopping centers, residential premises, hospitals and public buildings.
The location and form of a building will also be a significance. For instance, a building planned for dense urban area would require different facilities for external fire spread, means of escape and fire fighting access, than a design for a green field site.
Similarly, the size and the form of the building and height, together with the incorporation of the special features such as atria, will influence the design. The choice of structural system is a cry significant feature in terms of fire and safety. Some systems such as reinforced concrete frames, have inherent fire resisting properties, and consequently there is little input from the architect, whereas timber and steel framed structures, with or without passive protection, make much greater demand on the skills of the architect, structural engineer and in more specialist applications, the fire engineer consultant. However, both the architect and rest of the design team have a duty to choose the most appropriate structural system, taking into consideration all relevant aspects including cost, programme, procurement method, sequence of construction, architectural expression and environmental issues.
Role of Building Engineers:-
In fact, the fire protection of any building starts from the table of the architects.The following are the importance of fire and life safety point if view, which the building engineers should consider while designing/planning the building for construction.
a) Understanding the dangerous power of fire destruction and nature and behaviour of fire with special attention to it's vertical spread.
b) Knowledge about fire resisting qualities of the building materials.
c) Limiting the use of highly combustible building materials to restrict the spread of flame on walls, ceiling surfaces etc.
d) Provision of sufficient means of escape/exit requirements form the occupants from the building and means of access of fire appliances in the building.
e) Provision of the refuge area, refuge floors, protected staircase, pressurized staircase and lift shaft, compartmentation etc., in case of high rise and high risk buildings.
f) Adequate facilities of fire water reservoirs, fixed fire fighting installations, means of fire detection and alarm systems, public address systems etc., in the high rise and high hazard buildings.
g) Adequate means of smoke ventilation from the building.
h) Development of fire safety plans.
i)Promoting change in the attitude of the people to rely more on precautions rather than fate.
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