FIR201 Assignment 7A (1) (1)

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Eastern Gateway Community College *

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201

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Mechanical Engineering

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Building Fire Protection Systems Bobby Roseberry Fire Science Department, Eastern Gateway Community College FIR 201 Fire Service Hydraulics Professor Mansfield December 10, 2023

2 Building Fire Protection Systems In most of the buildings today you will find fire protection systems that are either standpipes, sprinkler systems, or a combination of both. There are seven different types of standpipe systems and four different types of sprinkler systems that can be found within a building fire protection system. The purpose of this paper is to look at building fire protection systems. Topics that will be discussed are the three classifications of standpipe risers and the intended use, the water flow requirements for each standpipe classification, the required discharge diameter, the types of sprinkler systems, the associated water flow for the sprinkler systems, why these systems are important to firefighters, and the impact these systems have on firefighter safety. Literature Review There are three classifications of standpipe systems, they are Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3. Class 1 standpipe systems are fitted with a 2 ½ inch hose connection and are designed for use solely by firefighters. In class 1 standpipe systems they are required to have a water flow at a minimum of 500 gpm at the first riser and then a minimum of 250 gpm at each additional riser but must not exceed a max of 1250 gpm at 100 psi. Class 1 systems must be able to carry the water flow for a duration of 30 minutes. Class 2 standpipes are fitted with 1 ½ inch diameter hose connection and most generally have 100 feet of hose with a nozzle preconnected. This class is intended for use by the building occupants and requires a water flow of 100 gpm at 65 psi for a minimum duration of 30 minutes. Class 3 standpipe systems are equipped with a 2 ½ diameter discharge that is reduced to a 1 ½ diameter fitting that in most cases has a preconnected 100 feet of 1 ½ hose with a nozzle. Class 3 systems are intended for use both by firefighters and building occupants. Firefighters can remove the preconnected 1 ½ fitting and then connect their 2 ½ hose. Water flow requirements are the same as class 1. The minimum flow at the first riser is 500 gpm and each additional has a minimum of 250 gpm with a max of 1,250 gpm at 100 psi with a

3 duration of 30 minutes. As states there are seven different types of standpipe systems, they are automatic-wet, manual-wet, automatic-dry, semi-automatic-dry, manual-dry, combination, and wet standpipe (Crapo, 2017). Sprinkler systems are very common to find in larger buildings and can be found in some residential homes, although not very common. There are four different types of sprinkler systems. The first system that will be discussed is a wet pipe system. This type of system is the simplest to design, maintain, and will be the most common seen. In these types of systems,there is water under pressure at all times. It is designed with a wet pipe valve that is placed between the incoming water supply and the systems to keep from having backflush during operation and can also be used to activate the flow alarm (Crapo, 2017). The main disadvantage of this stem is that it must not be used in temperatures below 40 degrees due to the fear of it freezing. Second type is the dry pipe system that is most commonly used in areas of freezing temperatures. These types of systems have compressed air in the piping to hold back water from entering the pipes by a dry pipe valve. This system has several disadvantages to include the sprinkler valve must be placed in a heated room, must be able to maintain air pressure in the lines, and there is a delay before water will flow out of the sprinkler heads. As per NFPA 13 these systems must be able to have water flow within 60 seconds of activation (Crapo, 2017). The third system is a preaction system. This is not a single system but three variations of the same system. It is very similar to a dry pipe system; however the dry pipe valve is replaced with a preaction valve that is activated by a remote fire sensor. Air in this type of system may or may not be pressurized (Crapo, 2017). In the first variation water will start to flow as soon as a fire is detected and before the sprinkler head is activated cutting down on the time for water to flow out of the sprinkler head. On the second variation the preactivation valve and sprinkler head must be activated before water starts to flow. On the last variation water will start to flow whether the preactivation sensor or a sprinkler head is activated (Crapo, 2017). The last type of sprinkler system is a deluge system.

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4 This system operates pretty similar to the first variation of the preaction system. A fire detection system senses a fire and activates a deluge valve. In this type of system all the sprinkler heads are open allowing water to flow out of them (Crapo, 2017). Water flow requirements are different with each building. There only needs to be enough water to supply the sprinkler demand in the largest design area or zone (Crapo, 2017). Conclusion Standpipe systems and sprinkler systems are all part of a building's fire protection systems. Standpipe systems are very important to firefighters by allowing them to only have to carry an uncharged hose and nozzle to the desired floor and then connect the hose and charge, versus having to drag a charged line up several stories. In return this can help cut down on firefighter's injuries by lessening the physical stress put on a body by having to drag several hundred feet of charged hose. Sprinkler systems are very important to firefighters because of the ability to keep a fire in check and the ability to possibly extinguish a fire before growing and getting out of hand. Every firefighter should know and understand every type of fire protection system in the first due area of their department and the capability of each system. Reference Crapo, W. F. (2017). Fire protection hydraulics and water supply (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett.