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FireResistantBuildingMaterial

The building where we spent our life should be strong enough to handle natural disaster
like flood, earthquake and fire etc. Fire prevention can be done by using the guidelines
given below.

The material used in building should be of such nature that it does not disintegrate
under the effect of heat produced during fire.
The material should not expand due to heat also and should ensure stability of
structure.
The nature of material used in building should have minimum contraction due to
sudden cooling with water after the material is heated at high temperature.
The nature of material used in the building should be such that it does not catch fire
easily.

FireResistantPropertiesofBuilding
Stone:

It is a bad conductor of heat. Sand stone with fine grains can moderate fire successfully
without having serious cracks. Granite is disintegrated when it receives heat from fire.
Lime stone is easily crumbled by ordinary fire. Most of stones are disintegrated into small
pieces when heated during fire and cooled afterwards.
Brick:

Bricks are bad conductor of heat. They have no serious effect of heat until the temperature
during fire rises above 1200 degrees to 1300 degrees. At the time of construction if good
quality mortar is used and brick work constructed by skilled mason, brick masonry offers
good resistance to fire.

This material is rarely used in building construction. Cast iron breaks into pieces when gets
a normal temperature after getting heat during the fire. Care should be taken while using
cast iron in the building that it should be covered either by brick work, cement concrete or
any other fire resistant material.
 Steel:

It is good conductor of heat and it is heated quickly during fire. Steel bars looses its tensile
strength, yields stress if it is heated above 600 degree centigrade during fire. Steel bars
completely melt at a temperature of 1400 degree centigrade. During fire unprotected steel
columns, beams etc. become unsafe due to high temperature and structure may fail. The
paint on the surface of the steel items catches fire easily, keeping in the above problem fire
resistant paint should be done on steel members.
Concrete:

Concrete is a bad conductor of heat and an effective material for fire resistant construction.
It offers higher resistance to fire than any other material. The actual behavior of concrete in
case of fire depends on quality of cement and type of aggregate which form concrete. In
case of reinforced and pre-stressed structures, it also depends on the position of steel in
concrete.

There is no loss of strength in concrete when it is heated up to 250 degrees centigrade. The
reduction of strength starts when the temperature of fire increases beyond 250 degrees
centigrade. Normally re-enforced concrete structure can resist fire for about one hour at the
temperature of 1000 degrees centigrade without any serious damage. Hence cement
concrete is widely used in fire resistant construction.
Glass:

It is a poor conductor of heat and expends little during heating. Cracks are formed in glass
when it is cooled after heating. Re-enforced glass with steel wire is more resistant to fire
than ordinary glass. Re-enforced glass can resist sudden variation in temperature without
forming cracks. Wired glass even if it breaks, keeps fractured glass in its original position.
Timber:

Any structure made from timbers rapidly destroys in case of fire. Timber also enhances
intensity of fire. As timber is bad conductor of heat if heavy section is used it may attain a
high degree of fire resistance. To make timber more fire resistant, the surface of timber is
coated with chemicals such as ammonium phosphate and soleplate, borax and boric acid.
After doing treatment, the timber becomes more resistant to heat. Sometimes fire resistant
paint is also applied on surface of the timber to protect it from heat.

Chief causes of fire in a building

The following are the chief causes of fire in a building:

Smoking
 Electrical Wiring
Heating and Cooking Equipment
Children Playing with Matches
Open Flames and Sparks
Flammable Liquids Suspected Arson
It can be defined as the act of intentionally burning property in order to cause
destruction or harm. The burning or exploding of commercial and public buildings
such as restaurants ,schools, structures,and bridges constitutes arson if it is done
with an intent .
Chimneys
Lighting
Spontaneous Combustion
Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) may result in simple burns and blisters to
the skin, smoking. Smoking is the form most often recognized as SHC.

FireExtinguisher

Structure of the Fire Extinguisher

It is very important to know the structure of the extinguisher which contains some
chemical agents to extinguish fierce fire in our house.
Handle: It is a grip to hold the cylinder. Handle designs may vary depending on various
models. All portable extinguishing cylinders having weight more than 3 pounds must have
a handle.

Trigger: It is a short lever mounted above the handle. When you squeeze the trigger, it
releases the extinguishing agent through its nozzle.
Nozzle: The extinguishing agent is expelled from the top of the extinguisher through a
fixed nozzle.

Pressure Gauge or Pressure Indicator: It indicates the pressure stored in the

extinguishing cylinder. The stored pressure may decrease with the passage of time. An
extinguisher having low pressure will not operate properly. Therefore the extinguishers are
designed with a built-in Pressure Gauze or Pressure Indicator to check the operating
pressure (Pressure level should be checked at least once a month)

Locking Mechanism: It is used to prevent accidental discharge from the cylinder. The
locking mechanism must be removed before using the extinguishing cylinder. In modern
extinguishers there is a pin with a large loop at one end set below the trigger. Therefore
you must pull the pin out before squeezing the trigger to discharge the extinguisher.

Operation of a Portable Fire Extinguisher

Without knowing proper operation of the portable fire extinguisher, you can not stop a
mishap caused by the fire. Four basic steps to operate extinguisher are following.

Step 1: Pull the Pin

Pull out the pin located below the trigger or release the locking mechanism holding the
nozzle pointing away from you.

Step 2: Hold Extinguisher Properly

Point the nozzle towards the base of fire standing 6 to 8 feet away from the fire. Always
hold the extinguisher vertically. Never cradle it horizontally in your arms.

Step 3: Squeeze the trigger

Squeeze the trigger slowly and evenly. It will release the extinguishing agent through the
nozzle.

Step 4: Sweep from side to side

Sweep the nozzle from side to side driving the fire back. Move closer to the fire as it
diminishes and continue sweeping until the fire is extinguished completely.

Various fire fighting system for building are following: Automatic sprinkle system:
 This system consists of automatic sprinkles attached to a piping system containing
water under pressure and connected to a water supply so that water discharges
immediately from the sprinkles opened by a fire. Carbon dioxide system:
Carbon dioxide is a clean , non combustible and non corrosive gas. It extinguishes
the fire by diluting flammable mixtures of air and flammable gas or vapour to
proportions below their flammable limits. It does not conduct electricity and it
penetrates and spreads as a gas over the entire area to be protected from fire.This
system is adopted to grant fire protection to areas containing flammable liquids,
paint mixing rooms, petroleum research laboratories, computer rooms, etc Dry
chemical system:
This system includes a supply of dry chemical, a spreading gas such as compressed
nitrogen, detection devices, release mechanism, fixed piping and nozzles for
discharging the dry chemical into the hazard area. This system is applied in two
ways(A) Flooding (B) Local.Flooding is used for enclosed areas while Local is
applied for areas which are effectively isolated from other sources of ignition.
Foam system:
The mechanical foam is formed by passing foam producing liquid and water
through an agitation device.It is lighter than flammable liquids and oils. It floats on
the surface of the liquid and thus forms a continuous blanket which separates
flammable liquid from air supply effectively.This system is used for oil refineries,
chemical plants, aircraft hangers, liquid solvent plants. Halon system:
Halon contained in cylinders in liquid form is released through nozzles on the
piping distribution arrangement. An actuator is provided on the cylinder control
valve and it is operated either by electric or pneumatic signal when fire occurs.
Hydrant system:
Hydrants are located at suitable points and they can be operated either manually or
automatically. In manual operation, a pump has to be started manually after
opening the hydrant valve.In automatic operation, the pump will start automatically
when the hydrant valve is opened manually.The hydrant valve should be designed
for the prescribed discharge under pressure such that a jet throw of water is
obtained from the nozzle of hose pipe. This system is the backbone of all the fire
protection system. It can be installed for multi storeyed buildings, power plants,
textiles mills, hospitals, paper mills, airports, warehouses.
Water spray system:
Water spray is used to extinguish fire. This system can be grouped into the
following categories.a)Multifire system b)Protectospray system Multifire system is
designed to have a coarse water spray discharged at high velocity. Such an
arrangement gives the water spray to reach upto the base of flame
zone.Protectospray system is designed to have a fine water spray discharged at low
velocity. Such an arrangement cools the burning surface and creates inert vapour.

Howtolimitfirespreadinhome?

The following factors are adopted in order to limit fire spread in homes:
1.Fire fighting equipment
2.Materials of construction
3.Means of escape
4.Protection of openings
5.Subdivision
Fire fighting equipment:
The suitable equipments for detecting, extinguishing, and warning of fire should be
placed in the buildings. These equipments should be located at such places that they
are easily accessible.
Materials of construction:
The structural and non structural elements of the buildings such as floors, partitions,
roofs, walls, doors , windows etc should be constructed of fire resisting materials.
Means of escape:
Suitable means of escape should be provided when fire occurs in the buildings. The
means of escape are mainly considered in the designs of cinemas, theatres, town halls,
factories, etc.
Protection of openings:
The openings should be sufficiently protected by using fire resistant doors and
windows to limit the fire.The area of the openings should not be excessive.
Subdivision:
It is desirable to subdivide large buildings into small compartments to reduce the
chances of spreading the fire into the whole building. In case of industrial buildings,
high risk areas should be isolated from others.

Whicharevariousfirefightingsystemforbuilding?

Various fire fighting system for building are following:

Automatic sprinkle system:
This system consists of automatic sprinkles attached to a piping system containing
water under pressure and connected to a water supply so that water discharges
immediately from the sprinkles opened by a fire.
Carbon dioxide system:
Carbon dioxide is a clean , non combustible and non corrosive gas. It extinguishes
the fire by diluting flammable mixtures of air and flammable gas or vapour to
proportions below their flammable limits. It does not conduct electricity and it
penetrates and spreads as a gas over the entire area to be protected from fire.This
system is adopted to grant fire protection to areas containing flammable liquids,
paint mixing rooms, petroleum research laboratories, computer rooms, etc
Dry chemical system:
This system includes a supply of dry chemical, a spreading gas such as compressed
nitrogen, detection devices, release mechanism, fixed piping and nozzles for
 discharging the dry chemical into the hazard area. This system is applied in two
ways(A) Flooding (B) Local.Flooding is used for enclosed areas while Local is
applied for areas which are effectively isolated from other sources of ignition.
Foam system:
The mechanical foam is formed by passing foam producing liquid and water
through an agitation device.It is lighter than flammable liquids and oils. It floats on
the surface of the liquid and thus forms a continuous blanket which separates
flammable liquid from air supply effectively.This system is used for oil refineries,
chemical plants, aircraft hangers, liquid solvent plants.
Halon system:
Halon contained in cylinders in liquid form is released through nozzles on the
piping distribution arrangement. An actuator is provided on the cylinder control
valve and it is operated either by electric or pneumatic signal when fire occurs.
Hydrant system:
Hydrants are located at suitable points and they can be operated either manually or
automatically. In manual operation, a pump has to be started manually after
opening the hydrant valve.In automatic operation, the pump will start automatically
when the hydrant valve is opened manually.The hydrant valve should be designed
for the prescribed discharge under pressure such that a jet throw of water is
obtained from the nozzle of hose pipe. This system is the backbone of all the fire
protection system. It can be installed for multi storeyed buildings, power plants,
textiles mills, hospitals, paper mills, airports, warehouses.
Water spray system:
Water spray is used to extinguish fire. This system can be grouped into the
following categories.a)Multifire system b)Protectospray system Multifire system is
designed to have a coarse water spray discharged at high velocity. Such an
arrangement gives the water spray to reach upto the base of flame
zone.Protectospray system is designed to have a fine water spray discharged at low
velocity. Such an arrangement cools the burning surface and creates inert vapour.