Fire & Life

Fi Lif SSafety
f t in
i High
Hi h Ri
Rise
Buildings Strategies & Tactics
Buildings,

Presentation by
M.Namasivayam
Assistant Divisional Officer
Tamilnadu Fire & Rescue Services
Ch
Chennai i
07 11 2009
07-11-2009
 Do our buildings have
green values?
Structural values
Stability
I
Integrity
i

Functional values
Matching and Maximizing activities

Green Values
Human safety
Economic security
Environment friendly
Passive
P i – Active
A ti - Reactive
R ti Building
B ildi
(Zero Risk Building)
The concept of ‘safety’
safety
Dictionary Definition:
“The state of being safe and protected from
d
danger or h
harm””

Risk Manager’s perception:

“Th level
“The l l off accepting
ti and
d protecting
t ti th the Ri
Risk”
k”
‘Safetyy Razor’ ‘Safety
y Pin’

‘Ri k’ iis ‘S
‘Risk’ ‘Safe’
f ’ when
h it b
becomes ……….
 Absence of Fire in a building does not mean 
Absence of Fire in a building does not mean
absence of Fire Hazards’
ALARP PRINCIPLE
High risk
Intolerable  Low   
level                                                                  Safety
Moderate Risk
Moderate Risk
Tolerable                                                     Moderate           
Level                                                            Safety
Low Risk

Negligible level  High safety
Burj Al Arab (7 Star Hotel)
321 M, 60 Floors
Dubai
Taipei101
(509M,
101Floors)
Taiwan
Shanghai
g World
Financial Tower
492M, 101 Floors
China
The Petronas
452M, 88 Floors
Malaysia
Q1 T
Tower
323M, 78 Floors
Australia
Burj Dubai
818M, 162 Floors
Dubai (Under Construction)
Burj Dubai
818M, 162 Floors
Dubai (Under Construction)
Buildings are built with hazards,
hazards so
buildings must have in-built safety

What do you understand by

building Hazards ?
Fire
S
Smokek
Fumes and Poisonous gases
Collapse
Natural Disaster’s Threat
Hostile Environment
“Tigers
g are more beautiful than sheep
p but we
prefer them behind bars”
Life Safety Problems in HRB
Fire Hazards: Multiple Ignition Sources.
Sources
Elevated Temperature hazards.
C
Combustion
b ti causes OOxygen
deficiency.
Psycho physiological complications
Stack effect may y help
p rapid
p burningg
Smoke Hazards: Mushrooming/Toxic Release
Vision & Breathing problems
Evacuation may not be possible
 Lif
Life safety problems (cont.)
f t bl ( t)
• Building collapse ‐ By Fire
By External Forces
By Faulty construction
By Faulty construction
• High‐density Human Load ‐ Stamped 
• As Height increases Evacuation Time increases
R
Response Time increases
Ti i
Fatigue increases  
g
 Lif S f t
Life Safety problems (cont.)
bl ( t)

• Multi‐
M l i ownership   ‐
hi co‐ordination problem
di i bl

• MOE conditions:    Locked/ Blocked
Insufficient/unsuitable
Unprotected/ Dark
Unprotected/ Dark
Lack of Awareness   
 ‘The trouble with crisis is that it usuallyy
arrives before we are ready’
• Goal ?

• Strategic Planning ?

• Tactical Approach / Methods?

Th Strategic
The St t i managementt off Life
Lif SSafety
f t

zManage Fire Prevention

zPrevent Fire Development
zSeparate
p occupants
p from harmful effects
of fire
zMove occupants to a place of safety
zDesign the Response Behavior
 ‘A goal properly set is halfway reached ’
3 Ps
Translating the IDEALS into REALS       
S
Strategic Goals                     Tactical Approach
i G l T i lA h

Fire Prevention                   Ensure Passive 
Fire Prevention Ensure Passive
(Pro‐Action)                         Fire Safety Measures.

Fire Protection                    Ensure Active Fire
Fi P i E A i Fi
(Pre‐ Action)                        ‐Safety Measures

Fire Reaction                      Fire Control Room
(Reaction)                            Search & Rescue Team
C
Communication
i i
Evacuation practice                                    
 ‘Fire S
‘Fi Safety
f t Codes/Standards
C d /St d d are nott to
t understand
d t d
them but to live through them’

Passive Fire Safety Measure

Occupancy suitability
Construction Type
Travel Distance
Exits Facilities
Evacuation Facilities – Compartmentation
HVAC Fire Sealing and Dampers, Insulation,
Refuge Area,
Area Horizontal Exit
Exit, Protected Shaft ,
Fire Retardant Treatment, Natural Smoke
Vent - Access and Approach (Open Space)
Active Fire Protection Measures

Fire Extinguishers
Automatic & Manual Fire Detection and Alarm
system
Automatic & Manual Fire Suppression systems
Automatic & Manual Smoke Vents/ Curtains
Automatic Pressurization and Dampers
Emergency Lightings & Public Address system
Trained Team & Training
Periodical care & Maintenance of FF Equipments
Fire Lifts and Fire Exit Drill Practice
Building Integrated Management Control
 ‘Time
Time to Safety vs Time to Hazard
to Safety vs Time to Hazard’
•
• Fi D l
Fire Development

• Critical level         
• FIRE               
Hazard

• Discovery  level      
• Interval for action
Interval for action 

• Ignition                   Discover time                 Critical time
• Increasing  Time
Current issues on life safety problems 
yp
in modern buildings
• Mushrooming of multi‐occupancy with out 
proper local regulations/ Gray areas
l l l ti /G
• Multi‐ownership/ occupants
p/ p
• Multi‐level Basements
• One‐time maintenance
• Vertical means of Escape
Vertical means of Escape
• MOE & Alarm for physically challenged
• Crowd Regulation
• Multilevel Car Parking
M ltil l C P ki
 ‘Out
Out standing people have one thing in common: sense of 
standing people have one thing in common: sense of
mission’

Recommendations:

Leadership Vision on safety
L d hi Vi i f
Structurally Protected MOE
Performance Based Safety Standards
Performance Based Safety Standards
Relevant periodical Training
Fire Exit Drill Recording & Feed back response
S f
Safety Audit and Third Party Certification
A di d Thi d P C ifi i
Specific Local Legal provisions for effective enforcement
Technical meet with Architects & Building Promoters and
Technical meet with Architects & Building Promoters and 
Users
Effective maintenance of Fire Protection system  
F
Formulation & Implementation of SOP 
l i &I l i f SOP
‘It is not where you start but where you finish, that counts
‘It is not where you start but where you finish that counts‘
Life Safety – Holistic Approach

Building Fire
Life Safety
Engineering Engineering

Human Engineering
“Our ‘Reactions’ to the mistakes we make
are more important than the ‘mistakes
themselves’
h l ’

“ Th
There is
i a greatt value
l iin di
disasters.
t All
our mistakes are burnt up. Thank God! We
can start a new one with a new lesson”
Thomas Alwa Edison(1914)