The Fire Services System of the Building

Introduction

Buildings are places where people permanently reside for one reason or another. Most structures have been in use for many years and provide general facilities for people to live and work. During this long period, structures are exposed to several natural and artificial hazards that can cause minor or major damage to the building and disrupt construction activities. Such destruction or disruption of work in the case of danger can jeopardize the lives of residents and result in considerable financial losses, both direct and indirect. A fire risk in various spaces is the possibility of a fire-threatening life, structural safety, and building property (Masoumi et al., 2019). With the rapid development worldwide, fire hazards in buildings have undergone significant changes in severity and versatility and have become most relevant in recent years.

Fire protection can be described as a combination of prevention practices, managing the increase and consequences of accidents or intentional fires, and maintaining losses at an appropriate rate. At present, fire safety in structures is provided by regulations as recommended by construction standards and codes. In the prescriptive approach, building fire safety is provided by active and passive fire protection systems. Active building protection systems are designed to save property and people directly during a fire. Passive systems are designed to prevent fires. They are primarily intended to provide sufficient time to carry out fire and rescue operations and to minimize monetary losses.

More and more often, there are reports in the media about fires in shopping malls and businesses, most of which are accompanied by loss of life and significant property damage. Hence, fire safety at trade enterprises is relevant today. Complying with building fire safety requires developing an evacuation plan and verifying automatic fire extinguishing systems and manual fire extinguishing equipment, which should be available on-site. Today, fire safety in enterprises is carried out by using automatic fire alarms and fire fighting installations, which quickly and accurately identify the location of the fire, timely notify people to organize an evacuation, localize the seat of the fire and prevent its further fire alarm systems that quickly and accurately locate fires and provide timely notification of evacuation. Fire control systems are a combination of technical means installed behind the protected object, designed to detect, localize and eliminate fire without human intervention, protecting people, material assets, and the environment from the effects of fire hazards. The basic members of the Fire Services System are state government agencies, local authorities, social service institutions, and individuals who provide fire safety based on the country’s legislation.

Often the process of organizing fire safety itself causes many difficulties. Developers need to understand the risks, given the purpose of the building. It is necessary to consider the number of people in the building and their occupations. Each organization has a regulatory document that establishes a fire safety regime, determines and equips places for smoking, determines the places and the allowed amount of raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished products in the premises at the same time, establishes the process of cleaning hot waste and dust, determines the sequence of switching off electrical appliances in case of fire and after working hours, regulates the procedure for temporary fire and other fire hazardous works, the procedure for checking and closing facilities after work is completed.

The activities of people and, in particular, their caution and safety measures influence the possibility of a fire. Employees of enterprises should know and comply with fire safety requirements at work, as well as observe and maintain fire safety regime; take precautions when working with flammable and combustible liquids, other flammable materials and equipment; know the characteristics of the fire hazard used or manufactured substances and materials; in case of fire detection to report it to the fire department and take possible measures to save people, property and fire suppression.

Construction, reconstruction, technical re-equipment of production and other facilities, the introduction of new technologies, and production of fire hazardous products without prior examination of design and other documentation for compliance with fire safety regulations is prohibited. Financing of works for new construction, reconstruction, restoration, an overhaul of buildings and other objects, expansion, and modernization of facilities may be carried out only with a positive conclusion of comprehensive state expertise, which must include a positive expert opinion of the State Fire Supervision Authority as part of a comprehensive state expertise.

Implementing measures to reduce technological production processes’ fire hazards is necessary to carry out preventive work at enterprises. In order to involve engineering and technical personnel and other employees in the development and implementation of these measures, enterprises create fire-technical commissions, which include: the chief engineer (chairman), head of fire protection of the facility, power engineer, technologist, mechanic, labor protection engineer, and other specialists. The commission’s tasks are to identify violations and drawbacks of technological regimes that may lead to fires, develop measures to eliminate them, assist the fire supervision authorities in establishing a strict fire safety regime, and organize mass explanatory work among personnel. Volunteer fire brigades are also created at enterprises to prevent fires in the shops and their working areas and have combat crews equipped with firefighting equipment in case of fires.

The main causes of fires in enterprises are:

• violations of the technological process;
• electrical equipment failure;
• inadequate preparation of equipment for repair;
• spontaneous ignition of oily rags and other materials prone to spontaneous ignition;
• non-compliance with the schedule of the planned schedule, wear and corrosion of equipment;
• failure of stop valves and lack of stoppers on the repaired or preserved devices and pipelines;
• sparks during electric and gas welding works.

During a fire, a complex fire situation is created in the building, which is why it is important to work out complex fire-fighting measures. This complex includes preventive measures and the arrangement of fire extinguishing and explosion protection systems. Fire preventive measures are divided into organizational, technical, regime, and operational. However, the main responsibility lies with the building’s fire safety equipment. Therefore, they must be of high quality and definitely in good working order. Fire services systems are integral to the reliable and safe functioning of any building and should and must be clearly described, as people’s lives depend on them.

The Fire Services System in a Building

Fire services systems are an integral part of business owners’ operations. Fires can break out in an instant and spread to other facilities and structures in a short period. Businesses that invest in fire protection systems understand their importance. These installations reduce the loss of buildings, structures, expensive equipment, documents, and inventory during a fire. Fire suppression systems, smoke detectors, and sprinkler systems are all components of fire protection that help detect fires and protect people in buildings and equipment (Kodur et al., 2019). Many people die yearly because of malfunctioning fire protection systems or employees’ lack of safety precautions (Ebekozien et al., 2020). The United States leads in the number of fires, with 1.2 to 1.4 million fires annually (O’Dell et al., 2019). Modern automatic fire protection systems can independently detect a fire, warn of it, start extinguishing it, and even help people evacuate.

Fire-fighting service system – a complex of technical means and organizational measures to prevent the impact of fire hazards on people and limit the material damage from it. The fire maintenance system includes an automatic water fire sprinkler system, indoor fire water pipeline, automatic water fire suppression system, fire warning and escape management system, automatic fire fighting system of kitchen facility, and automatic gas fire extinguishing system. Also, an integral part is an automatic powder fire suppression system, automatic fire alarm system, automation and dispatching of fire extinguishing systems, smoke protection system, fire protection system, and lightning safety system.

Fire protection systems work in different ways, although they have a general mission: to identify fire and defend the structure, its residents, and valuables. One of the main advantages of these systems is that they save money in the long run. If the likelihood of a fire in a business is very high, the company could incur huge losses if a fire occurs. Another advantage of some fire services systems is the automatic dispatch of emergency services. These systems instantly suppress the fire and notify the supervisory authority to summon rescuers to the company’s location.

There are certain fire services system requirements, including installation in buildings only by the design documentation, while any deviations from the approved design are unacceptable. The next requirement is the location in the room to promptly detect the seat of fire in any place in the room, alert people, and begin its elimination (Paszkiewicz et al., 2021). It is also mandatory for the design documentation to include measures for the removal of extinguishing agents after the fire has been extinguished. All fire alarm system receivers shall be located in a room with personnel on duty 24 hours daily. Manual fire detectors shall be installed along the evacuation routes in locations accessible for activation after a fire occurs. Automatic fire-extinguishing installations shall be mandatorily provided with a sufficient amount of extinguishing agent, a device for monitoring performance, a device for delaying the supply of extinguishing agents for the time necessary to evacuate people, and a device for manual start. In addition, any fire safety system of the protection facility must be operational around the clock, even if the fire has damaged communications.

Fire and security systems are often integrated into a single complex that performs an expanded range of functions with one common center for signal reception, processing, control of sensors, and sirens. A competent, professional security and fire safety system design is necessary to achieve maximum efficiency. The main task of the security and fire alarm system is to receive, analyze, transmit, and provide the owner with technical means of information about the fact of unauthorized intrusion of unauthorized persons into the protected area or object. The functions of the alarm system:

• provide full continuous control of the guarded object, premises, and territorial space;
• to signal attempted intrusion into the perimeter, physical impact on the outer limits of the area;
• turn on annunciators when necessary;
• to transmit in due time a signal about fire occurrence and its location;
• to respond to false environmental changes as infrequently as possible;
• transmit information in an adapted, simple, understandable way;
• independently diagnose the working condition of the monitoring devices;
• to record attempts of unauthorized access to the security network;
• function autonomously in case of power failure thanks to a backup power supply;
• control the battery charge of wireless controllers;
• to transmit an alarm signal to the central security console, to the duty officer’s console;
• monitor and timely notify about failures in operation.

The design of security and fire alarm systems is determined by the specifics of the equipment to be used. The effectiveness of this complex depends on the qualified distribution of controllers in the protected area and facility and the degree of coordinated interaction between sensors and the control panel. Determining the source of the alarm plays an important role here. Depending on this, security and fire complexes are divided into the addressable, threshold, addressable and analogous.

Addressable complexes are installed on large and medium-sized objects and territories. They allow pinpointing the place of a dangerous situation (fire, violation of protected borders). Inside, the controllers installed location circuits and signal exchange protocols, so when the device is triggered, it is possible to determine the alarm’s address accurately. Unaddressed or threshold consists of simple sensors connected to a specific loop. In response, it displays the number of the loop connected to the controller; the location is not defined. They are installed on small objects, inside which it is easier to find the seat of the fire.

Addressable-analog ones are reliable and efficient due to constant information from sensors about environmental conditions (ambient temperature, degree of smoke in the air, and the integrity of the boundaries). The control panel analyzes the incoming signals. A distinctive feature is the constant interaction of sensors with each other, and the control panel allows for detection of malfunctions promptly within the security circuit. Malfunctions are eliminated immediately after detection, so the alarm system always works properly. Another difference is that the percentage of false alarms is minimized because the control panel decides whether to give an alarm. Analysis of information received from all sensors allows for more accurate determination of the state of the protected object, based on which a final decision is made. Installation of high-sensitivity sensors allows the alarm system to be configured for warning signals.

Fire alarm, warning, and evacuation control systems in case of fire should be installed at sites where exposure to fire hazards may result in injury or even death. The safe evacuation of individuals from structures, facilities, and buildings in case of fire are considered provided if the interval of time from the time of detection of the fire to the termination of the evacuation of individuals to a safe area does not exceed the time required to escape people in case of danger.

Fire detection, notification, and evacuation control systems in case of fire shall provide automatic detection of fire within the time required to activate the fire alarm systems to organize the safe evacuation of people in the conditions of a particular facility, taking into account the acceptable fire risk. Automatic fire alarm systems must provide information to the personnel on duty about detecting a failure of communication lines and technical means of warning people about the fire and evacuation management, control of fire services system, and fire extinguishing equipment. Fire detectors and actuators of automated fire suppression and warning systems must be located in the protected area to ensure timely fire detection anywhere in the area. Fire alarm systems shall provide light and sound signals of fire occurrence to the control panel in the room of the personnel on duty or to special remote warning devices.

Application of Fire Services in a Building

The need to install fire protection at any facility and building is not in doubt. The design of the complex should be carried out under the guidance of specialists, as carefully drafted design solutions to allow not to worry about protecting the building from fire. The design is carried out in several stages:

1. Analysis of the facility, the study of the features of the interior arrangement of the room or the building as a whole. Careful study of fire loads and resistance to high temperatures.
2. Automatic control and dispatching of fire protection complex, considering the analysis of existing rules and regulations.
3. Calculations required for the layout of the fire services system.
4. Drawing up a scheme and placement of equipment in the drawings.
5. Making an explanatory note, cost estimates.

Special attention is paid to measures to ensure fire safety in designing and constructing modern buildings and structures. The measures and development of space-planning solutions include designing technical systems and fire protection means. They include automatic fire extinguishing installations, fire alarm systems and installations, evacuation control and alarm notification systems, smoke protection systems, and fire-fighting water supply systems. Ensuring operability and readiness to perform functions of complex technical systems requires regular technical operations and organizational actions, constituting a set of measures for maintenance and operational and scheduled repair. However, for fire services systems and means, it is necessary to consider the current requirements of regulatory and normative technical documents in the field of fire safety.

In the premises of the control room or fire station and other places where alarm devices and control units are located, instructions on the procedure for actions of duty personnel in case of fire signals or malfunctions in fire alarm systems and automatic fire extinguishing systems should be posted. The control room should have telephone communication, an electric lamp, and natural and emergency lighting. Control rooms, operator’s rooms of specialized workshops, and fire extinguishing stations should be provided with a diagram of fire alarm and fire extinguishing installations, as well as instructional materials on managing fire extinguishing installations and actions to notify of an accident and fire.

On the control panels of control rooms, on fire automation units, near each control unit, and on switchgear of fire extinguishing systems, signs indicating the protected premises or process equipment should be posted. In the installations of water and foam fire extinguishing, functional diagrams of the harness should also be posted on the control units, the types and number of sprinklers in the section should be indicated on the plates, and the valves and taps should be numbered following the harness scheme. Functional piping diagrams should be posted in pumping automatic fire extinguishing systems.

Receivers, control devices, and stations of fire warning and extinguishing systems should be installed in rooms with round-the-clock duty personnel. In justified cases, it is allowed to install receiving and control devices in rooms without staff on duty, provided that fire notifications are transmitted to the fire station or other premises with a permanent round-the-clock presence of people and ensuring control of communication channels. In this case, measures should be provided to prevent access from unauthorized persons to the receiving and control devices.

The signals from the fire detection and control devices of the fire alarm and automatic fire extinguishing systems shall be displayed on the centralized monitoring desks of the fire protection system. Automatic fire extinguishing systems installed and put into operation must comply with the design documentation and requirements of regulatory and technical documents. Any changes in the design of the system, reconfiguration of protected premises, and other alterations are allowed to be carried out with the consent of the design organization and informing the state fire supervision authorities. Transfer of installations from automatic to manual start is not allowed except in cases specified in regulatory documents.

Manual start devices of automatic fire extinguishing systems shall be sealed, protected from unauthorized activation and mechanical damage, and installed outside the possible combustion zone in an accessible place. Indicating signs inside and outside the premises shall be used to determine their location. It is forbidden to use the pipelines of automatic fire extinguishing systems for hanging or fixing any equipment to connect production equipment and sanitary appliances to the supply pipelines of automatic fire extinguishing systems. It is also impossible to install shut-off valves and flange connections on supply and distribution pipelines.

The premises where control units, pumping stations, and fire extinguishing stations are located must have emergency lighting and be permanently locked. The premises of fire extinguishing and pumping stations should be provided with telephone communication with the control room. Keys to the premises should be with the service and operational personnel. At the entrance to the premises, there should be a board with the inscription: “Fire extinguishing station.” Premises protected by volumetric fire extinguishing systems should be equipped with self-closing doors. Inside the protected premises, there should be a light signal in the form of an inscription on the light boards and an audible warning signal. A light signal should be installed at the entrance to the protected premises, and an appropriate signal with information about the supply of extinguishing agents should be installed in the room of the duty personnel.

Modular autonomous fire extinguishing systems should be used to protect explosion and fire-free and fire-hazardous premises, the area or volume of which does not exceed the values of the indicators “protected area” or “protected volume” of the corresponding installation. As a rule, these installations are operated in rooms with no permanent staff. Premises equipped with modular autonomous fire extinguishing installations may be provided with primary fire extinguishing equipment at 50% of their norms for these premises. Introducing preventive maintenance systems at enterprises can significantly reduce the time to restore the performance of systems and plan the financial costs. Existing trends toward integrating building engineering systems into a single managed complex and, as a consequence, the desire for unification of protocols and communication interfaces do not exclude the fact that each installation or system is unique in structure, composition, and operating conditions. It follows that the list and timing of scheduled maintenance and preventive maintenance, serviceability parameters, and functional readiness of the systems must be determined individually for each installation and complex.

In practice, the accompanying technical documents of the manufacturers of individual products and systems serve as the basis for the operational regulations. In the final instructions, the set of individual measures is supplemented by performance criteria and measures for systems and complexes as a whole, which are determined based on information from the design documentation and the requirements of regulatory documents. In theory, regulations and operating instructions should be compiled and approved even before putting systems into operation jointly by specialists in design, installation, and operating organizations. Organizational and technical measures that are carried out to ensure the quality of the fire services system can be divided into two groups.

The first group consists of scheduled maintenance and preventive maintenance activities. Equipment manufacturers and project developers determine the volume and timing of scheduled activities. At that, works are performed irrespective of the equipment’s current condition. As for comprehensive tests and checks of performance, their volume and frequency are additionally regulated by the current regulatory and normative technical documents. Operative restorative repair, unlike planned activities, is performed in case of equipment failures and malfunctions. That overhaul and modernization, in which equipment is replaced by analogs having other functional or operational parameters, should be highlighted. Works on major repairs and modernization require the introduction of changes in the executive documentation and in some cases, even the coordination of these changes with the project’s developers. The preventive maintenance system is a complex of scheduled maintenance and operational rehabilitation repair. By its content, restoration or preventive maintenance is a complex of operations for dismantling the old and installing and commissioning new equipment.

The fire alarm system is one of the main security systems of a modern building. Its reliable operation depends on the safety of people and the prevention of significant material losses. Therefore, it is important to understand the elements and how the fire alarm system works. The fire alarm system scheme consists of detectors – sensors detecting the fire signs in the facility, control, and information-reception panels, which receive and process signals about triggering of sensors, data transmission channels, and notification units – devices ensuring notification of people in the facility about the fire. The automatic fire alarm system is arranged so that when any of the sensors trigger the signal via data transfer channels goes to the control panel, which processes the information and sends it to the control computer. At the same time, the sirens are activated, warning people to evacuate.

Detectors are sensors that detect the appearance of various signs of fire. Fire detectors work based on the analysis of these factors. Smoke detectors are mounted on the ceiling because smoke rises and concentrates just below the ceiling in the event of a fire. When smoke appears and accumulates in the space under the ceiling, it penetrates the device housing. This triggers the optical sensor system. The optical system consists of an LED, which generates a beam of light, and a photocell, which produces an electrical impulse when light strikes it. A feature of the design of the optical system is that in the normal state, the beam of light from the LED does not fall on the photocell. If, however, there is smoke in the housing, the light is refracted on its particles, resulting in the photocell being illuminated and generating an electrical impulse.

Smoke detectors are also sensitive to the ingress of water vapor or gasses, which cause the light rays to be refracted. This leads to the false triggering of the fire alarm system. Therefore, such detectors are not installed in showers, bathrooms, kitchens, and other rooms. Also, they are not installed in places for smoking. Installing smoke detectors is advisable where a fire can emit a sufficient amount of smoke from the smoldering insulation of electrical wires, fabrics, and other materials. They are installed in warehouses, laboratories, places of placement of electrical equipment, and industrial plants (Cwikla et al., 2018). Heat detectors are also mounted on the ceiling because the heat generated by combustion rises upwards. The difference between the threshold and integral sensors depends on the operating principle. Threshold detectors react to an increase in ambient temperature above a set limit. Modern devices of this type are built based on replaceable fuse links.

Integral sensors react to the rate of temperature change. Their operation is based on the measurement of the electrical resistance of metals, which depends on their heating temperature. A voltage of a stable value is continuously applied to the terminals of the metal control element of the integral sensor. The measuring device measures the amount of current flowing through the circuit, the value of which depends on the resistance of the metal. When a fire occurs in the control zone of the sensor, it begins to heat. This increases the element’s resistance, and the current value decreases. The electronic board measures the speed of its change. It is set to trip when the rate of temperature change exceeds a certain value. This rate of temperature increase is typical for exposure to open fire. When the sensor is triggered, a signal is formed, which is transmitted via communication channels to the receiving module. Integral sensors demonstrate high efficiency in detecting the ignition of petroleum products, flammable liquids, fuels, and combustible solids.

Flame detectors are a sophisticated type of fire detector. They are triggered by open flames or smoldering materials without smoke emission. The basis of such a device is a photocell, triggered when it is exposed to the full range of the optical spectrum or only a certain part. These are rather expensive sensors mainly used in industrial conditions (usually in the oil and gas industry). False alarms from fluorescent lamps, bright sun, welding arcs, and electromagnetic interference of the optical spectrum are typical for cheap devices of this class. False alarm prevention is provided with the help of special filters.

Combined detectors are modern fire detectors that respond to two or three signs of fire at once. Most often, they combine the functions of smoke and heat detectors (two-channel detectors). Some models also have a flame detector function (three-channel detectors). In critical industrial applications, four-channel sensors can also be installed and equipped with a carbon monoxide sensor. Depending on the design and operation of the fire alarm system, combination detectors can be set to activate when any of the signs of fire occurs or only when they simultaneously occur.

The regulations establish the principle of how a fire alarm system should work. According to this principle, in addition to automatic operation, it must be possible to actuate the alarm system manually. For this purpose, manual call points are installed in the facility. A manual call point is an alarm button in a housing with a protective cover. When pressed, the system is triggered, and the signal is transmitted to the alarm panel. The detector is arranged, so it is blocked, and the signal does not stop after releasing the button. The detector can be unblocked only with a special key, which is kept with the employee responsible for fire safety. Equipping the fire alarm system with manual call points allows anyone in the building to sound the alarm when fire signs are detected. This ensures that the system can be triggered even if the mechanical part fails. Panic buttons must be installed in all industrial and public buildings where many people are present. They are mounted on walls at the height of 1.5 m at intervals of no more than 50 m (Ingason & Li, 2019). The data transmission channels connect the fire detectors and the control panel to each other. They are used to transmit signals between them. A signal from a triggered sensor is sent to the control panel, which generates an alarm signal to the dispatcher console. Also, signals between the control panel and all sensors are regularly exchanged to monitor the detectors’ serviceability.

Data transmission channels are loops formed from wires with copper conductors. They are laid separately from the other cable lines. The wiring must provide the possibility of access to the loop in order to monitor its condition. Technical solutions are also provided to prevent mechanical damage to the line. The control panel is the main part of the fire alarm system, based on a powerful processor. This device provides continuous monitoring of the status of each connected detector. When any of the detectors installed in the system actuates, it automatically transmits an alarm signal to the control panel. It gives a command to activate the sirens, which warn people in the building to evacuate. The control panel also ensures continuous control of the fire detectors’ serviceability. In case of failure, a special signal is formed to the dispatcher’s desk, making it possible to replace or repair the faulty detector promptly. Thus, the control of how the automatic fire alarm system works at the object is provided.

Control and reception panels can have different degrees of complexity and functionality. The most sophisticated devices have advanced capabilities. They can be used to connect not only fire but also security sensors, forming an intruder and fire alarm system. The control panels are connected to the centralized electrical network. In addition, a backup power supply in the form of a high-capacity battery is usually provided. It can keep the system in autonomous mode for several days in case of power failure.

The mandatory elements of the fire alarm system include fire alarm notification devices. They are actuated automatically after the fire alarm is triggered. Sound and fire alarm notification devices are to be used. Sirens are most often used as sound devices. Speech sirens may also be used to read out the alarm message. Light sirens are signal signs with alarms and signs of evacuation routes and exits. When an alarm is triggered, its illumination automatically turns on. This allows them not only to warn people about the fire but also to facilitate rapid evacuation. A combination of sound and light alarms is also provided.

Water extinguishing system is the common name for fire extinguishing installations in which the active ingredient is water. Due to high efficiency, years of experience, and, importantly, safety for humans, this type of fire-extinguishing system is the most common. There is a division of water fire-extinguishing systems, depending on the type of sprinklers – drencher and sprinkler. Other fire fighting devices use special chemical extinguishing mixtures, which are classified based on the type of sprayer. These divisions include water, drencher, foam, gas, aerosol, powder, and combination.

Water fire sprinkler systems are a network of pipelines, usually located under the roof of the building, or sales floor, constantly filled with water, with sprinklers placed on them – sprinklers. A sprinkler has a special fusible nozzle that melts during a fire and opens access to water. Modern sprinklers do not deliver water continuously and create a water mist, reducing water consumption and possibly damaging property. Water fire sprinkler systems are usually installed on the premises where the fire is expected to develop intensive heat generation.

Drencher fire-extinguishing system – is used in rooms with high fire and explosion hazards, such as warehouses and, production of flammable materials, energy facilities. In contrast to the sprinkler irrigation system, the drencher irrigator is always open. Water is supplied to the drenchers by a signal from either the sprinkler system or the fire alarm system. Drencher systems are also used to create water curtains – cutting off the part of the building where a fire occurs from other parts to prevent the fire from spreading.

The foam fire-extinguishing system is close to the water systems, which is recommended to fight fires of flammable and combustible liquids and substances. Elimination of ignition is performed with a special foam solution. The gas fire-extinguishing system protects facilities with valuable property and equipment (Rohilla et al., 2021). When fire alarm sensors are triggered, the room where the fire occurs is filled with a special gas, which reduces oxygen concentration to a level where combustion is impossible.

The aerosol fire-extinguishing system is used for fire protection of electrical equipment, power facilities, and transport facilities. Extinguishing occurs with a special aerosol – a hot mixture of gasses that localize the fire. A powder fire suppression system fights fire by supplying a special fine powder composition to the room where the fire occurred. The powder is fed directly from the modules or sprinklers through a central tank piping system.

Fire hydrants must be in good condition and placed by the requirements of building codes and other regulatory documents in such a way as to ensure unimpeded water intake by fire trucks. The operability of fire hydrants should be checked by persons responsible for their technical condition at least twice a year. Maintenance hole covers of underground fire hydrants should be cleaned of dirt, ice, and snow, insulated during the cold period, and the risers should be free of water.

It is recommended to paint the covers of repair openings of underground fire hydrants in red. In the case of disconnection of sections of the water supply network and hydrants or reduction of pressure in the network below the required level, the fire department must be notified. To monitor the performance of the external firefighting water pipeline system, pressure and flow tests shall be carried out once a year with the drawing up of a certificate. Testing of the water supply network should also be carried out after each repair, reconstruction, or connection of new consumers to the water supply network.

The need for internal firefighting water supply systems, the number of entrances to the building, the flow of water for internal firefighting, and the number of jets from fire hydrants shall be defined based on the requirements of current building codes and regulations. Internal fire hydrants should be installed in accessible locations – at entrances, lobbies, corridors, and passageways. Their location should not interfere with the evacuation of people.

Each fire hydrant should be equipped with a fire hose of the same diameter and barrel, a remote start button for fire pumps, and a lever to facilitate the opening of the valve. The connection elements of the fire hydrant, hoses, and manual fire hose must be similar. The fire hose must be kept dry, folded in a double roll, connected to the valve and the barrel, and at least once every six months deployed and rolled up again.

The use of fire hoses for household and other needs unrelated to fire extinguishing is not allowed. Fire hydrants should be placed in built-in or hinged cabinets with holes for ventilation and adapted for sealing and visual inspection without opening them. In manufacturing cabinets, it is recommended to provide a place for storing two fire extinguishers. The serial number of the fire extinguisher and the telephone number for calling the fire department should be indicated on the doors of the fire cabinets outside. The exterior design of the doors must meet the requirements of current standards. At least once every six months, fire hydrants shall be subject to maintenance and performance testing by running water, with the test results recorded in a special maintenance log. Fire hydrants must always be in good working order and available for use.

Ways to Reduce Fires with Fire Services

The next stage is fire extinguishing itself, which is carried out with the help of drenching installations. The drencher fire extinguishing system is used at various facilities. Its ability to extinguish fires using a water curtain has become widespread (Jo & Lee, 2022). When signs of fire are detected, such as smoke or temperature rise, a fire alarm is triggered, and a signal is given to turn on the drenching unit. Moreover, it, in turn, creates a curtain of water, preventing the fire from spreading to other structures or rooms. This allows for quickly localizing the fire and preventing further spread of the fire (Jo & Lee, 2022). Using such systems not only extinguishes the fire quickly but also prevents the spread of smoke and other toxic combustion products. Water supply to such installations is carried out using pumps that automatically turn on when the fire alarm is activated.

The overall approach is to manage the fuel available for burning and to use suppression with the various fire fighting equipment mounted in the facility to control the fire and its effects. Numerous construction standards and regulations define an acceptable ceiling on the accessible fuel supply in a structure so a restricted fuel supply can control that fire escalation in the event of a fire. The fire gravity appropriate to this finite fuel load is considered in the design of the building to support this certain level of fire gravity. Thus, the limit of flammable propellant load available in a structure depends on the fire ratings of the building and vice versa.

Another viable technique for fighting a fire is using automatic or hand-held fire extinguishing equipment. In the case of automatic protection systems, fire detection equipment and fire-extinguishing equipment must operate simultaneously. Automatic fire-extinguishing equipment can be: standalone and integrated into fire alarm systems. Modern automatic fire protection system in a building uses all modern firefighting technologies, the latest hardware and software, fire alarms, alarm notification of the population, and engineering fire automation systems management. Hand-held firefighting systems or park systems refer to manual firefighting. Fire extinguishing depends on early detection, functional reliability, and accuracy of fire protection measures. The last defense is composed of compartmentalization and structure resistance. Structural stability is essential because it assists in containing the fire, allows the firefighting activities to proceed safely, and avoids material loss due to the total collapse of the structure. This can be accomplished by using bays that restrict the fire to only a specific zone and keep the fire from moving farther inside the structure. Another possibility for monitoring the motion of the fire is fire venting, which allows only enhanced ventilation in the area of fire and expels the existing fuel.

The principle of operation of automatic fire suppression systems is as follows: when a fire occurs in the store due to the increase in temperature, the thermal lock is destroyed on the sprinkler. After the destruction of the thermal lock under the influence of water pressure in the pipeline valve on the sprinkler opens, the water begins to flow out of the sprinkler to extinguish the fire. Due to the drop in pressure in the pipeline triggered signal valve in the control unit, the fire pump is started, and a signal is to start other fire suppression systems.

Foam fire extinguishers use environmentally friendly foam from an inert gas to extinguish a fire. Foam units are similar in design to water-based units. However, unlike the latter, they are equipped with generators that allow them to deliver a much larger amount of extinguishing agent. The foam fills the entire room, effectively fighting the fire. Water or foam types of firefighting automation are usually equipped with a separate pumping station for a continuous water supply during a fire.

Gas systems use compressed or liquefied gas to extinguish a fire. It displaces oxygen from the room and thus suppresses the combustion process. Gas is also environmentally friendly and does not damage equipment, valuables, or other property, which is not the case with water and foam. The device should not activate if there are people on the site, and before activation, the complex should be accompanied by a light and sound siren, warning of the need to leave the room immediately.

Water is the cheapest and most common extinguishing agent used for fire suppression. It cools the burning surface, and the resulting water vapor reduces the concentration of combustible gasses and oxygen around the burning substance, isolates the substance from the combustion zone, and thereby contributes, thus arresting the combustion. As an extinguishing agent, water is used in compact jets in the form of dispersed jets mixed with wetting agents in the form of water emulsions of halocarbons. In the form of compact and spray jets, water is used for extinguishing most solid combustibles and materials, heavy oil products, creating water curtains, and cooling objects near the seat of the fire.

Water is also used to extinguish fires in electrical installations and cable lines up to 220 kV. However, safety precautions should be observed. When extinguishing with combined compounds along the front of the flame, applying the powder and sprayed water to the burning area is recommended. The powder and atomized water can also be conveyed in a concurrent stream, ensuring that a large proportion of the dry powder enters the combustion zone. As a result, flame inhibition and heat flux density reduction are already ensured in the first seconds of extinguishing.

Industrial enterprises use as a source of fire water supply specially laid for these purposes external fire water supply networks with hydrants. Fire hydrants are located every 100-150 meters along the roads at a distance of no more than 2.5 meters from the edge of the roadway and no closer than 5 meters to the walls of buildings (Balbastre-Peralta et al., 2021). The placement of fire hydrants on the water supply network must provide fire extinguishing of any building (structure) serviced by this network by at least two hydrants at a flow rate of water for external fire extinguishing of 15 liters per second and more than one – at a flow rate of fewer than 15 liters per second the head of the hydrants must not be below 10 m.

The use of steam firefighting is based on the ability of steam to displace oxygen from the premises and reduce its concentration in the burning zone. Usually, when the oxygen concentration is less than 15 %, combustion becomes impossible (Skvorčinskienė et al., 2021). This simultaneously cools the combustion zone and also results in the mechanical removal of flames by steam jets. The extinguishing effectiveness of steam is low, so it is recommended for extinguishing fires in rooms with a volume of 500 square meters and small fires in open installations.

Foam is a mass of gas bubbles (carbon dioxide, air) enclosed in a thin liquid shell. By spreading over the surface of the burning substance, the foam isolates it from the flame, thereby stopping the flow of combustible vapors and air oxygen into the combustion zone. By covering the place of fire, it localizes it by preventing the access of air oxygen. The extinguishing properties of the foam are determined by cooling the combustible substance and the combustion zone, as well as by isolating the combustion zone from its surface, which prevents the entry of combustible vapors into the combustion zone.

Extinguishing powders are finely ground mineral salts with various additives. They have good extinguishing power and versatility of application. Powder compositions are used to extinguish flammable liquids and liquefied gasses and to extinguish fires in cases where other extinguishing agents are unsuitable or ineffective Carbon dioxide accelerates the burning process of magnesium. Sand can react with the burning metal, intensifying combustion and causing sparks. In these cases, powders are very effective, which, falling on the flame in a cloud of fine particles, create a film on the surface of the combustible substance. The latter allows the combustion surface to be isolated from the air. Their chemical composition determines the extinguishing and operating properties of powders.

Powder compositions are practically non-toxic, have no harmful effect on materials, and are used for extinguishing fires in the form of a dust cloud or combination with water spray and foam extinguishing agents. Non-flammable and inert gasses are mainly carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, helium, and flue. They reduce the oxygen concentration in the combustion chamber and inhibit the intensity of combustion – this is the so-called volumetric combustion. It is advisable to use them if the use of water can cause an explosion or damage equipment.

Halons are compositions based on halocarbons. The compositions based on saturated hydrocarbons, in which halogen atoms replace one or more hydrogen atoms, have found the greatest use in firefighting. However, they have several disadvantages: they have a toxic effect on humans, and if halogenated hydrocarbons act on the human body as weak narcotic poisons, the products of thermal decomposition have relatively high toxicity. They are used for extinguishing, suppressing flames and explosions in stationary installations, on aircraft, and for extinguishing expensive equipment. However, haloid hydrocarbons are prohibited from extinguishing fires in electrical installations. This is because the burning of an electric arc is accompanied by a significant increase in temperature, at which halogenated hydrocarbons are initiators of explosion.

Improving Building Safety with Fire Services

Modern fire alarm systems can detect the source of a fire, alert building occupants, and transmit a signal to the fire brigade. In addition, fire alarm systems can actuate automatic smoke-extraction and fire-extinguishing devices. The first line of defense and the main strategy for fighting a fire hazard is to prevent a fire from starting. Since it is often not possible to avoid a fire, the effects of a fire must be controlled either by dealing with it directly or by controlling unprotected people and property. A common strategy for controlling people is to remove unprotected people from a structure by forcing them to move along a safe escape route during a fire. Some requirements include detecting a fire at the initial or growing stage and alerting occupants with an alarm system. The building must also have a fire exit for people to evacuate safely. First, the fire warning system is turned on because the main thing is to warn people about the danger. The fire warning system can be either a simple sound or light and sound or a more complex voice warning system. The type and composition of the fire warning system equipment are determined at the design stage of the automatic fire alarm system. The type of fire warning system depends on the number of people in the protected premises, area, and height. In practice, two types of fire warning are often used – light and sound warning or voice fire warning. Also, in the fire warning system, light signs “Exit” must be provided, indicating the evacuation routes in a smoky space.

However, in the case of high buildings, it is not impossible to quickly escape people through a protected fire exit. Consequently, the site protection Strategy is implemented by offering safe shelters on particular building levels, which firefighters then evacuate. This ensures that firefighters can only evacuate these specific shelters and saves precious time, which can be a life-and-death factor in fire situations.

The Future Development of the Fire Services System in the Building

Among the greatest constraints of current strategies for fire protection is that they should offer a coherent structure to mitigate risk. The majority of construction regulations concentrate on fire hazard control using both active and passive fire prevention in structures, giving some focus to prevention, regulatory, and law enforcement. In addition, most recently established fire safety policies are particular to the kind of building, geographic location, and economic and social conditions they were initially drafted, making it challenging to extrapolate their findings to fire dangers worldwide. Therefore, a complex system is offered that embraces the prevention and management of fire hazards.

Several unfavorable conditions in modern structures regarding fire safety must be fully considered in the applicable fire prevention regulations outlined in the building codes. Because of several socioeconomic differences, dealing with these problems requires various approaches for developed and developing countries. In developing countries, value is the main factor for the inclusion of fire protection clauses, so instead of costly fire protection strategies, alternative strategies that provide a similar level of fire protection should be developed (Khakzad et al., 2018). Consequently, to avoid rapid-fire increase and contain its effects in developing countries, the concept of fire compartments in the design of buildings is suggested. Suppose that it is not possible to change the architecture of the building. In this case, different exit routes must be located strategically in the structure to improve exit time and thus increase the safety of life.

In any construction where additional fire exits cannot be provided, additional paint illumination and signs for exits can be included, as well as makeshift exits in the form of safety ladders. In addition, all cities with irregular layouts should provide reserved parking spaces for fire trucks on construction sites and maintain existing water mains, fire extinguishers, and a separate water tank to reduce the start-up time for firefighting.

In developed countries, open architecture with a highly flammable fuel content must be substantiated by installing a robust active fire protection system or realistic exit and fire resistance modeling with advanced analytics processes. Rather than depending on a prescriptive standards-based building fire protection assessment procedure, a performance-based fire safety design is preferable. In addition, it is imperative that all new building materials used in construction be evaluated for their performance when exposed to fire.

Conversely, the need for uniform classification criteria for buildings is one of the biggest constraints of construction regulations. This may be remedied in emerging and developed countries by categorizing structures by fire risk according to the structural performance of the building, the possible fire danger, the importance of the building, and the effects of the fire hazard. In addition, risk classifications must be incorporated with the design of buildings using performance-based norms and codes to make construction regulations more capable of assessing the buildings’ natural fire hazard characteristics.

The provision of fire protection in any hazard-based class must be based on ranked risk, and the focus must be on the application of economically viable alternative strategies to achieve the preferred level of fire performance. For instance, only mission-critical structures must be engineered with a maximized safety margin for the worst potential fire situations. In both high- and low-risk buildings, planners must be able to use real fire situations, stresses, continuities, and actual confining environments, which can lead to a design that is less prescriptive and more integrated. According to Grand View Research, the global market for fire protection systems will reach $155.03 billion by 2027 and grow at an average of 7.5% over the forecast period (Grand View Research, 2020). Increasing adoption of wireless technology, fire losses, and stringent fire protection regulations are forecast to fuel market growth.

Growing compliance with security regulations for buildings and remodeling designs is anticipated to be a key factor that positively impacts the growing market. The use and acceptance of fire alarms are also expected to grow steadily with the development of commercial structures and corporations. In addition, improvements in fire suppression technology and products such as laser-based optical and infrared smoke detectors, alarms with embedded audible alarms, and wireless fire alarm systems are expected to gain widespread adoption in the market across the globe. However, the market was struggling in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which interrupted production, impacted demand, and disrupted the supply chain.

The increasing tendency to combine fire alarm solutions with building automation systems presents great potential for market growth. Communication with building automation systems is an increasingly important feature of fire protection equipment in commercial, industrial, and residential environments. This is because such integration allows for the development of solutions that can share and collect data that can alert people to indoor fire safety issues. A marked increase in investment in smart automation and smart home technologies in several regions is expected to open up new opportunities in the industrial and commercial sectors.

For the past few years, users in developed regions experienced a stable growth in demand for fire sensors, and the growth pattern is expected to maintain. However, the absence of strict standards and the high price of cutting-edge fire protection systems have greatly hampered developing countries’ ability to enter new markets. However, improving economic circumstances in numerous countries, including Brazil and India, are anticipated to increase demand. Due to the growing demand for new transport and utility equipment, infrastructure activity in the Asia-Pacific region will stimulate demand. The increasing pace of urbanization puts increased pressure on weak urban infrastructure with insufficient investment. The increased focus on new housing and infrastructure projects is expected to stimulate regional demand.

Technical means of fire detection still need to be improved for the average person. Twenty years ago, when the most common fire detector technology was thermal, this was undoubtedly the case (Song et al., 2022). Today, the most common fire detectors are optical detectors, which detect very little smoke. It is almost impossible to see such a concentration of smoke in a room. On the other hand, a person could only notice smoke at long distances, looking at neighboring buildings. Within a room and even more so within a few centimeters of the optical system in the detector, a person could not detect the smoke concentration, even corresponding to the alarm threshold of the smoke detector.

Within the next five years in the EU or the US, depending on where the bureaucracy will drag on longer, gas detectors will be recognized as equal and acceptable for mass use. In 2-3 years, the production of sensing elements will be moved from venture capital research companies to the conditions of cheap mass factories; their price will fall. In another year, smoke detectors will be produced only for repairing old systems and for rare premises. The constant presence of very active substances (solvents, some chemical reagents) will unacceptably reduce the sensitivity of electrochemical gas sensors.

New technologies, energy-saving components, the ability of software to perform certain actions, and other innovations in recent years have changed not only the production technology of fire detectors but also the methods of their installation and mounting. This, in turn, has caused changes in existing standards and rules for the design of fire alarm systems. For example, the long-used and, until recently, ring topology is increasingly replacing the traditional topology of the radial loop. Installing many fire detectors in a single loop without sacrificing reliability and performance makes using ring loops more attractive than radial loops.

Modern loops are multifunctional and connect automatic and manual detectors and additional control equipment using various I/O modules. The advantages of using loops are the high information content of the loop achieved by using intelligent fire detectors and their complete addressing. A further advantage is the high reliability of the loop compared with a radial line. In the event of a line break or short circuit, the radial line is partially or interrupted. Devices in the loop, called isolators, automatically disconnect the faulted section, and the loop continues to function as two radial branches. If necessary, radial branches can be created to optimize the cabling. Also, strength is the lower labor costs and consumption of cable materials for the same number of detectors.

Thus, addressable control panels are by far the most efficient in terms of functionality (although more complex and expensive) to be used in large systems. Objects of medium size are more convenient to control with addressable systems. For small objects, companies should consider the use of unaddressed control panels. Automated workstations should be considered appropriate when the object’s size is larger than average, for example, a freestanding building-museum. At the same time, it should be taken into account that according to the existing regulatory framework, the ARM is a secondary means of control and notification and cannot be used without the installation of primary means of control and notification, such as keyboard, light and sound sirens. The choice of detectors will be made according to the possible sources of ignition, which have different combustion patterns. Other selection criteria can be the technical characteristics of the detectors, such as the area controlled by a single detector or the current consumption.

Each enterprise will be provided with the necessary amount of water for firefighting based on the requirements of building codes and regulations and other regulatory documents. Fire water supply networks will ensure the required water flow and discharge pressure according to the norms. In case of insufficient pressure at the facilities, it will be necessary to install pumps to increase the pressure in the network. Responsible for the technical condition of fire hydrants installed on the water supply networks of settlements are the relevant services, organizations, or institutions in charge of these water supply networks and on the territory of enterprises – their owners or tenants, according to the lease agreement.

Government Regulation of Fire Services System in the World

When building and operating data centers, many companies are faced with the requirements of investors and customers to ensure compliance with the provisions of international regulations in fire safety and technical regulation. In studying and comparing information in international and national regulations, specialists are unpleasantly surprised by the significant difference in wording, requirements, and approaches to implementing organizational and technical measures to ensure fire safety.

Government Regulation in the United States

In technical regulation in the United States, it is customary to use certain standards to interact with mandatory and voluntary requirements. These include governmental (federal) and non-governmental, voluntary, consensual and non-consensual, industry, company, international and national. Statutory regulations are developed and approved in the U.S. by departments, agencies, and legislatures. They take the form of government or federal standards/rules and laws by the U.S. Constitution. Regulatory documents of the federal executive branch that contain mandatory requirements are effective as of the date they are published by the Office of the Federal Register of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). All published regulations are grouped into 50 thematic sections and codified in the Federal Register (CFR).

Federal laws establish the duties and responsibilities of U.S. authorities, dividing them between federal and state authorities. Federal agencies are legally responsible for developing mandatory requirements and providing financial support to the states. State governments maintain day-to-day control and take actions, including enforcement, to comply with federal requirements within the states. U.S. public policy seeks to ensure that mandatory federal requirements are financially and economically sound, efficient, consistent, understandable, and easy to implement.

Government Regulation in the EU

EU technical legislation is represented by EU Council Regulations, EU Council Directives, and harmonized European standards. Council Regulations are directly applicable in EU member states (without reissue through national legislation). Council Directives are introduced through the legislative acts of the EU member states, with the period of introduction – the beginning of the validity and the period of introduction into the national framework. There are several basic principles of technical regulation in the EU. The first is the principle that product directives establish mandatory general safety requirements. The next point is that establishing specific characteristics is entrusted to European standards, which are voluntary for application and are developed in the prescribed manner by CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI (Eliantonio and Volpato, 2022). It is considered that products manufactured according to harmonized European standards meet the general requirements of the Directive.

Suppose the product manufacturer does not want to use a harmonized standard or there is no such standard. In that case, he has to prove the product’s compliance with the Directive’s general requirements, usually with a third party’s help. A list of European standards harmonized with the Directive is published in the official publication of the EU Council. After undergoing a conformity assessment procedure, products can only enter the EU market, and state authorities must supervise the market.

The global approach defines the basics and principles of the procedures and conditions of mandatory conformity assessment. The procedures consist of modules relating to design, production, or both. Several conformity assessment procedures are used that are complete in terms of results. The choice of evaluation procedures from among those established in the Directive is left to the manufacturer. An assessment result involving the control of the product or the production process is considered equivalent. Conformity assessment procedures, depending on the requirements of the Directive, are carried out by the manufacturer and a notified body authorized by the authorities of an EU Member State to carry out work about the specific Directive. The notified body must be a third party and comply with the EN 45000 series. The result of the conformity assessment is a declaration of conformity and the CE marking of the products. Evaluation procedures should be manageable for the manufacturer.

These basic principles define the model of technical regulation in EU countries. These principles must constitute a holistic system. In other words, to exclude even one principle from this set violates the systemic approach. This fact follows very important conclusions about the structure of the directives.

For example, the Directive must mandatorily establish the following:

1. Safety requirements are in the form of general legal rules defining the purpose of safety but not the means and methods of safety.
2. The principle of presumption of conformity and its practical implementation through indirect reference to European standards in an official publication of the Council of the EU.
3. Procedures for assessing compliance with the general requirements of the Directive.
4. Criteria for the authorization of conformity assessment bodies.

A distinctive feature of these directions of technical regulation is a strict regulation of work within all stages of the life cycle of products, especially at the design stage. According to experts, this is a practical embodiment of the principle of damage prevention and is 10-15 times cheaper than fighting the consequences of adverse outcomes. Thanks to modern systems of technical regulation, the number of accidents and catastrophes in developed countries has been reduced by 7-10 times over the last decade.

For example, according to the German constitution, fire protection tasks have been delegated to the Länder. The Länder Ministries of the Interior administer the Länder fire protection service. According to Länder fire protection legislation, the administration of the municipality is directly responsible for organizing and maintaining the readiness of the fire department (Auzins et al., 2022). The German fire department’s tasks include extinguishing and preventing fires, providing technical assistance, radiation protection, and environmental protection, disaster safety monitoring, rescuing people and animals, providing emergency medical care, and transporting the sick (Prell et al., 2020). Thus, in Germany, firefighting comprises only 6-7 % of the total operational work of the fire department, while cases of various technical assistance amount to 18-22 % annually and medical assistance to 60-65 % of the total operational work (Auzins et al., 2022). The verification of existing normative requirements for building materials or the establishment of normative requirements for materials that are not subject to legal provisions is carried out by the German Standards Institute.

Government Regulation in China

Over the past ten years, China has recorded 31,000 fires in high-rise buildings, killing 474 people and causing 1.56 billion yuan ($237.1 million) in property damage (Liu et al., 2020). This forces China to strengthen fire safety in high-rise buildings. It was the fires that forced major city governments to ban the use of fireworks during Chinese New Year celebrations. Also, stricter controls on smoking in public places are not related to concern for the lung health of others but to fire safety. Since the end of 2017, the Ministry of Public Security has been considering draft regulations on fire safety for high-rise buildings and public spaces (Liu et al., 2020). Thus, it is proposed to prohibit shopping centers from opening below -3 floors in high-rise buildings, and entertainment centers should not be located below -2 floors. Facilities for children in high-rise buildings should be located on floors 1-3 with separate emergency stairs and exits (Ding et al., 2021). Fire drills must be conducted in buildings taller than 100 meters (more than 6,000 in China) every six months (Jevtic, 2019). This way, buildings become safer for people to stay in.

International Organizations that Regulate Fire Safety

NFPA, FM, UL, and VdS are foreign organizations involved in the regulation, standardization, and production of equipment in the field of fire safety. As a rule, all of them are commercial, but their contribution to developing fire services systems worldwide is invaluable. National Fire Protection Association NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) – is an international nonprofit organization for fire, electrical, and building safety (Petersen, 2019). It is headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts.

FM Global is an international commercial company with years of experience in safety and occupational hazards in almost all industries. Maintains close cooperation in these matters with advanced institutes and associations. UL Corporation (Underwriters Laboratories Inc) is a certification organization that tests and certifies a variety of fire protection equipment and personal protective equipment. IAFC – International Association of Fire Chiefs. Annually holds conferences to exchange experiences and discuss topical issues of fire safety, periodically publishes a newsletter and brochures on various aspects of fire protection organization, management, financial, and personnel issues.

CTIF – International Technical Committee on Fire Prevention and Extinguishing. Its main tasks are to maintain and develop international scientific and technical cooperation in the field of fire prevention, technical means of firefighting, and rescue of people in fires and natural disasters and to establish, develop and encourage business and personal contacts between firefighters of different countries (Lima et al., 2021). The Committee collects and publishes information on scientific and technical achievements in the field of fire science and practical activities of fire protection, distributes and promotes the best practices for preventing and fighting fires, and organizes international scientific symposiums, fire technical exhibitions, and competitions in fire-applied sports.

The European Association of Official Laboratories EGOLF is a nonprofit organization with defined objectives. These include increased cooperation between EU member states’ fire centers and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) (Bonanomi & Tribaldos, 2020). A further goal is the mutual recognition of fire test results and removing trade barriers. They also include the harmonization of test methods, support for research, and evaluation of the quality level of fire centers’ equipment and research conducted there.

If the facility is built with foreign investors’ funds or is purchased by a foreign investor, a foreign insurance company is involved for insurance. Historically, foreign insurance companies are used to operating under NFPA and FM standards. One of the basic principles of insurance companies is the strict adherence to NFPA or FM standards and the use of quality equipment. Thanks to the latest technical firefighting equipment and up-to-date regulations that consider the latest developments and actual tests of such equipment, it becomes possible to optimize insurance rates and payments.

Conclusion

Thus, the fire services system is a complex of technical means mounted on the object, designed to detect, localize and eliminate fires without human intervention, and protect people, material values, and the environment from the effects of dangerous factors of fire, fire and rescue operations. Fire services systems all over the world are strictly regulated. Requirements for them are described in regulatory documents and laws. Every year the norms on the fire safety of objects are increasingly tightened, brought in line with European EN. All activities in this area are standardized and certified – production, design, implementation, and maintenance. Fire services systems include a fire alarm system, automatic fire extinguishing system, fire warning, and evacuation management system, smoke protection system, centralized fire surveillance system, and fire services dispatch system.

The earliest detection of fire hazards at the facility is very important; for this purpose, modern means of fire detection should be used, such as, for example, an aspiration fire alarm system, which allows the detection of combustion products at the earliest stage (before the appearance of visible smoke or fire). The whole complex of fire protection must work as a single system; all systems must interact at the hardware level and have a certain margin of safety for reliable operation in extreme conditions and long-term autonomy on the power supply. Important factors for the effective protection of the facility are the organization of a round-the-clock observation post for the fire services system at the facility, the transmission of messages to the city’s centralized monitoring station of the fire department, and timely and high-quality maintenance of the fire services system.

First of all, preventive measures are taken organizationally and technically aimed at preventing fires from occurring. Active fire protection includes fire alarms, notification and evacuation control, automatic fire extinguishing systems, and local application systems (such as fire extinguishers and fire hydrants). Their main function is to locate and suppress the fire. The alarm system comes into play – it detects the fire’s source and notifies people of its occurrence, calling for evacuation. The process is also continued by fire suppression systems, which spray a substance – water, foam, gas, or powder. Such means can only partially replace firefighters. They can detect and extinguish fires in the initial stages and facilitate notification and evacuation. However, fire crews are still the backbone of firefighting and can do things that systems cannot do.

Active fire protection does not work alone but only in combination with passive fire protection. If active protection means are directly involved in detecting and eliminating fire, then passive fire protection means serve as their support. They protect the supporting structures of buildings so that they do not collapse under the influence of high temperatures during the evacuation of people. They also separate safe rooms from areas affected by the fire. This avoids spreading fire and dangerous combustion products to other rooms and localizes the fire in one place. So it will not be able to cover the entire building, and it will be easier to extinguish.

Passive means of protection include smoke protection systems, fire dampers, doors, gates, curtains, lightning protection, and fire protection components: intumescent coatings (paints, varnishes), plasters, and slabs. They provide stability to metal and wooden load-bearing structures, prevent flames from penetrating safe areas, and reduce the temperature in the building by removing smoke and hot gasses from the room. This way, the building does not overheat, and most smoke rises to the top without blocking escape routes. Smoke extraction also helps people not to breathe in toxic combustion products.

Hatches built into the skylights open and release smoke and hot air outside in case of fire. As a rule, it collects at the top, so gravity acts when the hatches open, and the smoke leaves the room. That is why such systems are often called gravitational smoke removal. However, it is not enough to remove dangerous combustion products. It is also necessary to ensure a constant flow of fresh air inside so that people do not suffocate when trying to evacuate. Fire ventilation works for this purpose: valves and fans.

Only designers understand the importance of installing fire protection systems. They are guided by certain standards when designing an object, and over years of practice, they realize the seriousness of this issue. Therefore, their obligations include not only considering it but also creating all the drawings and miscalculations and observing the current requirements and standards that ensure fire safety. People’s lives depend on these systems, so they cannot be ignored.

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