Transcript Life After Graduation A fire Service View”

Evacuation Strategies a Time to Reflect?
Eur Ing Dr Jim Marsden
Director
Ignis Associates Ltd
20/07/2015
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Introduction
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Present methodology
The duties of a responsible person
Does one size fit all?
The importance of passive and active systems
What are the challenges facing fire safety Managers
Building acceptance
Risk assessment
The actions of other services on evacuation.
Outside influences
Compressed gases
Conclusions
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Present methodology
• Approved Document B
• 0.23 Health Care Premises diverse variety of patients
• Fire strategy dependent upon
• The way in which the building is designed (MoE etc)
• The way the building is furnished (Fire loading)
• The way in which the building is staffed and managed
• The principal of total evacuation may not be
appropriate.
• Designer directed to HTM Firecode
Where
• An evacuation strategy will be dependent upon the
type of building, its use, and the occupancy profile
(including staff levels).
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Present methodology
Approved Document B Provides advice in respect to
residential care.
• That occupants may require assistance to escape
• Building designed for progressive horizontal
evacuation (PHE), but this is dependent upon
• The installation of compartment walls
• Fire doors
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The duties of the responsible person
Article 17 of the FSO 2005 states
Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of
relevant persons the responsible person must ensure
that the premises and any facilities, equipment and
devices provided in respect of the premises under this
Order or, subject to paragraph (6), under any other
enactment, including any enactment repealed or
revoked by this Order, are subject to a suitable system
of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state,
in efficient working order and in good repair.
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Does one size fit all?
• Within health care there are wide range persons
• Awake and aware
• Unfamiliar with the building
• Alert and unable to move
(staff)
(visitors)
(patients)
• Type of evacuation strategy
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Simultaneous
Phased
Progressive
Stay put
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Progressive horizontal evacuation
• Persons are evacuated to a relative place of safety
i.e. Adjoining compartment.
• Reliant upon adequate staff training
• Evacuation times can vary greatly dependent upon
the condition of the person
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Progressive horizontal evacuation
• But what about the importance of passive and active
systems.
• Progressive Horizontal Evacuation (PHE) is also
heavily reliant upon passive and active systems such
as:• Compartment walls and floors being imperforate
• Fire dampers within compartment walls operating
satisfactorily.
• Adequate fire stopping where required.
• Water suppression systems controlling fire
• Within engineered design the satisfactory operation of
smoke control systems
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The importance of active and passive
systems
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Passive and active systems
• Basic fire engineering principals dictate that the
longer you have to remain in the building the greater
the importance of passive systems in restricting the
spread of fire and smoke from compartment to
compartment
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What are the challenges facing fire safety
managers
• Health care design is becoming more complex
requiring different evacuation strategies for different
uses.
• The greater use of fire engineering systems such as
smoke control, pressurisation and new technology
such as water mist is becoming more prevelent in
healthcare design.
• Different purpose groups being combined in one
design (Healthcare, shop/commercial, office,
residential etc).
• Healthcare sites are becoming larger
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Building acceptance
New Build
• Great reliance on the standard of works and the
attention to detail by the contractor in the construction
phase.
• Compartment floors and walls
• Cavity barriers
• In the case of active systems such as fire alarms,
water suppression systems they are installed and
certificated to the relevant standard.
• Fire Dampers
• Correct fire alarm logic to control other systems such as
smoke vents etc
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Build quality
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Building Maintenance
Older buildings
• Maintaining and understanding the fire safety
systems installed (continuity of knowledge).
• Fire safety Plans
• Fire Strategy (Fire Engineered solutions)
• Understanding why the system was installed in the first
place
• Contractors being competent also understanding the
importance of the active and passive systems.
• Fire stopping openings in compartment walls
• Smoke control systems
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Testing and maintenance
• There is requirement under the fire safety order
(Article 17)
• Should be undertaken by a competent person who
fully understands the importance and relevance of
fire safety systems)
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Risk assessment
• The Fire Safety Order 2005 now applies to Health
Care Premises
• The risk assessment (RA) should be suitable and
sufficient.
• Significant findings should be recorded
• Action plans should be put in place to remedy the
findings.
• The risk assessment must be undertaken by a
competent person
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Risk assessment considerations
• The higher the dependancy of the persons (Intensive
Care and HDU) the greater reliance on effective
compartmentation and fire stopping. The time to
evacuate the compartment is much greater.
• The lower the dependacy of the persons (offices etc)
the lower the reliance upon the compartmentation
and fire stopping. The time to evacuate the
compartment is considerably less that above.
• Does the competent Risk assessor actually
understand health care premises and their complex
nature
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The actions of other services
• Does our responsibilty end when the FRS arrive on
the scene.
• Do they understand the importance and special
nature of healthcare premises.
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The actions of other services
• Will have an impact upon the evacuation strategy
• Fire fighting hoses may breach lobbies therefore
allowing smoke to enter staircases resulting in spread
to other areas.
• The flow of contaminated water (not confined to fire
fighting debris but possible body fluids) flowing from
the affected compartment to other areas.
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The affect of other influences
• What about incidents in adjoining buildings?
• Surely that cannot affect an evacuation strategy?
• Do we risk assess the impact of contractors and
building works?
• Incidents such as the recent fire underneath the M1
caused considerable disruption to the countries
infrstructure.
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Compressed Gases
• Current fire fighting tactics include
• The establishment of an exclusion zone up to 200mtrs
• Cooling with water for 24hrs
• Incident only closes when cylinder is removed from site
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Compressed Gases
• About 170 people have been evacuated from their
homes in Manchester after a fire involving an
acetylene cylinder.
• Firefighters were called to a premises behind Booze
Busters, in Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, on Saturday
morning.
• A 200m cordon was set up and Furness Road,
Cawdor Road and Landcross Road were closed.
Residents have been moved to nearby Owens Park.
• No-one was injured in the fire and investigations have
begun into how the blaze began.
• The cordon is likely to be in place for the next 24
hours while firefighters make the area safe.
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But what about the future?
• Our understanding of fire and smoke behaviour is
advancing at a pace.
• There have been may lessons learned from previous
fires.
• Royal Marsden 2008, Complete Evac.
• University College Hospital 2008, Partial Evac.
• Northwick Park Hospital 2009, Partial Evac.
• Building standards are improving with design
• But do we need to have a radical change?
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What about the future?
• Evacuation planning strategy developed at the design
stage.
• Closer attention to commissioning and testing of
active and passive systems.
• Building bespoke evacuation systems i.e. Lifts and
enhanced compartmentation.
• Liasion with emergency services so they understand
the impacts of their actions upon an evacuation
strategy.
• The impact of outside influences
• The use of compentent Risk Assessors and
competent service engineers
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Thank you
Any Questions
Ignis Associates Ltd
Manchester
07879 667435
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