Chapter 12 Systems and Equipment for Fire Protection

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Chapter 12Systems and Equipment for Fire
Protection
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Introduction

• Water is the most common extinguishing agent used
  for combating fires
• Automatic firefighting devices have been
  developed to aid in the application of water and
  other firefighting agents
• In occupancies or applications where water may
  cause damage or be ineffective, other
  extinguishing agents have been developed

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Learning Objective 1 Components of a Water Supply
System

• WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
• All systems must have storage capability
• Capacity and adequacy
• Adequacy gauged in several areas
• Average daily consumption
• Maximum daily consumption
• Peak hourly consumption

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Learning Objective 1 Components of a Water Supply
System

• DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
• Underground piping called water mains
• Largest are primary feeders
• Intermediate are secondary feeders
• Distributor piping
• Common sizes are 8, 12, and 16 inch

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Learning Objective 1 Components of a Water Supply
System

• TYPES OF HYDRANTS IN USE TODAY
• Wet barrel hydrant
• Dry barrel hydrant
• Dry hydrant
• Hydrant installation
• Cont.

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Learning Objective 1 Components of a Water Supply
System

• TYPES OF HYDRANTS IN USE TODAY
• Airport or special property
• Complete prefire program
• Flushing hydrants
• Hydrant testing
• Hydrant painting

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Learning Objective 2 Importance of Dependable
Water Supply System

• PUBLIC WATER COMPANIES
• Set up under public utility laws
• Provide for everyday needs of customers
• Usually have elected officials to administrate
• PRIVATE WATER COMPANIES
• Maintain their own distribution and storage
  equipment

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Learning Objective 3 Components of Water Supply
Program

• WATER SYSTEMS PROGRAM
• Letter of working agreement
• Grid map
• Hydrant survey and
• service records
• Preplanning
• Cont.

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Learning Objective 3 Components of Water Supply
Program

• WATER SYSTEMS PROGRAM
• Auxiliary sources of water supply
• Reservoirs
• Cisterns
• Swimming pools
• Canals
• Rivers

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Learning Objective 4 Fire Detection Systems and
Their Components

• PRIVATE FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS
• Designed to protect individual occupancies from
  fire
• Private homes, businesses, manufacturing plants,
  or public buildings
• Main purpose is to alert occupants
• Some systems alert and extinguish

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Learning Objective 4 Fire Detection Systems and
Their Components

• DETECTION SERVICES
• Smoke detector
• Ionization chamber detector
• Flame or light detector
• Visible smoke detector
• Cont.

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Learning Objective 4 Fire Detection Systems and
Their Components

• DETECTION SERVICES
• Rate of rise detector
• Fixed temperature detector
• Carbon monoxide (CO) detector
• Manual pull alarm
• Water flow switch or excess flow alarm

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Learning Objective 4 Fire Detection Systems and
Their Components

• MONITORED ALARMS
• Combination of alarms
• Must be monitored at some level
• Transmits to fire department
• Sometimes plagued with frequent false alarms

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Learning Objective 5 Extinguishing Systems and
Their Components

• SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
• Residential sprinklers
• Commercial and industrial
• Wet pipe system
• Dry pipe system
• Deluge system
• Cont.

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Learning Objective 5 Extinguishing Systems and
Their Components

• SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
• Preaction sprinkler system
• Sprinkler heads
• Standpipe systems
• Foam systems
• Carbon dioxide
• Cont.

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Learning Objective 5 Extinguishing Systems and
Their Components

• SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
• Dry chemical systems
• Wet chemical extinguishing systems (Class K)
• Fire extinguishers
• Obsolete agents
• Fire pumps
• Pressure-reducing devices

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Learning Objectives 6 and 7 Different Types of
Extinguishing Agents How Various Extinguishing
Agents Work

• WATER
• Most common fire extinguishing agent in use today
• Extinguished through cooling and smothering
• Highest specific heat of any known substance
• Latent heat of vaporization
• Numerous delivery systems available

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Learning Objectives 6 and 7 Different Types of
Extinguishing Agents How Various Extinguishing
Agents Work

• FOAM PROPERTIES
• Its effectiveness over plain water is becoming
  popular
• Properties of extinguishing fires
• Components are water and foam concentrate
• Traditional purpose is to
• extinguish flammable liquids

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Learning Objectives 6 and 7 Different Types of
Extinguishing Agents How Various Extinguishing
Agents Work

• CLASS B FOAM
• Forms a layer above the surface of the liquid
• Chemical foams
• Mechanical foams
• Protein foam
• Fluoroprotein foam
• Cont.

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Learning Objectives 6 and 7 Different Types of
Extinguishing Agents How Various Extinguishing
Agents Work

• CLASS B FOAM
• Alcohol-type protein foams
• Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF)
• Most popular type of synthetic foam
• High-expansion foams
• Will reduce visibility to nearly zero

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Learning Objectives 6 and 7 Different Types of
Extinguishing Agents How Various Extinguishing
Agents Work

• CLASS A FOAM
• Much lower concentration than class B
• Can stick to vertical surfaces
• Can pre-treat areas in advance
• Blocking gel
• Wetting agents
• Fire retardant

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Learning Objectives 6 and 7 Different Types of
Extinguishing Agents How Various Extinguishing
Agents Work

• CARBON DIOXIDE
• Extinguishes by smothering
• Installed where water is not the agent of choice
• HALOGENATED AGENTS
• Break the chemical chain reaction
• Concern about their effect on the ozone layer

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Learning Objectives 6 and 7 Different Types of
Extinguishing Agents How Various Extinguishing
Agents Work

• CLEAN AGENTS
• Do not deplete the Earths ozone layer
• DRY CHEMICAL
• Mixture of finely divided powders
• DRY POWDER
• Used on combustible metals (Class D)

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Summary

• The fire department should have a close working
  relationship with the local water company
• A thorough knowledge of the strengths and
  weaknesses of the water system is necessary for
  decision-making purposes at the fire scene
• Firefighting agents are all applied through some
  type of system
• Pre-plan what is necessary to support these
  systems in case of fire