A NEED FOR ALARM BIG PROJECT ME FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT
Mar 07, 2016
A NEED FOR ALARMBIG PROJECT ME FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT
Saving time for more safety!
AUDAX-Keck GmbH GermanyPhone +49 70 51/16 [email protected], www.renitherm.com
� Reliable fire protection of structural steel, wood, electrical cables
� Tested according to British Standard 476:21� Top product quality. Made in Germany. � Approved building projects in GCC, e.g.
- New Doha Int. Airport Hangar, Qatar - Al Rafi Car Park, Dubai
Intumescent coatings for fire protection.
How RENITHERM works: In case of fire, intumescent coatings expand toform a foam barrier which is 30-50 times thicker.
Anz_Big-Project_250x310 21.11.12 15:53 Seite 1
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EDITOR’S COMMENT
The Villaggio Mall fire that killed 19 people last year, including 13 children, four teachers and two fire-fighters, was an unimaginable tragedy that shook the entire region and brought home the sobering reality of how inadequate our fire safety systems really are.
For this was a tragedy that could have been avoided if the right procedures and systems had been in place. Eyewitnesses reported that emergency exits were blocked, that the fire alarms and sprinkler systems weren’t functioning properly and that rescue services didn’t have access to floor plans or layouts, which all hindered their efforts.
It’s clear that Qatari authorities agreed with this, given that they’ve recently announced that five people involved with the tragedy have been sentenced to six years in prison for the ‘negligence’ that caused the blaze.
Given that one of these people include the Qatar Ambassador to Belgium, it’s clear that the Qatari authorities have taken this extremely seriously and are willing to make an example of the offenders, no matter who they are.
While this may bring some small measure of comfort to the victims’ families, I’d hope that the decision to jail those responsible for the safety of the mall is indicative of a growing seriousness from the authorities to enforce and maintain fire safety in the region.
This fire safety supplement brings together some of the foremost fire and life safety experts in the region, if not the world, and our hope is that their knowledge and ability serves to help educate and energise the construction industry so that tragedies like the Villaggio Mall don’t happen again.
Gavin Davids, Deputy Editor
Publisher Dominic De SouSa
GrOuP COO naDeem HooD
ManaGinG DireCtOr RicHaRD JuDD eDiToRiaL
GrOuP eDitOr STepHen [email protected] +971 55 795 8740
DePuty eDitOr GaVin [email protected] +971 4 440 9118
maRKeTinG & aDVeRTiSinG
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Saving time for more safety!
AUDAX-Keck GmbH GermanyPhone +49 70 51/16 [email protected], www.renitherm.com
� Reliable fire protection of structural steel, wood, electrical cables
� Tested according to British Standard 476:21� Top product quality. Made in Germany. � Approved building projects in GCC, e.g.
- New Doha Int. Airport Hangar, Qatar - Al Rafi Car Park, Dubai
Intumescent coatings for fire protection.
How RENITHERM works: In case of fire, intumescent coatings expand toform a foam barrier which is 30-50 times thicker.
Anz_Big-Project_250x310 21.11.12 15:53 Seite 1
CONTENTSA NEED FOR ALARMWhat can be done to raise fire standards in construction?
TAMWEELBREAKDOWN
FIRE AND FACADES
FROM THE GROUND UP
PUTTING SAFETY FIRST
Intercontinental & Crown Plaza Hotel, Festival City, Dubai
Client Al-Futtaim Group Architect Cox Crone ArchitectsConstruction 2003 – 2007Application of FOAMGLAS® behind stone cladding facade 8000 m²
Build-up1 Stone cladding2 Rail support system for
cladding fixed in concrete3 FOAMGLAS® mechanically fixed4 Structural wall concrete
Long term investment in safety and durability.Web: www.foamglas.ae Email: [email protected] Dubai office Tel: +9714 434 7140 Doha office Tel: +974 465 5360
FOAMGLAS® Insulation
The Intercontinental and Crown Plaza Hotel are part of Festival City project which, once finished, will be one of the largest mixed-used developments in Dubai. FOAMGLAS® is used behind the stone cladding because of the unique property of being fully resistant to any kind of water and vapour and therefore can be applied on the wall structure without any additional protection against the high humidity. No additional foil for vapour protection is required trough the closed cell structure of the material FOAMGLAS® itself. Result is the life time constant performance of the thermal insulation. Degradation through humidity absorption is the biggest problem in the Middle East for wall insulation next to fire issues. FOAMGLAS® is fully inorganic and will not support any fire. With no flame spread and no smoke development it provides, especially in hotel project with towers, the highest safety and ensures the highest standard. It contains 66% recycling glass content and is environmentally sound in it’s manufacturing, usage and eventual disposal.
Ventilated Facade
1
2
4
3
ASTM E84, E136
THE
BEST
FACA
DE FOR HIGH RISE BUILDINGS
FIRE SAFE
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A NEED FOR ALARMA spate of fires has raised the importance of safety in the region. Big Project ME asks what can be done to ensure that lives and money can be saved?
They say that every
cloud has a silver
lining. And while
nobody would wish
for tragedy, a series of fires
over the past year have
placed the fire and safety
industry at the forefront of
change.
Certainly a fire safety
consultant or solutions
provider would find that
more potential clients
are now listening more
carefully. Fire safety is a
curious beast. It sits with
other building systems but
is easily the most important
of them. And in many
cases, you only find out
how good it is once.
There is a major flaw in
any safety system, ironically
the people who buy the
system and rely on it are
the most likely to disarm
or disable it. At a recent
meeting of fire protection
experts there were horror
stories of fire exits being
locked because they were
being used for egress
by shoplifters. And fire
sprinklers being switched
off for days for no particular
reason.
Michael Kelly is director
of fire safety engineering
for Emaar Malls. He is a
distinguished fire officer
and an experienced safety
consultant, responsible for
Intercontinental & Crown Plaza Hotel, Festival City, Dubai
Client Al-Futtaim Group Architect Cox Crone ArchitectsConstruction 2003 – 2007Application of FOAMGLAS® behind stone cladding facade 8000 m²
Build-up1 Stone cladding2 Rail support system for
cladding fixed in concrete3 FOAMGLAS® mechanically fixed4 Structural wall concrete
Long term investment in safety and durability.Web: www.foamglas.ae Email: [email protected] Dubai office Tel: +9714 434 7140 Doha office Tel: +974 465 5360
FOAMGLAS® Insulation
The Intercontinental and Crown Plaza Hotel are part of Festival City project which, once finished, will be one of the largest mixed-used developments in Dubai. FOAMGLAS® is used behind the stone cladding because of the unique property of being fully resistant to any kind of water and vapour and therefore can be applied on the wall structure without any additional protection against the high humidity. No additional foil for vapour protection is required trough the closed cell structure of the material FOAMGLAS® itself. Result is the life time constant performance of the thermal insulation. Degradation through humidity absorption is the biggest problem in the Middle East for wall insulation next to fire issues. FOAMGLAS® is fully inorganic and will not support any fire. With no flame spread and no smoke development it provides, especially in hotel project with towers, the highest safety and ensures the highest standard. It contains 66% recycling glass content and is environmentally sound in it’s manufacturing, usage and eventual disposal.
Ventilated Facade
1
2
4
3
ASTM E84, E136
THE
BEST
FACA
DE FOR HIGH RISE BUILDINGS
FIRE SAFE
the safety of around 100,000
people walking through
the Dubai Mall and the
inhabitants and staff of the
Burj Khalifa. In essence two
of his major responsibilities
are the tallest building in
the world and the largest
mall in the world. But what
keeps him awake at night is
not buildings.
“Construction is not the
problem. When people
see smoke in a mall they
panic. There is meant to be
smoke. That’s part of the
protection scenario.” His
other problem is not the
public but managers “most
managers will not have
read the fire procedures.”
Peter Holland, CBE, was
a fireman in Northampton.
He recalls a recent test
of an 8sqm construction
insulated with polyurethane
sandwich board, with a roof
and a crib in the corner.
He was not expecting an
exciting afternoon.
“I couldn’t see how this
was going to get out of
hand. After six minutes I
was bored. On the seventh
minute the fire changed
completely. The panels
started to delaminate
and the fire flashed over.
90 seconds later we were
literally running for our
lives.
“Fire safety is about
learning lessons but more
importantly learning
them quickly and feeding
them back into the
information chain. Because
construction methods
are changing all the time
and we need to bring real
world situations back into
planning very quickly.”
According to figures
revealed by civil defence
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“FIRE SaFETy IS abOuT lEaRNINg lESSONS buT MORE IMpORTaNTly lEaRNINg ThEM quICkly aND FEEDINg ThEM baCk INTO ThE INFORMaTION ChaIN”
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authorities in the UAE, 3,359
fire incidents were reported
in the first six months of
2012 alone. The majority
of these were in residential
buildings and high-rises.
Holland believes that each
fire should pose questions
such as how the building
behaved during a fire, how
the materials behaved
and finally how the people
behaved. If any of these are
outside of the expectations
then the first thing we
should investigate is why.
One of the hardest and
most important aspects
of fire is how to contain
it. Obviously objects that
are friends during normal
times become enemies
during inflammation,
doors for example. An
important part of arresting
fire is to stop it spreading
throughout the building
using systems such as fire
protection sleeves.
These essentially stop the
gaps around wired and as a
bonus works on an acoustic
level too. Sharib Rao, is
specification and product
manager for Geberit says
that, while the products are
not yet mandatory by UAE
civil defence, it is about to
change.
“We believe that as fire
protection is such a hot
topic in the region, and as
the recent amendment that
makes it compulsory in
new builds and properties
undergoing major
renovations, it will become
a common product in
construction.”
False alarms and
the poor selection or
maintenance of smoke
alarms in buildings has
encouraged occupiers of
buildings to assume an
alarm is a misfire or a joke.
How much safer would life
be if everyone who heard a
fire alarm took it seriously?
The UAE currently
adopts a lot of its fire
safety regulations from
Europe or the USA. It is a
young country drawing
on the experience of
older countries to draft its
regulations. But just as it did
with aviation, the UAE has
the possibility to become
world leaders in this field.
Abu Dhabi has the very
strong Estidama building
code. It is largely based
around green issues but
has the ability to strengthen
safety as well.
As a new boom takes
place we should allocate
more resources to making
our buildings more fire
retardant. Any money we
have left over can be used
to make then funny shapes.
It's not a question of
whether a fire can damage
a structure, but a question
of when. It simply takes
longer for fire to affect fire-
resistant materials. The key
is to construct a building
in which a fire would take
effect slowly, allowing the
occupants plenty of time to
escape.
“ThE paNElS STaRTED TO DElaMINaTE aND ThE FIRE FlaShED OvER. 90 SECONDS laTER wE wERE lITERally RuNNINg FOR OuR lIvES”
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Following the fire at
the Tamweel Tower
in Dubai calls for
stronger government
commitment to fire safety
have increased tremendously.
According to eyewitness
reports, the fire started on the
roof of the building (situated
in Cluster U) and spread
down to the flats below.
Residents of the building
were seen gathering in the
street and inside their cars,
while the flames spread
down the building. Fire
alarms were said to have
woken up residents, not just
in the building, but also in
surrounding towers.
Eyewitnesses said that
slabs of concrete fell off from
the rooftop, leading to the
spread of the fire to different
floors. Some pieces landed on
resident’s balconies, setting
fire to those apartments.
“The falling pieces of
concrete fell to the ground.
A few of them fell on cars
parked on the ground floor.
The fire fighters were hard
placed to put them out
but the falling concrete
endangers their lives as well,”
witnesses said.
Although Civil Defence
sources confirmed that there
were no casualties from the
fire, the incident highlighted,
yet again, how vulnerable
high-rise towers are to fire
hazards. Photographs taken
during the fire showed that
the cladding along the sides
CALLS FOR FIRE SAFETY IN WAKE OF TAMWEELFollowing the outbreak of yet another fire, calls for stringent regulation and checks increase as government and industry work towards a unified fire safety code
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of the building went up in
flames, and in fact, helped
enable the spread of the fire
to the lower floors of the
residential tower.
With this in mind,
Stephen Lipscombe, senior
manager – Technical & QA/
QC at Emirates Glass, and
a fire safety expert, said
the industry, community
and government must
work together to increase
awareness about fire safety
and ensure that proper
standards are met and
followed to the letter.
“5,000m2 of aluminium
cladding with polyurethane
contains as much benzene as
a refill truck going to a petrol
station,” he told Big Project
ME on the sidelines of a fire
safety conference.
“We have pictures of
buildings out here, where
the glass has stayed intact,
but the aluminium cladding,
which self-combusts at
500°C, has burnt up, across
and come back down again.
The glass has stayed intact,
but the building is ablaze
from the outside.”
Lipscombe pointed
out that there needed to
be increased cooperation
between the three concerned
sectors, so as to ensure that
best practices are met and
workers installing equipment
are properly educated on fire
safety and systems.
“The ideal scenario should
be three-pronged: It would
be government commitment
in terms of its organs like
civil defence, planning
and building inspectors
(investigating systems),
industry commitment
where cheap products (are
forgotten) and we strive to be
ISO and upwards in terms of
standards and community.”
“That’s what it boils
down to, whether it’s safety
of the fire protection or the
safety of the system that
goes in it. We’re dealing
with other people’s families,
and I think we have a moral
responsibility,” he explained.
“Awareness generally
isn’t a problem; it’s the
inspection, the enforcement
(of regulations). Anyone can
write a law, a standard, it’s
about having the will or the
people to enforce it and make
it work. There have been
huge changes over the last
twelve months at the Federal
National Council and at the
municipality here in Dubai.”
“We’re pushing the
government to adopt
standards; we’re pushing
this all the time. If you look
at it from the point of view
that this is a developing
infrastructure and a
developing system, with all
the attached responsibility
that brings to the political
system, then we’ve learnt
so many lessons from our
communities,” Lipscombe
pointed out.
“We’ve learnt from our
mistakes, so why should the
learning curve here take
just as long? We bring this
experience and it must be
presented in a way that’s
practical, cost effective and
involves all sectors of the
community,” he concluded.
StEPhEn LiPScoMBE, EMIrATEs GlAss
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PUTTING SAFETY FIRSTThe Yas Viceroy Hotel played host to the 3rd annual Fire safety Technology Forum earlier this year. It took place under the patronage of His royal Highness lieutenant General sheikh saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
As mentioned elsewhere in
this supplement fire has
become a very real issue
in this region, given the
events in Qatar and the Tamweel
Tower. Dubai is very wary of
having its name, like London or
Rome, after the soubriquet ‘The
great fire of’.
There were some acclaimed
and famed speakers during
the conference. Major General
Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi is
director general civil defence.
It must be said that the civil
defence has acted strongly and
decisively to combat the fires
that have occurred in the UAE.
In some ways it is their most
pressing problem.
Peter Holland CBE, adviser to
the UK government, department
for communities and local
government, came next. He is
a fireman, and his firefighters
are affected every day by the
decisions that the construction
REVIEW
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“ENSuRINg pROpER FIRE SaFETy pROTECTION ShOulD bE ThE MaIN pRIORITy OF buIlDINg DESIgN aND OpERaTION”
industry makes. He made
the very valid point that
buildings are getting higher
and construction methods
are changing. He believes
that construction and
firefighters are reverse faces
of the same coin. In the end,
ensuring proper fire safety
protection should be the
main priority of building
design and operation.
Joseph Glitter, director,
division of risk assessment
in the USNRC’s Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation
was an interesting choice.
Bear in mind that new
desalination plants in the
UAE are probably going to
be driven by nuclear power.
There are several people
who think that nuclear
power is the future for the
UAE because it is more
provably effective than the
conventional power sources
currently in operation.
Major Jamal is head
of preventive safety
department responsible fire
safety codes, bringing the
first edition of UAE Fire and
Life Safety Code of Practice
to life.
He is the architect of UAE
safety and a much respected
figure in the region. He is
responsible for keeping the
residents of the UAE safe
and he daily faces decisions
that have massive effects
on the lifestyle, and indeed
lives of those in his care. He
is responsible for the UAE
emirates being much more
responsive to each other.
Indeed engineers have
regular meetings to make
sure that the emirates are
aligned in their response
and planning.
Steve McGuirk,
county fire officer and
chief executive, Greater
Manchester Fire and
Rescue Service, UK is
an entertaining and
illuminating speaker.
He is outspoken and has
strong opinions and this
has caused controversy
in the past. Last year he
was attacked by the press,
when he said that many
government employees
were lazy and needed a
shakeup. He pointed out
that there was a great need
to engage with the public,
and that this could help to
prevent fires.
On previous occasions he
has spoken of the fire service
in ancient Rome, which
actually had an evacuation
plan and the ability to put
citizens to death if they
broke fire safety rules.
While we don’t have
floods, we do have fire and
we apparently still have
pestilence. Daniel Lucey
MD, MPH, is adjunct
professor of microbiology
and immunology -
PEtEr hoLLand, CBE
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Georgetown University
Medical Center and an
expert on deadly global
virus outbreaks
He is a physician who
completed his training in
infectious diseases and
public health at Harvard
University hospitals and
School of Public Health.
He has also worked at the
National Institutes of Health
in the US Public Health
Service as a Consultant
Physician. During the Severe
Acute Respiratory (SARS)
coronavirus outbreaks in
2003, he travelled to Asia
and worked in a “SARS
hospital” in Canada to
gain first-hand experience
with this new viral disease.
Similarly, from 2004-2012 he
travelled to Asia and Egypt
to better understand bird flu
viruses. His lecture acted as a
reminder that we are not safe
from anything ever.
As the day whizzed by
we also heard from Richard
Gordon MBE, director,
Bournemouth University
International Disaster
Management Centre, UK
and keynote speaker at UN
World 2nd International
Forum on the Integration
of Emergency Management
in 2012.
He’s trained Bangladesh’s
members of the armed
forces, civil administrators
and development partners
on disaster management.
The Armed Forces
Division, ministry of
disaster management,
department of disaster
management, Police, Fire
Service and Civil Defence,
ICRC, World Vision, ECGO,
UNDP, OXFAM, CDMP,
ADPC, and OCHA were
the organisations that took
part in the training. Richard
is living proof that fast
response and measured use
of resources can combat
even the direst of situations.
Russell Wood, global
director of solution sales,
Infographics UK, told the
conference how everyday
items such as phones are
used to administer large
numbers of emergency
response workers.
He gave several examples
of working technologies
in the field, and how their
use will become more
widespread in the future.
Nick Link, CEO at
FireBug Company, bought a
glimpse of how water-based
technologies could develop.
He is involved in misting
which is where ordinary tap
water is filtered down to five
microns (one tenth the size
of a human hair!) the water
is then pressurised to over
1000PSI by high pressure
fog machines.
This fog can drop the
outside temperature by
as much as 30 degrees.
Link has also intriguingly
“FaST RESpONSE aND MEaSuRED uSE OF RESOuRCES CaN COMbaT EvEN ThE DIREST OF SITuaTIONS”
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developed misting
decontamination capability
for MI5.
The conference also
featured the speaker
Rodrick Fraser, Fire
Commissioner – Boston Fire
Department – he controls
the Boston Fire Department
in the United States, an
entity boasting a staff of
over 1,400 firefighters.
FINDINg a NEw pERSpECTIvEConferences like these
are invaluable. Oddly the
principal aspects of fire have
not changed in centuries. It
is a chemical reaction. Yet
we keep devising ways of
making humans higher and
more in danger.
Putting a group of
professionals together
fosters a keen interchange
of ideas and opinions.
It gives participants a
chance to gain perspective
from seasoned professional
lecturers who are living with
fire technologies everyday
of their lives.
These conferences are
valuable and give rise to
new ideas and thoughts,
and bring stakeholders
together. Long may that
continue as governments
and industries continue to
demand better from and for
their fire safety industries.
alubOND aND al bakER TOwER 4
last year the Al Baker Tower 4 was gutted due to fire. The use of non-fire rated aluminium cladding led to a fast spread of fire, leading to the evacuation of almost 135 families. This prompted the sharjah officials to revamp the building codes to avoid such tragedies in the future. Alubond UsA, with its fire rated properties was the only possible and viable solution to fit out the building.
With a global presence in more than 80 countries, Alubond UsA is a market leader in fire-rated composite panel cladding systems. Alubond UsA was a Gold sponsor for the 3rd Annual Fire and safety Technology Forum; hosted by the Directorate General of Civil Defense.
Alubond UsA is a metal composite panel consisting of two layers of a metallic skin like Aluminum, stainless steel, Copper, Zinc, Titanium etc, sandwiching a fire rated core in a continuous co-extrusion process.
Let Intertek
clear a path™
for your nextinnovation
Get to market with greater speed and simplicity.
Whether you’re designing a new product or kicking off a building project, timing is always a critical factor in your profi tability. That’s why more and more companies are partnering with Intertek for quality, safety, and performance services.
We deliver fast, effi cient product testing and certifi cation – including our ETL certifi cation for electrical products and our Warnock Hersey certifi cation for building products – so manufacturers can show proof of compliance to local, national and international safety and
performance standards. This can give you more confi dence in your deadlines knowing that installed products have been properly tested and certifi ed.
Intertek has a growing presence in the Middle East, as well as 1,000 labs around the world in Europe, Asia, and North America. To learn more about how Intertek can help your next innovation come to life, visit www.intertek.com.
ClearAPath ad_3817r1.indd 1 5/31/13 11:02 AM
200 INDUsTrY AND GoVErNMENT proFEssIoNAls
ATTENDED THE EVENT.
Let Intertek
clear a path™
for your nextinnovation
Get to market with greater speed and simplicity.
Whether you’re designing a new product or kicking off a building project, timing is always a critical factor in your profi tability. That’s why more and more companies are partnering with Intertek for quality, safety, and performance services.
We deliver fast, effi cient product testing and certifi cation – including our ETL certifi cation for electrical products and our Warnock Hersey certifi cation for building products – so manufacturers can show proof of compliance to local, national and international safety and
performance standards. This can give you more confi dence in your deadlines knowing that installed products have been properly tested and certifi ed.
Intertek has a growing presence in the Middle East, as well as 1,000 labs around the world in Europe, Asia, and North America. To learn more about how Intertek can help your next innovation come to life, visit www.intertek.com.
ClearAPath ad_3817r1.indd 1 5/31/13 11:02 AM
10 FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013MID
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FIRE AND FACADESA number of serious building fires have triggered significant public concern over the safety of façade materials. Andy Dean, of Exova Warringtonfire, discusses the issues involved, how the industry might respond, and raises questions for the future
Spacing buildings
apart to prevent the
spread of fire is not a
new idea – it can be
traced back to the Great Fire
of London in 1666, when
the streets were narrow
and wooden buildings
close together. This allowed
flames and heat from one
building to set fire to others
across the street.
It is said that one of the
strategies used by King
Charles II to stop the fire
spreading was to demolish
perfectly good buildings to
create ‘fire breaks’.
This principle is still
widely used today, with
building codes all over
the world stipulating that
buildings must be spaced
apart to prevent a fire in one
building spreading to others.
The advent of high-tech
fire resistant façades is a
relatively new development
and means fire rated
buildings can be placed
much closer together.
Most buildings
don’t need such high
specification façade
materials because they are
appropriately spaced. This
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“MaNy CODES DO NOT REquIRE ThE FaçaDE TO bE FIRE-RaTED IF OThER SySTEMS aRE uSED”
level of fire rating is also
extremely expensive and
not economically viable for
ordinary buildings.
Many codes do not
require the façade to be
fire-rated if other systems
are used, such as internal
sprinkler systems or
perimeter fire stopping.
Firstly, it is important to
understand the difference
between ‘reaction-to-fire’
and ‘fire resistance’.
Reaction-to-fire mainly
deals with materials: if they
burn (combustibility); how
easily they burn (ignitability
and flame spread); and
what happens when they
burn (smoke development
and resulting toxicity).
Reaction-to-fire
focuses on the response
of materials during the
development of a fire, so,
for example, concrete,
paper, wood, plastic and
paint will each register
very different reaction-
to-fire performances. The
result is often a material
classification that is used by
designers to ensure the right
material is in the right place
with the aim of preventing a
fire from starting, or limiting
its spread.
Fire resistance, on
the other hand, mainly
addresses building systems
(such as walls, floors,
ceilings, and doors) and
their compartmentation
abilities – for instance, when
a fire is fully developed in
a space or room, how long
will it take for that fire to
burn through a system into
an adjacent space? Fire
resistance performance is
always measured in terms
of ‘time’ and is used by
designers to make sure
potential fire spread from
one compartment to
another is quantified. This is
an important consideration
when designing a building
because it will enable people
to get out in time, as well as
limiting damage to property.
why pERIMETER FIRE STOppINg IS CRuCIalWhether or not the façade
of the building has a fire
resistance capability, it must
also perform in at least two
other important fire-related
ways. Firstly, the materials
used have to limit flame
spread – and it is lamentably
apparent that some of
the materials used on the
buildings in the recent fires
were not suitable.
Secondly, where
‘compartmentation’ is
required by the fire safety
strategy, the gap between
the façade and the building
(typically at the floors),
must be sealed to limit fire
spread between rooms.
This is called ‘perimeter
firestopping’. It is extremely
important, but can become
ineffective if the materials
used in the façade enable
the fire to bypass this seal.
When looking into the
FACADE MATErIAl MUsT lIMIT FlAME sprEAD.
flame spread characteristics
of a façade, it is important
to evaluate the materials
used in its manufacture.
In particular, the
combustibility, ignitability
and spread of flame
across the surface must be
evaluated.
Some test methods
traditionally used to
determine a material’s
fire-related performance
may not be appropriate
for some façade materials.
For example, the ASTM
E84 (‘Steiner Tunnel’) and
EN ISO 13823 (the single
burning item or SBI) tests
that are used as part of the
classification systems in
key international regions
are not, in isolation,
sufficient to prove adequate
performance. The reason
for this is that these tests are
often not aggressive enough,
in terms of flame and heat,
to challenge the material
effectively.
For example, a common
material used in façades
is ACP, or aluminium
composite panelling,
which falls into the genre of
metal composite materials
(MCM). Non-fire rated
versions of ACP often
comprise a 2-5mm core of
low density polyethylene
(LDPE) sandwiched between
two layers of aluminium
(generally 0.5mm thick
on each side). The LDPE
typically burns ferociously
once lit, but the fire has to
get through the aluminium
before it can ignite the core.
The two tests cited above will
often not penetrate the skin
and therefore never ‘release
the dragon’ inside – as a real
life building fire might.
ThE NEED FOR MORE ThOROugh TESTINg TEChNIquESThe answer to concerns
over testing these types of
systems is a more aggressive
fire test. NFPA 285 or BS
8414 are two such tests.
These are performed on
full-scale mock-ups with the
wall system containing the
material fixed to a test wall
two storeys high.
The tests simulate a
fully developed fire, either
adjacent to the wall or
breaking out from a window.
The heat release from these
tests is sufficient to properly
test the façade and evaluate
its performance in spread-
of-fire terms.
Turning to fire
compartmentation at the
perimeter fire stopping, it
is important to consider
a number of issues. The
idea of this system is to
stop elements of a fully
developed fire travelling
12 FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013MID
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“TESTS aRE OFTEN NOT aggRESSIvE ENOugh, IN TERMS OF FlaME aND hEaT, TO ChallENgE ThE MaTERIal EFFECTIvEly”
13FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013 MID
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vertically between floors,
through the gap between
the floor slab and the
façade. It is essential to
keep in mind that this is
not just a ‘smoke seal’. It
is generally expected that
the perimeter firestopping
should have the same fire
resistance performance as
the slab which it abuts.
a quESTION OF FIRE SaFETyA frequent question is:
“So what happens when
the glass of the façade
breaks (which it generally
will do in a few minutes
after flashover) and
the aluminium of the
façade melts (which it
will do some time shortly
afterwards)?”
This is a pertinent
question, but does not
remove the need to ensure
that the integrity of the
firestopping remains intact
once any façade system
failure starts to occur. If the
longevity and performance
of the perimeter fire stop
depends on the resilience of
the façade nearby, then this
resilience must be made
intrinsic to the design.
The firestopping and the
façade at this location must
act as a system in the case
of a fire. This may require
the selection of more
durable materials that are
not going to break or melt
once the fire starts such
as fire rated glass or steel
framing or panelling. An
alternative – and common
– solution is to protect the
façade area adjacent to the
fire stop so it is insulated
from the fire and retains
its integrity for a specified
length of time.
Tests such as ASTM
E2307 or EN 1364 (parts 3
or 4 depending on whether
the façade is fire-rated or
not) are examples of test
methods that can effectively
evaluate the fire stopping.
TESTINg, TESTINg, TESTINgAs implied above, the
way to establish the
reaction-to-fire, or fire
resistance characteristics
of a material or system,
is to test its performance.
Testing is performed in
specialised laboratories,
using both small-scale
and large-scale furnaces
specifically designed for
the purpose.
Another important
element in the testing
process is the durability
of a material. Many
specifications and regional
mandatory requirements
(including European ones)
stipulate that the durability
of systems and materials
is established alongside
fire and other such
performance criteria.
For instance, it would
be unsatisfactory to have
a fire door with hinges
that deteriorate after only
a few years, allowing gaps
to open between the door
and the frame such that
the original fire resistance
properties of the door
become ineffective.
kEy ISSuES OF FaçaDE DESIgNA well-thought-out fire
safety strategy and façade
design are critical. Making
the whole façade fire
resistant is usually not
necessary, provided that
the intended function
and performance of the
materials is understood in
relation to both reaction-to-
fire and fire resistance.
Appropriate testing of
the materials used in the
façade and the perimeter
firestopping systems are
two key aspects of ensuring
that the façade and its
interface with the building
performs adequately.
“aNOThER IMpORTaNT ElEMENT IN ThE TESTINg pROCESS IS ThE DuRabIlITy OF a MaTERIal”
20 FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013MID
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FROM THE GROUND UP Big Project ME talks to some of the leading fire experts in the UAE to examine the fire safety situation in the country and what needs to improve to protect our buildings and their occupants
Despite all of
humanity’s great
advances over
the thousands of
years that we’ve been in
existence, our greatest
achievement remains our
very first. Back in the mists
of time, when our earliest
ancestors learnt how to
tame fire to their own uses,
they had no idea it would
spark off our journey to
become the dominant
species on the planet.
However, although we
may have tamed fire that
does not mean that we’ve
mastered it. Indeed, it
remains one of the greatest
threats to modern life given
that once a blaze starts,
there’s only so much we can
do to stop it.
A measure of just how
terrifying fire can be can be
seen in the reaction people
have when the word is
shouted out in a crowded
area. Panic and mayhem
follows swiftly. It’s necessary
then, that all precautions
be taken to ensure that
buildings remain as fire
proof as possible and that
their inhabitants are safe.
SAFETY
21FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013 MID
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“SpRINklER SySTEMS ShOulD ONly bE TuRNED OFF whEN ThERE IS NO ChaNCE OF OCCupaNCy by huMaNS”
After all, nobody would
like a repeat of the Villaggio
Mall fire in Doha, where
tragically 19 people lost
their lives, and five are being
prosecuted by the Qatari
authorities.
“Over the recent years,
fire and life safety is
becoming more and more
important in the middle-
east. This is especially true
in the UAE, which is one
of the more advanced and
proactive countries in the
GCC and MENA region
as a whole,” says Afschin
Soleimani, director of Fire &
Risk Engineering at Ramboll
Middle East.
“This is due to a number
of factors. In particular,
over the years, the UAE has
enjoyed a significant influx
of fire engineering experts
from around the world.
These fire experts had a
major influence on creating
awareness of fire safety and
the understanding of the
latest regulations and the
intent of such regulations,”
he says.
Soleimani adds that
some high profile fires in
the region, in particular
the ones affecting public
buildings, have impacted the
perception of the public on
the devastating effects that
fires can have on people’s
lives and property.
However, while interest
and awareness is growing,
fire safety experts continue
to face challenges when it
comes to implementing
fire safety measures and
convincing owners to move
forwards with the times.
22 FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013MID
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“The biggest challenge
is educating the building
owners, consultants, and
officials about ongoing
safety protocols and
procedures. The region
is in its infancy stage on
regulation and enforcement
of product certifications,”
says Mike Luna, marketing
manager for Building
Products/Life Safety and
Security at Intertek, a US-
based firm that provides
safety solutions.
This doesn’t mean that
the market isn’t receptive
to new ideas though, Luna
adds, just that it’s still a very
young market when it comes
to fire prevention.
“(The UAE) is very
receptive to the types of
regulations seen in other
regions of the world. (But)
it’s sometimes difficult
as there’s no consistency
on which region of the
world the safety codes are
modelled after,” he says.
“For instance, some
European codes and
standards are used and
in other instances, the
US codes and standards
are used. Since the
standards writing
committees are different
and instrumentation
and procedures are
different, the testing can
sometimes be difficult for
manufacturers to meet all
the requirements. I think it
becomes more difficult for
manufacturers trying to sell
their products in the region
and understanding the
requirements to meet.”
Soleimani points out
that attitudes are changing,
albeit slowly, as authorities
and clients become more
aware of the pressing need
for adequate fire protection.
He points out that UAE
fire safety codes are more
comparable to the US codes
than codes from any other
region of the world.
“In 2011, the UAE Fire
and Life Safety Code
was published by the
Ministry of the Interior.
This code is intended
to be the applicable fire
legislation throughout the
UAE. It has adopted many
requirements from the
National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA)
Standards, in particular
FOaMglaS
Insulation and facades manufacturer, FoamGlas Building, says that its FoAMGlAs Compact roof product is amongst the most lasting and reliable products when it comes to fire safety, as evidenced by fire rating tests conducted by the company.
“FoAMGlAs is composed of pure glass, without binder or resins, and is therefore non-combustible. It is classified M0 in France, A1 in Germany, VI 3 in switzerland and non-combustible in the UK,” says Marco Vincenz, sales director Middle East, for FoamGlas Building.
“It maintains its physical properties right up to 430°C and the glass itself does not start to melt till after 750°C has been reached, at 1,000°C, a new foaming phase begins. The glass does not fuel, extend or propagate the fire in any way,” he adds.
Although the bitumen used in the construction of roofs is combustible, Vincenz says that with a FoAMGlAs Compact roof, oxygen is excluded from the build-up, thereby denying it a chance to spread through the building.
In addition, when installed on steel decks, the FoAMGlAs slabs are dipped in hot bitumen to ensure full adherence to the deck while reducing the required amount of bitumen (~600 to 800g/m2).
NFPA 101, which is the “Life
Safety Code”,” he explains.
“In some cases , such
as the section related to
the provisions for fire-
resistance ratings, the
UAE code has adopted a
more restrictive stance
than NFPA. For example,
while the NFPA requires
a 1/2-hour fire-resistance
rating for corridor walls of
a sprinklered apartment
floor, the UAE code
would require a 1-hour
fire-resistance rating in
that instance. The UAE
code also includes exit
stair and corridor width
requirements that are
slightly more restrictive
than NFPA,” Soleimani
explains further.
However, Gautam Arya,
managing director of
Procon Emirates, a leading
fire protection contractor
in the UAE, says that one of
his concerns is that certain
engineers may resist
using the local code as a
reference when selecting
fire safety products.
“There is some disparity
in the acceptable codes
more on a project basis,
although the ADCD and
DCD accepts internationally
recognized standards such
as UL/BS and EN standards
when approving products,”
he says. “Projects especially
will sometimes only accept
the codes/standards
of where the engineers
originate from or in some
situations who the client is
and where they are based.”
“This can cause
confusion as on some
projects the manufacturers
product may not be deemed
acceptable to be used
although it fully complies
23FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013 MID
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“ThE uaE IS NOw uNITED IN ITS RESpONSE. ENgINEERS FROM EvERy EMIRaTE MEET TO ENSuRE STaNDaRDS aRE hIgh”
gEbERIT
recent amendments to the UAE Fire and life safety Code of practice have suggested the use of fire sleeves in existing buildings and make their installation compulsory in new builds and properties under renovation.
As such, swiss sanitary ware manufacturer Geberit has decided to promote its Geberit Fire protection sleeve rs90 plus EN in the region, believing that the market for the product will be significant in the near future.
“Geberit provides intumescent fire sleeves. Intumescent collars can be fitted using any means of installation,” says stefan schmied, managing director and head of Gulf region, Geberit. “Collars are to be installed using metal wedge-style staybolts. Each has four fixing locations and any gaps between construction and pipe penetration are to be filled with a fire rated intumescent mastic,” he adds, explaining the installation process of the sleeves.
With these sleeves able to be retrofitted into older buildings, schmied believes that there’s going to be a significant uptake in the market following the amendment to the safety Code.
“We believe that as Fire protection is such a hot topic in the region, our Fire sleeves will become a common product in construction.”
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Phone: +9714-884-8220 [email protected]
25FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013 MID
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with the locally acceptable
product requirements
of the authority having
jurisdiction,” he warns.
As such, he suggests that
there be a clear code in the
region that ensures that
all engineers, contractors,
clients and suppliers are on
the same page, in regards to
fire safety.
“There is no one
clear guide for fire rating
periods, some projects
will follow the NFPA codes
but it is not used on every
project. Certainly in the
structural steel market the
norm over the last 5 years
has been generally 120
minutes fire protection
regardless of the building
use or size,” Arya explains.
“In more mature
markets like the UK fire
ratings are decided based
on a number of factors
(ie. boundary conditions,
buildings use and size and
time required to egress).
We are now starting to see
different areas within a
building looking in more
detail at fire rating periods,
roof structures protected
for only 60 minutes while
other areas may be 120
minutes. But there is still
no clear code within the
region,” he says.
While NAFFCO CEO
Engineer Khalid Al Khatib,
agrees that there is a still
a lot of work to be done
before the UAE and its
neighbours catch up to the
Western world, there are
promising signs for the fire
safety industry.
“Civil Defence and
government are working
hard on raising safety
awareness,” he says.
“However, it is the
responsibility of the
community as well to
ensure that all of us
respond to these initiatives.
For instance, we need
to see more fire drills in
compounds and towers.
(People) have to be trained
how to escape smoke – this
is everyone’s responsibility,”
Engineer Khalid suggests.
“We need to make sure
that residents and security
guards know how to use a
fire extinguisher effectively,
for instance.”
“IT IS ThE RESpONSIbIlITy OF ThE COMMuNITy aS wEll TO ENSuRE ThaT all OF uS RESpOND TO ThESE INITIaTIvES”
wIwaWIWA Middle East is a registered company in the UAE and has a facility in Jebel Ali, Dubai. This facility not only acts as a warehouse to stock equipment and spares, but also for training, demonstration, service, maintenance and rentals.The 250sqm facility houses offices for sales and technical staff, a conference cum training room and storage space for equipment. A purpos-built spray booth is being designed and will be set up in the near future, says robert Jansen, sales director of WIWA Middle East.
The concept has attracted the attention of coatings manufacturers and contractors alike. The company has already conducted training and certification for a potential client from Abu Dhabi and a major manufacturer has used the facility for almost a week, Jansen says.
“We have a string of requests in the pipeline and see the concept really gaining momentum and resulting in much better visibility for WIWA in this region. Material manufacturers are always keen to test their materials in the extreme climate of the Middle East and our facility gives them that option away from their r&D centers, which are predominantly in more temperate climates,” he adds.
He adds that WIWA Middle East were in the midst of tying up with some new partners in the region, whom we hope will share our ideology and concept of providing efficient solutions to our clients.
GaraLd toddWsp F&l sAFETY
26 FIRE SAFETY SUPPLEMENT 2013MID
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FSI
FsI (FM solutions) limited is a company that supplies building services and facilities management software to FM contractors, so as to help improve the lifecycle, operations and efficiency of buildings.
Amongst their building management solutions, the company offers technology that “compliments other technology within a building, such as automated monitoring systems within a building,” says Adrian Jarvis, general manager of FsI (FM solutions) Middle East.
“We’re a developer and implementer of a computer aided facilities management programme that are used by both service providers and the owners and stakeholders in buildings,” he explains. “We spend lots of time talking to people within the building services industry, people who need to manage buildings from a property management perspective, from a maintenance management perspective, to ensure that we understand what they need and to ensure that we’re not where they need to be just today, but tomorrow,” he adds.
“We can be capturing those requirements and bringing things into our software to help them.”
Furthermore, he points out that there has been significant changes in the way the UAE market is approaching the adoption of FM technologies, to make their buildings more secure.
“I’ve seen great changes in the last four years, people are understanding all these buildings that exist here, they’re not going to look after themselves, and they need information to help them manage them and extend the lifecycle of these buildings, and help manage them and keep the value of the buildings as an asset, as a piece of real estate,” Jarvis says.
“so this market is moving at pace, in terms of its maturity, with the UAE leading that understanding across the Middle East. other countries are coming up to speed at slightly different rates, but certainly the awareness is spreading very rapidly.”
However, if there
was one thing he would
insist on, it would be that
builders and consultants
use what he calls ‘quality
listed products’, which have
been fire rated and tested,
thereby creating an effective
tool for both passive and
active firefighting, he says.
“Awareness is improving all
the time, but it is a process
and must keep going on.”
This emphasis on
increasing awareness is
something that Garald Todd,
head of Fire & Life Safety at
WSP Middle East, can get on
board with.
He tells Big Project ME
that while the UAE’s Fire
and Life Safety Code is a
‘positive’ step in the right
direction, FM companies
also have to play their part
in ensuring buildings and
properties are kept safe and
secure from fire.
“Regardless of how old
a facility is, we recommend
that a complete assessment
is done on the existing
design and installation to
assess if there are any legacy
issues with the system
present. As the quality of
design and installation
throughout the region has
been varied, it’s important
to understand what the FM
teams actually have, first
and foremost,” Todd says.
“We’ve seen systems that
have been ‘maintained’ by
companies who check these
systems, but merely as an
operational test,” he adds.
“These tests do not actually
ensure the system will
operate as intended,” Todd
warns omniously.
His two main areas of
concern are the competency
of contractors installing
equipment and the
appropriate maintenance of
building systems.
“(As such), it’s a matter
of education. We work very
closely with Civil Defence
and contractors in raising
awareness for the need of
inspections throughout
the construction process
and ensuring competent
qualified third parties are
involved in witnessing the
testing and commissioning
to ensure the intent of
the strategy and system
installations is maintained,”
he explains.
FM 23.4x29cm Jan 2013_v2.pdf 1 6/4/13 5:37 PM
KhaLid aL KhatiB, NAFFCo CEo
FM 23.4x29cm Jan 2013_v2.pdf 1 6/4/13 5:37 PM
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