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We aim to provide the Client with the best service.
We recognise that at the early stages of a project, we need to respond quickly and develop ideas that will be a positive contribution.
We believe we must always add value to a project.
Our core expertise is in finding creative fire engineering solutions for large, complex buildings.
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Conventional Fire Safety Approach
Fire legislation has often been developed as a response to fire disasters. Regulations and codes have evolved over many years, based on historical experience of how buildings react to fire and consensus based decisions of committees. This traditional approach however, is not the best way of providing for fire safety when complex buildings do not easily comply with the codes.
Fire Engineering Approach to Buildings
A fire engineering approach that takes a holistic overview to fire safety can provide an alternative approach to strict code compliance. In some large and complex buildings, a fire engineered approach may be the only way to provide a satisfactory standard of fire safety.
The last few decades have seen considerable advances in the understanding of fire and smoke movement and the effects of fire on buildings. This research, combined with the technological advances in 'active systems' and the construction of highly complex buildings required a new approach to fire safety resulting in the fire engineering approach. A successful fire engineering approach requires the application of scientific principles to engineering problems.
The fire engineering approach requires assessment of fire development and the effects of the building geometry on smoke movement. Calculations can be done to estimate the time it takes for hazardous conditions to occur. The time it takes for these conditions to occur can then be compared to an estimate of the time needed for the occupants to reach a place of safety. This requires knowledge of the events that occur between the ignition of fire and the evacuation of people from the building.
Computer-modelling packages can often be used to assist in determining hazardous conditions. Assessments of these conditions often require calculations of the following:
• Fire heat release rates.
• Flame height.
• Smoke entrainment.
• Time to and fire size at flashover.
• Compartment smoke filling times.
• Sprinkler & detector response times.
This can be compared with analysis of the time required for occupants to reach a place of safety.
To accurately assess the time required for evacuation of occupants, the complete evacuation period must be modelled. This depends on variables such as the activities of occupants, their early knowledge of the need to evacuate, active management, familiarity with surroundings, mobility, type of fire alarm systems etc.
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