Fire safety as per National Building Code-2016

Fire Safety as per
National Building Code-2016
Arpit S Vyas
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Thakur College of Engineering and Technology
Building Services - Module – II

Fire Safety
 Fire Hazard
 A situation in which there is a greater than normal risk of harm to people
and property due to fire
 The FireTriangle, for a Fire to start following are needed
1. Fuel (Gases, Liquids or Solids)
2. Oxygen
3. Ignition source
 Once the fire starts the rising temperature creates more flammable gases
and increase intensity of fire
 Fire safety deals with taking steps to avoid completion of Fire triangle

Fire Safety
 Causes of Fire in buildings
 Accumulation of Scrap, waste material, trash etc. increases the risk of fire
 Under the right conditions the build up of dust from wood, plastic or
certain metal operations can lead to fire or explosions
 Fires are Classified as,
 A-type
 B-type
 C-type
 D-type
 K-type

Fire Safety
 A-type fire:
 Commonly used house hold materials like paper, card board, wood and
products made from these materials
 Foam or plastic cups, utensils when close to heat burn rapidly and give off
toxic dense black smoke
 Oily rags or other materials soaked in oil can also spontaneously combust

Fire Safety
 B-type fire:
 The unsafe storage, dispensing or disposal of flammable liquids can be a
prime source of this type of fires and explosions
 Commonly used flammable liquids like Oil, grease, diesel, petrol, paint,
solvents and tar are primary source of these fires

Fire Safety
 C-type fire:
 Over loaded circuits, fuse boxes, damaged wiring and defective switches can
lead to this type of fires
 Extension chords, multi plug adapters etc. can also lead to initiation of
sparks which if come in contact with flammable materials can cause fire

Fire Safety
 D-type fire:
 Hot work involving metals and open flames can cause this fire hazard
 Machines when not lubricated properly can over heat and start fire
 Combustible metals like magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, lithium
and potassium can react with extinguishing material used in A,B,C type of
fires and increase the intensity of fire hence special type of Extinguishers are
needed for D-type fires

Fire Safety
 K-type fire:
 Kitchen fires involving large amounts of heated oil, flames coming from gas
pipes etc.

Fire Safety
 Important terminology –
1. Fire prevention – covering aspects of fire prevention pertaining to
design and construction of buildings on passive fire protection
measures also describing the various types of building materials and
their fire rating.
2. Life safety – Covering life safety provisions in the event of fire and
similar emergency, also addressing construction and occupancy
features that are necessary to minimize danger to life from fire,
smoke, fumes or panic.

Fire Safety
3. Fire protection – covering the significant accessories and their
related components and guidelines for selecting the correct type of
equipment and installation meant for fire protection of the building
depending on the classification and type of building.

Fire Safety
4. Flammable – Material that can catch fire and burn easily at normal
working temperatures [as per OSHA - 100°F (37.8°C)]
5. Combustible – Material that requires higher than normal
temperatures to ignite
6. Down-comer - An arrangement of firefighting within the building by
means of down-comer pipe connected to terrace tank through terrace
pump, gate valve and non-return valve and having mains not less than
100 mm internal diameter with landing valves on each floor / landing

Fire Safety
7. Dry Riser – An arrangement of
firefighting within the building by
means of vertical rising main not
less than 100 mm internal
diameter with valves on each
floor/landing, which is normally
dry but is capable of being charged
with water usually by pumping
from fire service appliances

Fire Safety
7. Dry Riser – An arrangement of
firefighting within the building
by means of vertical rising main
not less than 100 mm internal
diameter with valves on each
floor/landing, which is normally
dry but is capable of being
charged with water usually by
pumping from fire service
appliances
8. Wet Riser - An arrangement for
firefighting within the building
by means of vertical rising mains
not less than 100 mm nominal
diameter with landing valves on
each floor/landing for
firefighting purposes and
permanently charged with water
from a pressurized supply

Fire Safety
9. Fire Resistance - a property of an element of building construction
and is the measure of its ability to satisfy for a stated period, some or
all of the following criteria,
 Load bearing capacity - ability of a load bearing element to withstand
fire exposure without any loss of structural stability.
 Integrity - Resistance to penetration of flame and hot gases
 Insulation - Resistance to temperature rise on the unexposed face up to
a maximum of 180°C at any single point and average temperature of
140°C

Fire Safety
10. Fire rating –The time that a material or construction will
withstand the standard fire exposure as determined by fire test done in
accordance with the standard methods of fire tests of
materials/structures

Fire Safety
 Building planning considerations for Fire prevention –
1. Passive Fire Protection (PFP) – PFP attempts to contain fires or
slow the spread through use of fire-resistant walls, floors, and doors.
2. Non combustible materials – Building Components like floors,
walls, columns, beams, ceilings, roofs, shafts etc. should be fire rated
building elements and have fire resistance rating as stated in the NBC

Fire Safety
3. Staircases and lift lobbies –
1) The external enclosing walls of the staircase shall be of the brick or the R.C.C.
construction having fire resistance of not less than two hours.
2) All enclosed staircases shall have access through self-closing door of one-hour
fire resistance
3) The staircase enclosures on the external wall of the building shall be ventilated
to the atmosphere at each landing.
4) There shall be no glazing or the glass bricks in any internal closing wall of
staircase
5) If the staircase is in the core of the building and cannot be ventilated at each
landing, a positive pressure of 5-mm. e.g. by electrically operated
blower/blowers shall be maintained

Fire Safety

Fire Safety
6) Provision of the lifts shall be made for all multi-storeyed building having a
height of 15.0 m. and above.
7) All the floors shall be accessible for 24 hrs. by the lift.The lift provided in
the buildings shall not be considered as a means of escape in case of
emergency
8) Grounding switch at ground floor level to enable the fire service to
ground the lift car in case of emergency shall also be provided
9) Walls of lift enclosures shall have a fire rating of two hours. Lift shafts shall
have a vent at the top of area not less than 0.2 sq m.
10) Landing door in lift enclosures shall have a fire resistance of not less than
one hour.

Fire Safety
11) The number of lifts in one lift bank shall not exceed four.A wall of two
hours fire rating shall separate individual shafts in a bank.
12) Lift car door shall have a fire resistance rating of 1 hour.
13) For buildings 15.0 m. and above in height, collapsible gates shall not be
permitted for lifts and solid doors with fire resistance of at least one hour
shall be provided.
14) If the lift shaft and lobby is in the core of the building a positive pressure
between 25 and 30 pa shall be maintained in the lobby and a possible
pressure of 50 pa shall be maintained in the lift shaft.
15) The mechanism for the pressurization shall act automatically with the fire
alarm/sprinkler system and it shall be possible to operate this
mechanically also.

Fire Safety
4. Fire Escapes or External Stairs:
1) Fire escape shall not be taken into account while calculating the number of
staircases for a building.
2) All fire escapes shall be directly connected to the ground.
3) Entrance to the fire escape shall be separate and remote from internal
staircase.
4) The route to fire escape shall be free of obstructions at all times except the
doorway leading to the fire escape

Fire Safety
4. Fire Escapes or External Stairs:
5) Fire escape shall be constructed of non-combustible materials.
6) Fire escape stairs shall have straight flight not less than 125 cm wide with
25 cm treads and risers not more than 19 cm.
7) Handrails shall be at a height not less than 100 cm.
8) No combustible material shall be allowed in the fire tower.

Fire Safety
5. Air- Conditioning should conform to the following:
1) Escape routes like staircase, common corridors, lift lobbies; etc. should
not be used as return air passage.
2) The ducting should be constructed of metal
3) Wherever the ducts pass through fire walls or floor, the opening around
the ducts should be sealed with fire resisting material of same rating as of
walls/floors.

Fire Safety
5. Air- Conditioning should conform to the following:
4) The material used for insulating the duct system (inside or outside) should
be flame resistant and non- conductor of heat.
5) Area more than 750 sq m. on individual floor should be segregated by a
firewall.
6) In case of buildings more than 24 m. in height, in non-ventilated lobbies
and corridors, smoke extraction shaft should be provided.

Fire Safety
6. Fire Dampers
1) These shall be located in air ducts and return air ducts/passages
2) The dampers shall operate automatically and shall simultaneously switch
off the air- handling fans. Manual operation facilities shall also be
provided.
3) In case of buildings more than 24 m. in height, in non-ventilated lobbies
and corridors, smoke extraction shaft should be provided.

Case Study – Fire Incident at CrystalTower apartment
 Lives lost – 4
 Monetary Loss –About 2 Cr. Due to Fire
 Possible threat – Building may be declared “Un-fit for occupancy”
 Current status –Water and electricity disconnected, residents forced to
evacuate
 Can a person be Punished for a Fire Incident in his/her property
 This was anAccident?
 Accident -An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally,
typically resulting in damage or injury.

Case Study – Fire Incident at CrystalTower apartment
 Who is the main Culprit, BMC? Fire Department? Builder? Or Residents?
 In October 2016, the BMC had issued a notice to builderAbdul Razak
Supariwala and the 58 flat owners.The civic body had asked the residents to
vacate the building within 7 days as the building lacked the required
permissions for occupation.

Fire Safety
 Building planning considerations for Fire Fighting –
1. Fire Mains (Dry risers andWet risers)
1) Fire mains are provided in all buildings that are more than 15 m tall. In
buildings less than 50 m tall, either a wet riser or dry riser fire main can
be provided.
2) Dry risers are used when the water pressure of a building wouldn't be
enough for fire suppression, and in cold climates where the wet riser pipes
could freeze

Fire Safety
 Building planning considerations for Fire fighting –
1. Fire Mains (Dry risers andWet risers)
3) However, where a building extends to more than 50 m, wet risers are
necessary as the pumping pressure required to charge the riser is higher
than can be provided by a fire service appliance, and to ensure an
immediate supply of water is available at high level.
4) Wet risers are charged with water from a pressurised supply, often
pumped from a storage tank, with landing valves at specified locations on
each floor.

Fire Safety
2. Water storage for Fire fighting during Construction
1) Dry riser of min 100 mm dia.
2) For high rise buildings drums of 2000 litre capacity filled with water and
two fire buckets at each floor during construction phase
3) A water storage tank with 20,000 litre capacity which can be used for
other purposes also during construction phase

Fire Safety
3. Water storage for Fire fighting in Residential buildings
1) Static water storage (SWS) - fire protection system needs sufficient
water which should be available at all times to fight the fire. The static
storage is provided at the ground level and terrace level of the building by
means of water storage tanks.The storage is provided generally in such a
way that the municipal water supply is first received in the fire static
storage tank from where it overflows to the domestic tank.Thus water
will always be available in the event of a fire

Fire Safety
1) Static water storage (SWS) -

Fire Safety
2) Requirements of Static water storage –
 For buildings upto 15 m SWS is not required but it is mandatory to have 5000-10000
litre capacity OHT
 For building higher than 15 m but less than 35 m SWS is not required but it is mandatory
to have 25,000 litre capacity OHT
 For building higher than 35 m but less than 45 m SWS should have 75,000 litres and
5,000 litre in OHT as reserve
 For building higher than 45 m but less than 60 m SWS should have 1, 50,000 litres and
10,000 litre in OHT as reserve
 For building higher than 60 m SWS should have 2,00,000 litres and 10,000 litre in OHT
as reserve

Fire Safety
4. Fire fighting pump
1) A fire pump is a part of a fire sprinkler system's water supply and
powered by electricity or diesel.The pump intake is either connected to
the public underground water supply piping, or a static water source.
2) As per NBC it needs to have a minimum pressure of 3.5 kg/cm2 at
remotest location in the system

Fire Safety
4. Requirement of Fire fighting pump
 For buildings upto 15 m Fire pumps are not required
 For building higher than 15 m but less than 35 m fire pump should have capacity of 900
litre/min
 For building higher than 35 m but less than 45 m a set of pumps consisting one electric
and one diesel of capacity 2280 litre/min and one electric pump of 180 litre/min
 For building higher than 45 m but less than 60 m a set of pumps consisting two electric
and one diesel of capacity 2280 litre/min and two electric pump of 180 litre/min
 For building higher than 60 m a set of pumps consisting two electric and one diesel of
capacity 2850 litre/min and two electric pump of 180 litre/min

Fire Safety
 Fire detection and alarm systems –
 Functions -
 Detect fire in the areas.
 Notify building occupants to take evasive action to escape the dangers of a
fire.
 Summon organized assistance to initiate or assist in fire control activities.
 Initiate automatic fire control & suppression systems & start the alarm.
 Supervise fire control & suppression systems to assure operational status is
maintained

Fire Safety
 Fire detection and alarm systems –
 Block diagram of FDA system -

Fire Safety
 Depending on the occupancy, M.O.E.F.A. system or automatic
operated system shall be provided in the building.
 Every building more than 15m in height shall provide both I.e.
M.O.E.F.A & A.F.A.

Fire Safety
 Residential & office buildings between 15m & 24m in height may be
exempted from installation of automatic fire alarm system if local fire
brigade is well equipped to face the emergency up to 24m.
 One has to manually operate the glass in M.O.E.F.A.

Fire Safety
 Fire Detection System
 Different types of detectors are provided as per the risk involved in the
area.
 Zones are made as per the risk or as per the floor.
 Two way communication system to be provided which will help to
contact from ground floor to specific floor or vice-versa.
 Mike on every floor has to be provided.
 Manual call points, automatic detector & public address system shall be
interlinked.
 Detectors shall be installed as per IS 2189

Fire Safety
 Sprinkler System
 Sprinkler system is a must for basement parking & other risk areas
where large quantities of combustible materials are stored.
 Each sprinkler should have coverage radius of 8’.
 Normally a separate sprinkler should be provided for a separate car.
 Sprinklers may connect to main water tank & pump, but capacity of the
tank & pump shall be increased in that proportionate.
 The capacity of water tank shall be calculated on the basis of sprinklers.

Fire Safety
 Portable Fire Extinguishers
 First Aid Fire fighting appliances shall be provided & installed in
accordance with NBC and IS 2190.

Fire Safety
 Snorkel Ladder
 A platform or bucket attached onto a mechanically bending arm
(or "snorkel") installed onto a fire truck.
 Can be used for dousing fire and evacuation of people from
buildings

Fire Safety
 Automatic Sprinkler System –
 It’s a network of pipes running through the ceiling of a building holding water
under pressure. In a sprinkler a heat-sensitive plug is used which is designed
to open automatically when fire breaks out.
 In most sprinklers, the plug is a small glass bulb full of a glycerin-based liquid
designed to expand and shatter when it gets hot.
 In some sprinklers, the plug is made of an alloy called Wood's metal, a
mixture of bismuth, lead, tin, and cadmium that melts at a relatively low
temperature.

Fire Safety
 Assignment – 2
1. Explain the Conditions under which Portable Fire Extinguishers
are installed in residential buildings
2. Explain the conditions under whichAutomatic sprinkler system
is to be installed for residential buildings
3. Explain the conditions under which MOEFA is to be installed for
residential buildings
4. Explain the conditions under which ADA (AFA) system is to be
installed for residential buildings

Fire safety as per National Building Code-2016

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