- Author
- Hunt, S. | Roberts, G
- Title
- Effect of Reduced Pressures on Performance of Firefighting Branches in Tall Buildings. Aspects of High-Rise Firefighting.
- Coporate
- Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, London, England
- Report
- Fire Research Technical Report 3/2005, December 2004, 53 p.
- Keywords
- fire fighting | high rise buildings | pressure | fire safety | fire departments | rescue | compartment fires | ventilation | fire behavior | training | manuals | regulations | evaluation | equations | water flow | risk assessment
- Identifiers
- provision of rising mains in tall buildings; compartment firefighting training and tactics; development of subjective criteria; branch performance trials; combining branch performance with firefighting attack from a rising main; details of branches not meeting the minimum subjective criteria; estimate of static loss at 60m elevation; details of Branches; results of Branch Performance Trials
- Abstract
- The Building Disaster Assessment Group (BDAG) was established to consider the issues, for fire authorities and their fire and rescue services in the UK, that have been highlighted by the World Trade Centre (WTC) incident of 11th September 2001. A principle aim of this group is to promote the health and safety of firefighters and building occupants by ensuring that building design reflects the operational response and practices of the fire and rescue service, and equally that operational practices reflect building design assumptions. The amount of water required to fight extreme fires in high-rise buildings is an issue that has arisen as a result of the attacks on the WTC on September 11th 2001, but which is relevant for all high-rise fire incidents. Firefighting shafts containing rising mains are provided to assist the fire and rescue service in accessing and fighting fires in tall buildings. The rising mains may be either a dry main, which is supplied from a fire appliance pump during an incident, or a wet main, which is permanently charged with water. Where dry mains are provided the pressure available at the firefighting branch reduces with increasing elevation due to the static head of the water in the rising main and frictional losses. In very tall buildings these losses will ultimately exceed the pressure supplied from the fire appliance pump supplying the main. For this reason in the UK, in buildings over 60m, the mains are permanently charged to provide a pressure-regulated flow. However, there is little data currently available to establish whether the current provisions and corresponding fire and rescue service procedures are appropriate. There is also a pressing short-term need to ensure that firefighting techniques in tall buildings align to the equipment used and facilities provided. Where techniques do not align with equipment then the changes needed to support firefighting in tall buildings should be identified. This report details work undertaken to identify the current water flows and procedures likely to be found in high-rise firefighting. It considers the implications of the results of the work for both the current provision of rising mains, facilities, equipment and firefighting practices in the built environment.