At the time of making construction plans and designs for buildings, one of the elemental aspects that need to be kept in mind is the steps and measures of fire protection and smoke control in the building. As per the architectural rules and regulations in the various nations of the world, this is one of the basic rules that have been implemented in all the nations. Compliance with these rules and regulations is a must so that the design can obtain a clear go ahead and permission from the related authorities.
Some of the Common Measures of Fire Protection and Smoke Control:
1. Smoke Detection Systems
Experts have opined that the first few moments of fire happen to be really crucial. The faster you get to know about the breakout of fire, the more are the chances that you will be able to cope with the situation in a satisfactory manner. Hence automatic fire and smoke alarms are a mandatory step that must be installed in all buildings and constructions. This is a must requirement for all places whether commercial or residential.
2. Smoke Suppression Mechanism
When we talk of fire protection and smoke control systems we often forget that they come in dual modes. The alarms are the mechanisms that inform the occupants of the building about the fire breakage. The fire suppression mechanisms are systems that help to check the spread of the fire and finally eradicate the whole fiasco. Hence in this content, the fire extinguishers and the water sprinklers are some of the common mechanism that yet again must be installed in the buildings. These mechanisms must be installed in all buildings, whether commercial or residential.
In this perspective, it is important to note that just installation of these fire protection and smoke control mechanisms is not enough. When a fire will break out, there is no assurance of any particular person to be in charge of the whole affair and set the mechanism of fire protection and smoke control in a roll. Hence the common people of the area must be given training to handle and operate these machiness and systems. Additionally, after the installation of these systems, maintenance of the systems and monitoring them on a regular basis is also very important so that you can be assured of their performance at times of need.
3. Conduct Drills
Although it is a matter of perception fire protection and smoke control measures also requires training the inmates of the building to react in a proper manner in the situation of a sudden fire breakout. Hence if there is an association between the building occupants, proper fire drills must be given to the people of the society. This is how they can be trained of acting in a balanced manner and not panics in such situations of crisis. Basics such as the use of stairs, avoiding lifts, opening windows of the passage etc must be taught so that they can be taught to face such situations in an effective and smart manner.
4. Materials Used
One of the most important steps of fire protection and smoke control measures is to ensure that the materials used in the construction are as nonflammable as possible.
5. Access for Fire Brigade
At the time of designing a construction plan, it is not merely enough to design and plan the interiors and the hallways and the entrance of the plan. You should also plan the access of the fire brigade vehicle.
These are some of the basic steps and measures that can be put to use for proper fire protection of the building and its inmates. This is how you can avoid some really unfortunate accidents.
