Gulf Construction Online - Pan Gulf eyes high-rise safety

Security & Safety

At risk ... fire concerns are magnified in hi-rise buildings.

Pan Gulf eyes high-rise safety

Ensuring the safety of people and property in a high-rise building in the event of a fire is a challenge that today’s fire and safety engineers must address efficiently. Pan Gulf Fire and Safety’s Martin Snell outlines how his company is tackling this vital issue.

01 August 2006

With taller and taller structures being built around the world, the requirement for the protection of both life and investment has become increasingly difficult to achieve.

Most buildings use a standard sprinkler system to contain or control a fire in association with a fire alarm system to warn the occupants in the event of a fire.
However, in a 30-storey building, how does one warn occupants of the 30th floor of a fire on the 20th and what message should be conveyed to the people on the first 10 levels of the tower?
This apart, when the sprinkler system begins operating, how can one guarantee that the water is being supplied at the right pressure and flow in order to control the fire, keeping in mind that it has to overcome gravitation effects to reach the 30th floor?
Al Khobar-based Pan Gulf Fire and Security Company offers a solution to the problem by providing a fire alarm system with an integrated public address and voice evacuation system and a pressure regular valve. The integrated fire alarm and voice evacuation system can sound the alarm and provide accurate public announcements that will allow orderly and fast evacuation of the premises while the ‘site adjustable’ pressure regulator valve allows the system commissioning engineer to set the valve to the exact pressure needed to deliver the required quantity of water to the sprinklers on every single floor of the building.
It sounds simple and essentially it is – but only if a right professional company with experienced staff, who can design, supply and commission the systems in these buildings, is hired. An integrated PA/VA system, for instance, can be used to convey more than one piece of information: it can broadcast information on a current fire situation, a security threat, weather, emergency paging, standard paging and even play background music.
This information is conveyed to the occupants of the building automatically or manually and the system can be configured to suit almost any application area, whether it be a high-rise building or an industrial site. One of the first decisions to be made is whether or not to use a centralised or distributed system. The use of a distributed system saves on the requirement for cable emanating from a central point in the building and therefore saves on cost of installation.
Once the type of system has been decided upon, it has to be designed to take into account the normal background noise, the positioning of the speakers, the volt drop in the cable and many other factors. Saudi Pan Gulf Fire and Safety utilises various software packages that allow it to quickly engineer the overall system.
The PA/VA system must also be engineered as a part of the overall fire alarm system, as it is from this system that the automatic command inputs for the evacuation procedures will be initiated (the speech from the system can be in any language required). In many applications, it is also possible to use “directional sound” to help evacuate a building, which can reduce evacuation time by as much as 75 per cent.
In any emergency evacuation, people often rely on their senses, especially sight and memory, but in a crisis, confusion can set in. Smoke, dust, debris or visual clutter can make it difficult or impossible to see. ExitPoint by Notifier, which is available through Pan Gulf Fire and Security, has a distinct advantage, because unlike traditional systems, it doesn’t just notify people of an emergency. Employing directional sound technology, and easy-to-recognise audible signals, ExitPoint actually helps lead the way, guiding building occupants to exits, stairways, and ultimately, a safe route out of harm’s way. The programmable varying tones and intensities from ExitPoint sounders offer recognisable cues for finding the fastest and safest way out. Evacuees follow the pulsing tones generated by the sounders, which are placed in successive order along escape routes, to help them quickly get out of the premises.
Humans hear sound in a multitude of ways and across a broad range of frequencies. Directional sound is a very specific technology that uses all of the frequencies audible to humans to ensure that they accurately comprehend the direction that the sound is coming from. ExitPoint uses broadband frequencies to lead evacuees safely and accurately toward the exits where the system’s sounders are installed.
Once the alarm system and PA/VA or ExitPoint have evacuated the areas of the building deemed to be at risk, it is probable that the sprinkler system will start operating or be already in action. However, as stated before, if the right pressure and flow required at that particular level of the building is not available, the sprinkler system will not operate effectively to control the fire.
Pan Gulf Fire and Security now offers the site adjustable UFRA valve from Elkhart Brass. The valve is a simple yet clever pressure adjustment unit that allows on-site setting of the exact pressure required to deliver the exact flow of water to the sprinklers on a particular floor of a high-rise building. In the past, orifice plates or fixed pressure regulator valves were used, providing a “rough” pressure management system. The use of the URFA valve allows the system to be tested on site, in accordance with the hydraulic calculations and on-site measurements, to allow the sprinklers to deliver the exact amount of water in the right place at the right time.
The URFA is much smaller than other pressure regulator valves, making it much more cost effective to install and due to its inherent (patented) design in its operation it is much easier than other valves to operate, whilst being secure.
Pan Gulf Fire and Security, formed in 2002, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Saudi Pan Gulf Group, a diversified group which has been active for 30 years and is listed in the top 100 Saudi Companies.
Utilising the full resources of the group, Pan Gulf Fire and Security is able to design, supply, install and commission the most complex fire and security systems available.