Facilities management paper
Life Safety and Security Systems
Chapter 12
Historical background
Notorious hotel fires spurred requirements to install fire sprinkler systems and smoke detectors
1980 MGM Grand and Las Vegas Hilton fires
1986 Dupont Plaza Hotel and Casino
1990 Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act (US)
Any hotel that wants to do business with the US federal government must comply
Today: not all hotels/motels have sprinkler systems!
Some have chosen not to retrofit and some have elected to not install them in new construction. “Retrofit”- adding a new element to an existing property.
Fires
Fire tetrahedron
Oxygen
Heat
Fuel
Chemical chain reaction
Remove any one of these elements, and the fire cannot survive
Fires produce:
Heat
Smoke
Gases
Our building should be able to:
Compartmentalize the fire, limiting its access to oxygen
Limit the spread of heat/flames – fire rated doors
Limit the spread of smoke/gases
A good fire safety program will include:
Prevention
Detection / Notification
Suppression
Smoke control
Recovery
Key fire hazards/characteristics
Asphyxiation- body’s oxygen is displaced by another gas, such as carbon monoxide (CO).
Smoke
Fatally irritate the respiratory system
Smoke particles can reignite if temps are high enough “flashover”
Fills a room from the ceiling down
Heat – ceiling more than 1000°F, several hundred degrees at 5-6 ft., 2 ft. around 100°F, stay low (crawl) 600°F will scorch your lungs
Step 1: Fire prevention
Work with your property’s insurance company to identify ways to reduce the risk of fire-assign a risk management consultant
All employees should be vigilant
Cleanliness, in all departments, will reduce the risk of fires
Good banquet/catering practices
Good kitchen management practices
Exhaust hood cleaning program
Laundry department management
Maintenance practices
Security vigilance
Prevention by department
F&B
Wash (dish machine) grease filters daily
Clean exhaust hoods according to use, monthly for heavy use
Catering
Use induction heating verses Sterno, proper disposal
Inspect extension cords before each use
Laundry
Lint & terry products are extremely flammable, cleaning processes
Prevention by department
Engineering
Loose electrical connections: electric shock, arc flash, set dust & dirt on fire.
Dirty equipment and poorly adjusted equipment runs hotter and increases risk of fire.
Security
Doors closing properly
Emergency exits unblocked
Suspicious activity
FF&E:
Fabrics meet fire retardant / high temperature combustion points
Upholstery, carpeting, draperies, wallcoverings (wallpaper) all meet minimum requirements of fire codes
Step 2: Detection
Detection systems / Types of detectors
Smoke
Heat / Fire
Flame
Smoke detectors
Smoke detectors (2 types)
Photoelectric – a beam of light is directed at a reflector, which sends the light beam to a receiver
If smoke breaks the beam of light, the detector is activated
Steam from showers may cause false alarm
Ionization detectors provide both a photoelectric detector as well as a sensor that can detect pre-ignition ions from a fire
May detect the fire before smoke has a chance to form, providing earlier notification
Heat detectors
These are used in areas where we expect a lot of smoke or dust during normal operations
Parking garages
Kitchens
Outdoor storage areas
Two types of heat detectors:
Absolute temperature – will activate when the ambient temperature hits a preset temperature
Rate-of-rise – will activate when the temperature rises too quickly, such as during a flare-up or explosion
Flame detectors
Not very common in hospitality
Probably only used in areas with chemicals or other materials that will burn without producing a lot of smoke
Detector maintenance
They should be both “hard-wired” into the building’s electrical system and have a battery back-up (in case the building’s electricity fails during an emergency)
Require periodic cleaning and testing, usually 4 times per year
Change batteries – twice a year
Use compressed air to blow dust/dirt out of the detector
Step 2 (cont.): Alarms/notification systems
Smoke and heat detectors may be single-station, multiple-station or remote alarms
Single-station = only one alarm sounds; no other system is connected
Multiple-station = multiple alarms sound; may notify an entire section of the building (or the whole building)
Remote alarms = send a signal to an off-site location
Alarm signals may go to:
Fire control panel, usually located in the property’s front office or the fire command center
Addressable systems – pinpoint the exact location of the alarm
Remote annunciation systems – identify the general vicinity of the alarm, but not the exact location
Annunciator panel = fire control panel
Will often show alarms from smoke/heat detectors, as well as flow alarms from the fire sprinkler system
Voice notification
Some properties have systems that will provide verbal instructions to building occupants
Unfortunately:
A lot of people ignore the instructions
The sound quality is not great, leading to unintelligible instructions
The systems often only provide instructions in one language
Exit signs
The number and location of exit signs is usually dictated by fire code
Usually located above doors, high on a wall
What happens if there is a fire and smoke covers the exit sign above the door?
Some codes now require exit signs to also be provided at floor level
Even if code does not require floor-level exit signs, you can still install them (you are usually permitted to exceed code)
Fire suppression systems
Recall that if we remove one element of the fire tetrahedron, we extinguish the fire
Suppression systems are designed to either cool the fire, limit the fire’s access to oxygen, or to break the chemical chain reaction
These systems include:
Hand-held fire extinguishers
Fire sprinkler systems
Fire extinguishers
Type A: wood, paper, cloth, combustibles
Type B: fat, oil, grease fires; chemical fires
Class K: for animal or vegetable fat, oil, or grease fires; appropriate for kitchens (see Chapter 14 for more information)
Type C: electrical fires
Type D: metal fires (usually found in the engineering department, especially if welding is performed)
Type ABC: “universal” extinguisher
Extinguishers containing CO2 (B&C) can cause frostbite
Fire extinguishers (cont.)
Hydrostatically tested and inspected annually by a professional
Inspected monthly (in-house)
Accessible
Mounted correctly
Pressure gauge
Pin & seals in place
No damage
Nozzles are clear
Using a fire extinguisher: PASS
Pull the pin
Aim the extinguisher’s nozzle at the base of the fire (not at the top of the flames)
Squeeze the trigger to activate the extinguisher
Sweep the spray back and forth across the base of the fire
Only use a fire extinguisher on very small fires! If the fire is “bigger than a breadbox”, close the door, sound the alarm, and proceed with fire evacuation procedures!
PASS
Automatic fire sprinkler systems
Sometimes also known as “standpipe” systems
They use water and fusible-link sprinkler heads to extinguish fires
Wet-pipe systems: full of water at all times; instant response once a sprinkler head is activated
Dry-pipe systems: used in areas that are prone to freezing. Full of pressurized air or inert gas. When sprinkler head is activated, the air is pushed out of the system, followed by water.
Sprinkler system layout
Fusible-link sprinkler head
The sprinkler system is full of water in pipes
Sprinkler heads spaced every few feet, primarily a device with a plug to hold back water until the head is activated.
The plug is held in place by a “fusible” (or melting) link made of a quartzite material or a liquid-filled tube
When the fusible link reaches a certain temperature, the link melts or burst, allowing the plug to fall out of the pipe. Water then flows out of the pipe and onto the fire
The color of the fusible link indicates the temperature at which it is designed to melt.
Sprinkler heads
Only one sprinkler head is activated at a time
There are “deluge” systems, but they are uncommon in hospitality facilities
Most fires are extinguished by only one or two sprinkler heads
https://youtu.be/-fuulLKmxxg (insurance company risk manager)
Once a sprinkler head is activated, large volumes of water will flow until the head is blocked or replaced
The main sources of damage from a fire are actually water and smoke damage
You need to wait until the fire department gives you permission to turn the fire sprinkler system off to replace the sprinkler head!
Sprinkler head concerns
The fusible link is very fragile
easily broken if you hang something from the sprinkler head, such as a clothes hanger or clothesline!
Use “do not hang” stickers to notify your guests to not tamper with the sprinkler heads
Reduce the likelihood that you’ll have a flood
Possibly assist in recovering costs of flood damage if it is caused by the guest (you told them not to hang stuff from the sprinkler head, but they did it anyway)
Sprinkler head concerns
Aesthetics
Appearance is undesirable, cover plates provide a flush appearance
Designed to automatically release at a set temperature
Color palette changes, do not paint over the plates, replace them
Painting over the plate may harm its ability to detect temperature and release as designed, and may violate fire codes resulting in fines
Helping the fire department
When you have a fire, the fire department will arrive with a fire truck
The truck has hoses and a pump
One hose connects a nearby fire hydrant to the truck
One hose connects the truck to the building’s “fire department connection (FDC)” (a.k.a., Siamese connection)
The FDC permits the fire department to supply water directly into the fire sprinkler system
Smoke control
During the fire, smoke is a major danger to building occupants
Ventilation ductwork often includes smoke or fire dampers that close the duct; they are activated by the fire control system or by a fusible link
After the fire, you need to get the smoke out of the building as quickly as possible
Newer buildings will use the exit stairwells to remove smoke!
During the fire emergency, fans push air (positive pressure) into the stairwell to prevent smoke from entering the stairwell
After the fire, the fans pull the air out (negative pressure) of the stairwell (and the building) to suck the smoke out of the building
Step 4: Recovery
Remove smoke
Remove water
Most properties will have an emergency recovery contractor on speed-dial
Call the contractor during the emergency so that they can enter the building and start clean-up as soon as possible!
Carbon Monoxide detection
Carbon monoxide is often associated with fires, but it is a by-product of all fossil-fuel fires, including kitchen production, gas-fired laundry equipment, or water or air heating
Currently (CO) monitors are not required in every guest room
Detectors should be installed in the area with the fossil-fuel burning equipment, as well as spaces adjacent to:
Rooms and areas with fossil fuel burning equipment
Parking garages, and loading docks
Carbon monoxide can travel through holes in the wall, electrical outlets, etc.
Other safety hazards in hospitality
Slips, trips, and falls
All flooring static slip coefficient rating >0.5
Lifting injuries
Medical emergencies
Automated external defibrillator (AED), for cardiac arrest
Theft and vandalism
Guest rooms
Automatic door locks, dead bolts, peep holes, carriage locks
Complete window coverings
Exterior entry doors, guest room key/card access
Fire alarm pull station deterrent (blue dye)
Electronic locking systems
Electronic locks should be interrogatable, providing a report of which key was used and when
New trend of keyless entry (smartphone access) for hotel guestrooms
Hackers!!!
Security cameras – good?
If your property has security cameras, great
Someone has to monitor them 24/7
Failure to monitor is like not having a camera at all
Honest people will take more risks if they believe that security is watching
Fake cameras are much worse than not having cameras at all!
Criminals quickly figure out that the cameras are fake
Guests take risks that they would not have taken if they didn’t believe that security was watching