Fire Safety
Fire Safety
Fire Safety in
High-Rise Buildings
Although many parts of a life safety plan relate to
equipment, such as the fire detection and alarm system, and procedures, such as
evacuation, the critical key and driving force of the plan is the people. A
safety plan provides direction to the people in terms of learning, preparing and
responding to major emergencies. The fairly modern high-rise building will have
an electronic fire detection and alarm system. Its major components are likely
to be a fire command center, fire alarm pull stations, smoke detectors, thermal
or heat detectors, air handling devices, alarm horns and voice communication
speakers, elevators and emergency signs, firemen’s telephone system, sprinkler
system and an emergency generator system.
A fire command center is usually located on the first
floor, and any alarm component that goes off is report there and probably also
to the local fire department. A lot of activity occurs once the command center
is notified.
You always hear that elevators cannot be used to evacuate a
building, but this isn’t necessarily true. Most modern systems, once they know
where the fire is and the signals are all made, will send elevators to the
ground floor and out of use—IF they are in a fire area. Otherwise, you may be
able to use other elevator systems. Also remember that sprinkler systems are
likely to go off, and trust me: They DO get you quite wet. If there’s a power
outage, an emergency generator system automatically starts up. It is not a bad
idea for each floor to have some essential emergency equipment: first-aid kits,
oxygen, fire extinguishers, bottled water and other such items.
Fire Emergency Management
A common arrangement is for the senior building management
employee present at the startup of an emergency to assume the function of fire
director until the first unit of the fire department arrives. There typically
are two or more employees on each floor designated as floor wardens, and their
responsibilities cover just about every potential incident that might occur.
Security officers also can assist in such emergencies, especially in getting
people out of the building.
Floor wardens should be trained in CPR, operation of oxygen
resuscitators, high-rise fire safety. Security officers should be trained in
CPR, basic first aid, operation of fire extinguishers, operation of oxygen
resuscitators and high-rise fire safety.
Fire drills for the benefit of the fire director, floor
wardens, security officers, the fire brigade and all building occupants should
be conducted at least once every six months. The nature of the drills usually
are specified by the fire department.
© 2006 by John J. Fay, CPP
Blackdog 