FIRE AUDIT IN HIGH RISE BUILDING

A PROJECT PHASE-I REPORT

Submitted by

CHITHARA B (622517423006)

In partial fulfillment for the award of degree

of

MASTER OF ENGINEERING

in

INDUSTRIAL SAFETY ENGINEERING

SELVAM COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, NAMAKKAL

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

DECEMBER– 2018
 ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certificate that this Project Phase-I (IS5312) Report titled “FIRE AUDIT IN
HIGH RISE BUILDING” is the Bonafide work of “CHITHARA B
(622517423006)” Who carried out the work under my supervision.

Mr.S.ARUMUGAM.,M.Tech., Mr.I.SIRAJUDEEN.,M.Tech.,MIST
(Ph.D)., E.,
Head of Department Supervisor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical
Selvam College of Technology, Engineering,
Namakkal-637003 Selvam College of Technology,
Namakkal-637003

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE

Submitted for the university examination held on ……………………..

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am grateful thanks to our Chairman Dr.P.SELVARAJ.,B.V.Sc, our

Secretary Dr.B.KAVIETHRA NANDHINI.,B.E.,MBA.,MS(Edu).,Ph.D, and all
the trust members of Selvam College of Technology trust for providing the
necessary facilities during the course of study.
I feel much pleased to express my sincere thanks to Principal
Dr.A.NATARAJAN.,M.E.,Ph.D., for his contact encouragement and content
support.
I am obliged to thank to our respected Research Director
Dr.R.SASIKUMAR.,M.E.,Ph.D., who has been the source of incessant
encouragement to me.
I extend my thank to our Head of Department
Mr.S.ARUMUGAM.,M.Tech.,(Ph.D.)., for his encouragement and valuable
advice that made me carry out of the Project phase - I successfully.
I feel much pleased thank to my Project phase - I Coordinator & Guide
Mr.I.SIRAJUDEEN.,M.Tech.,MISTE., who has been the source of incessant
encouragement to me.

I express my sincere thanks to “ONE INDIA BULLS PARK” Chennai, for

the giving me the opportunity to complete my Project phase - I.

I express my heart full thanks to faculty members and my dear friends to

moral support and encouragement towards the successful completion of my Project
work. Last but not least, would like to express sincere thanks to my parents and
friends for supporting me throughout this Project work

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

STUDENT DECLARATION

I CHITHARA B hereby declare that the presented Report of PROJECT PHASE

I titled “FIRE AUDIT IN HIGH RISE BUILDING” is uniquely prepared by me
after the completion of Four Months work at Namakkal.

I also confirm that the Project Phase I report is only prepared for my Academic
(ME-
Industrial Safety Engineering), requirement not for any other purpose. It might
not be used with the interest of the opposite party of the corporation

……………………………….
SIGNATURE OF STUDENT

CHITHARA B
REGISTER NUMBER: 622517423006
SECOND YEAR / THIRD SEMESTER
ME-INDUSTRIAL SAFETY ENGINEERING
SELVAM COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY,
NAMAKKAL-637003
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER
TITLE PAGE NO.
NO.
  LIST OF TABLES  

  ABSTRACT  

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 OBJECTIVES OF AUDIT 2

3 FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION 2

4 FIRE SAFETY SURVEY 3

5 GENERAL OCCUPANCY INFORMATION 4

6 OCCUPANCY FIRE CLASSIFICATION 4

7 EGRESS FEATURES 6

8 FIRE PROTECTION FEATURES 7

9 REFERENCE STANDARDS 9

10 STATUATORY REQUIREMENTS 10

  10.1 HYDRANT PROTECTION (AT GROUND LEVEL) 10

  10.2 HYDRANT PROTECTION (AT FLOORS) 10

  10.3 PUMPING ARRANGEMENTS 12

  10.4 WATER SOURCE 14

  10.5 FIRE FIGHTING STAFF 16

11 AUDIT SUMMARY 17
  11.1 YARD HYDRANT SYSTEM 17

  11.2 INTERNAL HYDRANT SYSTEM 18

  11.3 SPRINKLER SYSTEM 19

  11.4 FIRE PUMPING ARRANGEMENT 21

  11.5 FIRE WATER STORAGE TANKS 23

  11.6 FIRE ALARM SYSTEM 24

  11.7 PORTABLE FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT 25

12 AUDIT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 26

13 CONCLUSION 29

14 BIBILIOGRAPHY 30
 TABLE OF TABLES

S.NO. TITLE PAGE NO.

1 NBC TABLE 7 AND ITS NOTES 5

2 REFERENCE STANDARDS 9

3 AUDIT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 26

 ABSTRACT

In my Project Phase I, I worked as a witness for Fire Audit in One India Bulls Park – A High
Rise Business building in Chennai. This project paved me the way to know how to conduct
an audit? – Which includes knowledge about the occupancy, its basic legal requirements as per
safety standards, evidencing the same in site, suggesting point of improvement etc. The Fire
Safety Audit aimed to assess the building for compliance with the National Building Code of
India, relevant Indian Standards and the legislations passed by our State Government and local
bodies, on fire prevention and life safety measures. In my Audit - risk analysis and evaluation is
carried out as a systematic site investigation in order to determine the extent to which the
conditions are present that provide for the development and implementation of an effective and
efficient safety policy.

The main objective of safety audit is to carry out a systematic, critical appraisal of all potential
hazards involving personnel, plant services and operation method, and to ensure that safety and
health system fully satisfy the legal requirements. Depending on the requirements of the
occupancy, the audit can focus attention on various aspects of a safety system such as fire and
explosion prevention, protection and emergency management.

In this report, I have mentioned the General Safety features and Fire Protection Features that the
building had. What a High Rise building should have in terms of fire protection as per the
standard? How the audit team has compared and cross checked the existing and required features
with the legal requirements? Whether the building got passed or failed in the Audit? What was
the final snag list given by the audit team?

1.INTRODUCTION

Fire Safety audit is found to be an effective tool for assessing fire safety standards of an
organization or an occupancy. It helps the people to identify the areas for improvement and
evolve an action plan. A comprehensive fire safety audit is a structured and systematic
examination of an organization or occupancy to identify the hazards from fire. In other words,
the fire safety audits are structured to check current adequacy of components, services and
equipment; report of the expected performance, make recommendations for the compliance with
the existing building rules, regulations, codes and standards, and the requirement of providing a
safe place for living or carry out commercial or industrial activities. It is presumed that a
comprehensive fire safety audit can cover various aspects which are related to design, operation
and maintenance of the facilities, and even the review of inherent fire hazards associated with the
day to day activities in a building. It assesses the building for compliance with the existing
building codes, national standards and the building fire safety regulations. In addition to
complete building auditing, they can even be tailored to suit a specific fire protection system.
The audit findings are generally published in a report which also provides recommendations on
how to remedy any non-compliance that were identified. Thus the fire safety audits will allow us
to identify any non-conformances and / or provide recommendations to the client allowing them
to attend to these matters and therefore seek to achieve compliance with relevant legislation. It
may be remembered here that the fire safety audits are not limited to a desk top review of
available documentations or a visual inspection. On the contrary an active system test can also be
carried out to ensure all systems operate and interface as designed and included in a fire safety
audit report.

2.OBJECTIVES OF AUDIT

The objectives of Fire Safety Audit can be focused on the following:

 Identify all significant fire hazards.

 Identify the people who are at risk from each hazards.
 Evaluate the existing control measures.
 Determine the additional control measures required.
 Examine the availability of suitable emergency plan detailing responsibility and action
of key personnel.
 Review the availability of suitable fire alarm and detection system.
 Review the availability of suitable firefighting facilities, such as hydrants, sprinklers,
extinguishers, etc.
 Evaluate passive fire protection systems provided.
 Evaluate the general awareness of occupants and security personnel on matters
relating to fire safety and rescue operations.
 Evaluate the training and instructions on fire safety imparted to the employees and
occupants.
 Testing of all fire safety equipment and systems.
3.FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION:

Fire safety inspections are a check of all fire safety procedures, installations and records within a
building structures to determine compliance with appropriate legislation and regulation. A fire
safety inspection helps to ensure that the owners and occupiers of buildings are meeting their
responsibilities under the legislation, that buildings are fitted with correct fire safety installations
required by the fire safety standard, and that these fire safety installations are maintained in an
operational condition. Thus, building occupiers are required to ensure that all fire safety
installations in their building are maintained in accordance with fire safety regulations / codes
prevailed from time to time. The occupiers are also required to keep records of maintenance of
their fire safety installations in the building. The fire safety inspection will involve an inspection
of the building’s fire safety installations and an inspection of the maintenance records for each of
the fire safety installations in the building.

Normally, the inspection checklist will be completed during the inspection of the property and
the owner / occupier will receive, a copy of the completed checklist signed by the inspecting
officer. If no problems are found to exit, the inspection is complete. Where it is found that the
building does not comply with legislative requirements or that fire safety systems have not been
correctly maintained, the faults will be noted on the inspection report together with the action
required by the owner / occupier and the time by which the owner / occupier must have faults
corrected. Fire safety inspection is a visual check of fire safety in a building using a standard fire
safety inspection checklist of legislative requirements. The Directorate of Maharashtra Fire
Safety Services, has framed a fire safety checklist for buildings, which covers many areas such
as the ownership, structural details, active and passive fire protection installations of the
building, fire prevention and awareness measures to be followed, etc.

The checklist recommended by the Directorate of Maharashtra Fire Services are only a sample
and if necessary, it can be extended to include many other areas. Fire Safety inspections are
generally carried out by the qualified officers of the local fire brigade or an agency authorized by
the local fire brigade or fire safety consultants. For example, in Maharashtra, fire safety
inspections of the buildings are carried out by the ‘Licensed Agency’, approved by the
Directorate of Fire Services.
4.FIRE SAFETY SURVEY:

Fire safety survey, is an assessment of the building against all legislative requirements, such as, a
check of evacuation instructions given to employees and residents, a check of the records of
maintenance of fire safety installations and an operational test of these fire safety installations. In
other words, a fire safety survey will involve a check of the structural aspects of the building,
such as, travel distances to exits and emergency escapes, etc. The survey also checks the level of
compliance with the legislative requirements and that all required fire safety systems are
installed, functioning and being correctly maintained. Any deficiencies detailed in the fire safety
survey report must be resolved to the satisfaction of the inspecting officer within the timeframe
specified in the report. A re-inspection should be carried out following the deadline given to
rectify any deficiencies to ensure that all faults have been corrected. The report may also contain
one or more recommendations about fire safety in the building. These recommendations need not
be legislative requirements, but are matters that the inspecting officer believes will assist the
owner / occupier to further improve fire safety in their building.

After a fire safety survey, a report can be prepared and issued to the building owner / occupier
confirming the findings of the survey, noting which fire safety system are adequate and
highlighting any deficiencies. Where a deficiency is noted, the owner / occupier should be given
a specified time in which to rectify the problem. The time period given for the owner to correct
the problem may vary depending upon the nature of the problem and the time likely to be
required to rectify it.

5.GENERAL OCCUPANCY INFORMATION

1. Name of the Occupancy: One India Bulls Park

2. Location: Chennai
3. Type of Building: Business Building
4. No of Blocks: 3 (Tower A, Tower B, Tower C)
5. Floors per block: 13 floors
6. Total Height of each building: 45m

6.OCCUPANCY FIRE CLASSIFICATION

As per National Building Code of India the Business Building are classified under Group E and
Subdivision E-1 because the floors are occupied by offices and banks.

As per Table – 7 of NBC, for the building with height more than 30m, the minimum firefighting
system requirements should be arrived. The pump capacity, water requirement also should be
calculated from the table. The minimum pump aggregation time should be calculated from TAC
manual or its respective IS standard.

NFPA – TABLE 7
7.EGRESS FEATURES:

Two exits serve the building. Egress from the mezzanine is provided by two exit stairs. Each
floor had an adequate number of exits with sufficient exit capacity based on occupant load. All
exits were remotely located. All exits discharge to the exterior of the building. Egress door with
locking arrangement were present at building exits. All doors were open and unlocked during the
inspection. Emergency evacuation plans were located at building entrances. Fire drills are
conducted monthly, records were provided during the inspection.
The following things were confirmed and recorded during Egress feature audit.

General

Number of Exits Adequate Yes

Exits Remote Yes

Exit Doors

Sliding Gates/Doors Used? No

Egress Doors swing correctly Yes

Egress Doors lockable? Yes

Exit Stairs

All stairs discharge to the Exterior? Yes

Handrails on at least one side? Yes

Storage Located in stairs? No

Exit Access from Factory Areas

Storage in Egress paths? No

Egress paths of Adequate Width? Yes

Excessive Travel Distances, CPT, DE’s No

Emergency Planning

Emergency Evacuation Plans Provided Yes

Fire Drills conducted Yes

Records Maintained Yes

8.FIRE PROTECTION FEATURES

As per National Building Code, Table – 7, the following fire protection facilities were installed.

1. Fire Hydrant System

2. Hose Reel System

3. Fire alarm system

4. Sprinkler system

5. Wet Riser

6. Down comer

7. Firefighting pumps – Main, Diesel Engine and Jockey

8. Terrace pump

9. Underground and Overhead Fire water tank of predetermined capacity

The NBC will generally describe the basic requirements needs to be provided. Further to design
and install each and every system, its respective Indian standards or National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) standards needs to be followed.

The Audit was undergone by witnessing the following

1. The presence of every system

2. Its fulfillment towards the standard requirement

3. Maintenance report of every system

4. Maintenance report of each and every components

5. Current working condition of every system.

6. Annual Maintenance Report of all the system

9.REFERENCE STANDARDS FOR DESIGN, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE

S.No System of Protection IS Standard Reference NFPA Reference

Standard

1 Fire Extinguishers IS 2190: Selection, NFPA 10: Standard for

Installation and Maintenance
 of Fire Extinguisher Portable Extinguishers

2 Internal Fire Hydrant IS 3844: Code of Practice for NFPA 1

System installation and Maintenance
of Internal Fire Hydrants

3 External Fire Hydrant IS 13039 NFPA 14

System

4 Fire Sprinkler System IS 15105 NFPA 13

5 Fire Alarm System IS 2189 NFPA 72

6 Fire Pump Room IS 12469 NFPA 20

7 General National Building Code of

India, TAC Manual

10.STATUATORY REQUIREMENTS

10.1 Hydrant Protection (at ground or yard levels) -

1. The ground level protection with hydrants on terminal mains will be acceptable,
provided the plinth area of the building to be protected is less than 750 m 2. The
 location of the hydrants at ground level as well as the layout of the hydrants system
shall, otherwise, comply with various provisions under Section 7 of this manual.

2. In case of buildings having a plinth area in excess of 750 m 2, the location of the
hydrants at ground level as well as the layout of the hydrant system shall be governed
by the appropriate provisions under Section 7.6 of this manual. The Committee
reserves its right of insisting on water monitors in place of few hydrants if deemed
necessary.

3. Orifice plates of suitable design shall be provided in the landing valves, where
necessary, to limit the operating pressures within 7 kg/cm2.

4. Except where impracticable, all hydrant outlets shall be situated 1.0 m above ground
level.

10.2 Hydrant Protection - at various upper/lower (basement) levels

10.2.1 Access staircase

1. Design for a new building shall include provisions for adequate access staircases and
lifts to provide efficient means of escape and facilities for firefighting.

2. One lobby approach staircase along with fire lift shall be provided for every 1,000 m 2
of floor area of each storey/level (including basements). Normally a minimum of two
such staircases shall be required but in case the area of each storey is less than 500
m2, one staircase is acceptable.

3. The lobby approach staircase shall be of non-combustible construction. At least 50 %

of total numbers of staircases required (with a minimum of one) shall be so located
that one of their enclosing walls be an external wall of the building.
4. Doors at the entrances of both the lobby approach access staircases and fire lifts shall
be provided with self-closing, smoke-tight doors having one-hour fire resistance.
This arrangement will enable escape and firefighting to be effected more efficiently.

NOTE: If the staircases and the fire lifts are located in the core of the building, a
positive pressure of 50 Pa or 20 Pa in excess of pressure in the lobby whichever is
higher, shall be maintained within the former as an alternative to the above provision.

5. The fire lifts shall be controlled by the fire brigade recall from the concourse level
and shall not respond to other calls after the fire brigade key has been activated. The
cable supplying power to the lift motor shall pass through routes of negligible fire
risk.

10.2.2 Wet Risers -

1. Wet riser(s) is/are a pipe or a number of pipes, permanently charged with water under
pressure, rising through the full height of the building.

2. The wet risers shall be located within the lobby approach staircases.

3. The diameter of the riser pipes shall not be less than 150 mm anywhere. One or two
landing valves shall be connected to the riser pipe at each storey/level. In case of
excessive pressures in hydrant outlets at lower levels, orifice plates of suitable design
shall be provided in the landing valves, where necessary, to limit the operating
pressure to 7 kg/cm2.

10.2.3 Hose Pipes and Nozzles

1. Sufficient length of hose, subject to a minimum of two lengths of 15 M each with
couplings attached, shall be provided for use in case of each hydrant point on risers.
In addition, one nozzle of 20 mm size fitted to a branch pipe shall also be provided.
To avoid water damage, it is advisable to have reinforced rubber-lined hoses for use
with internal hydrants. (IS-636)

2. The number of hose pipes provided near external yard hydrants shall be such that no
part of the floor is more than 15 M from a hose nozzle when the hose is fully
extended and connected to hydrant landing valve.

3. Hoses, nozzles and branch pipes shall be kept adjacent to the hydrant outlet, in wall
boxes or recesses in the walls specially designed to blend architecturally with the
buildings, if so desired. All other requirements relating to the appurtenances shall be
as per the provisions under Section 7.7 of this Manual.

10.3 Pumping Arrangements

1. Each wet hydrant installation shall be supplied with water by an auto-start pumping
set. A stand-by pump set of identical pumping capacity having a different prime
mover shall also be provided.

2. Pumps shall have capacities of 38 Litres. per seconds (137 m3 per hour) or 47 Litres.
per second (171 m3 per hour) and the head generated at the rated discharge shall be
such that a minimum pressure of 3.5 Kg/cm 2 will be available at the highest landing
valve in the premises.

3. The suction, delivery and priming arrangements for the pump shall comply with
provision under Section 7.4.1 of this Manual.

4. Jockey pump(s) shall be installed in addition to the main pump set(s). The pressure
setting for the pump(s) shall be such that it cuts in approximately at 0.35 Kg/cm 2
 below the normal system pressure and cut out at normal system pressure. The
main fire pump(s) shall be arranged to cut in approximately at 1 Kg/cm 2 below the
normal system pressure and shall be capable only of manual shut down at churn
pressure.

5. The power supply to the fire pump(s) shall be independent of all other supplies within
the premises. In other words even when the power supply to the entire premises is
switched off, the supply to the fire pump(s) and other essential equipment shall
remain uninterrupted.

6. Pump room shall be normally located detached in the compound of the building and
shall preferably be 6 m away from the building. Where it is not feasible the pump
room can be located inside the building provided it is segregated from the remainder
of the building in accordance with Committee’s regulations and access to the pump
room from the outside of the building shall be either direct or through a passage
which has no openings other than to the pump room.

7. The pumping installation for the high rise installations shall conform to anyone of the
following methods to avoid undesirably high pressures in the riser mains -

a) Two pumps, one having a low head connected to the riser feeding the lower storeys
and the other having a higher head connected to the risers feeding the upper storeys,
shall be installed.

b) A multistage multi-outlet pump shall be installed, separate outlets being connected

to the riser feeding the lower storeys and those feeding the upper floors. (See figure
1 and 2)

N.B. - For buildings over 60 M in height, hydrant system may either be designed as
above or may be divided into pressure zones. For each zone the water supply for the
fire protection would be designed to have pressure within the normal operating ranges
 and zones of eight to ten storeys would be adequate with a check valve in each zone to
prevent the transmission of pressure to the zone below (each zone shall have a height of
20 m to 25 m)

In each zone of fire protection piping, there shall be a gravity or pressure tank supply.
This shall be supplemented by a fire pump to provide required flow in the zone. The
fire pump shall not be used to fill gravity or pressure tank.

This should be filled from domestic water lines. In this arrangement, the pump in the
lowest zone takes suction from suction tank located at ground floor whereas pumps in
other zones take suction from the gravity/pressure tanks in the respective zone (See.
Fig. 3)

N.B.1: - In addition to the above system, a gravity tank of 25,000 litres capacity shall be
provided on the top of the building and it shall be connected to the pump delivery
through a non-return valve.

N.B.2 - The pump controls can be located with the pump in each zone. It can also be
provided at the ground floor depending upon the suitability and practicability of the
particular building in question.

10.4 Water Source -

1. Effective capacity of firefighting tank (See rule No. 7.3) shall not be less than 2 hrs.
Aggregate pumping capacity for buildings less than 60 m in height. The tank capacity
shall, however, be increased to 3 hrs. Pumping capacity for buildings having height 60 m
and above. The tanks shall be constructed in two independent but interconnected
compartments as per rule 7.3 of this Manual.
 The fire tank must be in two compartments with a baffle wall in between not going right
down to the base of the tank. This arrangement will ensure proper circulation of the
firewater and prevent stagnation. (See figure below).

2. The storage tank shall be provided with a 150 mm fire brigade pumping connection to
discharge at least 2,275 Litres per minute into the tank. This connection shall not be
taken directly into the side of the storage tank, but arranged to discharge not less than 150
mm above the overflow level of the tank. The connection shall be fitted with stop valve
in a position approved by the committee in advance. An overflow connection
discharging to a visible drain point shall be provided from the storage tank.

3. The fire brigade connection shall be fitted with four numbers of 63 mm instantaneous
inlets in a glass fronted wall box at a suitable position at street level, so located as to
make the inlets accessible from outside of the building. The size of the wall box shall be
adequate to allow hose to be connected to the inlets, even if the door cannot be opened
and the glass has to be broken. Each box shall have fall of 25 mm towards the front at its
base and shall be glazed with wired glass with "FIRE BRIGADE INLET" painted on the
inner face of the glass in 50 mm size block letters.
4. In addition to the emergency fire brigade connection to the storage tank, a 150 mm
connection shall be taken from the four 63 mm instantaneous inlets direct to each hydrant
riser so that the fire brigade may pump to the hydrants in the event of hydrant pumps
being out of the commission. The connection direct to each riser shall be fitted with a
sluice and reflux valve each.

10.5 Fire Fighting Staff

1. A firefighting squad consisting of security and maintenance personnel under the

command of a trained fire chief, conversant with the fire control system of the premises,
shall be available. Further, the public fire brigade shall also be acquainted with what is
being installed in the premises and how the protection systems operate. For this purpose,
details of the arrangements for firefighting systems and the layout plan incorporating the
position of the existing fire protection system shall be forwarded to the local fire brigade
for their information and necessary action.

2. As the efficiency of the wet riser system depends on the manner and speed at which they
are brought into use, a squad consisting of trained personnel and fire pimp man shall be
maintained on the premises round the clock. The number of personnel for the squad shall
necessarily depend upon the size of the building but in no case shall be less than four
trained persons (excluding officer in charge on duty and pump man) be available at any
time during the day or night.

3. A public address system shall be provided on each floor including the control room in
order to enable security and firefighting staff to give evacuation instructions to the
occupants in case of fire. Evacuation drills shall be arranged periodically.

4. A metal strip of 25 mm x 3 mm section shall be provided in the staircase enclosure

running throughout the height of the building to facilitate transmission and reception of
fire messages through walkie-talkie sets used by brigade personnel. The strip shall be
electrically insulated from the ground.
 5. A plan of the risk giving floor-wise details of all fire extinguishing appliances and water
supplied shall be displayed in the pump house as well as in the room of the security/fire
officer who is in charge of the appliances.

11. AUDIT SUMMARY

11.1 YARD OR EXTERNAL HYDRANT SYSTEM

Yard hydrants were installed around the building at a distance of 45m between each other as per
TAC manual.

There are totally 21 number of Hydrant Points to protect the entire premises.

All the Hydrant points are connected by a ring main system.

Isolation valves are installed for every 200m of pipe.

The following points are witnessed and confirmed by the Audit team

Whether the building is protected with External Hydrant system Yes

Is the number of Hydrants should suffice the entire building requirement Yes

Does all the hydrants are in good condition Yes

Does all the hydrants are placed with hose box and hose Reels Yes

Number of Hose Reels 2 nos per Hydrant

Size of the Hose Reel 1 inch

Length of the Hose Reel 30m each

Does all the hose reels are in good condition Partially Yes

Does all the hose reels and hydrants are easily accessible Yes

Does the ring main is provided with isolation valves Yes

Is it in good condition and working properly Yes

11.2 INTERNAL HYDRANT SYSTEM

Three number of Wet risers are provided for each block with internal landing valves at each floor
to protect the internal building.

Each riser is tapped from the main ring main and also connected to the terrace tank.
The following points are witnessed and confirmed by the Audit team

Whether the building is protected with Internal Hydrant system Yes

Does sufficient number of Hydrants are provided at each floor Yes

Does all the hydrants are in good condition Yes

Does all the Landing Valve are placed with hose box and hose Reels Yes

Number of Hose Reels 2 nos per Valve

Size of the Hose Reel 1 inch

Length of the Hose Reel 15m each

Does all the hose reels are in good condition Yes

Does all the hose reels and hydrants are easily accessible Yes

11.3 SPRINKLER SYSTEM

High-rise buildings require a specific approach when designing a fixed firefighting system. One
of the key issues related to high-rise buildings is the height. There is a limitation in placing a
standpipe. Because the required pressure may not reach the height of the building. Hence
sprinkler system should be installed. A sprinkler system will detect and suppress the fire in its
early stage.

One India Bulls Park had installed the sprinkler system in all its floors with branched pipe
routing tapped from the separate riser.

Basements are protected with upright sprinklers and the floors are protected with pendent
sprinklers in case of False ceiling.
The following points are witnessed and confirmed by the Audit team

Does the sprinklers are routed properly? Yes

Does the sprinkler caps are opened and deployed in action? Yes

What is the pressure at the riser? 5 bar

What is the pressure at the farthest Nozzle? 0.5bar

Does the gauges are calibrated? Yes

Is there an arrangement to give audible signals when the sprinkler open? Yes

Is there a bypass arrangement in case of main valve failure? Yes

11.4 FIRE PUMPING ARRANGEMENT

Fire pumps are the heart of Water based Fire protection system which is majorly employed in
High Rise buildings.

Here, they had employed separate sets of pumps for hydrant and sprinkler system. Each set of
pump consists of one main pump, one diesel driven pump and one jockey pump. Fire Pump
Capacities employed in the building are as follows

Electrical Driven Pump - 273m3/hr @ 88m head

Diesel Driven Pump - 273m3/hr @ 88m head
Jockey Pump - 10.8m3/hr @ 88m head

The following points are witnessed and confirmed by the Audit team

Does the Ventilating louvers are free to operate?

Does the Suction, discharge, or bypass valves are fully open?

Is there any pipe leak?

Is the suction line and system line pressure are normal?

Is wet pit suction screens are unobstructed?

Is the Reservoir is fully charged?

Opening condition of Suction, discharge or bypass valves.

Is the Electrical power-controller pilot light, transfer switch are illuminating properly?

Is the circuit breakers and fuses are tripped properly?

Is the Fuel tank for DG pump is two-thirds full?

Is Battery Charging is normal?

Is the Battery terminals are corrosion free?

Is the Battery Voltage readings are normal?

Is the cooling water and crankcase oil level is normal?

Is the cooling water and crankcase oil level is visible?

Is the Engine running time meter is reading properly?

Does the pumps is working adequately on its cut-off pressures?

11.5 FIRE WATER STORAGE TANKS

A Fire Water Tank of capacity 273000 liters are installed to feed the ring main and riser of
Hydrant and Sprinkler System.

Apart from this an Overhead tank of capacity 20000 liters is placed at the terrace if each block
and connected to the hydrant riser.

The following points are witnessed and confirmed by the Audit team

Is the Water level and condition is correct?

Is the air pressure inside the tank is correct?
Whether area around the tank is free from combustible or hazard storage?
Is there any erosion on the tank?
Any leaks on joints or expansion?
Is the tank is painted properly?
Is partition benefit is employed in tank?
In there any deterioration of anti-vortex plate?

11.6 FIRE ALARM SYSTEM

In OIBP, each and every floor is provided with smoke detectors. Manual Call point are placed at
each exit as per the statutory requirement.

They had employed 3 numbers of 10 loop fire alarm panel for the three blocks.

Sounder, strobes are also placed in all floors for audible signals in case of fire.

Can a fire alarm be raised without placing anyone in danger? Yes

Is the fire alarm system in full working order? Yes

Are there sufficient fire alarm call points located near to every exit from
Each floor and from each building? Yes
Are all alarm call points unobstructed and clearly visible? Yes

Are the audible signals from the fire alarm operated weekly
and clearly audible throughout the premises Yes

11.7 PORTABLE FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT – FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

Is there adequate provision of portable fire extinguishers which are suitable types for the fire
risks where they are positioned? Yes

Are all portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets suitably located, positioned on brackets
securely fixed to the wall and available for immediate use – not obstructed or hidden? Yes

Are the locations of all portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets clearly identifiable even
without the provision of appropriate signs? Yes
12. AUDIT FINDINGS AND RECOMMEDATIONS

S.No Observation Image at Site Rectifications

1 Pump Room was unattended A log report will be

more than 40 minutes on maintained and
10.07.18 monitored on daily
basis

2 Diesel Tank should always Diesel level indicator is

be filled and kept more than installed and will be
70% monitored

3 All the pumps were kept in Changed to Automatic

Manual mode mode

4 In Tower B – Female Replaced the same and

coupling is leaking AMC is planned.
5 No hydrants are provided Numberings provided
with proper numbering for with Number plate
reference and identification

6 More Fire Extinguishers Order placed

should be added in Terrace

7 No Fire point markings are Markings are made

available near the Fire
Extinguishers

8 Few Extinguishers does not I was replaced during

have refilling and audit. The same was
maintenance card kept in its original
position

9 The hydrant boxes are Needs to be replaced

rusted at yard and un-
appropriate clamping is
done
10 The hose in some hydrant Replaced the same and
boxes are seems to be AMC is planned.
damaged

11 In Pump Room – Structure Replaced the same and

goth corroded and damaged AMC is planned.

12 In pump Room, While AMC is planned.

undergoing operational test,
water is leaking

13 Pressure Gauges needs to be Calibrated by an

calibrated approved organization
13. CONCLUSION:

Fire safety audit is an effective tool for assessing fire safety standards of an organization or an
occupancy. A comprehensive fire safety audit should address the inherent fire hazardous
associated with the day to day activities in an occupancy and recommend measures to reduce the
potential fire hazards. In spite of bringing stringent fire safety regulations by many state
governments and local bodies, still the numbers of fires in the country are on the increase,
resulting in the loss of many life and property. An effective building maintenance policy is an
essential feature of fire prevention. However, it is observed, that a large number of occupancies
do not have dedicated maintenance staff and as a result, most of the maintenance scheduling and
documentation is handled by an employee with no experience with maintenance procedures or
legislative requirements. It is also observed that many of the occupants and owners have not been
aware, that many of the fire safety features of their building had not been maintained in
accordance with the legislative requirements.
14. BIBILIOGRAPHY

1. TAC Fire protection Manual, National Building Code of India 2016

2. IS 12469: Specification for Pumps for Fire Fighting System
3. IS 15301: Installation and Maintenance of Fire Fighting Pumps
4. IS 13039:1991 Code of practice for External Hydrant System
5. IS 3844:1989 Code of practice for Internal Fire Hydrants and Hose Reel on premises
6. IS 15105:2002 Design and Installation of Fixed Automatic Sprinkler
7. IS 2189: Selection, Installation and Maintenance of Automatic Fire Alarm System
8. IS 2190: Selection, Installation, Maintenance of First Aid Fire Extinguishers
9. IS 23601:2009 Code of Practice for building escape and evacuation plans