Fire Protection Systems Review Notes

I Basic Foundations

 Combustion: is a chemical reaction in which a combustible material and an oxidizing agent

(oxygen) produce heat or energy and other products that continuously sustain or promote the
process.
 The Triangle Fire: fuel, air (oxygen), and heat (energy). All three must be present to sufficient
quantities for fire to exist.
 The Fire Tetrahedron: fuel, heat, oxygen, and the uninhibited, chemical, or self-sustaining chain
reaction necessary to sustain combustion.
 Classes of Fire:
o Class A – Ordinary Combustion
 Cloth, grain, paper, some plastics, rubber, and wood
 Release ~8,000 BTU/lb
 Extinguish by: Water or foam– absorb the head and reduce the
temperature of material to below ignition temperature.
o Class B – Flammable Liquids
 Oil, grease, tar, oil-based pains, aerosols, cutting gases, and fuel gases
 Extinguish by: foam, carbon monoxide, gaseous agents, dry chemical
agents, and halons – interrupting the chemical chain reaction or by a
combination of smothering and cooling to keep oxygen away from the
flammable vapors.
o Class C – Flammable Gases
 Electrical panels, transformers, and home appliances that are plugged in.
 Extinguish by: Shutting off the electricity (the source)
o Class D – Combustible Metals
 Aluminum, calcium, lithium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and titanium
(mostly in dust form)
 Extinguish by: “dry powder” and are inert materials that reduce the oxygen
concentration necessary to sustain combustion by smothering.
o Class K – Oil and Fats
 Vegetable or animal oils and fats
 Extinguish by: Saponification process – the fatty acids in the cooking
medium react with the extinguishing agent and convert to foam. Fixed Fire
Suppression System and Hand-held fire extinguisher
 Fire and Flam Types
o Diffusion flames
o Smoldering
o Spontaneous Combustion and Self-Heating
o Premixed Flame
 Stages of Fire
o Preignition
o Ignition

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 o Growth
o Fully Developed
o Decay
 Forms of Heat Transfer
o Conduction
o Convection
o Radiation
 Methods of Extinguishing Fires
o Cooling
o Oxygen Reduction
o Removing or Interrupting the fuel supply
o

II Water Based Fire Protection Systems

 First task of design and installation of any water-based fire protection system is to obtain water
pressure and flow readings from the water source.
 Second task evaluate the delivery system and the system design for adequacy by comparing the
water source flow and pressure readings at certain points along the piping of the water-based
fire protection system. This comparison verifies that the available pressure, flow, and duration
meet or exceed the required water demand of the water-based fire protection system.
 NFPA:
o NFPA 11 – Standard for Low-, Medium-, and High-Expansion Foam
o NFPA 13 – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems
o NFPA 20 – Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fire Pumps for Fire Protection
o NFPA 24 – Standard for the Installation of Private Fire Service Mains and Their
Appurtenances
o NFPA 291 – Recommended Practice for Fire Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants
o NFPA 750 – Standard on Water Mist Fire Protection Systems
 Water line materials for new construction include ductile iron or polyethylene plastics.
o Concrete is used for large transmission mains
o Steel is for mains across bridges
o Copper and plastics are used for service laterals
 Water Distribution System Valves
o Gate valve (public Water Systems) – a type of valve controlled by a disk that fully withdraws
into the body of the valve so the water can flow without restriction
 To determine valve is fully open, closed, or in between: (valve size in inches X 3) + 2 =
numbers of turns to fully open or close valve.
o Indicating Valve (Private Water Systems) – a type of valve that allows a person to look at the
valve and determine whether it is open, partially open, or closed. NFPA 24 requires the valve
to be at least 40 ft away from a building for safe access during a fire event.
 Post Indicator Valve (PIV): Gate valve or Butterfly-type valve, thel valve operates with
wrench.

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  Wall Post Indicator Valve (WPIV): a valve that mount on the side of a building where
the valve stem feeds through the wall to connect to the valve body located inside the
building, the valve operate with a wheel.
 Outside screw and yoke valves (OS &Y): Gate valve only
 Backflow Prevention Devices
- Double check valves assembly: valves open when there is 1lb/in 2 pressure
differential in the direction of the flow, but the first valve closes if there is
backisponage occurring due to reverse flow. The second valve close when
backpressure occurs.
- Reduce Pressure Principle/zone device: prevent back pressure and backsiphonage
 Fire Hydrants
o Most jurisdictions require hydrants where streets intersect, when the distance from hydrant
to hydrant exceeds a maximum interval, and within 100 ft of a fire department connection,
although it is usually the fire department connection that is installed within 100 ft of the
hydrant.
- Residential area – interval is between 500 and 600 ft or less
- Commercial and industrial areas – interval as little as 300 ft
o Types of Hydrants:
 Dry barrel: freezing condition, water supply held in the ground and below the frost line
until opened
 Wet barrel: non-freezing condition, full of water at all times
 Wall: a wall-mounted, water supplied from a fixed fire pump
 Flush: installed below the ground, requiring removal of a cover to access hydrant
(commonly found at airport runways, in Sweden and Finland)
 Yard: commonly installed at industrial facilities with separate control valve for each
outlet instead of hydrant wrench.
o Both types of hydrants have one larger outlet (steamer outlet) about 4 and 4.5 inches, and
two smaller outlets are 2.5 inches in diameter
o The fire lines that are feeding fire hydrants are required to be no less than 6 in in diameter
and must have control valve installed between the water supply and hydrant.
o Hydrants must be at least 40 ft from structure, so firefighters avoid falling debris or
exposure to the radiant heat of the fire.
o Hydrant Markings – cap and bonnet color correspond with the flow rate (NFPA 291)
 Light blue: 1500 gpm or greater
 Green: 1000 – 1499 gpm
 Orange: 500- 999pgm
 Red: 500 gpm or less
- Some localities have different marking for public, private, and nonpotable hydrants
for the purpose of who is responsible to test and maintain the hydrants.
o Hydrant Inspection, Testing, Maintenance, and Service
 New hydrant test
- A visual inspection of materials and securing methods
- A hydrostatic pressure test to ensure that there is no leaks
- A line flush to get rid of any dirt, rocks, or other debris

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 - Disinfecting to kill bacteria.
 Public hydrants – local government, the water authorities, or the fire department are
responsible to inspect testing, maintenance, and service to ensure proper operation
 Private hydrants – owner of the property
 The minimum required interval is 1 year, flow for at least 1 minute with no foreign
materials, check for worn parts, damage to the hydrants.

 Water Flow Test of Water Supplies

o Most water flow test information for new structures comes from fire hydrant flow tests
o Upgrading existing water-based fire protection systems, it is common to use fire pump
performance test (if a fire pump is installed in the building) or 2-inch drain test (commonly
use due to less damage and large amount of water release from hydrant or pump test).
 Water Pressurization for Water-Based Fire Protection Systems
o Static pressure: the pressure exerted by nonflowing water in a system
o Residual pressure: the pressure exerted by flowing water at a given point in a system
o Support a water-based fire protection system design independent of the municipal/public
networks:
 Gravity tank: freestanding structure holding large amount of water above ground
- Pressure of the tank depends on the height of the tank (height ft x 0.433 psi/ft =
pressure psi) or (foot of head pressure ft ÷ 2.31 ft/psi = pressure psi)
 Pressure tank: water under constant air pressure and use the air to push water out of
the tank
- 2/3 of the total capacity of the tank is filled with water and 1/3 filled with air
- Water supply replenishing tank within 4 hrs
- Air compressor must be able to deliver between 16 or 20 ft 3/min of air
- The best location of pressure tank is above all of the system piping
o Type of Stationary Fire pumps
In order for the fire pump to start, the pressure must drop an additional 5 psi less than the
jockey pump start pressure, and the fire pump stop pressure will be the same as the jockey
pump stop pressure.
 Stationary fire pumps: a fire pump permanently installed at a location and dedicated to
supporting the fire protection system that location
 Centrifugal Pumps: creates pressure develops by drawing water into an impeller at high-
speed rotational force that impart pressure on the fluid as the pump rotates measure in
rotations per minute (rpm)
- The physical characteristics of the impeller and the speed of the impeller turns
determine the flow and pressure rating of the pumps
- Deliver and maintain a maximum pressure
- Styles of Centrifugal pumps:
 Horizontal or vertical split cases pumps frequently use since it can support
many different flow and pressure require, easy to install and operate,
efficient, dependable, and available in single and multiplestage designs.
 End suction pumps operate at lower pressure and flow rates – water
discharge out of the top. Simplified pipe layout

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  In-lines pumps operate at lower pressures and flows mostly use in new and
retrofit installation since it does not take up much space or require much
installation preparation.
 Vertical Shaft turbine pumps are required when the water source is below
grade and are not under pressure requiring drawing the water from the
source (pond, lake, reservoir, or cistern)
 Positive Displacement Pumps: A type of that operates at a specific speed to deliver a
predetermined pressure and constant rate of flow. (use for high pressure applications,
can build unwanted pressure on the discharge side of the pump if the flow continues
but is not able to discharge)
- Suction or discharge pressure do not affect the flow rate, and in order to increase
flow the speed of the pump must increase.
- Pump operates by reciprocation motion: the liquid is drawn into the cylinder on the
intake stroke and expelled under pressure on the discharge stroke bp plunger or
piston
- Pump operates by rotation motion: the liquid is contained in a casing and carried
between the threads of a screw, between gears, or between lobes until discharged.
 Rated Performance
Ex: A pump designed to provide 750 gpm @ 75 psi means that when the pump is flowing
750 gpm, the pressure increase should be 75 psi.
- Churn measurements (aka shutoff, minimum, deadheading, or no-flow) are taken
when the pump is running at rated speed with no water flowing. Because no water
is flowing, the flow reading will be zero, but the pressure reading should be greater
than the rated valve. (typically pressure between 100% and 140% [required by
NFPA 20] of the rated pressure)
- Peak performance (aka maximum or overload point) is 150% of the rated flow at
65% of the rated pressure.
 Driver: an electrical motor, diesel engine, or steam turbine that provides the power to
turn the pump (annually performance test for all driver)
- Electric motor- weekly 10 minutes no-load test
- Diesel motor- weekly 30 minutes no-load test
 Controller: acts as the brain for the fire pump system and performs logic, sensing, and
supervisory functions. When sensing a loss of the system pressure, the controller sends
an electrical signal to supply power to the driver.
 Jockey/Pressure Maintenance Pump: a small water pump that maintains the pressure
level in water-based fire protection system piping to avoid the need for the fire pump to
operate when the system loses a certain amount of pressure.
- The pressure setting to start the jockey pump is the churn pressure of the fire
pump plus the incoming water supply pressure minus 10 psi.
- The stop pressure is the churn pressure plus the incoming supply pressure
Ex: pump’s churn pressure is 90 psi and the incoming supply pressure is 50 psi:
Jockey pump start pressure: 90 psi + 50 psi – 10 psi = 130 psi
Jockey pump stop pressure: 90 psi + 50 psi = 140 psi
Fire pump start pressure: 130 psi -5 psi = 125 psi

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 Fire pump stop pressure: 140 psi
 System Relief Valves
- Circulation or casing relief valve: designed to protect the casing of the fire pump
from overheating by relieving pressure buildup when the pump is operating but
not flowing water
- Automatic air release valve: installed at the top of the fire pump casing, designed
to relieve air trapped around the pump impeller or/and allows air to enter the
pump to release the vacuum when the pump stops.
 The flowmeter measures the fire pump’s hydraulic performance not the water supply
that feeds the fire pump

A) Automatic Fire Sprinkler System

The primary performance objective of an automatic sprinkler system is to control the fire until
first responders arrive, not necessary to extinguish it.
 Required Installations
International Code Council (ICC)
International Building Code (IBC)
NFPA 1 -Fire Code
NFPA 101 - Life Safety Code
NFPA 5000 - Building Construction and Safety Code

o Threshold limits and other requirements involve fire area, occupant load, building height,
processes, products, operations, storage conditions, and the number of levels above or
below exit discharge.

 Design and Installation Standards

o NFPA 13 – Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems
 NFPA 13D - Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family
Dwelling and Manufactured Homes
 NFPA 13R - Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Residential Occupancies
Up to and Including Four Stories Height

 Design Concepts for Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems

o Automatic fire sprinkler systems require periodic reevaluation to ensure that the hazard has
not changed to the point where the original system design and installation are no longer
adequate to protect.
o Systems may have similar characteristics, but changes in occupancy, contents, storage
arrangement, and process can render an automatic fire sprinkler system inadequate to
protect the building or structure.
o When installing a dry pipe or preaction fire sprinkler system, the remote area increases by
30%.
o The basis for design of a NFPA 13 system requires the design professional to determine the
hazard, determine the design density required to protect the hazard, and determine if there
is an adequate water supply available to support the system demand.

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 Fire Sprinkler System Components
o All the components must meet or exceed certain ASTM, ASME, ANSI, and AWS.
o Pipe and fittings must have a pressure rating and must be able to handle the maximum
permitted system working pressure of 175 psi.
o Commonly use piping materials: ferrous piping, black steel pipe, galvanized steel pipe,
copper tubing, alloy materials, and chlorinate polyvinyl chloride
o Commonly use fittings materials: cast iron, malleable iron, steel, wrought carbon steel,
alloy steel, copper, and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC)
o Common join methods: threads, grooves, flanges, welds, solder, heat fusion, brazing,
pressure fittings, or glue.
o The larger the pipe schedule number, the thicker the pipe wall and the smaller the
internal pipe diameter. (commercial system fire sprinkler system – use Schedule 40 steel
pipe for size up to 2 inches and Schedule 10 steel pipe for anything larger).
o Thinner pipe has a larger internal diameter and offer hydraulic design advantage
because there is less friction loss
o The smaller the pipe diameter, the greater the velocity of the water traveling
throughout the piping; therefore, as velocity increases, friction loss also increases.
o Support and Stabilization of pipe
 Hangers, bracing, supports, guides, restraints, and different types of fasteners
keep the pip from falling or moving too much
 All hangers and supports materials must be made from ferrous materials
because they can handle the heat of a fire better than other metals
 Hanger assemblies must be able to hold five times the weight of the water-filled
pipe plus 250 lbs.
 Spacing and location of the hanger components depend on the size and type of
piping.
o Automatic Sprinkler Heads: heat activated devices that operate at a predetermined
temperature. Each fire sprinkler head operates independently; there fore only the heads
that reach the critical activation temperature will operate.

o

 Types of Systems
 Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance Requirements