Fire Protection Consulting Services Business

Fire Protection Consulting Services

Business activity as it applies to fire issues

Phoenix Fire Protection, LLC designs fire detection, prevention, and extinguishment system for different types of businesses. Its main purpose is to identify the needs of a business in terms of fire protection systems and to implement the proposed solutions into an overarching framework that will cover both the physical instruments (fire extinguishers, fire alarms, sprinkler systems etc.) and the training components (how to use all the instruments).

The purpose of this business plan is to design such a system for Ajax Metal Fabricators, a company specialized in the production and fabrication of different types of metals. There are some particularities of this type of business, notably fires that are potentially more dangerous and destructive, because of the nature of the metals, and that need to be addressed in a particular manner. This particularized approach will include a larger number of fire extinguishers, more attention to training, as well as to the maintenance processes.

Fire alarm design and installation

There are three types of fire alarm systems: manual systems (M), systems designed to protect life (L) and systems designed to protect buildings (P)

. Given the size and complexity of the activity at Ajax Metal Fabricators, this business plan will deal only with the latter two. In terms of the P. fire alarms, both P1 and P2 will be required, with the P2 fire alarms being installed in the areas where the metal is actually fabricated and where there is a higher risk of fire.

In terms of the L. category, L3 fire alarms will be given preference, as a more overarching type of fire alarm that can give early warning to most of the people in the building. L2 fire alarms can be added to the halls and rooms where the metal is fabricated and where there is a larger chance of fire.

Sprinkler system design and installation

NFPA 13 contains the necessary regulatory information for the design and installation of sprinkler systems. Automatic fire sprinklers will be necessary and should be set to go off at a temperature of 149 degrees Fahrenheit. The reason why this higher temperature can be accepted is that the metal fabrication process implies the use of extreme heat and it may be the norm for such high levels to be reached at ceiling level when performing day-to-day activities in the manufacturing rooms.

The sprinkler system should cover the rooms where the metals are being fabricated. The sprinkler system should also cover the area immediately close to these rooms, so as to be able to contain the fire and prevent it from potentially extending to other parts of the building. In these rooms, open orifice sprinklers can be used instead.

Portable fire extinguisher requirements and placement

In order to define the portable fire extinguisher requirements and placement, one first needs to define the type of class the fire is part of. In this particular case, since the client is Ajax Metal Fabricator, one can expect that the fire is a Class D fire in particular. According to the NFPA 10, this class refers to "fires in combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, lithium, and potassium"

The selection of the fire extinguisher is thus determined by the classification of the fire, which points to the type of hazard that might be expected. In the case of class D fires, as identified, the requirements are not particular in the selection and NFPA 10 mentions that all types approved for the specific combustible-metal hazard can be used (NFPA 10).

The requirements are more specific in terms of the size and placement of the fire extinguishers. These shall be located no further than 75 ft (23 m) from the Class D hazard. In this case, the placement of the fire extinguishers will be determined by the location of the metal fabrication facilities. Assuming that these are located in the center of the room, and that the distance from the center to the corners is not longer than 75 ft, the fire extinguishers can be located in the four corners of each of the rooms in which the metals are produced. The size will be determined by the particular metals being produced, however, it appears that 40B should be sufficiently strong to counter a potential fire hazard.

All fire extinguishers will be inspected every 30 days, with regular maintenance every year. Given the class of fire hazard, regular maintenance can be done at more frequent intervals, such as every 9 months. Training the occupants in the use of the extinguishers is important because of the class of fire hazard and the fact that this can be an extremely powerful fire that could do much destruction before the Fire Department is actually able to arrive at the scene. Training can be done with the local Fire Department, every month for new employees.

Maintenance activity for all components

Most of the components will need regular maintenance, at least every year. As shown, some of these, including the fire extinguishers, will need maintenance sooner, every 6 or 9 months, in order to ensure their functionality in a fire hazard situation. As emphasized previously, training and seminars with the employees are essential in order to for the personnel to be prepared to use the implemented system in case of a fire. Fire training will be part of the regular training process for any employees and will be performed monthly.