All about Internal Fire Hydrant System

All about Internal Fire Hydrant System 

We all dread unmanageable fire as it can cause destruction that is at times beyond repair. More awareness about the need to safeguarding our homes and valuable properties against any fire outbreak has encouraged people now to have fire alarm systems and other firefighting equipments at their homes or offices.

One of the necessary firefighting equipment is the fire hydrant. While it may not be seen as widely as an extinguisher, it is highly effective in dousing a full developed fire. Unfortunately, outdoor fire hydrants are fast disappearing from the Indian landscape as many civic authorities have failed to maintain and repair them on time.

So, should you invest in a fire hydrant? Yes, absolutely. In fact, you are legally obliged to do so. We are not talking about the vibrant red fire hydrants that is our usual image, but internal fire hydrants that are strictly required under the National Building Code. So, here is a short primer on fire hydrant systems India to help you along.

Nowadays, Indian manufacturers are offering such equipments of extremely good shelf life and affordable pricing. So, if you are on a hunt for firefighting equipments, then go for fire fighting equipments in India. Today, shops, educational institutions, banks, hospitals also have at least adequate number of fire extinguishers if not other comprehensive fire fighting equipments.

Need For Fire Hydrants

Fire hydrants act as a critical source of water when dealing with a developed fire. The location could be out of reach of sprinklers or it could be too developed for sprinklers or extinguishers to cope with. This is when firefighters step in. While firefighters have their own water tank, this can run dry very quickly. At such an eventuality, we need fire hydrants to boost the water supply.

Civic fire hydrants, run and managed by civic bodies, are found in public places. These are connected to the municipal water supply. Fire hydrants could be placed underground or overground. In India, the overground system is more common. Internal fire hydrants are different, placed in a building and often in-built in its construction. These hydrants are connected to the building dry and wet risers.

This is why fire hydrants are specifically mentioned in the National Building Code, which also specifies its supply mechanism, including water tanks and riser systems. High-rise buildings must, therefore, have an in-built fire hydrant system.

Parts Of Fire Hydrant Systems India

Water tanks: The fire hydrant system must have access to a water tank for a ready supply. The capacity of the tank is decided by the area and the number of risers. There are different type of tanks found on a property. These are:

1.   Static water tank: These are underground or on the surface and are built for water storage.

2.   Terrace tank: These tanks are made of plastic, concrete or cement. These are also meant for water storage.

3.   Priming tank: Unlike the other two tanks, the priming tank’s function is not water storage. This is a small tank, located above the firefighting pump. Its function is to ensure that the pumpcasing and suction is permanently flooded.

Pumps: The fire hydrants system cannot work without its pumps, which supply and regulate the water flow in the hydrant system. The various pumps here are:

1.   Fire pump: This is installed in the static tank to supply water to the wet-risers.

2.   Terrace pump: This is connected to the terrace tank. It has valves to regulate water supply from both ends. There should also be a pump panel attached to control its functioning.

3.   Jockey Pump: This pump is installed to regulate the water pressure. This is an automatic pump, which is triggered whenever there is a drop in the static pressure.

4.   Stand-by pump: As the name suggests, this is kept as an alternative in case of emergency. It has the same capacity as the fire pump.

Riser-system: These are pipes that run vertically through the building to carry the water required for the fire hydrant systems. The risers have a landing valve on each floor and at their ends to regulate the water supply. There are three types here:

1.   Wet riser: These are connected to the static water tank.

2.   Down comer: These are connected to the overhead tank.

3.   Wet-Riser-cum-Down-Comer: A combination of both types, connected to water tanks on both ends.

Hose reel: This is the tube attached to a pressurised water supply. It is the hose that ensures the water supply can be taken across a floor.

Air vessel: This is a small cylindrical vessel that is attached to the wet riser at the top and the bottom to nullify the water hammer effect.

Air release valve: This valve opens up the water supply to release the trapped air inside the riser as it is being charged.

Pressure switch: This is to regulate the functioning of the fire pump or the jockey pump as per the pressure in the system.

These are the essential parts of a fire hydrant systems. Check each part and ensure that these meet the required ISO standards before installing.

A comprehensive inspection and preventative maintenance program designed and conducted by an experienced fire protection company proactively locates fire and life safety issues and repairs these failures prior to an emergency event, ensuring all systems are operating at peak performance.

While each inspection and preventative maintenance program is different to accommodate a business’s or building’s unique needs, here is a general overview of the process:

1.   A physical inspection is conducted on each fire protection system in the facility.

2.   A detailed report is written outlining system deficiencies and recommended actions to ensure functionality and compliance.

3.   Maintenance and repairs are conducted on any fire and life safety systems that are broken or show signs of corrosion.

In terms of our fire protection inspection process, we provide building managers and business owners simple and easy-to-read inspection reports generated by intelligent Inspect Point software. Fire protection reports come with built-in NFPA forms to ensure compliance with the latest NFPA inspection requirements. Our fire and life safety inspection reports are optimized for NFPA inspection requirements including but not limited to:

·        NFPA 10

·        NFPA 13

·        NFPA 20

·        NFPA 25

·        NFPA 72

·        NFPA 80