Fire Alarm Log Books

Fire Alarm Log Books

Fire Log Books are a great way to ensure that managers of buildings meet the requirements of Health & Safety and Fire Safety regulation.

The new Fire Log Books which are on the market offer a basic guide for company management and in conjunction with guidelines laid down in the Fire management Plan are aimed at reducing the risk of fire in the workplace.

Within the Fire Log Book are various sections detailing measures which should be taken reduce the fire risk in a workplace.  These sections are as follows:-

·       Frequency of Tests required for Fire Alarm & Detection Systems, Emergency Lighting, Fire Equipment, Hose Reels, Fire Exit Doors, Sprinklers, Fire Training and Means of Escape, Fire Signage & Notices.

·       The requirements for Portable Fire Equipment including Fire Extinguishers & Hose Reels. The fire log book includes a section to list the locations of the equipment and a log the weekly checks of the equipment and any faults found.

·       The requirements for the Fire Alarm & Detection System Equipment including a section for recording the location of call points to be tested on the weekly test and a log section for recording the Fire Alarm & Detection equipment test records.

·       The requirements for the Means of Escape from the building including fire signage and notices.  Including a monthly inspection log of the escape routes, fire doors and fire exit doors.

·       A log for Fire Safety Training where the fire training record carried out can be recorded and dated.

·       A section for recording Fire Safety Evacuation Drills including the date of the drill, type of drill, evacuation time, person / department receiving drill and any observations made by the drill instructor.

·       A section detailing the test records for the Emergency Lighting system including a section to record faults and action which is needed to rectify the faults.

·       A section to record electrical installation and equipment inspections.

·       A final section showing a blank company hot work permit to be completed whenever hot work is carried out.

Key point of Fire Alarm / Building Inspection Log Book

·        Fire Alarm Daily Entries

·        Central Station On/Off Line Log

·        Activated Alarm Entries

·        Notification Entries

·        Fire Alarm Events/Tests

·        Elevator Testing Instructions

·        Monthly Elevator Testing Login

·        Exit Lights, Signs & Fire Extinguishers

·        Monthly Generator Log

·        Smoke Control Systems

·        Smoke and Heat Vents

·        Annual Component Inspections

·        Annual Inspections

·        Defect Log

·        NFPA Inspection, Testing & Maintenance

·        Semi-Annual Inspections:

    ·        Manual Pull Stations

    ·        Public Address System

    ·        Alarm/Strobe Signal

    ·        Floor Warden Phones

    ·        Fail-Safe Release

·        Annual Inspections:

    ·        Arm Bands and Vests

    ·        Photoluminescent Signs

Combination Fire Safety / EAP Log Book

·        Daily Fire Safety/EAP Director Log

·        Drills & Training

·        Emergency Action Plan – Related Events

·        Drills & Training Sessions

·        Fire Safety / Emergency Action Plan Onsite Practical

·        Test & Plan Reviews & Amendments

·        Voluntary EAP Full Building Evacuation Drills

·        Fire Protection System Contractors

·        Reference Material

Sprinkler and Standpipe Inspection Record Book

·        Weekly & Monthly Fire Pump Testing

·        Annual Fire Pump Testing

·        Water Storage Tank

·        Monthly Sprinkler Inspection Record

·        Monthly Standpipe Inspection Record

·        Sprinkler and Standpipe Deficiencies Record

·        Standpipe 3 and 5 year Tests

·        National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Inspections, Testing and Maintenance

Fire Safety Plan Log Book

·        Daily Fire Safety Director Log

·        Fire Safety and Evacuation Drills

·        Fire Safety and Evacuation Training

·        Fire Safety Plan Onsite Practical Test

·        Fire Safety Plan Reviews & Amendments

·        Fire Protection System Contractors

·        Reference Materials

After Hours Fire Guard Log Book

·        Log Book Inspection Report and Notification

·        After-Hours Fire Guard Checklist

·        Standpipe, Exits, Trash Accumulation

·        Fire Extinguishers, Ignition Sources

·        Sidewalk Sheds

·        Contraband, Shanty Inspections

·        Fire Alarm Stations, Sprinkler System

Homeless Shelter Drills & Training Record

·        Daily Coordinator Fire Safety / Alarm Systems Log

·        Homeless Shelter Drills – Fire & Emergency

·        Preparedness (FEP) Staff Training – Emergency

·        Preparedness Plan Reviews & Amendments

Smoke Detector Maintenance Record

·        Semi Annual Smoke Detector Cleaning

·        Annual Sensitivity Test Records

·        Smoke Detector Repair or Replacement Records

Without a fire alarm system that has been properly designed, installed, upgraded, and in working order, your occupants may have far less time to evacuate during an emergency and may be at a much higher risk of injury. SSA Integrate is that partner. Whether you’re planning a retrofit, or new construction, our expert engineers can help. We assist engineers, architects, contractors, and building owners in creating design packages that meet regulatory requirements, leverage the latest technology, and are as cost-effective as possible.

Fire Alarm System Design, Installation & Upgrade Programs We Offer:

·        Complete Design Drawings, Including Specifications and Calculations

·        Professional Engineering Review

·        AHJ Filing Services

·        Project Management

·        System Commissioning

·        Witness Acceptance Testing

·        System Upgrades

·        System Monitoring / System Maintenance  

We offer equipment from today’s leading manufacturers, including:

·        Edwards

·        Autronica

·        GST

·        Cooper

·        BOSCH

·        Apollo

·        Ravel

·        ESSER

·        Notifier

·        Morley IAS

·        Cerberus Pyrotronics

 

Visible Notification – One Strobe or Four?

Visible Notification – One Strobe or Four? 

NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, covers notification requirements in Chapter 18.     Audible notification (horns, speakers, chimes) are performance based. NFPA 72 requires 15dBA above average ambient for public mode notification but does not state specific device spacing or sound level requirements. As long as the minimum sound level requirements are met, the code is not concerned with how many devices are used or how they are spaced to meet the requirements.

Visible notification requirements in Chapter 18 are prescriptive. Using the tables in Chapter 18, the design determines strobe candela intensity requirements based the location of the strobe (wall or ceiling) and size of the room. If wall mount strobes are used, candela requirements are based on whether one or four strobes are used. If ceiling mount strobes are used, candela requirements are based on ceiling height.

Examples of the tables are below:

Since the Code permits multiple methods of achieving the visible notification requirements, it becomes the designer’s decision of what method to use.  

Let’s take a sample room – 50’ x 50’.  According to the tables, our options are using 1 or 4 wall mount strobes, or one ceiling mount strobe. If we use wall mount, we can use 4 – 30cd strobes, or 1-94cd strobe. If we use ceiling mount, we 1-95cd strobe for a ceiling up to 30 feet.

If the designer considers labor costs, it basically costs four times the labor to install 4 wall mount strobes, versus 1 wall or ceiling mount. The counter-argument may be that 30cd strobes have a lower current draw than a 94/95cd strobe.

However, a single strobe (wall or ceiling mount) may be the most economical option. Here’s why:
A typical 30cd strobe draws around 75ma, and since four are required, the total draw to cover the room is 300ma (4 x 75ma). However, a single 95cd strobe draws around 150ma. Single wall mount strobe at 95cd draws half the current of 4 – 30cd strobes and requires one-quarter the labor (1 device vs. 4) to install.
The above example also works for a single ceiling mount strobe as well. A 50’ x 50’ room requires a 95cd ceiling mount strobe for a ceiling up to 30’. The typical current draw of a 95cd ceiling strobe is around 175ma. More than a wall mount, but still significantly less than 4-30cd wall mount strobes.

Edwards Genesis LED G4 Series horns and LED strobes feature a sleek low profile design and energy-efficient technology that makes them less expensive to install and operate by reducing overhead. Field-configurable sound output levels provide the flexibility modern life safety projects demand, while the Genesis LED control protocol keeps multiple strobes on compatible NAC circuits synchronized to well within NFPA 72 requirements. Operating current for Horns is 18-20mA. SSA Integrate is authorized to provide service support of Edwards’s series panel with field devices.

Flame Detector Testing

Flame Detector Testing

Most fire detection technology focuses on detecting heat, smoke (particle matter) or flame (light) – the three major characteristics of fire. All of these characteristics also have benign sources other than fire, such as heat from steam pipes, particle matter from aerosols, and light from the sun. Other factors further confound the process of fire detection by masking the characteristic of interest, such as air temperature, and air movement.

In addition, smoke and heat from fires can dissipate too rapidly or accumulate too slowly for effective detection. In contrast, because flame detectors are optical devices, they can respond to flames in less than a second. This optical quality also limits the flame detector as not all fires have a flame. As with any type of detection method its use must match the environment and the risk within the environment.

Typical applications for optical flame detectors are;

§  Wherever highly combustible materials are involved

§  Where there is a need for instantaneous response to flame

§  Wherever unsupervised areas require automated fire protection

§  Where there is a large capital investment to be protected

Portable UV/IR Flame Detector Test Lamp

Examples of actual installations are;

§  Gasoline transport loading terminals

§  Pipeline pumping stations

§  Refineries

§  Aircraft hangers

§  Automotive paint spray booths

§  Munitions production facilities

§  Jet engine test cells

§  Offshore drilling and production platforms

Before starting the job, take the proper work permit and inform to all the respective departments. Then do force the respective logics or interlocks if any (like fire suppression systems activation etc)

§  Prior to testing of Flame Detector we should check LED Visibility of the Flame Detector. It should be blinking green. This can be seen on the flame Detector.

§  Check the + 24 Volts DC Supply of the Flame Detector between + and – terminal of the Flame Detector.

§  Take UV / IR Testing Torch for testing of Flame Detector.

§  Before applying UV / IR rays to the Flame Detector, clean the detectors display by cotton cloth. It should be always cleaned for detecting the UV / IR rays. Otherwise Fault LED indication appears.

§  Apply the UV /IR rays from UV / IR torch to the Flame detector.

§  Resolution can be adjusted for the torch for checking the detector from short and long distance.

§  After 3 seconds alarm appears and hooter is activated.

§  Flame detectors Red LED indication will be ON (steady Red).

§  Acknowledge the Flame detector’s alarm & silence the hooter.

§  Note down the alarm tag and descriptions from the HMI or workstation. The alarm details must match with the flame detector tag number and installed location.

§  Confirm the flame detector activation status from the respective graphics page. You have to visually identify the color change signals of the respective flame detector on the graphics.

§  Remove the UV / IR test torch.

§  Reset the alarm of the Flame Detector. Now Red LED Indication is off.

§  Now the Flame Detector is working OK and Green LED indication is blinking.

§  Repeat the above procedure for all the remaining flame detectors.

§  Normalize the forced interlocks or logics if any.

§  Close the work permit.

Note: The mentioned voltages, terminals, LED colors may vary as per the vendor or model of the Flame Detector.