Fire safety

Anonymous

The usual arrangement for the water supply serving hose reels would be achieved by one of the following:

-Direct from the town main

-By using booster pumps on the town main (where permitted by water authority)

-by pumping from a suction tank.

b) Two different operating methods appply to hose reels:

-Manual. In this case the isolating valve located on the supply pipe to the reel is kept closed and opened prior to running out the hose.

-Automatic. rotation of the reel operates a valve, built into the reel mechanism which admits water to the hose. The isolating valve on the feed to the reel is kept open in this case and is usually the lockshield type to preventcasual interference.

BS 5306: Part 1 covers hosereels

Bill Parker
Member - 55 posts

Further to Adiran Hooson's advice:

Whether hose reels should be part of your Fire Defences is a function of your risk assessment and Fire plan, which should be written down and detailed with the mean of escape, Fire Drills and schedule of equipment.

Most Fire hose reels have a wet riser supply, from the mains. The size and type of supply depends on the water pressure at the out-take and the size (diameter) of hose you have. A 4", "lay-flat" hose would ususally need a four inch riser.

As with all Fire Extinguishing equipment, it must be tested and certified properly working at twelve month intervals, by a competent person.

Also, training in its use is mandatory as is Fire Drill training. There are several classes of fire, where using water would be inappropriate or dangerous.

If you require further assistance, call me on 01952 461541, at Helios Safety & Rescue.

Anonymous

Most Brigades now are very much opposed to hosereels. Indeed, I have taken them out of school buildings for that reason. The Brigades feel that if you can tackle a fire and kill it with a hand-held extinguisher, all well and good. If it needs more than that, get out and leave it to the professionals. If you have a limitless supply of water, you'll stay there, fighting the fire without BA and without PPE. Very quickly you'll become a casualty and Brigade personnel will then have to risk their lives to rescue you. If you have inhaled products of combustion to any extent, then even if you don't die there and then, the risk of respiratory damage is such that you might well die during the first 24 hours after the fire. 9 litres is used up quickly enough to expose you to little danger, more than that and the risk multiplies exponentially.

Ciaron Dunne
Member - 85 posts

Query 1. Clause 8.1.4 of BS 5306: Part 1 : 1976 Code of Practice for Fire extinguishing installations and equipment on premises (Hydrant systems, hose reels and foam inlets) states: ''The design and installation of hydrant systems should be closely correlated with all other serivces being provided in the building, and ducts may be shared. However, except as stated below, the water supply to hydrants and hose reels should be kept entirely independent from other water supplies including those for other fire fighting systems .In certain special circumstances the supply to hose reels may be taken from the supply provided for a sprinkler system (see CP. 402.201 & the Fire Officers' Committe (FOC) Rules for automatic sprinkler installations).

Query 2. Section 7, paragraphs 7.1 - 7.3 of BS EN 671-1 2001: Fixed firefighting systems - Hose Systems states:

7. Inlet Stop Valve

7.1 General

''A stop valve should be fitted to the hose reel''.

NOTE It is normally appropriate for valve connections and valve combinations to comply with national standards of the country in which the equipment is to be installed.

7.2 Manual inlet stop valve

Note 1 it is recomended that an interlocking device be fitted so that the nozzle cannot be withdrawn unless the water supply is first turned on by opening of the manual stop valve.

Note 2 The valve may be of screwdown-type or quick-opening type.In selecting the type of stop valve to be used, the effect of water hammer should be considered.

7.2.1 The valve shall be closed by turning the handle or handwheel in a clockwise direction.

7.2.2 The direction of opening shall be marked

7.2.3 Screwdown valves shall be fully open after maximum 3.5 turns of the wheel

7.3 Automatic inlet stop valve

An automatic inlet stop valve shall be fully opened by not more than 3 complete revolutions of the reel. No visable leakage shall occur when tested in accordance with F.2.

Note To assist ease of maintenance for hose reels fitted with automatic valves, consideration should be given to water supply isolation valves.

I hope this helps assist your queries in this matter

Kind regards

Ian Taylor

Lawrence Webster Forrest (Fire and Engineering Consultants)

020 8655 1605

Stuart Colclough
Member - 2 posts

In response to Mr Ney's comments concerning the removal of fire hoses, what will he do when the Brigade is on strike again?

We fitted our facility with several hoses prior to the strikes and had the added benefit of being trained by the Brigade themselves.

What will you do if you have people trapped behind a fire and only an extinguisher to tackle the flames?

A backward step I think Mr. Ney.

Anonymous

With regard to the response given by Mr Colclough. To my knowledge the fire brigade never refused to attend an incident where lives were at risk. Secondly if somebody is trapped behind flames the best course of action is to close doors lie on the floor and place a cloth over your face and await arrival of emergency services. If you expose yourself to the fumes of a fire you will no doubt aid the spread of the fire and no doubt endanger others. Ever heard the expression a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

Stuart Colclough
Member - 2 posts

In response to Mr Clarke

Firstly I neglected to tell you that i also have the benefit of three retained fire fighters amongst my fire wardens so we have the knowledge! The remaining wardens have all had training and BA is available to us.

Secondly, working in a very large open plan factory we don't have the benefit of doors to hide behind in the event of a fire. Fine if you work in an office environment.

Response by the Brigade to fires in our area during the strike was slow, on average 45 minutes. A wet cloth is not enough in that situation, you need the help of others to get you out of there!

Question, have you ever been in front of a real fire where lives are at risk? From your simplistic comments, I doubt it!