Common equipment and occupancy fire hazards

Fire hazards are a common threat to residential complexes. They can happen in various places - from building services plant equipment to facilities such as linen/rubbish chutes, laundry areas, and commercial areas like retail shops and restaurants.

Plant equipment such as chillers, boilers and electrical switchgear provide critical building services to residential complexes, while laundry areas and linen/rubbish chute facilities provide daily operating functions to residents. Shops, restaurants and bars are often used in marketing a property’s overall profile. However, if not controlled properly these services and facilities can also provide a source for fire ignition, add to the combustible load, and increase the spread of fire.

Plant machinery and equipment, along with cooking facilities in restaurant kitchens, may use flammable and combustible materials to operate. This includes natural gas for boilers, cooktops and ovens, diesel fuel for power generators, cooking oils for fat fryers, or they may operate at extremely high temperatures. These materials and the high operating temperatures can provide an ignition and fuel source for fires. Facilities such as laundries, retail shops and restaurants add to the combustible load, whilst chutes provide a vertical path for fire spread.

Due to the fire hazards posed by these services and facilities, management needs to ensure that appropriate controls, inspection and maintenance procedures are kept in place.

Boilers normally operate on natural gas, electrical switchgear may house wiring connections that can be at extremely high temperatures, and back-up power generators use diesel fuel. These operations present fire hazards that should be monitored.

All natural gas connections should be approved and checked by the relevant regulatory authority. Gas shutoff valves should be fitted, easily accessible and appropriately signposted. Devices which automatically shut-off gas supply should be considered for plant rooms, as manual valves may not always be accessible in a fire situation.

Electrical switchboards should be subjected to infrared thermal imaging to detect wire connections that may operate at higher than normal temperatures due to overloaded circuits, deterioration of cable insulation and poor maintenance. Rooms and cupboards housing electrical equipment should be kept free of combustible storage that would add to the fire load and be fire-isolated from the remainder of the building.

Emergency power diesel generators should be located in a fire isolated room.  Appropriate fire protection systems such as fire sprinklers and automatic fire detection devices should be installed. Provisions such as floor bunding and drip trays should be installed to contain any diesel fuel spills.

Laundries should be fire isolated from the remainder of the building. Appropriate fire protection systems such as fire sprinklers should also be installed. Washing and drying machines should be maintained in good working order to prevent electrical malfunctions and to prevent the accumulation of lint/dust.

Linen and rubbish chutes can facilitate vertical fire spread and should be of fire rated construction. Access openings at each level should be fitted with fire rated self-closing door hatches to maintain the fire integrity of the chute. Fire sprinklers should be installed inside the chute for fire extinguishment. Collection rooms at the bottom of chutes should be fire isolated from the remainder of the building. Fire actuated automatic closing hatches should be fitted to the bottom of the chute.

Fires may occur in restaurant kitchens due to the use of commercial cooking appliances and hot oils. Appropriate fire protection systems – manual and automatic – should be installed to protect against fire. This may include a dedicated wet chemical suppression system installed over the cooking equipment, along with manual fire blankets and handheld extinguishers. Gas shutoff valves should be fitted to enable the supply of gas to be stopped in the event of fire. Cooking exhaust flues should be appropriately maintained.

Retail shops can add significantly to the fire load in a building due to the storage and display of goods. Appropriate fire protection such as fire sprinklers should be installed. Good housekeeping levels, especially in back-of-store areas, need to be maintained.