Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/423872
Fire Fighters Better standards, stronger coatings and enhanced training help builders and owners snuff out fire risks by Stefan Dubowski L ike a bonfire burning, businesses that design and provide fire-protection products and services are always shifting, and their efforts afford new ways to protect investments and tenants. The latest fire-protection news includes information about a better emergency- system standard, paintable fireproofing coatings and enhanced life-saving services. For Randy Noble, a construction division manager at Houle Electric Ltd. – one of B.C.'s largest electrical contractors and fire-protection installers – a particularly notable change is remote management. Building managers and fire departments can log into fire alarm systems from afar to identify the cause of an active alarm. "Not only does this save on maintenance costs for a facility that does not employ full-time personnel, but it also provides the opportunity for fire departments to be better prepared on arrival, speeding their response to an alarm and ensuring they have the equipment at hand required to attack the problem," Noble says. The latest fire-protection platforms are also designed to meet an updated standard. In September, the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) published the first edition of its code for mass notification systems and accessories. Titled CAN/ULC-S576-14, the document covers control units, interfaces and other notification system elements. In an information bulletin, ULC explains that the code applies to mass-notification products intended for use with other systems, such as fire alarms, to form integrated emergency communication platforms. These combined solutions give emergency managers a way to not only warn people about a fire, but also to tell people what to do and where to go for safety. Tony Mezenberg is director of fire solutions at Chubb Edwards. He points out that because new mass-notification systems work in concert with fire alarm systems, they are more robust than older models. "The fire alarm system is designed, installed, verified and annually inspected in conformance with strict industry codes and standards," Mezenberg says. "Dependability is vital to ensure that the fire alarm system will operate when it is needed most, which makes it an effective backbone for mass notification systems." Notifications are the final step before the fire department arrives. Long before that happens, builders and property owners can use a range of firestopping and fireproofing products to keep flames from spreading. The latest technologies in those areas provide the highest level of protection. Intumescent fireproofing products Adler Firestopping Ltd. has seen an increase in demand for intumescent fireproof products that coat steel beams. Unlike cementitious coatings, which are thick and difficult to paint, intumescent coatings are thin and paintable. "You see it is used in areas like lobbies and places where the steel is exposed, but it still has to be protected," says Reg Cruickshank, Adler fireproofing manager. Intumescent coatings likely won't take over the market. "They do have limitations as far as where you can use it," Cruickshank says. For instance, compared to cementitious products, intumescents are expensive and more time is needed to apply it. Humid conditions also affect the application process. Winter projects probably won't be utilizing intumescent products since it is difficult to apply the product in environments colder than -10 degrees Celsius. Those restrictions won't necessarily stop companies from using intumescent products, though. Consider what Adler did for the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA) building in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. The design for this new administrative hub, home to the land development corporation of the Kitikmeot Inuit, called for low-profile fireproofing on exposed interior steel. Intumescent coating was ideal, but since Cambridge Bay's average 54/ december 2014 Fire Protection Systems