Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/755184
DECEMBER 2016 | 41 Fire Protection Systems PHOTOGRAPHY iSTOCK G Major advancements are being made in intelligent fire detection systems by ROBIN BRUNET Government regulations can be a good thing, at least when it comes to the fire protection systems industry. According to a MarketsandMarkets report, increas- ingly stringent government measures to reduce the losses from fire will cause the protection systems mar- ket overall to grow to $98.2 billion by 2022, from $48 billion last year. The market for passive systems such as sprinklers and extinguishers is expected to grow at the highest rate, especially in commercial applications. This means direct benefits to companies such as Affinity Firestop Consultants, which specializes in passive systems and has frequently noted the grow- ing number of building owners who are turning to its staff for advice on firestopping and spray-applied, fire- resistive material solutions. Indeed, 2016 has been a busy year for the consul- tancy. "We just recently completed our firestopping reviews at the new Rogers Place arena in downtown Edmonton, a project for which we also performed various quality assurance tests on the spray-applied cementitious and thin-film, intumescent fireproofing to ensure adequate structural fire protection," says Michael Sutton, Affinity's fire barrier technologist, CAD manager and technologist. "Thomas Laurin of our office has been doing some third party testing on the new Bipole III transmission project at the Riel and Keewatinohk converter stations." Sutton goes on to say, "We were commissioned by Mortenson Construction to review firestopping, fire- proofing and joint sealant assemblies to make sure that these systems were installed correctly. Riley Zihrul of our office is working on two simultaneous curtain wall upgrade projects in downtown Winnipeg, where the slab edges of every floor must be protected by firestopping assemblies to prevent fire and smoke from racing up the perimeter of the buildings, should one ever occur." MarketsandMarkets' disclosure about passive sys- tem growth notwithstanding, growth moving forward will affect all types of fire protection systems, driven by residential new construction, retrofits and compli- ance needs – as well as the fact that many systems in use today are reaching the end of their life cycle. Even Canada's aging population is helping along the boom via the rapid construction rate of new health care and seniors' facilities that must follow tough safety standards. Too, fire code changes in the U.S. are crucial in advancing technolog y, which in turn inevitably migrates north of the 49th parallel. Case in point: car- bon monoxide detection and wireless were two code- related changes that helped Honeywell Security and Fire evolve their products over the past few years, to the point where the company's mesh wireless technol- ogy is being endorsed by engineers and fire marshals across North America. Low-frequency sounders, which are more easily heard by hearing-impaired individuals, is another type of system that has risen to mainstream prominence due to changing standards. Currently, Ontario-based ProFire Safety Services is reminding Canadian customers that carbon monoxide alarms are now required by code, in differing amounts according to building type and size – and that it offers complete fire and life safety services, from inspection and fire panel replacement to audibility upgrades and sprinkler systems. These services include dry sprinklers intended for buildings and areas where there is little to no heat, del- uge systems that are suited for areas containing haz- ardous and/or flammable liquids and the FM200 fire suppression system, whose gas stored in large tanks floods a room and extinguishes a fire by suffocating it, while still allowing occupants to breathe. At Chubb Edwards, excitement is building over the upcoming introduction of the iO1000 panel. According to Carmine Bozzo, leader of fire strategy, this system has been specially designed for midsize sites: "We have the iconic EST3 and EST3X systems for larger applica- tions with hundreds of connected devices, while the FireShield system is ideal for smaller locations with far fewer devices. The new iO1000 system has been tailored to meet the performance and budgetary con- siderations of the commercial sites that lie in between, and is listed to industry standards CAN/ULC-S527 and CAN/ULC-S559, helping clients achieve compliance and peace of mind." Bozzo adds, "The iO1000 features intelligent detec- tion and electronic addressing as a simplified means of including and registering a wide variety of detectors and sensing devices in a fire system. Also, the iO1000 system supports up to 1,000 devices and features a highly expandable base system; this allows users to leverage the investment they make today and far into the future." Vipond Inc., a fully-owned subsidiary of APi Group Inc., provides something that is arguably as important as the most advanced fire protection solutions: close working relationships with clients. For example, Vipond was recently called upon to design, supply and install code compliant fire protec- tion systems for the University of Manitoba's Pembina Hall Student Residence, and these systems also had to be esthetically pleasing as well as provide exposure pro- tection to the underside of third floor mechanical space. The task was complicated by Pembina Hall requiring 16 fire protection zones, including win- dow protection, with all systems being supplied by a 75hp/750usgpm electric fire pump. But by exten- sively co-ordinating with the trades, Vipond's experts were able to have all mechanical aspects of the proj- ect enclosed within bulkheads and provide penetra- tion of the interstitial mechanical floor and soffits to allow for the installation of 110, 48-inch dry pendent sprinkler heads. For the Sun Life Financial Centre in Ontario (a complex consisting of three towers interconnected by a shopping concourse and underground parking), Vipond had to perform a fire alarm system upgrade using a new addressable networked system. The chal- lenge here was doing the retrofit without disturbing the building's occupants and migrating from the old to the new system with no downtime. Vipond achieved this by using a Notifier-Net Fire Alarm System consisting of 21 Notifier Onyx series panels, a Central Alarm and Control Facility, and a Graphical Onyxworks workstation. The emergency evacuation portion of the project used distributed digi- tal amplifiers and automatic digitized messages; new addressable devices were installed throughout the building and existing speakers were reused. Sound The Alarm