Award

DECEMBER 2017 | 31 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY JOHNSON CONTROLS Fire Protection Systems Fire protection systems have become smarter and perform better than ever by ROBIN BRUNET For Whom The Bell Tolls A rguably, no sector has benefitted more from the ongoing connectivity revolu- tion than fire protection, which not too long ago consisted merely of traditional alarms and smoke detectors that required human intervention to prevent a blaze from destroying valuable property. This year saw a continued push for integrating building systems, diverse technologies and developing the Internet of Things, as well as associated fire protec- tion and life safety systems requiring a broader range of disciplines involved in the assessment, design, instal- lation, commissioning and code compliance process. The outcome has been a remarkable diversity of products, considerable innovation and convenience for installers, an example of the latter being the abil- ity of many head-end fire alarm control panels to be replaced and tied into existing detection and noti- fication devices using the existing wire; and newer systems offering more capacity to accommodate the physical growth of the facility it serves. Over at Johnson Controls (formerly Tyco) the focus of late has been on inspecting items such as smoke detectors, which often must be placed in difficult-to- access building zones such as the top of elevator shafts or in high voltage areas. "Our solution to what is a time consuming and often hazardous inspection process is aspiration-type smoke detection that uses what can best be described as an adjustable pipe mounted to a smoke detector and vacuum," says Mike Hugh, field sales engineer, Johnson Controls. "This pipe can be extended to as long as 150 feet, enabling the inspec- tor to conduct his/her tests from a safe distance. This is a great return on investment, considering how many smoke detectors are used in a typical high rise and must be checked yearly." Another costly and time consuming inconvenience that Johnson Controls has addressed is the necessity for alarms to be periodically tested. "Normally, tech people have to walk around testing each one, with the alarms sounding at 80 to 90 decibels and disrupting the building tenants," says Hugh. "We've solved that prob- lem with addressable notification, whereby our alarms have addresses that the central control panel recog- nizes. The panel prepares a self-test and all the devices synch simultaneously, and the only thing the tenants hear is an alarm sounding for one second, if that." Hugh goes on to note that Johnson Controls "will be doing with our fire alarms what OnStar technology currently does for automobiles: that is, if something is faulty within the alarm, it will alert you via an app on your smart phone. And with a touch of a button, the app will signal Johnson Controls to fix the problem right away, with the central control panel identifying which alarm needs service and where it is located. The amount of time and hassle this will save will be enormous." Not all of the recent advances in fire protection are strictly technology based, as Michael Sutton, pas- sive fire protection specialist for Affinity Firestop Consultants, can attest. Affinity specializes in passive fire protection build- ing systems and their specific roles in fire contain- ment, and it has provided services to some of the most recognizable public venues in Western Canada, includ- ing Rogers Place in Edmonton, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg and the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. Affinity reviews and revises consultant drawings to develop adequate co-ordination of building systems, while maintaining continuity of all building fire sepa- rations; it also undertakes complete and partial sur- veys of building fire separations to determine problem areas and formulate remediation plans. Currently, Affinity is busy with the Stantec Tower, a mixed-use skyscraper under construction in the ICE District of downtown Edmonton, and its work includes testing and review of firestopping, cementitious fire- proofing and intumescent fireproofing. "We tend to work most with firestopping, but I also enjoy the test- ing of fireproofing systems because we are able to fol- low international standards closely," says Sutton. "It's our most scientific service, and we want to further develop it because we strongly believe that structural protection of any building is key to life safety." Sutton adds that this particular service is more important than ever, as cities and municipalities find themselves increasingly having to develop vertically rather than horizontally. Another notable aspect of the Stantec Tower proj- ect is that Affinity and the building's contractor, PCL Constructors Canada Inc., are using BIM 360 and iPads for inspection purposes, with the data being logged into the contractor's central system. "We're logging issues in real time, which allows PCL to take imme- diate action," says Sutton. "This is my first time using BIM 360 combined with iPads, and I'm a huge advo- cate because of the enormous amount of time it saves." As for innovative undertakings in 2017, Houle Electric Limited's security and life safety division recently came up with a simple solution to the prob- lem of providing fire prevention services during con- struction. "We were getting more and more requests from developers for temporary fire protection at the

• Cover