The LWF Blog

Fire Safety for Facilities Management Personnel – Fixed Fire-fighting Systems – Part 230

December 4, 2023 12:24 pm

Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) is a specialist fire engineering and fire risk management consultancy whose aim is to give information on best practice in fire safety for facilities management personnel through this blog series. In part 229, LWF began to talk about automatic sprinkler systems. In part 230, we continue to make the case for the use of sprinkler systems where appropriate.

Fire insurers are very much ‘pro’ the installation of sprinkler systems. They are particularly keen on their use in industrial buildings, such as warehouses and factories. When a sprinkler system is installed throughout a building or in a fire-separated part of a building, it may be that the insurer is willing to apply substantial fire insurance premium discounts. For this to be the case, the installation must conform to the Loss Prevention Council (LPC) ‘Rules for Automatic Sprinkler Installations’. The equipment used must be of the type approved by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB).

In some large and high-risk buildings, the insurer may require sprinkler protection as a condition of providing insurance cover.

Outside industrial buildings, the use of sprinkler systems has increased significantly in recent years too. Dwellings and other residential accommodation, such as care homes are increasingly opting to install sprinkler systems throughout. The building regulations in Scotland now require automatic fire suppression systems to be installed in new (or extended) residential care homes, sheltered housing accommodation and flats in blocks greater than 18 metres in height.

In England and Wales, Approved Document B requires sprinkler protection in blocks of flats, and non-residential buildings, which are over 11 metres in height. When fire suppression systems are mentioned in relation to dwellings and residential accommodation, it normally pertains to a sprinkler system, although water mist suppression systems might be appropriate for use.

Sprinkler systems may be used to supplement perceived shortfalls in prescriptive codes of practice. For example, it may be acceptable for the design of a building to not adhere fully to structural fire protection measures that would normally be considered essential by the prescriptive codes when putting forward an alternative fire protection solution for a building including a sprinkler system.

Approved Document B allows for the provision of alternative solutions incorporating sprinkler protection, allowing greater design freedom.

Some of the ways that the alternative solution might differ from the prescriptive option with the inclusion of sprinkler protection include:

• A dwelling with a floor at or greater than 7.5 m above ground, would usually require an alternative escape route from that floor. Sprinkler protection means this is not required and a single stairway can serve the property.
• In a multi-storey flat with entrance above ground floor level may benefit as per the example above.
• In a residential care home, bedroom doors need not be self-closing if the building is sprinklered. Also, limits on the number of residents housed in a single sub-compartment do not apply.

In part 231 of this series, LWF will discuss the design codes for sprinkler systems. In the meantime, if you have any queries about your own facilities or wish to discuss this blog series, please contact LWF on freephone 0800 410 1130.

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering consultancy based in Surrey with over 35 years’ experience, which provides a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction and operation of buildings.

 

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information.