Steps to Maintain A Fire Hydrant System

A fire hydrant system is considered to be an efficient device when it comes to handle a fire, and hence, it’s important to keep a fire hydrant system in a sound condition, so that it can perform all the functions properly as and when needed. No matter whether you are responsible for keeping a business premise secure or you are in charge of the safety of an entire society, you must be careful enough about the maintenance of the fire hydrant systems. Do you see hydrants that are outdated and old and left in an inoperable condition? If yes, this is the high time to take care of these systems and maintain these properly. Not keeping the fire hydrants of your community in a sound condition may turn out to be fatal at times. Here are some important information that will help you maintain a fire hydrant system properly –

• Paint it properly – Hydrants that have been installed before2009, should be painted in such colours that will make these visible under adverse weather conditions and light. In case the hydrants have been installed after 2009, you need to follow the process of coating. Since 2010, the manufacturers of fire hydrants system started to coat these with a double polyurethane enamel paint. This is applied on the hydrants following a hydrostatic process as it ensures a durable and long lasting finish. This paint is quite hard and is resistant to light. In fact, these paints can’t be recoated. In order to recoat these, one needs to clean and sand the surface and remove the glossy appearance. 
• Check the functionality – In order to keep the fire hydrants in a functional condition, it’s important to check the flow of the system. Make sure you open and close the auxiliary gate valves of the hydrant at regular intervals. This will help provide a reliable source of water as and when needed. By checking the flow of water, you will also get an indication of the total amount of flow and pressure available in each of the hydrants. This information is extremely beneficial for the local fire authority and the water service planners. 

These are the two most important tasks that you should perform in order to keep a fire hydrant in a sound condition. There are certain things that you should keep in mind while performing the flow test of a fire hydrant. Here are the things that you must do –

• First off, choose a safe and vast area where the water can flow directly. This is important as the water that flows out of a hydrant can damage the vegetation, landscapes, structures and the private properties of the area. 
• Establish a fixed schedule for testing the fire hydrants every year. 
• Open and close the valves of the hydrant to prevent water hammer. This can also cause breaks in the water mains.  

Since it’s quite costly to replace fire hydrants, it’s crucial to follow a proper maintenance system and follow the exact schedule of check-ups. This ensure proper functioning of these equipment, when needed most.

(Article Source: http://www.loopdesk.com/article/9729/how-can-you-maintain-a-fire-hydrant-system-properly )

Why And How To Maintain A Fire Sprinkler System?

If you are responsible for maintaining the safety and security of a premise, you must be aware of the fact that installing the right fire safety and fire fighting devices is one of the most important things to do. This is because fire is a disaster that can take place due to one’s negligence or for some other reasons, at any point of time. This is why it’s advisable to keep all the fire fighting equipment ready at place so that the fire can easily be dealt with. This also ensures that there is minimum possible casualties and damages. Fire sprinkler system is one of the most efficient devices that helps put out fire in different situations. This is why organizations prefer to install the right devices. However, only installing the fire fighting devices is not enough. You also have to ensure that the device is in a sound condition.

How to maintain a fire sprinkler system?

If you have already installed a fire sprinkler system, you must take all the necessary initiatives to maintain it properly. It’s important to maintain the system properly so that it functions in the best possible way when required most. In order to keep the system in a proper shape, you should follow certain tips. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), one should get a fire sprinkler system inspected at frequent intervals, preferably every three to four months. Apart from that, the device should be inspected whenever you remodel the premise to a great extent, in which the device is installed, or you change or add a water meter or a backflow preventer.

Apart from scheduling the inspection sessions at regular intervals, you should also follow certain steps. You should never paint the fire sprinkler heads or hang anything from these heads. You should also not stack anything close to the sprinkler heads. Generally, it’s advisable to keep the items at least 18 inches below the sprinkler heads. If you find any damage in the system, be sure to report it to the concerned professionals immediately. If you think the damage is major and can’t be handled on your own, make sure you consult an experienced professional who can provide you with the right solution.

Why should you maintain a fire sprinkler system?

There are many reasons why you should maintain a fire sprinkler system. Keeping your sprinkler system in a working condition ensures that you will be able to minimize the casualties to a great extent when a fire occurs. Moreover, homes, restaurants or office buildings that keep well maintained sprinkler systems, get to enjoy considerable insurance benefits. Most often they get a 5-10% discount on the basic insurance premium that they have to pay. Keeping the system in a good condition also enables you to enjoy complete peace of mind. It will save you from the stress of setting up an inspection just before the fire marshal comes for a visit. At the same time, this also allows you to find out the easy to fix and minor issues before they turn into major and expensive affairs. 

Interesting Facts About Fire Alarm System

A fire is a disaster that can take place anywhere, at any point of time. This is why it’s advisable to keep all the safety measures ready at place so that even if a disaster occurs, you can save the lives of people as well as the property that is exposed to danger. A fire alarm system is one of the most effective devices that help fight a fire. This is what detects the presence of the smoke and fire, and lets the people know about the occurrence of the fire. If you are responsible for ensuring the safety of people, present at a premise, or you own a business, you must have thought of installing proper fire fighting devices at your premise. However, before you invest in a fire extinguisher or a fire suppression system, you should think about installing a fire alarm.

A fire alarm is an efficient device that informs you about the occurrence of fire. Fire Indicator Panel or FIP is considered to be the most significant part of a fire detection system and a fire alarm system. This panel consists of certain control equipment, and all these equipment create an integrated system. The core components of this panel include secondary power, cabinet, control electronics, visual interface, primary power supply unit, battery charger, input termination and monitoring, input interface and control, and output termination and monitoring. 

How a fire alarm system operates?

The main function of a fire alarm system or a FIP is to keep a close eye on the zones and circuits for any abnormal condition. If any kind of abnormality is observed, the status is clearly displayed. After that, the outputs are designed according to the situation. These outputs are basically designed to warn the occupants regarding the occurrence of the fire. It also helps notify the fire brigade as well as control the spread of smoke, fire and heat. 

What is a circuit?

A circuit consists of an unbroken path, through which an electric current can flow. In a fire alarm system, the term circuit usually refers to a wiring that connects one or more detectors to the fire panel. 

What is a zone?

A zone refers to a group of one or more detectors. These are categorized according to the location of the detectors. 

If you are planning to invest in a fire alarm system for a vast premise, it’s advisable to opt for a commercial alarm system since this type of a device is way more efficient as compared to the fire alarm systems that are usually used at homes. You can also opt for a commercial fire alarm system service as this will provide you with 24X7 security.  

National Fire Armour is a reputed and reliable name when it comes to commercial fire alarm systems. They offer both addressable and conventional fire alarm systems and you can opt for any one, based on your exact business requirements. Make sure, you check out the features of both the systems before choosing one.

Mechanism Of A Firefighting System

It’s a well-known fact that natural disasters may occur anytime, anywhere and this is why it’s essential to follow the precautionary measures. In the present scenario, a fire may occur at any organization due to carelessness. Keeping the fatal consequences of fire in mind, organizations prefer to keep a fire fighting system in place, properly installed, so that the situation can be controlled when needed most. By installing a fire extinguisher, the amount of casualties can also be reduced. The main objective of installing a fire fighting system is to protect lives of human as well as the property.

The chances of natural disasters like fire are equally true for all types of facilities, institutions and businesses. No matter whether you work in the healthcare, education, commercial, hospitality, industrial or government sectors, you must follow the proper safety measures. Organizations should be well prepared to fight this type of emergency situations, with appropriate fire safety equipment. They should also be able to communicate with the rescue team effectively and quickly as soon as the mishap occurs.

There are multiple benefits of installing a fire fighting system in a building and quite interestingly, it’s beneficial not only for the end users, but also for the building owners. Wondering how? Well, due to a fire, a real estate property can be damaged to a great extent. By installing a powerful fire extinguisher, you can protect the building from getting entirely damaged.

How does a firefighting system work?

It’s important to understand the mechanism of a firefighting system. Usually, this system consists of three parts – a specialized pumping system, a sprinkler or a hydrant and a large water tank. The amount of water that is stored in a fire storage tank depends on the level of hazard of the concerned project.

Usually there are three levels of hazards – light, ordinary and high hazards. Light hazards can usually be observed at residential buildings, offices and schools while hazards that occur at warm houses or factories are categorized under ordinary hazards. Areas where flammable materials are kept or used are vulnerable to high hazards. These areas include firework factories, paint factories, foam factories and aircraft hangars.

The total amount of water that is stored in a water tank, is given on the basis of pumping capacity per hour. Systems that have the capacity of one hour, are equipped with large tanks. This ensures the system is able to supply plenty of water for a period of one hour, after the pumps are switched on.
The fire pumps are usually kept in a pump room that is quite close to the fire tanks. The most important thing that needs to be kept in mind is that the pumps should be placed a level below from the fire tank. This ensures the water can easily flow from the tanks to the pumps, following the natural law of gravity.

The distribution system is made of either galvanized steel or steel pipes that are usually painted in red. Automatic wet systems and automatic dry systems are the two basic types of distribution system.

Different Types Of Fire Protection Systems That You Should Know About

No matter whatever methods are followed while constructing a building, each and every construction is vulnerable to disasters like fire. Hence, a fire fighting system is one of the most essential components for ensuring the safety of human property and life. Keeping the chances of casualties in mind, it’s crucial to have a fire sprinkler ready in every building. Since the requirements for fire protection system keeps on varying with the different sectors and businesses, it’s important to keep different fire protection systems ready at place.

In order ensure complete fire safety, one needs to keep the different types of fire extinguishers available, because it’s not known to anyone what kind of a situation will occur. Talking about fire safety, it’s worth mentioning that the different equipment work for different emergency situations, and hence, it’s advisable to keep all the systems completely functional.

If you don’t have a clear knowledge of the different types of fire protection systems, here are some of the most popular systems that help fight emergency situations –

• Dry pipe systems – This is one of the most widely used systems when it comes to fight fire. This type of equipment consists of a dry pipe that employs automatic sprinklers. These are connected to a piping system. This system either contains air or nitrogen that is highly pressurized. These systems are usually installed where there are chances of the pipes getting frozen. 
• Wet fire sprinkler systems – These system work quite in a similar approach to that of the dry pipe systems. This system, too, employs sprinklers that function automatically. These sprinklers are connected to some piping systems. These pipes are further attached to a source of water, from where the water flows in, when needed. 
• Special hazard fire protection systems – The hazard fire protection systems are designed in a special manner. These not only help in fire fighting, but also in detecting the source of fire. One of the greatest advantages to install these systems at a premise is that it helps detect fire as soon as it occurs. These types of equipment are usually used in places where large scale solutions are needed and the standard suppression systems aren't appropriate or adequate. 
• Deluge sprinkler system – This is a simple fire safety equipment that is usually used for low to moderate requirements. In these systems, a number of open sprinklers are employed in the system. These sprinklers are further connected to the piping systems. 
• Preaction systems – This is another fire fighting equipment that helps ensure complete fire safety. In this system, automatic sprinklers are employed and these are connected to a specific piping system. This system contains air that is highly pressurized and thus helps extinguish fire. This system also has a supplemental detection system and this is attached just where the sprinklers are attached. 

While these are some of the most popular firefighting systems, anti-freeze sprinklers system is another system. Although the mechanism of this system is quite similar to those of the other systems, instead of highly pressurised air or nitrogen, anti-freeze solution is used in these.