Fire fighting
Today various types of technologies are available for the automatic detection of fires, be it industrial or private. By carefully evaluating the environmental and risk characteristics we are able to develop the most suitable solution for any context.
Each installation must necessarily be made in accordance with the "workmanlike" as required by Ministerial Decree No. 37 of 22/01/2008.
The regulations in force provide precise instructions for the use and location of the equipment, as well as for their testing and maintenance.
Fire-fighting systems can be divided into two macro families:
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conventional systems: where the detectors and actuators (both manual and automatic) are individually distinguished according to the connection on the control unit itself
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analog and addressed systems: where each single device is recognized individually by the control panel through an addressing, therefore the legislation provides for the connection of heterogeneous devices to each other on the same line (loop) or zone, maintaining the distinction of information
Advantages of an addressable system
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Reduced maintenance and tests performed by the control unit both automatically and manually
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Connection of bus lines and reduction of installation and cable costs
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Exact location of events with precise indication of the type of alarm
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Actuators distributed in the field and connected on the sensor lines
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Possibility of "self-calibration" of the sensitivity of the detectors
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The legislation allows you to connect different types of equipment on the same line / zone
Each system can consist of:
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alarm receiving station
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control and automatic fire-fighting system
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fire detection systems are often accompanied by systems for the detection of GAS leaks.
The automatic detectors shown in the figure are all those devices designed to detect the presence of a certain critical condition (smoke, gas, excessive heat and flame) or manually start the planned emergency procedure for reporting to firefighters, evacuating personnel and possibly automatic extinction.
They are chosen on the basis of the environmental conditions of the premises to be protected (size, presence of flammable material, ventilation, etc.) and presumably the type of flame that may develop.
The fire-fighting system consists of the control unit, where all the system devices are connected and managed according to the programmed procedures. It is therefore responsible for verifying the efficiency of the components and theirs states. Where there is an alarm condition, it will be able to activate the alarms (acoustic and optical) to signal the presence of danger and the need to evacuate the premises, the communication devices where it will notify (via radio link or telephone line) the staff emergency officer and finally will manage the procedures, if any, for automatic extinguishing or automatic maneuvering of fire doors or safety valves.
The system will be equipped with buffer batteries (and possibly a power supply unit) suitably sized, able to keep the system operational in the event of a momentary absence of electricity.
Very important will be the choice of connection cables, where the legislation UNI 9795 provides for its resistance to fire for at least 30 minutes (CEI EN 50200) and low smoke emission with zero halogen emissions.
