Comprehensive Guide to Fire Sprinkler System Design

Fire sprinkler systems are essential to providing safety in both public and private buildings. They are often used in conjunction with fire detection systems, such as fire alarms. A proper design process is necessary in order choose the right fire sprinklers to install within a specific building.

Fire Hazard Assessment

• The first step in designing a fire sprinkler system is to assess the overall fire hazard level of a building. Typically, this is done by locating the area of the building that poses the highest risk. This could be a kitchen in a restaurant or a lab area that houses flammable liquids. The fire hazard level for this area is then applied to the whole building to take into account a spreading fire.

Types

• There are different fire sprinklers that can be installed, depending on a building's potential for a fire hazard. The most common are control mode sprinklers, which apply water to a fire when it starts. Fast-response sprinklers are more sensitive to temperature change, which allows them to turn on more quickly. Suppression sprinklers are designed to dump much more water in order to control large fires. In tall buildings, low-pressure fire sprinklers are often needed because water pressure could be limited in the higher floors. In larger buildings, a combination of these sprinkler types may be needed.

Fire Sprinkler Installers

• Not everyone can create a fire sprinkler design and install it. Those who can are licensed engineers or architects. They hold their license from the state in which they work. Every state has different fire safety requirements and building codes.