Fire Safety in Tall Building: Performance-Based Solutions Chris Jelenewicz, P.E., FSFPE
Kingdom Tower -- Jeddah
Central Park Tower
Philadelphia, PA One Meridian Plaza February 23, 1991
SFPE/ICC Guide • Partnership SFPE/ICC • Does Not Define “Tall Building” • Not a substitute for a Building Code • Identifies challenges & provides inside on how to address in PBD context
Challenges Emergency Egress Fire Resistance Smoke Control Suppression Facades Construction/Demo First Responder Issues
Other Challenges in Guide • International Practices • Hazard & Risk Analysis • Integration of Building Systems • System Reliability • Detection & Alarm • Commissioning
Why PBD? • Evaluate designs of fire protection measures to achieve stated objectives • Support alternatives to prescriptive- based code requirements • Evaluate the building fire safety as a whole • Prescriptive codes can stifle innovation
Design Fire Scenario Standard (under development) Couples: • Scenario • Design Fire • Acceptance Criteria
Design Fires
Estimate Fire Growth Rate
Evacuation Strategy • Simultaneous • Phased/Progressive • Refuge Floors/Areas • Sky Bridges • Evacuation Elevators • Combinations
Based-On • Egress Goals • Occupants Characteristics • Building Characteristics • Evacuation Scenarios • Emergency Management Personnel
Simultaneous Evacuation • Popular After 9/11 • Discharge? • Stairs Only? • No preference to those in danger • High demand on stairs • Other Emergencies • Assessment of Total Evacuation Systems for Tall Buildings (NFPA Foundation)
Phased/Progressive Evacuation • Local Regulations • Information Age – Difficult • Efficient Use of Stairs • Evacuate Those in Danger First • Not Good for All Emergencies
Refuge Floors
Refuge Floors in Hong Kong • Refuge Floor 20-25 Floors • Fire Separations • 50% of Floor Dedicated to Refuge • Fire Safety Strategies for Supertall Buildings in Hong Kong, W.K. Chow, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
The Strand-42 floors 500 West 43rd Street February 2014-NYC York, NY
Protect in Place • Refuge Areas – Residential • Occupant Response During a Residential Highrise Fire, CRC Canada, Guylène Proulx
Sky Bridge -- Petronas Towers
Evacuation Elevators • Model Codes Have Provisions • Access for Disabled • Protection (Shaft, Machine Room) • Smoke Control • Back-up Power • Communication • NIST Report -- The Use of Elevators for Evacuation in Fire Emergencies in International Buildings
Fire Resistance
Structural Fire Engineering
Smoke Control
Stack Effect
Piston Effect
Wind Effect
Pressure Zones Suppression Considerations
Without Tank
Express Risers
Facades/Exterior Wall Assemblies
Tamweel Tower, Dubai, November 2012 • Cigarette discarded onto pile of waste materials left by workers next to building • 5-1/2 hr. fire duration • Fire spread to interior residential units
Marina Torch, Dubai, February 21, 2015 • Source of ignition: barbecue grill on 51st floor balcony • Fire damage extended 28 stories to top of building • 101 apartments damaged
Dubai January 1, 2016 • Address Hotel
New York, NY Deutsche Bank Fire August 18, 2007
Two Career Fire Fighters Die Following a Seven-Alarm Fire in a High-Rise Building Undergoing Simultaneous Deconstruction and Asbestos Abatement — NIOSH
Construction & Demolition • Careful Planning/Design • Water Supply • Fire Suppression • Standpipe Systems • Egress Systems
Where is F/F Intervention?
Fire Responder Issues Command & Control Communications Building Access Operations Rooftop Helipads
OSHA Guide Fire Service Features of Buildings and Fire Protection Systems
SFPE Handbook 5 th Edition
e-Book
New Content • Human behavior in fire -- egress system design, occupant evacuation scenarios, combustion toxicity, and data for human behavior analysis • Fire protection systems -- selection of fire safety systems, system activation and controls, and CO2 systems. • Recent advances in fire resistance design • New chapters on industrial fire protection, including vapor clouds, effects of thermal radiation on people, BLEVEs, dust explosions and gas and vapor explosions.
Annual Meeting
New Committee Structure
Career Resources www.SFPE.org
Thanks to Simpson, Gumpertz & Heiger for the use of photos. Feel free to contact me at chris@sfpe.org
Recommend
More recommend
