Date
6-2013
Degree Name
MS in Fire Protection Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Fred Mowrer and Chris Pascual
Abstract
This report is a Life Safety Analysis of the XYZ building in Colorado. It is a government contract facility and as such prefers that its real name and location not be utilized for this report. The building was assessed prescriptively using the 2009 International Building Code (IBC) and was found to be predominantly compliant with the code and the relevant referenced standards. The building was then assessed using a Performance Based Design in accordance with methodologies found and addressed in common fire protection literature. The Design Criteria chosen to determine tenability for the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) were Carbon Monoxide of 1200 ppm, Visibility of 6 meters, Temperature of 60°C and a Smoke Layer Height of 2 meters off the floor. Two Design Fire Scenarios were used to assess whether the tenability criteria could be met within the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET). The first fire was situated in the storage area of the shipping and receiving area. This was considered the highest challenge fire in the building. The second fire was a common office fire located on the 2nd floor as distal as possible from a means of egress. Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Smokeview were utilized to assess the time for the Design Criteria to be met and thus the ASET. Additionally, various calculations were performed by hand using formula obtained from the above referenced sources to calculate egress times and the RSET. All tenability criteria were met within the RSET with the exception of the Smoke Layer height, which failed by approximately 3 minutes in the office fire scenario and failed by 1 minute in the shipping area fire.
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/fpe_rpt/10
Project Presentation
DOI
10.15368/fperpt.2013.7