Date
3-2017
Degree Name
MS in Fire Protection Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Frederick Mowrer and Christopher Pascual
Abstract
This report covers the fire protection features of the Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics located on Cal Poly Campus San Luis Obispo California. The prescriptive analysis of the building will focus on the structural fire protection, egress, fire suppression, fire alarm and detection systems to determine if the meet current codes and standards. The performance based analysis will discuss certain methods and design fire scenarios that can be present within the building and the buildings ability to protect occupants until they can exit safely.
The purpose of this report is to determine if the selected building is compliant with current and up to date codes and standards by analyzing the fire protection systems used. The fire protection systems analyzed for this report are the structural fire protection, egress, fire suppression, fire alarm and detection systems. Each system was analyzed using the applicable codes below: International Building Code (IBC) 2015, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (LSC) 2015, NFPA 13 Standard for Installation of Sprinkler Systems 2013, NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code 2013, NFPA 25 Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water based Fire Protection Systems, and SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering 4th& 5th Edition.
It was determine that Warren J Baker Center for Science and Mathematics structural fire protection, egress, fire suppression system, and fire alarm and detection systems complied with all applicable codes and standards.
The performance based analysis. This analysis covers typical fire scenarios present in this building and analysis of the atrium. Each section is a summary of the results and assumptions used to evaluate the building. This includes the recommendations and conclusions determined by this analysis. The performance based sections are listed below. Fire Scenario Selections in Atrium:
The primary objective is to meet specific tenability criteria to limit exposures to occupants. (NFPA 101 LSC 2015 Chapter 5) There are methods used to evaluate and limit untenable conditions that occupants may be exposed too. The method used to evaluate was method 1 where the design team can set detailed performance criteria to ensure that occupants are not incapacitated by fire effects. This design fire 1 is based on scenario 6 from the LSC 2015. The fire is located on the second floor in a seating area within the atrium. The area is fully sprinkled and is the largest fuel area that would affect the most floors if there was a fire. The fire will become sprinkler controlled at some point during the fire and there will be activation of the smoke management system. This design fire is based on scenario 8 from the LSC 2015. The fire is located on the second floor in the atrium opening. This fire will not be sprinkler controlled but activation of the smoke management system will occur. The fire detection system will activate but there will be no suppression of the fire.
The results from both scenarios indicated that all tenable conditions were maintain for the time limit of 600 seconds except for visibility. The visibility requirement of 10 meters was lost about 170 seconds within both fire scenarios and were well below the RSET value discussed later in this report. A recommendation was made to replace the passive naturally ventilated smoke management system with a mechanical smoke management system to help with exhausting smoke within the atrium and maintaining the visibility for a longer period. The other recommendation was to implement a phased evacuation plan for the building. The phased evacuation would use the horizontal exits within the building to compartmentalize the wings and atrium from one another. Then using the voice communication system in the building to coordinate and direct occupants on whether they should stay in place and who should evacuate.
These performance based sections using current codes and standards listed below: International Building Code (IBC) 2015, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code Handbook (LSC) 2015, NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code 2013, and SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, 5th edition.
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/fpe_rpt/79
Final Presentation