From 21 to 22 of June, 2019, the II All-Russian Engineering Forum "PROPROJECT-2019" was held in Saratov.
PROproject is an annual thematic forum for specialists in fire safety design. Experts comment on the state of the market, talk about the most advanced and successful cases. The forum is an opportunity to discuss topical issues, solve problems and openly share experiences.
The delegates of the II All-Russian Forum "PROPROJECT-2019" were 130 specialists from 90 leading design organizations from 11 regions of Russia.
Alexander Korchagin, Chief Specialist of the Communications and Signaling Systems Department of the Metropolis Company, took part in the forum.
The central theme of the business program of the event was changes in the regulatory and technical documents for the design of fire protection systems.
On the first day of the forum, delegates discussed new versions of documents with developers from VNIIPO EMERCOM of Russia at the discussion club "Normative Field". Our colleague highly appreciated the report of Ivan Rybakov, head of the rationing sector in the field of fire automatics.
The backbone of the business program of the second day of the forum was made up of two working sessions at once:
1. «IT tools in design»;
2. «Protection of non-standard civil and industrial facilities».
Dmitry Kryukov, Head of the development department of RUBEZH, gave an overview of RUBEZH services for designers.
Alexander Korchagin
Alexander Korchagin commented on his participation in the forum: “Concerning fire regulations, designers now have many more questions than answers. From the developers of new editions of the rulebooks, we expect, first of all, clarity of wording. As a designer of warning and evacuation systems (PA/GA), who performs the electrical part, I do not understand a number of points in Code of Practice 3.
4.1 «The design documentation for PA/GA should contain an algorithm for the operation of the system, taking into account the provision of safe evacuation of people».
This paragraph forces the designer of PA/GA to take responsibility for the development of algorithms for evacuating people. But this is the prerogative of the fire safety measures developer.
4.2 «The information transmitted by the fire warning and evacuation management systems must comply with the information contained in the evacuation plans developed and placed on each floor of buildings».
It is not clear how to implement this requirement in practice.
4.3 «In PA/GA types 4 and 5, the size of fire warning zones, the start time of warning in various fire warning zones should be determined based on the conditions for ensuring the safe evacuation of people, taking into account the permissible fire risk».
There is no understanding of how to apply this requirement to the work algorithm, how to technically fulfill it and how to organize a phased evacuation in a building with a delay by floors.
The project industry also needs specifics and clarifications on the points of Code of Practice 5.
How to calculate people in a room by definition: “A room with more than 1 person per 1 m2 of a room with an area of 50 m2” (clause 3.71 of Code of Practice 5.13130-2009). Let's say that the trading floor of a store has an area of 400 m2, therefore, the presence of 50 people in the trading floor, according to Code of Practice 5, does not classify it as "premises with mass stay of people." Indeed, for this, based on the definition, the presence of 400 people on the trading floor is necessary.
Paragraph 14 of Code of Practice 5.13130.2009 establishes, for example, that “signals for automatic control of warning, smoke removal installations or engineering equipment of the facility should be generated in a time not exceeding the difference between the minimum value of the time for blocking escape routes and the evacuation time after a fire alert”. No section of the project documentation mentions the difference between the minimum value of the time for blocking escape routes and the time for evacuation after a fire alert. Who performs these calculations? Why are these calculations never done? These are unanswered questions.
According to Annex A of Code of Practice 5.13130.2009, in buildings and structures, all premises should be protected by appropriate automatic installations, regardless of area, except for premises:
- with wet processes (showers, lavatories, cold chambers, washing rooms, etc.);
- ventilation chambers (supply, as well as exhaust, not serving industrial premises of category A or B), pumping water supply, boiler rooms and other rooms for engineering equipment of the building, in which there are no combustible materials;
- categories B4 and D for fire hazard;
- staircases.
Why can't vestibules be added to this list? The vestibule does not have a fire load, is not categorized and is not a room. It turns out that we are forced to install a fire detector in the vestibule.
We would like to note the traditionally high level of organization of events from RUBEZH. We express our gratitude to the organizers for an interesting business program, which was attended by representatives of the following companies: Federal State Budgetary Institution VNIIPO Ministry of Emergency Situations, TM Sonar, RVi Group, PozhTechKabel, Pozhtekhnika, Vysotsky Consulting, NPG Granit-Salamander, Seagate.
