Types of fires that can start at schools

[dave bev]

rodders

[Graeme]

they won't understand that

fek off wi all ur txt type.The anser is Rod Stewart.

iz a bit ezier to understand.

[Pissarro]

You'll get some information off the internet if you type in the obvious search words.  If you confine yourself to certain domains in the advanced search such as ".ac.uk" you'll confine yourself to acedemic writing e.g. where a fire officer has a thesis published on a university site.  I remember coming across such a one a while back -- I think it was connected to Nottingham University -- best of luck in your studies.

[lucky]

Most school fires are the work of arsonists,there are a number started in science labs,faulty wiring etc,councils wont pay insurance if they can get away with it,they will pay for any damage,they are using forensic fire investigaters that are employed by the insurance ascociation,there have been a number of succesfull prosecutions but arson is stil a huge problem in some areas.Some councils have put in cctv,or static security guards in schools at night

[kurnal]

Sprinklers are the way forward.
Another big problem is that many are CLASP type buildings with interconnecting viods and cavities especially between floors and above ceilings. Once the fire gets in the voids it is almost impossible to stop.

[wee brian]

And how do sprinklers help with that?

[John Webb]

Put sprinklers in the voids? Needed if greatest distance between roof and ceiling exceeds 0.8m or if the voids contain combustible materials.
On the other hand CLASP schools are among those to go, I understand, under present DfE plans for school rebuilding, so perhaps the problem might go away eventually?

[wee brian]

So if my voids are less than 0.8m there won't be any fire spread - is that right?

[John Webb]

Of course not. Perhaps I should have said the BS/LPC TBs need sprinklers in the circumstances above, as opposed to putting them in to protect a weak structural point even if the BS does not require them.

It may be cheaper for buildings nearing the end of their life simply to cut off the voids by using appropriate fire barriers. But if a building is being refurbished and is being fitting with sprinklers in the normal places, then additional protection for known weak structural areas by modest extensions of of the sprinkler system might be more cost-effective. And possibly less likely to disturbance later in the life of the building?

[kurnal]

Wee B
You make a good point because it the fire gets into the voids in a clasp building then its all over sprinklers or not.
If vandals likewise push a wheely in against the outside of the building then sprinklers will not save it. But for fires that start inside rooms and corridors then the sprinklers should suppress it to the extent that it should not breach the voids.

Of course retro fitting sprinklers in an existing building is very difficult. Its the new school buildings that should be sprinklered. As a matter of course.

It makes you wonder what it is about the magic 800mm in voids- at 799mm I need no detection in the void according to BS5839 and no sprinklers according to BS12845 but at 801 mm I need both. How on earth are you supposed to maintain the sprinklers in a void in any case? You need inspection hatches beneath each head  which effectively rules out a good fire resisting ceiling.

Is there any valid  reason why I should not subdivide my 1000mm void with a  fire resisting barrier in the horizontal plane into two voids stacked on top of each other each of 500mm and thus not fit sprinklers or detection? ( All non combustible construction and no fire loading within )  Does this proposal provide an equivalent level of fire safety for both life and property protection?
All advice gratefully received.

[wee brian]

Kurnal

Thanks for spotting my criptic comment. What I was getting at was that sprinklers are great but you still need to construct your building properly, with cavity stops etc.

The magic 800mm is just good old committee wisdom. It would be unreasonable to expect people to provide sprinklers/and or detectors in evey void in the building (there are lots of them) so somebody had to pick a number.

Depending on the spray pattern of the sprinkler heads they may not be very effective in a shallow ceiling void, unless they are installed close together. (just a thought)

[nearlythere]

Im doin a portolio and i need examples of different fires that may start at school or in the work space!   eg. how does the fire start?

You just have to remember that there are 3 causes of fire. Men, woman and children.

[Big T]

And Dragons, Don't forget dragons.

[azadeshamsi]

Dear Students,

I work for the company that insures many of the schools in the UK.

Email me (click on "email" below this message) and I can share some facts and figures.  Basically as I alluded to above, most are deliberatly set.  Many result in a catasrophic fire.  

Chris.

hi chris
I am studing on  a case study about school,I need data sourses for simulation.Would you please help me?

[kurnal]

Chris rarely shows up here these days- what exactly are you needing?