• Fire Control • HVAC Room (FCR) • Utilities • Annunciator • Elevators Panels • Pressurized • Fire Detection Stairwells Systems

• Fire Protection

Systems

*Note: This is an overview only. The use and operation of these components will be discussed in future training sessions. Where the main control and the “brains” of the building are kept. Most of the mechanical controllers for the fire detection and fire protection systems for the building will be located here: • Annunciator Panel • Air Movement and Exhaust Controllers • Elevator Controls • Building Communication System • Stairwell Controls

• Usually located on the main floor of entry to the building. • Adjacent to the lobby area, possibly behind the front desk. May be a separate room in that vicinity. • Should be labeled on or next to the door.

• A panel which allows us to determine the type of detection and location. • Some are very simple and some are more complex. • Remember your job is simply to find out the problem and report the location of that problem.

Displays Fire Detection and Protection System information.

• Smoke • Heat • Water Flow Gives basic information regarding the fire detection systems.

Typically located at security desk. • Can be in other locations. • Smoke Detectors

• Heat Detectors

• Water Flow

• Manual Pull Stations • Sprinklers • Standpipes • Fire Department Connections (FDC’s) • Fire Pumps • Smoke Removal Systems • Pressurized Stairwells • Communications / PA Systems Designed to provide conditioned air throughout the structure by a duct work system. For reasons of economy and efficiency, these systems operate on the concept of re-circulating most of the air within the building. • Smoke, heat and contaminated air can quickly fill other parts of the building. There are essentially two types of HVAC systems: • Central System “Open” - meaning it serves more than one floor or location. • Non-Central System “Closed” - meaning it serves only one floor or location. • Usually these are very sophisticated ventilation systems, especially in newer types of construction. • Newer construction is required by law to have dampers in the system. – Smoke activated and designed to control and/or prevent the spread of fire products from the area of origin to other parts of the building. • May have smoke removal systems built into the HVAC system. – Designed to control the movement of air, and specifically smoke, during a fire. • System intended to provide a tenable environment for the evacuation or relocation of occupants. (2007 California Building Code)

• These systems are typically automatic, but may be manually controlled.

• Just like any other structure fire, don’t forget the utilities.  Gas  Water  Power • Remember in a High-Rise Fire, it is essential that you have control of the utilities. If you can’t find them, you can’t control them. • Power is usually located below the occupancy floors on parking levels.

• Most buildings will have sub panels and isolation shut-off valves for all utilities.

• Remember pre-planning is essential!

Gas and water shut-offs may be on parking levels or outside the building. • Electrical systems in high-rise buildings can be extremely complex and very hazardous under fire conditions. – They require a tremendous amount of power for building operations. • Much of this equipment will be located in the basement or parking levels of the building. – Makes it susceptible to flooding from broken pipes and water used to control a fire. • Sub-panels will typically be present to isolate specific floors. An emergency power supply, usually provided by a motor-driven generator, may be found in many high-rise buildings. • The building systems that receive power from the emergency system will vary and are usually dependent on the code requirements in effect when the building was constructed. – Older buildings may only have the emergency power serve exit lighting in the stair shafts. – Newer buildings may serve a large number of fire protection or life safety features: fire pumps, elevators and smoke removal systems. • Activation may be automatic when power is interrupted or it may require manual activation. • All high-rise buildings will have elevators. • A small residential high-rise building may have only one or two elevators. • Large commercial high-rise buildings will have numerous elevator cars and elevator banks. • An elevator bank is the vertical shaft which contain the hoist way(s). • The hoist way is the space in the vertical shaft of the bank, where the elevator car moves up and down. – There can be several hoist ways contained in one bank.

*Note: Elevators, their use and operations will be discussed in a future training session. In buildings with multiple elevators, all the hoist ways are usually in a common bank. • Taller high-rise buildings may have multiple “banks” of elevators. – Sometimes these “banks” are designed to serve only specific floors of the building. • These “banks” are referred to as “split banks.” • They can be configured so that some elevators serve only lower floors of the building, while others serve the upper floors.

• Smoke and heat under pressure at the fire floor can enter the hoist way, even if the hoist way doors are closed. – In newer, more modern high-rises, elevator vestibules with self-closing fire doors are designed to prevent this from happening. • These shafts act as chimneys and draw fire upward, where the heat may be sufficient to ignite materials on upper floors next to the hoist way. • Heat and smoke under pressure will force it out the hoist way doors and extend to the upper floors. • These shafts can also serve as funnels for water extending to the lower floors of the building, where the mechanical components of the structure are located. • Do you remember where the electrical systems are typically located? A type of smoke-control system in which stair shafts are mechanically pressurized with outdoor air to keep smoke from contaminating them during a fire incident. • A type of positive pressure smoke-proof enclosure. • Designed to provide occupants and firefighters a smoke-free environment while moving within the stairwell.

A special thank you to the High-Rise Committee for their work on this project. Director of Training LACoFD Training Services Section Battalion Chief Derek Alkonis (323) 881-2436