A Proactive Approach to Fire Safety During Construction

 

By Cecilia Beckham, P.E.

 

Fires can occur in buildings still under various stages of construction, and also when the construction is complete but not yet turned over to the owner. Fires occurring on construction sites can result in loss of life and substantial property loss. An estimated 4,800 construction site fires occur annually and result in millions of dollars in property loss a year. Additionally, there is always a safety risk to the responding fire departments in a fire event.

 

A contributing factor in these losses is that the fire suppression systems are not functioning at the time of the fire. Some examples of fires that occurred during construction are:

 

• A luxury apartment complex in Reno, Nevada, under construction was largely destroyed by a fire on July 2009.
• At the 520-foot Mandarin Oriental in Beijing, China, a fire broke out in February 2009 due to a firework display. The fire resulted in damages greater than US $588 million.
• In May 2009, the Dynetech Centre in Downtown Orlando, a high-rise building, was damaged by fire. There were no working sprinklers inside the building because they were being installed.
• In January 2007, a fire broke out in the 35-story Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai. Two workers died as a result of the fire that was caused by flame welding.
• The Al Nasr Twin Towers construction site in Qatar was twice hit by fire in 2006. Both were believed to have been caused by the use of flammable materials and a failure to store and handle them safely. At both times, the fire sprinkler systems were not yet operational.
• In March 2007, a fire that broke out in a tower under construction on Sheikh Zayed Road was caused by flammable building products stored haphazardly on the building's top floor. The fire sprinkler systems were not yet operational.

 

Fires that occur on construction sites during various stages of construction are commonly caused by welding, improper storage of hazardous and combustible materials, accumulations of combustible waste material, dust and debris, electrical problems, on-site smoking and arson.

 

The installation of a fire sprinkler system has proven that the systems are an effective method for controlling the spread of fire and reducing the loss of life and property. Having an operational fire sprinkler system as early as possible in the construction process is crucial to protecting the property, and in some cases, life.

 

Fire sprinkler systems are typically tested and inspected in two stages: rough inspection and finish inspection. During the rough inspection, the system is hydrostatically tested under pressure to ensure that the system has been correctly installed with no water leaks. Once accepted and approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), the water supply control valve is typically turned off, rendering the fire sprinkler system non-functional. The system is typically left out of service until construction within the building is nearly complete and the fire alarm monitoring system has been installed.

So the question becomes, “When is it the most efficient time to put a sprinkler system in service?”

 

The straightforward solution would be to activate the sprinkler system immediately at the time of installation. However, this is usually not the case, largely due to issues such as improper coverage of fire sprinklers due to incomplete construction (walls, ceilings) and possible construction damage to the fire sprinklers.

 

There is also the liability of an accidental discharge involved in activating the fire suppression systems in the early stages of construction. During construction, damage to the fire sprinkler system can be caused by multiple contractors working on the project. At times, failure of the system due to damage may not occur immediately and may occur after several hours, resulting in major water damage. Without proper monitoring by the fire alarm system, the fire sprinkler system could fail without any notification.

 

However, with proper pre-planning and taking a proactive approach to the fire safety during construction, one can take preventive measures to ensure minimal loss of property and life. It is important that at the start of any project that there is open communication between the owner, owner’s design representative, the insurance company and the AHJ to determine the project issues that impact an early operational mode of sprinkler system. It is also important to note that the AHJ must be willing to accept any temporary design required to allow for early sprinkler protection. All costs and risks should be discussed between all parties.

 

One possible solution would be to install a fire sprinkler system on a phase-to-phase basis in a predetermined area. For example, in a high-rise building each floor may be considered a separate phase. Temporary, low-cost brass fire sprinklers would be installed in one phase and the system would be hydrostatically tested and left in service. While the temporary sprinklers are not aesthetically appealing, their sole purpose would be to activate in a fire in that area during construction. As the construction for each phase nears completion, the temporary sprinklers could be carefully removed and the final sprinklers would be installed. The removed temporary fire sprinklers could possibly be reused in the following phase depending on the sprinkler condition and the construction schedule. Additionally, in order to provide an adequate level of supervision for the fire sprinkler system, a permanent fire alarm system main riser or a temporary circuit and control panel could be installed to allow for temporary monitoring to the water flow and tamper switches. Final sprinklers and a permanent final fire alarm system can be installed in accordance with the overall construction schedule.

 

This proactive work does require additional cost for the extra work and equipment. However, this additional work can be defined as an “alternate cost” in the bid documents and the cost can be seen up-front. This would allow the owner to weigh the insurance cost savings during construction, the dollar loss incurred as a result of construction delays caused by fire damage, and the loss of property against the cost of the additional temporary work.

 

Ultimately, a property owner will choose between the risks that one is willing to take against a fire occurring and the cost to effectively prevent a fire from causing severe damage. As fire protection professionals, we have a responsibility to reduce the risks to life and property.

 

Cecilia Beckham, P.E. is a senior consultant based in the Los Angeles-area office of Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc., a global leader in fire and life safety consulting. She can be reached at 714-257-3555, or at cbeckham@rjagroup.com.