Designing Life Safety Systems for Buildings

Life safety systems help to keep us safe, and to limit the needless loss of lives and livelihoods. All commercial, industrial, and residential buildings utilize some form of life safety systems. These systems can include fire alarms, sprinkler systems, emergency lights and exit signs.

Life safety systems continuously monitor conditions within the space and will activate to:

• Alert people of a potentially life-threatening fire hazard;
• Give occupants as much time as possible to respond;
• Limit property damage by containing a hazard until the local fire department arrives;
• Provide direction and light to safe passage when the main power systems fails.

Managing the Complexity of Building Life Safety Systems

Consulting engineers design life safety systems such as:

• Fire alarms systems to get people out alive. The latest technology is used to detect a fire as quickly as possible. These systems must activate quickly so that occupants have more time to safely vacate the premises, and emergency response units have as much time as possible to respond to the situation.
• Fire protection systems include sprinkler systems for buildings and fire suppression systems for commercial kitchens in restaurants. These systems limit the spread of fire from room to room and from building to building.
• Exit signs show the way out of the building and are meant to remain illuminated for some time after the power goes out, helping to ensure that occupants can find their way out of the building.
• Emergency lighting systems illuminate a safe way out even when the main power is out. Residential suites in multi-unit residential buildings do not require emergency lighting systems, but the public halls and stairwells do.

These complex systems must meet building code requirements for the different types, usages and occupancy levels of buildings. For example, fire alarm systems are required for restaurants that have more than 150 occupants while cafes do not require them unless the larger building has one. The level of risk for a certain type of building or business is based on decades' worth of data on unfortunate disasters across North America.

When older buildings undergo renovations, they must be brought up to modern standards, sometimes at significant costs. The goal is to reduce the loss of life and property.

These complex systems can work separately and sometimes together. For instance, exit signage and emergency lighting systems can be in combination. Sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems usually go hand-in-hand, while some buildings may only require a fire alarm system.

Life Safety Systems - What To Expect

Life safety systems can be overwhelming, especially for existing buildings that require a renovation. These projects needs to comply with the most modern building regulations set out in the building code.

Paralynx Engineering and our partner consulting firms offer a complete design and verification of life safety system design for industrial, commercial and multi-story residential buildings in Alberta and BC. Our mechanical engineering consulting partners provide fire protection systems that include:

• Sprinklers;
• Dry sprinker systems;
• Fire pumps;
• Deluge, standpipe and fire extinguishers;
• Foam systems and fog mist systems.

Our electrical engineering consulting expertise includes a variety of buildings, of many sizes and functions. Some of our past projects include:

• Airport holding rooms;
• Multi-unit residential buildings;
• Commercial buildings;
• Restaurants and other TI developments (tenant improvement projects) ;
• Industrial warehouses.

The designs are then issued for tender to contractors so that you can:

• Choose the best price;
• Choose from a number of certified manufacturers, instead of being tied to just one;
• Get guidance from an independent engineer. We are not tied to a specific manufacturer.

Each customized design is up-to-date with national, provincial, and municipal regulations.

Accidents happen. Lives and livelihoods depend on life safety systems being in place. From exit signs to emergency lighting systems, from sprinkler systems to fire alarms, the goal is to minimize the loss of life and property.

CAN/ULC S1001 Integrated Systems Testing

Since 2015, the BC Building Code has required Integrated Systems Testing (IST) for all new buildings. This is a high-level test that ensures that every life-safety system in the building not only works on its own, but also works together as a whole. The goal is to reduce risks to people and property by verifying that the different systems interact the way they're intended.

Some of systems included in IST are:

• Fire alarms
• Sprinklers
• Call-out monitoring units
• Backup generators
• Parkade CO/NO detection with exhaust fans
• HVAC systems used in smoke control
• Elevator operation during a fire alarm.

It's important to note that Integrated Systems Testing isn't a repeat of the usual system-by-system tests. Under the CAN/ULC S1001 standard, IST is specifically about checking the connections and interactions between systems and ensuring that everything responds correctly in real-life scenarios.

Paralynx Engineering performs Integrated Systems Testing on buildings across BC, and often see common issues, such as:

• Access controls not releasing doors and gates when a fire alarm goes off,
• Fire alarm monitoring systems not configured correctly with their communication lines,
• HVAC systems crossing fire compartments that don't shut down during a fire event,
• Sprinkler leaks that fail to trigger a call-out, sometimes flooding offices,
• Emergency lights that stay off because they aren't tied into the backup generators.

In British Columbia, Integrated Systems Testing is required prior to building occupancy. It must then be repeated 1 year afterwards, and then every 5 years. Paralynx Engineering will prepare the plans and reports to ensure the process is Being safe means being prepared.

Contact us to see how we can help with your next life safety system, or to book an Integrated Systems Test for your building.

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