FSMT320_Monte_Week3_Essay

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American Public University *

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320

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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1 Week 3 Essay Brandon S. Monte American Public University FSMT320 Fire Protection Structure & System Design Professor Mike Charter May 21, 2023
2 To determine a structure’s readiness for a fire emergency, there are many aspects of the building that must be considered. Using engineering and scientific principles for preventative measures of fire safety through fire safety engineering can reduce the risk of injury or loss of life. The size, occupancy, construction, hazards, and main use of the building can help determine what life safety systems need to be in place to achieve the safest living or working environment for those who occupy the structure. Life safety systems are in place to help keep the occupants of the building safe during emergencies such as gas leaks, fires, natural disasters, break-in’s, and power failures. Examples of life safety systems are automatic fire sprinklers, fire alarms, fire detection systems, extinguishers, intercoms, mass communication or notification systems, egress lighting, and centralized fire alarm station monitoring. The Fort Polk Army Installation has a multitude of military barracks structures which house the 3rd Brigade Combat Team and 10th Mountain Division. One of these military barracks structures is building 2274 located on 8285 Mississippi Avenue. An overview of this barracks building is it is a 3 story brick structure with 42,727 square ft of living space. On the first floor it has a laundry room, dayroom, mechanical room, and 10 dorm rooms. The dorm rooms each have their own kitchen and private bedroom. The second floor also has 10 dorm rooms and a small mechanical closet. The third floor has 10 dorm rooms and a small mechanical closet also. Each dorm room is suitable to accommodate one soldier with his own kitchen and private
3 bedroom. This barracks is less than 10 years old and was designed to eliminate mold and mildew issues that are common in south Louisiana buildings due to the humidity and hot summers. Engineers were able to accomplish this with the way they incorporated Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems (EIFS), also known as synthetic stucco. Building 2274 is a type 2 construction equipped with non-combustable walls, columns, floors, and partitions. Being a type 2 rates structure means that it has a one to two-hour rating of fire resistance to extreme temperatures, heat, and collapse. Fire Engineering design concerns of the facility worth noting are control of ignition, control of means of escape, detection, and control of spread. This particular barracks has sufficient means of egress with two easily assessable stair wells with illuminated exit signs and emergency flashing lights during alarm activations. A draw back to this facility is that all dorm room windows are permanently shut and have no means of opening. Fort Polk Fire Inspectors also conduct annual inspections of the facility which consist of thorough walk thru’s and fire alarm system checks. Moreover, fire detection capabilities of this facility include heat detectors and smoke detectors that are connected to a centrally monitored system (Monaco Enterprises) that is monitored through the Fort Polk Fire Dispatch center. Each room has multiple detectors and if one is removed from the wall, dispatch receives an alarm in the system therefor crews can respond to fix the problem. There are also duct detectors located in the HVAC systems. The fire alarm system alerts Fort Polk Fire Station which is
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