SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS TESTING
A smoke control system consists of mechanical and electrical components which manage the movement of smoke within a building during a fire event. These systems are designed to keep smoke out of certain areas of the building to protect occupants and first responders when evacuating.
Smoke control systems vary from building to building depending on their age and construction, but are usually comprised of pressurization fans and a series of ancillary devices like automatic door openers or a relay to disable the make-up air units. These devices are all connected to the fire panel and operate automatically when the system is in an alarm state.
WHY DO YOU NEED TESTING PROCEDURES?
The Ontario and National Fire Codes require regular testing of the smoke control systems in a building in order to ensure that they are operating properly in accordance with operation and test procedures designed by a Professional Engineer or Architect. Buildings are required to maintain records of these tests to prove compliance.
Recent high profile high-rise building fires have increased public interest in fire safety. Fire departments have increased their scrutiny of smoke control systems and are visiting buildings around the GTA to check procedures and records. If documentation does not meet the Code requirements, buildings are served with an Inspection Order with a very tight timeline to resolve the outstanding issues.
In addition to regulatory compliance, formal specifications for testing and maintenance procedures can also be used by property managers when tendering fire alarm and HVAC service contracts to ensure the contractors are submitting competitive prices on an established scope of work.
DOES ONTARIO FIRE CODE SECTION 7.3 APPLY TO MY BUILDING?
The requirements of this section apply to all residential high-rise buildings over 18m (approximately 6 storeys) in height, as well as certain commercial buildings (depending on their occupant load). This section of the OFC (Ontario Fire Code) requires smoke control equipment to be maintained to ensure that it is fully operational and tested in accordance with procedures designed by a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) or Architect.
It is a common misconception that once an engineered procedure has been obtained, it is sufficient to complete the annual fire alarm tests as usual. In fact, the OFC requires that the inspections and tests established in the procedures be implemented. Engineered procedures require testing at prescribed intervals, usually quarterly.
HOW CAN TFG HELP?
Having all the required trades on-site at the same time is expensive, difficult to coordinate, and ultimately unnecessary. Furthermore, service personnel, while qualified to operate the equipment, may not understand how the smoke control system is intended to operate. Most of the testing procedures are best and most efficiently completed by a single qualified person. Trace Fire Group (TFG) personnel are selected and trained to provide industry-leading expertise in the testing of smoke control systems. A single member of our staff can replace two or more service contractors. By retaining TFG to complete the periodic smoke control testing, corporations can expect considerable annual savings over the cost of completing testing with service contractors.