F is for Fire - A Dictionary of Key Fire Terminology

182 Pages·2007·3.837 MB·182\182

by  Hodgson, Peter, Christian, Don

F is for Fire
A Dictionary of Key Fire Terminology
Peter Hodgson and Don Christian
FirstpublishedintheUKin2007
by
BSI
389ChiswickHighRoad
LondonW44AL
©BritishStandardsInstitution2007
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AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN9780-580-50222-4
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Introduction
Terminologyisessentialforspecialistsinallfieldsofwork.Thisisparticularlytruefor
firesafetyspecialistsworkinginmanycountriesacrosstheworld.Theneedforcommon
meaningsfortermsusedwithinthedisciplinecannotbeoveremphasized.Thispublica-
tionattemptstobringtogetherthecommontermsandtheirdefinitions,asusedthrough-
outtheworldoffiresafety,toenableabetterunderstandingofthesubject.
The principal technical committee concerned with fire safety within Europe is
CENTC127–FireSafetyinBuildings.ThisEuropeancommitteehasbeenmandatedby
theEuropeanCommissiontoprepareallthetechnicalstandardsinsupportoftheCon-
structionProductsDirective(CouncilDirective89/106/EEC)forfireresistancetesting
andmeasuringreactiontofireproperties.IthasbeennecessaryforTC127toagreedefi-
nitionsandterminologyforuseinallthedocumentsandstandardsithasproduced.The
technicalcommitteesdraftingstandardsforindividualproductsarecommittedtoutilize
theagreeddefinitionsandterminologyofTC127.
Compositedefinitionsareprovidedforsometermsbecausetherearecurrentlyanum-
berofdifferentdefinitionsbeingusedforasingletermand,insomecases,anumberof
termsrelatingtothesamedefinition,dependinguponthedocumentsoneisusingatthe
time.Byprovidingasingledefinitionforeachterm,wherethisispossible,wehopeto
alleviatetheconfusionwhichcurrentlyoccurs.Thispublicationhasdealtwiththisprob-
leminlinewithcurrentISOstandardsforterminology.
Fordetailedreferencesandexplanationsonterminologyitisrecommendedthatthe
readerconsultthefollowing:
– ISO704:2000Terminologywork—Principlesandmethods
– ISO1087-1:2000Terminologywork–Vocabulary—Part1:Theoryandapplication
– ISO10241:1992Internationalterminologystandards—Preparationandlayout.
ThetermsanddefinitionsinthisbookareeitherquotedverbatimoradaptedfromBrit-
ishStandards,InternationalStandardsorotherpublisheddocuments.Thesourcedocu-
mentiscitedaftereachdefinition.TheBibliographyprovidesfulldetailsofthesource
documents.IfthesourceisaBSoranISOthathasbeenwithdrawn,thereisanasterisk
beforeit.Forexample,*BS5810or*ISO3261.
Introduction x
Within this publication, in most cases, terms related to a common field are listed
together.Forexample,alltermsrelatedtofireextinguishersarelistedtogether.Where
thisdoesnotoccurnaturallyfromthealphabeticalorderthenameofthecommonfieldis
theleadingword,underwhichthetermislisted,andtherestofthetermisinsideangled
brackets, < >. Terms are listed in alphabetical order and cross-referenced within the
book,forexample:
fireextinguisher Seeextinguisher.
BS4422
fireextinguisher<aerosol> Smalldispos-
ablecontainerincorporatingavalveandcon-
tainingafireextinguishingmediumkept
undergreaterthanatmosphericpressureby
meansofapropellant.Thecontentsaredis-
chargedwhenthevalveisoperated.
BS6165
fire extinguisher <foam, chemical> See
foamfireextinguisher<chemical>.
BS5306-3
fire extinguisher <foam, gas cartridge>
See foam fire extinguisher <mechanical
gascartridge>.
BS5306-3
fireextinguisher<foam,storedpressure>
See foam fire extinguisher <mechanical
storedpressure>.
BS5306-3
fireextinguisher<gascartridge,operated>
Extinguisherinwhichthepressureforexpul-
sion of the medium from the body of the
extinguisherisproducedbytheopeningat
thetimeofuse,ofacompressedorliquefied
gascartridge.
ISO8421-4
fireextinguisher<powder,gascartridge>
Extinguisher containing powder that is
expelled by pressure released from a gas
cartridge.
*BS4422-4
Thisdictionaryaimstoprovideyouwithadefinitivecatalogueoffireterms,whichcan
beusedbyallfiresafetyspecialists.Wehopethatyouwillfindituseful.
PeterHodgsonandDonChristian
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction ix
TheDictionary 1
AcronymsusedinFireSafety 155
Bibliography 167
The Dictionary
A
ablativematerials Materialswhichgradu- access room Room which forms the only
allyerodeundertheinfluenceofheatand escaperoutefromaninnerroom.
canbeusedtoinsulate/protectadjacentele- BS5588-6
ments.
BS4422 accessible Withrespecttobuildingsorparts
ofbuildings,meansthataccessisfacilitated
abnormalheat<electrotechnical> Heatthat fordisabledpersons.
isadditionaltothatresultingfromuseunder Approved Document M – Access to and
normalconditions,uptoandincludingthat UseofBuildings.2006.
whichcausesafire.
accessiblearea Areatowhichdisabledpeo-
FDIS13943
ple, including wheelchair users, may gain
access.
accelerator Seesprinkleraccelerator.
*BS5810
BS4422
accommodationstairway Stairway, addi-
acceptancecriteria Qualitativeandquanti-
tionaltothatorthoserequiredforescape,
tativecriteriawhichformanacceptablebasis
providedfortheconvenienceofoccupants.
forassessingthesafetyofabuiltenviron-
BS5588-8
mentdesign.
FDIS13943
achievablemaximumconcentration Con-
centration (as a percentage by volume)
accessdeck Seedeckaccesss.
whichwouldbeproducedinthenetvolume
BS5588-1 of a protected enclosure, by the uniform
distributionofextinguishinggas,including
accesslevel<toabuilding> Levelatwhich
anyforextendeddischarge,dischargedby
thereissuitableentrytothebuildingfrom
thesystem.
anareatowhichfireserviceapplianceshave
BS5306-5.1
access.
PD7974-5 acknowledgementsignal Signaltransmit-
tedbacksolelyasaresultofthereceptionof
accesslevel<toequipment> Oneofsev- anothersignal,e.g.asignalreceivedatthe
eralstatesofafirealarmcontrolandindi- call-out pointof a remote control system
catingequipmentinwhichselected: indicatingthatremoteequipmenthasoper-
– controlscanbeoperated; ated.Itmaynot,however,indicatethatother
– manualoperationscanbecarriedout; alertingsystemslinkedtotheremoteequip-
– indicationsarevisible;and/or mentareinfactoperating.
– informationcanbeobtained. FireServiceTrainingManual
BSEN54-2
actionplan Measuresidentifiedinthecourse
access panel Fire resistant panel used to ofthefireriskassessmentthatneedtobe
gainaccesstoserviceductsandshafts. implementedtoensuretherequiredlevelof
Approved Document B (Fire safety) – firesafetyisachievedormaintained.
Volume1:Dwellinghouses(2000Edition) PAS79
activationtime 4
activationtime Timeintervalfromresponse aerial appliance Fire appliance incorpo-
byasensingdeviceuntilthesuppression rating a turntable ladder or a hydraulic
system, smoke control system, alarm platform.
systemorotherfiresafetysystemisfully ISO8421-8
operational.
FDIS13943 AFFF Seefoamconcentrate<aqueousfilm
forming(AFFF)>.
activefireprotectionsystem Seefirepro- BS4422
tectionsystem<active>.
BS4422
afterflame Flame which persists after the
ignitionsourcehasbeenremoved.
actualcalorificvalueheatrelease Calo-
BSENISO13943
rificenergyperunitmasswhichisreleased
by the combustion of a material under
afterflametime
specifiedtestconditions.
durationofflame Lengthoftimeforwhich
Note Itisexpressedin Jkg–1. anafterflamepersistsunderspecifiedcon-
BSISO4880 ditions.
Note Itisexpressedin s.
actualdelivereddensity(ADD) Seesprin-
BSENISO13943
kler<actualdelivereddensity(ADD)>.
FDIS13943
afterglow Persistenceofglowingcombus-
tion after both removal of the ignition
actuatingdetector Formoffiredetector,
notpartofafirealarmsystem,usedtoactuate source and the cessation of any flaming
subsidiaryfireprotectionequipment. combustion.
BS4422 BSENISO13943
acute toxicity Toxicity which causes rap- afterglowtime Lengthoftimeforwhichan
idlyoccurringpoisonouseffects. afterglow persists under specified condi-
FDIS13943 tions.
Note Itisexpressedin s.
addressablepoint Point that can be indi-
BSENISO13943
viduallyidentifiedatthefirealarmcontrol
andindicatingequipment.
agentoutlet Oneormoreorificesofapip-
BSEN54-2
ing system by means of which an extin-
guishingfluidcanbeappliedtowardsafire
addressablesystem Systeminwhichsig-
source.
nals from each fire detector and/or fire
FDIS13943
alarmmanualcallpointareindividually
identified at the fire alarm control and
indicatingequipment. airbag Rubber-coatedreinforcedbagwhich,
BS5839-6 when inflated by compressed air, expands
toliftormoveheavyobjects.
adjustablesensitivitydetector Firedetec- ISO8421-8
tor,theresponsethresholdofwhichcanbe
variedwithindetectorspecifiedlimitswith- airchisel Compressedairoperatedtoolwith
outpermanentindicationofsuchvariation. assortedcuttingattachmentsusedtocutmetal.
BS4422 ISO8421-8
5 airhandlingvoid
airhandlingvoid alarmreceivingcentre Continuouslymanned
plenum Duct,usuallyaceilingorfloorvoid, premises,remotefromthoseinwhichafire
whichformspartofeitherthesupplyorthe alarmsystemisfitted,wheretheinforma-
returnairdistributionsystem. tionconcerningthestateofthefirealarm
BS5588-9 system is displayed and/or recorded, so
thatthefireandrescueservicecanbesum-
airinlet moned.
airintake Openingthroughwhichairissup- PAS79
plied.
BS4422 alarmsilencefacility Meansoftemporarily
disablingordesensitizingasmokealarm.
airrelease Meansbywhichpressurizingair BS4422
isabletoescapefromanominallyunpres-
surizedspacetoexternalair. alarmtestvalve Seesprinkleralarmtest
BS4422 valve.
BS4422
airsaw Sawoperatedbycompressedair.
alarmtime Timeintervalbetweenignition
ISO8421-8
ofafireandactivationofanalarm.
airtransfergrille Fixedgrille,notconnected Note Thetimeofignitionmaybeknown,
totheductworksystem,allowingthefree e.g.inthecaseofafiremodelorafiretest,
transferofairbetweenadjacentspaces. oritmaybeassumed,e.g.itmaybebased
DD9999 upon an estimate working back from the
time of detection. The basis on which the
air-entrainment Mixingofambientairinto timeofignitionisdeterminedneedstobe
ajetorplumeofgasorliquidasaresultof stated.
momentumtransfer.
FDIS13943
PD7974-2
alarmvalve Seesprinkleralarmvalve.
alarm Operationofaudibleandvisibleannun-
BS4422
ciators.
*BS5345-5 alarm valve <alternate> See sprinkler
alarmvalve<alternate>.
alarmcondition Conditioninwhichafire
BSEN12845
detectorisgivingasignalspecifiedasindi-
catingthepossibleexistenceofafire. alarm valve <composite> See sprinkler
BS4422 alarmvalve<composite>.
*BS4422-4
alarmindication Indicationattheindicat-
ing equipment to show that a detection alarmvalve<dry> Seesprinkleralarmvalve
signalhasbeenreceived. <dry>.
BS4422 BSEN12845
alarmoffire Warningoffire,originatedby alarm valve <pre-action> See sprinkler
apersonorbyanautomaticdevice. alarmvalve<pre-action>.
BS4422 BSEN12845
alarm of fire <false> See false alarm of alarm valve <recycling> See sprinkler
fire. alarmvalve<recycling>.
ISO8421-3 BS5306-2
alarmvalve<wet> 6
alarm valve <wet> See sprinkler alarm alternativeexit Oneoftwoormoreexits,
valve<wet>. eachofwhichisseparatefromtheother.
BSEN12845 BS4422
alarmzone Geographicalsub-divisionofthe AMAO Seesprinkler<assumedmaximum
protectedpremisesinwhichanalarmof areaofoperation(AMAO)>.
firecanbegivenseparatelyfromanyother BS4422
sub-division.
BS4422 ambientcondition Propertyofthesurround-
ingsoutsidetheinfluenceofafire.
alcohol resistant foam concentrate See PD7974-2
foamconcentrate<alcoholresistant>.
analogue detector Detector which gives
ISO8421-4
an output signal representing the value of
alerter system Call-out system utilizing thesensedphenomenon.
pocket-alerters, carried by retained fire- Note Thiscanbeatrueanaloguesignalor
fighters,whicharetriggeredbyaradiosig- adigitallyencodedequivalentofthesensed
nalremotelytransmitted. value.
FireServiceManual:FireServiceTechnol- BS4422
ogy,EquipmentandMedia–FireService
Equipment –Inspection and Testing of anchoring<foraconveyorsystem> Means
EquipmentVol1 ofattachmentoftheclosureforaconveyor
system to the various components of the
alight(adjective) Undergoingcombustion. supportingorassociatedsupportingcon-
FDIS13943 struction <for a conveyor system> to
ensurecorrectfunctioning.
allowabletraveltime Timetoescapefrom
BSEN1366-7
abuildingtoaplaceofsafetyor,insome
circumstances,aprotectedzone. ancillaryaccommodation Allpartsofthe
DD9999 buildingthatareancillarytothemainuseof
the building and under the control of the
alphanumericdisplay Indicatorcapableof managementoftheoverallpremises.
givinginformationbythedisplayofmes-
BS5588-11
sages consisting of text and/or numeric
characters. ancillaryservice
BSEN54-2 ancillarydevice Device,facilityorsystem
whichisrequiredtooperateinresponsetoa
alterablememory Memorywhosecontents firealarmsignal.
canbealteredaspartoftheoperationofthe BS4422
controlandindicatingequipmentwithout
theuseofanyspecialprogrammingdevice applianceventilationduct Ductprovided
externaltothesystem. toconveycombustedairthroughagasappli-
*BS5839-4 ance.
Approved Document B (Fire safety) –
alternative escape route Escape route Volume1:Dwellinghouses(2006Edition)
sufficientlyseparatedbyeitherdirectionand
space, or by fire-resisting construction, to applicator Extensiontubeforaspraynoz-
ensurethatoneisstillavailableshouldthe zletoenableanoperatortoapplysprayto
otherbeaffectedbyfire. otherwiseinaccessibleplaces.
BS4422 FireServiceTrainingManual