What is the Purpose of a Smoke Management System?

 

Smoke control systems, or smoke management systems, as they are called by many, happen to be the mechanical systems that regulate the movement of smoke during a fire. The purpose of installing most of these systems is for protecting occupants when they are evacuating from a building or being sheltered in place. The commonest systems whose citations are provided in the present codes are atrium smoke exhaust systems and stair-pressurization systems. In certain categorical cases, zoned smoke control systems may be offered by fire alarm systems in Glendora. These floors or feature zones are either pressurized or exhausted to prevent smoke from spreading. 

 

The IBC entails necessary provisions for any smoke management system. Designers may come across National Fire Protection Association’s or NFPA’s detailed provisions in two non-mandatory documents. They are the Guide for Smoke Management Systems in Malls, Atria, and Large Areas (NFPA 92B) and the Recommended Practice for Smoke Control Systems (NFPA 92A). 

 

The manual controls necessitated or offered for smoke control systems are a primary consideration for the best fire alarm service in Glendora. These manual controls can forbid automatic controls from triggering off these systems. Once fire department personnel reach the spot, they can inspect if the automatic modes are as functional as they are supposed to be. Then incident commanders may employ the manual controls to choose a different mode or switch off any given zone. These controls must disallow any other manual or automatic controls at any other location. 

 

An easy-to-operate and uncomplicated control panel with manual switches for the smoke management system will facilitate a firefighter who could be trying to decode how the controls function immediately after waking up in the middle of the night. Moreover, just like annunciators, the fire department may have certain requirements or recommendations and may opt for the uniformity of panels within their jurisdiction. 

 

Both NFPA 92A and the IBC necessitate status indicators for each damper, fan, and other device. The ICC mandates individual controls for each of these devices. However, it allows them to be amalgamated for complex systems. A system doesn’t have to be very large to be considered complex. 

 

A superior quality, easy panel layout may feature a single switch for every system or zone. All the various positions of the switch place the system in a given mode, and the relative activation or setting of the individual devices would be formed behind the scenes. We can cite the example of a stair pressurization system that might feature a three-position switch for each of the three modes, which are ‘automatic,” “pressurize,” and “off.” 

If you have a close look at a properly designed and easily comprehensible diagram of a smoke control panel, you will find that each system comprises a single, clearly labeled switch for selecting each mode. 

 

Frequently, zoned smoke control systems are aligned with each floor as an isolated zone. In other instances, a floor may be divided into several zones. These must be indicated by a graphic display, either on or adjacent to the smoke control panel. You must remember this once you opt for a fire alarm in Glendora. 

 

Inference 

 

It must be noted that designers must not confuse smoke management systems with smoke or heat venting systems as the latter are mechanical systems to remove smoke. Often, they are aligned exclusively for manual activation. In certain instances, they remove smoke only after an incident.