“This is very important as too often, mechanical equipment is installed in a manner that makes regular inspection, testing, and maintenance very difficult or infeasible,’’ said Solomon. “The vent layout as presented on the contract plans is also critical. The vent size, arrangement, and geometry are often based around the location of draft curtains and intended storage configurations. Deviations for the vent location may impact their effectiveness. Any changes from the original design need to be carefully evaluated.”
The decision to provide smoke and heat vents should be made by an engineer, as there are cases in which their inclusion is not appropriate.
“Vents should not be provided if the building is equipped with an early suppression, fast response (ESFR) sprinkler system or if an alternative means of smoke ventilation is provided, such as an active smoke-control or smoke-evacuation system,’’ Solomon said. “The benefits of smoke and heat vents are also highly dependent on the size and geometry of the building and the expected size of the fire. They are most effective in large, open spaces with high ceilings with a significant fuel load.”
Vents operate best in such spaces because large, open areas allow for the escape of smoke and gases and do not contribute to the rapid buildup of smoke within the building.
Vents versus sprinklers
Smoke vents and sprinkler systems serve different fire-protection and life-safety purposes. Sprinklers control or suppress a fire until the fire department can respond to extinguish it. Smoke vents allow for smoke and heat to leave the building, which can help increase the safe egress time for building occupants. They will also allow for increased visibility for both occupants and firefighters and reduce interior temperatures for firefighting operations.
“Proper operation of an automatic sprinkler system should result in a reduction in the amount of smoke produced,’’ Koffel said. “There are fire scenarios, especially in storage occupancies, in which a considerable amount of smoke is still produced.”
This can be mitigated with the inclusion of an appropriate number of smoke vents, which open with the melting of a link.
According to Solomon, there is also some concern vents may create a vacuum effect and bring more outside air into the building or pull a fire in the direction of a smoke vent, helping it continue to grow and spread.
“While smoke and heat vents do increase entrained air into the building, the benefits from the significant reduction of the amount of smoke and superheated gases in the space usually outweigh the possible fire growth due to the entrained air,’’ he explained.
A critical piece of fire protection
Whether the project in question is a theater in Utah or a cold-storage building in Ohio, smoke vents can be an essential part of a fire-protection plan. Lives and businesses can be saved. Theaters, especially those as technologically sophisticated as the Hale Centre, can be susceptible to fire. Technological features introduce more elements that could cause a fire, such as wiring, increased electrical load, and electric cables.
Stage technology has become so advanced, NFPA’s research affiliate, the Fire Protection Research Foundation, wrote a report in 2009 addressing fire-protective measures at theaters. According to the report, “it is desirable a fire-safety curtain and roof vents are activated prior to sprinklers,” and the vents should be “tied to a relatively responding rate-of-rise heat detectors, preferably ceiling mounted.”
“Smoke vents were such an important part of this,’’ Beecher said about the Hale Centre project. “We know they will operate if there is an actual fire. We needed to make sure if a fire did occur, everyone could exit safely.”
Cold-storage constructor Tippmann Innovation designed a state-of-the-art facility for Dick Cold Storage, and the smoke vents give Don Dick, its CEO, peace of mind a tragedy of similar proportions will not hurt his business.
“We were surprised at how quickly the team at Tippmann Innovation was able to meet with us after the fire,’’ said Dick. “Their combined expertise and experience allowed us to immediately begin making plans to replace our warehouse. The upgraded technologies in the new facility allow us to have peace of mind about the future growth and safety of the warehouse.”
In many commercial industries, smoke vents play an integral part in fire-protection plans. They can be an important piece of equipment in saving lives and protecting property.
