Canute LLP are pleased to announce that it has been accepted as a member of the European Fire Sprinkler Network. The EFSN is a coalition of fire safety, political and other relevant communities which encourages the use of fire sprinklers to save lives and protect property and the environment.

John Moore, partner at Canute LLP said "We are very pleased to be able to support the work of the EFSN and to be part of the wider fire sprinkler community in Europe. It's by working together that we can both educate and expand the market and help reduce fire deaths; helping to make the world a safer place"

The European Fire Sprinkler Network collects and distributes accurate information about fire losses and fire sprinklers, and connects and supports those who believe that fitting fire sprinklers is essential to help Europe save itself from fire.

Working with its members, the Network establishes contacts with those responsible for fire safety at a European level, so as to inform and educate them about the benefits of fire sprinklers.

A fire in a third floor apartment in Pasadena had been extinguished by a fire sprinkler system before the Fire Department arrived. On investigation it was found that several more fire had been set in the apartment intentionally.

The fire damage to the apartment was minimal and no one was injured this was due to the fast acting fire sprinkler system

A juvenile was later charged with arson

'Mark O'Meara from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reports that on Tuesday 9th August a severe fire occurred in a shop unit at the Salford Centre, Manchester, during the riots that affected the city. The centre manager indicated that the sprinklers activated and although it struggled with the size of the fire it still contained it until FRS extinguished it. The fire was contained to the unit, the centre is still operating.

Greater Manchester Fire Service reported 155 fires across Manchester city centre and Salford during the time the unrest was taking place and so details of the incident are sketchy at present.'  This is an important demonstration that properly designed sprinkler systems will cope with even extreme circumstances and that sprinklers are an effective counter to deliberately started fires.

BS DD 8458 Fixed fire protection systems - Residential and domestic water mist systems - Part 1: Code of practice for design and installation has now been published by BSi.

FHC can easy provide the hydraulic calculations for water mist systems designed to this British standard as way as NFPA 750 and other international water mist standards.     

A useful research report has been published by ODPM to provide information on the limitations of fire rising mains such as wet and dry risers complying with BS 5306 part 1: 2006.  The report looks at a number of different pumps and nozzle and hydraulic calculates the pressure loss through the pipe.

The Canute - FHC hydraulic calculation software is able to make the same types of pressure loss calculations as presented in this report which may help installers and designs verify designs.      

You can get a full copy of the ‘Hydraulic Calculation of Wet and Dry Risers, Hoses and Branches' bellow   

The NFPA has issued a safety alert and recommends that residential fire sprinkler systems which are filled with antifreeze should be drained and refilled with water.  This safety alert was issued after an incident with a residential fire sprinkler installation involving a grease fire in a kitchen which resulted in a fatality and one other person being seriously injured.

It has been announced that a new version of the LPC rules which will include BS En 12845:2009 will be published by the FPA.  The new publication will included a number of changes and revisions to a number of technical bulletins. It is also expected that changes will be made to the EN 12845 standard in 2010 and 2001.

Alan Brinson of the EFSN advises that the Rome daily I Messaggiero reports that at 11.30 on 30 August a fire started in the Standa Oviesse department store in Trastevere. The sprinkler system operated and extinguished the fire. Meanwhile the fire services helped customers to evacuate the store. Nobody was hurt. The fire is believed to have been started by a homeless person who was seen in the store near where the fire started.

The French fire service reports that on 11 November fire broke out at 02:00 in a car park beneath an apartment building in Alfortville, southeast of Paris. The fire totally destroyed a dozen cars. The ceiling then collapsed, damaging more cars.