Fire protection system - Mpumalanga Secondary School

Mpumalanga Secondary School safe thanks to new fire protection system

Elite Fire was referred by a local Fire Consultant to a Construction Company to provide a quotation for a hydrant and hose reel reticulation installation at a secondary school in Mpumalanga. The secondary school will be a new, much needed school built to service the Komatipoort community.

Due to very inconsistent water supplies and the water demand being incapable of meeting the required flows and pressures to feed the hydrants and hose reels, a pump and a tank will also be required for this project.  

In this case study, we discuss the supply and installation of a fire protection system for a school secondary.

ProjectFire Protection Systems
Size5089m2
ScopeSupply & Installation
DisciplineFire Protection
Expected CompletionDecember 2024

Project Scope

Supply and install:

  • Fire Hydrants, Hose Reels and Fire Extinguishers
  • Diesel Driven Fire Pump
  • Water Storage Tank

Process outline

Fire Hydrants, Hose Reels and Fire Extinguishers

The construction company leading the project will supply and install the underground Upvc Piping. No trenching will be required by Elite Fire.

Fire Hydrants

The scope of work for the company includes adding a phalange adaptor from Upvc to steel to allow us to install an 80mm hydrant standpipe with a 65mm right-angled fire hydrant. We will be installing a total of 5 fire hydrants at the school.

A fire hydrant is a connection point that is used by firemen to tap directly into piped main supplies or water supply to add on to their emergency water tanks. Fire hydrants are strategically placed along roads, streets, and workplaces and they are often highlighted for visibility to the public and firemen.

Fire Hose Reels

Elite Fire will be supplying and installing 14 x 30m fire hose reels in a tamperproof fibre glass box including all associated piping.

A hose reel in South Africa is typically 30m long and has a 300L/minute flow rate. They are permanently connected to a water supply and can be easily operated by the public.

Its sole purpose is to fight fire. The length of a hose reel allows fires within short range to be extinguished with unlimited water supply.

Fire Extinguishers

Quite a few fire extinguishers will be required for this secondary school:

  • 66 x 9kg DCP fire extinguishers with backing board included.
  • 6 x 5kg CO2 with backing board included.

A fire extinguisher is a portable device designed to suppress and control fires by releasing an extinguishing agent. These are typically water, foam, dry powder, carbon dioxide or wet chemical, with each label representing its contents by colour.

Fire extinguishers are used to effectively extinguish small fires fast, preventing them from spreading and causing further damage or harm.

Types of fire extinguishers

Fire Pump

A diesel-driven pump set with a duty of 1320L/min @550kPa. Diesel pumps are required when it is the one and only primary pump on the fire sprinkler system.

Fire pumps provide fire sprinklers throughout a facility with adequate water supply during a fire, and where incorrectly sized can result in not enough pressure or flow being created, which can cause several problems.

Diesel-driven Fire Pump
Diesel-driven fire pump

Water Storage Tank

Even though water supply can come from municipal water installations, water supply is not consistent in this area and unable to keep up the demand required, putting scholars and employees at risk in the event of a fire.

In this contract, one cylindrical tank will be supplied and installed with a dimension of 11.51m (D) X 3.45m (H) and a total effective capacity of 300 000L.

Water Storage Tanks
Water storage tanks

Challenges

The only challenge we foresee at this time is the length of the project which could have a financial impact on the company with industry increases over the next year.