Life Safety and Firefighting Power Supplies
Life Safety and Firefighting Power Supplies, second edition (BG 70/2021) was written by Tony Mayo and published by BSRIA in September 2021.
The correct design, specification, installation and testing of life safety and firefighting installations are fundamental to protecting human life; both for the building occupants required to evacuate in the event of a fire and for the firefighters required to enter the building to deal with the incident. These systems depend on the integrity of their electrical supplies to operate when required to do so.
This guide provides information about designing power supplies to systems such as sprinkler pumps, smoke control systems and firefighting lifts and draws together the requirements outlined in many product and application specific standards. It takes into account changes to standards that have been made since the first edition (BG 70/2017 ) was published in 2017.
The need for an updated edition of the guide arose following recent major fire incidents, particularly in large high-rise residential buildings, creating the driving force for change to existing fire safety standards. The aim is to increase the safety of building occupants and the fire and rescue services who are required to deal with incidents. Updated standards include BS 8519, republished in 2020, BS 9251, republished in 2021 and BS 9991 which is due in 2021/22.
The guide provides information on designing power supplies to systems such as:
It draws together the requirements outlined in many product and application specific standards, and includes guidance on secondary power supplies, switchgear, fire-resistant cables and busbar.
Available from: https://www.bsria.com/uk/product/rk75yr/life_safety_and_firefighting_power_supplies_bg_702021_a15d25e1/
--BSRIA
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