Performance of the system of protection and fire fighting by hydrants: evaluation of system operating conditions / Performance of the system of protection and fire fighting by hydrants: evaluation of system operating conditions

Abstract

The protection by hydrants is essential in large buildings, it helps fight and control a start of a fire, not letting the fire spreading to other areas, thus the perfect system operation and proper use of the system equipment by building occupants determines the success or failure in fighting the start of fire until the arrival of specialized help. The brigade members are properly trained, empowered and organized to prevent and combat the start of a fire, provide first aid to victims, reduce damage to the environment and organize the evacuation of risk areas. This study aimed to identify the actual operating status of the fire-fighting system for fire hydrants and their operators. Two separate buildings were analyzed, classified as mixed occupations, being conducted leaking testing, operational testing, visual inspection and questioning the brigade members in order to ascertain the safety culture of the occupants of the risk areas. The building 01 had serious flaws, lack of equipment in the shelters of hydrants and lack of technical knowledge of system operation by brigade members. The building 02 having been inspected by the fire department in February 2016 presented minor failures, that is, nothing that prevented the use of the system, but it was also as inefficient as the building 01 about the training of system operators.