[SML] Smoke, heat, fire sensors for HVAC systems
Riter, Andrew
andrew.riter at ubc.ca
Tue Jan 26 17:14:24 UTC 2021
At the Chan, we have a "stage 2" button in the fire panel.
Regular system: 24/7, if a water flow, smoke/heat detector, or pull station gets activated, then the system bells ring for evacuation, and fire dept is notified, and day/office staff leave the building.
For shows: FOH pushes the "2 stage button" on the fire panel. if a water flow, smoke/heat detector, or pull station gets activated: the FD is notified, a chime in the lobby and strobes in the venues activate (alerting FOH staff). The evacuation bells DON’T go off (yet). This gives FOH (the building Fire Warden) time to investigate and determine if a real fire or not. Fire department is still on the way. The only thing the 2stage delays are the evacuation bells. FOH can continue to delay the evac bells at the fire panel. If they don't continue to silence bells, eventually the evac bells trigger. But unlike the hotel story, the FD is on the way
In a false alarm, the FD arrives, finds the faulty sensor or lack of fire by a pull station, and reset the system. Most audience not even aware.
If a real alarm, when the FOH confirms fire/smoke, they can trigger the evac bells, and we get the audience out, or wait until FD arrive, and order evac and trigger the bells.
The "2 stage" button resets to "normal" after 5 hours (after the show is over), so any alarm triggers evacuation bells.
Or, on long multiple show/conference/graduation ceremonies days, the FOH needs to reset into "2nd stage" multiple times before it times out and goes back to normal.
Andrew M. Riter
Assistant Technical Director, Head Lighting Technician
Chan Centre
Phone 604 822 2372
andrew.riter at ubc.ca
-----Original Message-----
From: Stagecraft <stagecraft-bounces at theatrical.net> On Behalf Of Dale Farmer via Stagecraft
Sent: Monday, January 25, 2021 5:36 PM
To: Richard Niederberg <ladesigners at gmail.com>; Stagecraft Mailing List <stagecraft at theatrical.net>
Cc: Dale Farmer <dale at cybercom.net>
Subject: Re: [SML] Smoke, heat, fire sensors for HVAC systems
[CAUTION: Non-UBC Email]
These used to be a feature on some fire alarm systems. The intent is to delay the call out to fire department and to delay building wide alarms from disturbing the occupants. Were quite common in hotels and such.
the intent is to allow the trained building staff to go to the location and do a quick determination if it was a valid alarm or another damned hotel guest smoking a joint in the linen closet, again.
The problem is that over time, the understanding that the button was only supposed to be used for a short time tends to fade away as staff turn over and the training of seldom used procedures evaporates.
Time for the Discwave story. Hotel in suburban DC, has a convention in it. One sub group at the convention is a BDSM group, and they decide to use as a ceiling attachment point the handy sprinkler head right over the bed. Much later that evening, around 3amish, the activities and weight on the sprinklerhead pulled it right out of the ceiling.
Depositing the lady in question abruptly onto the bed as a stream of water from the broken off sprinkler piping starts pouring out.
This sets off the water flow alarm in the fire alarm system. Front desk clerk, young and inexperienced, hears the alarm, vaguely remembers that he is supposed to press the shut up for a couple minutes button and call maintenance. So he does this. Unfortunately the only maintenance guy is sound asleep and not answering his radio. The only other hotel staff person on duty is the contract security guard. He has no idea what to do either.
Sprinkler water is flowing out at a great rate and spreading around,
and eventually starts a waterfall into the elevator shafts. Front desk
clerk, clueless, one each, is continuing to press the silence button every few minutes, until the steadily growing tide of phone calls from guests wondering why it is raining in their hotel room distract him from pressing the button in time, and finally the alarm sounds and the notification to the fire department went out. After something like a half hour delay.
Bottom line, six figure damage bill from the water, and a five digit
fine from the fire department for the blocking of the alarm. Now
imagine if it had been a real fire in a fully booked hotel. That's why that feature is disappearing from fire alarm building codes.
I can vouch for this story, as many good friends of mine were at that convention. I would have been there, but had another commitment that weekend.
Dale
On 1/25/2021 2:07 PM, Richard Niederberg wrote:
> Why can't they install a 'push to silence alarm' switch on the wall
> and have a crew member keep their thumb on it during the effect or
> have a device that only detects heat rise?
> /s/ Richard
>
> On Mon, Jan 25, 2021 at 10:57 AM Dale Farmer via Stagecraft
> <stagecraft at theatrical.net <mailto:stagecraft at theatrical.net>> wrote:
>
> I was peripherally involved with getting such a system working many
> years ago. It involved getting a fire engineer study of the building
> and alarm systems. The eventual outcome was that the sensors in the
> air
> ducts and auditorium were able to be selectively disabled, and we
> had to
> hire a fireman on detail duty to be on site whenever they were disabled.
>
> One kind of smoke detector is beams of light up near the ceiling
> shining
> across the room to a detector on the opposite wall. They detect
> balloons
> just fine. surprise!
>
> Dale
>
>
> On 1/25/2021 1:21 PM, Ben Thoron SML via Stagecraft wrote:
> > Our 10-year-old theatre was installed with sensors in the HVAC system
> > that are easily set off by theatrical smoke and haze, to the extent
> > that we can’t use either, at all.
> >
> > I’m looking for a source that knows more about the options and
> devices
> > than I do.
> >
> > Any suggestions?
> >
> >
> >
> > Ben
> >
> >
> >
> > Ben Thoron | Production Manager | the old globe | 619-684-4105 direct
> > | 619- 846-9529 cell | he him his | bthoron at theoldglobe.org
> <mailto:bthoron at theoldglobe.org>
> >
> > ____________________________________________________________
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> --
> /s/ Richard
> _________
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