Fire fighting and prevention standards are legal documents compiled by the Fire Police Department for Fire Fighting, Prevention and Rescue. They are issued at the request of the Ministry of Public Security, assessed by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, and then published by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Fire Fighting and Prevention Standards
Fire fighting and prevention standards are legal documents compiled by the Fire Police Department for Fire Fighting, Prevention and Rescue. They are issued at the request of the Ministry of Public Security, assessed by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, and then published by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In this regard, the detailed and clear publication of regulations for each sector or construction project is both necessary and important. However, this causes no small amount of confusion for many people who are unsure which standard to apply to their own project. Through this article, Thái Khương shares further information on the latest fire fighting and prevention standards relating to pump stations and appropriate pump selection. Please continue reading the content below!
Fire fighting and prevention standardsWhat is “fire fighting and prevention” in English?
“Phòng cháy chữa cháy” in English means Fire Fighting and Prevention or Fire Protection.
Accordingly, some common English terms used in fire fighting and prevention include:
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- Fire Alarm System: Fire alarm system
- Foam System: Foam system
- Automatic Fire Alarm: Automatic fire alarm system
- Sprinkler System: Sprinkler system
- Fire station: Fire station
- Motor pump: Motor-driven pump
- Centrifugal pump: Centrifugal pump
- Portable pump: Portable pump
- Fixed flame smothering framework: Fixed fire suppression system
- Bell: Bell
- Inlet: Inlet
- Outlet: Outlet
- Smoke: Smoke
- Explosive gas: Explosive gas
- Branch: Fire hose branch pipe
- Hose coupling: Fire hose coupling
- Delivery hose: Water supply flexible hose
Latest Fire Fighting and Prevention Standards
QCVN 02:2020/BCA, newly issued and effective from 4/10/2020, is the first national technical regulation in Vietnam governing pump stations and pump selection for fire fighting systems.
This regulation contains numerous binding requirements: pump selection must meet technical criteria as well as criteria for installation, operation, maintenance and servicing of fire protection systems (PCCC) and associated accessories.
The new regulation was introduced to raise the technical standard for selecting and designing pumps dedicated to fire fighting applications, ensuring that pumps remain in a state of readiness to operate effectively whenever a fire incident occurs.
This regulation applies to agencies, organizations, and individuals involved in the design, installation, operation, acceptance testing, inspection, maintenance, and management of fixed fire-fighting water pump stations on Vietnamese territory.
Fire fighting and preventionReferenced documents in this regulation are applied in the versions listed below. If a referenced document has been replaced by another version, the new version — including any amendments or supplements (if any) — shall apply:
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- QCVN 06:2020/BXD: National technical regulation on fire safety for buildings and structures
- TCVN 2622:1995: Fire prevention and protection for buildings and structures – Design requirements;
- TCVN 4513:1988: Internal water supply – Design standards.
- TCVN 7336:2003: Automatic sprinkler fire extinguishing systems – Design requirements.
Key points in the new 2020 fire fighting and prevention standards
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- The old TCVN did not regulate pump stations; it only required that suppliers and installation contractors provide pumps with sufficient capacity running at the correct operating point Q and H as per the PCCC-approved design.
- QCVN 02:2020/BCA, newly issued and effective from 4/10/2020, is the first national technical regulation in Vietnam governing pump stations and pump selection for fire fighting systems.
Under the new PCCC technical regulation
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- Pump selection must comply with the system configuration: When a system is installed with an above-ground tank or a water tank positioned higher than the pump, a horizontal-shaft pump shall be selected. When the water tank is located below the pump, a vertical turbine pump must be used (the old regulation still allowed horizontal-shaft pumps with suction pipework).
- The suction pipework of the pump system must have at least 02 separate pipes.
- The pump performance curve must comply with the requirement that the maximum flow rate of the fire-fighting pump must not be less than 150% of the design flow rate.
- The head of the fire-fighting water pump at the design flow rate must not be less than the design head.
- The head of the fire-fighting water pump at zero flow (shut-off pressure) must be within the range of 101% to 140% of the design head.
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- The pump head at 150% of the design flow rate must not be less than 65% of the design head.
- The flow rate of the jockey (pressure make-up) pump must not be less than 1% of the main pump flow rate.
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- The discharge pressure of the jockey pump must be capable of maintaining the system’s standing pressure at a level higher than the design fire-fighting pressure by 0.3 bar to 0.8 bar.
- The minimum power of the electric motor must be greater than or equal to the pump power at the 150% flow rate operating point.
- Selection of suction/discharge pipework, safety valve accessories, pressure-relief discharge pipework, and flow measurement devices shall follow the table below:
TCVN 2622
TCVN 2622:1995: FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION FOR BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES – DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
This standard is mandatory. The application of additional fire fighting and prevention standards is permitted provided they ensure a higher level of technical quality and safety than specified in this standard.
This standard sets out the basic requirements for fire prevention and protection (abbreviated as PCCC) in the design, new construction, or renovation of buildings and structures, as well as in design review and decisions to commission buildings and structures for use.
When designing buildings and structures, in addition to complying with the provisions of this standard, the applicable provisions of other current standards must also be observed.
Specialist construction projects with special PCCC requirements have their own PCCC regulations, for example: storage facilities for flammable and explosive materials, and storage facilities for toxic chemicals. Such projects apply only the relevant provisions of this standard.
Temporary structures with a service life of no more than 5 years need only apply the section on evacuation routes; the other sections of this standard serve as reference only.
TCVN 5738
TCVN 5738 : 1993: FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS – TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
This fire fighting and prevention standard applies to fire alarm systems installed at factories, enterprises, production facilities, agencies, public structures, etc.
This standard does not apply to structures designed to special requirements.
Accordingly, this standard specifies the technical requirements for equipment within a fire alarm system, including:
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- Technical requirements for automatic fire detectors
- Technical requirements for manual call point (break-glass) units
- Technical requirements for fire alarm control panels
- Technical requirements for signal cable and wiring systems, and power supply conductors
- Power supply and protective earthing…
TCVN 3890:2009
National Standard TCVN 3890:2009, “Fire fighting and prevention equipment for buildings and structures – provision, arrangement, inspection, and maintenance”.
This standard provides detailed and specific regulations on equipment and the basic requirements relating to the arrangement, inspection, and maintenance of fire fighting and prevention equipment for buildings and structures.
For specialist buildings and structures with special fire fighting and prevention requirements, such as:
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- Production facilities,
- Toxic chemical storage facilities,
- Explosive materials,
- Nuclear facilities;
- Large fuel storage facilities;
- Tunnel, mining, and underground structures;
- Offshore structures
— in addition to complying with the provisions of this standard, the relevant provisions of other applicable fire fighting and prevention standards must also be followed.
Buildings, structures, and fire fighting and prevention equipment for buildings and structures not covered by this standard shall be decided by the competent Fire Police authority.
Outdoor Fire-Fighting Water Supply Standards
The fire fighting and prevention standard for outdoor fire-fighting water supply governs the external water supply system for fire fighting. Accordingly:
Fire fighting and prevention application in industryThe outdoor fire-fighting water supply system is installed together with the domestic water supply system. Vietnamese Standards serve as the basis for the calculation, design, inspection, and operation of this system.
The principal standards include Vietnamese Standard TCVN 33: 2006, “External water supply and structures – design standards”.
Vietnamese Standard TCVN 2622:1995, “Fire prevention and protection for buildings and structures – Design requirements”.
National Standard TCVN 3890:2009, “Fire fighting and prevention equipment for buildings and structures – provision, arrangement, inspection, and maintenance”.
These are the fundamental standards governing outdoor fire-fighting water supply systems. In addition, there are many other technical regulations and standards applicable to specific types of construction projects.
The provisions on the outdoor fire-fighting water supply system in TCVN 2622-1995 are set out in Article 10, “Fire-Fighting Water Supply“.
Fire Fighting and Prevention Standards for High-Rise Buildings
When designing a fire fighting and prevention system for a high-rise building, the following standard documents should be consulted:
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- TCVN 2622:1995 Fire prevention and protection for buildings and structures – Design requirements.
- TCVN 5738:1993 Fire alarm systems – Technical requirements.
- TCVN 5760:1993 Fire suppression systems – General requirements for design, installation, and use.
- TCVN 5717:1993 Lightning arresters.
- TCVN 4756:1989 Regulations for earthing and neutral bonding of electrical equipment.
Among these, the most important content to note concerns fire alarm and fire suppression systems:
PCCC system for high-rise buildings-
- High-rise buildings must be designed with a fire alarm system. The design of the fire alarm system shall be appropriate to the nature and use of the high-rise building.
- When designing a fire alarm system, the following basic requirements must be met:
- Rapid fire detection;
- Clear signal transmission;
- Assured reliability.
- Where the fire alarm system is integrated with the fire suppression system, in addition to fire alarm functions it must also control the fire suppression system to activate immediately so as to extinguish the fire in a timely manner.
- The technical requirements for the design and installation of the fire alarm system must comply with TCVN 5738:1993.
- High-rise buildings must be designed with an internal fire suppression system and an external fire-fighting water supply system.
- The internal fire suppression system may be designed for automatic or manual control, depending on the fire hazard level and nature of use…
Fire Fighting and Prevention Standards for Schools
The PCCC standards for schools are governed by the document Vietnamese Standard TCVN 2622:1995. Some noteworthy provisions in this document include those under “Evacuation Routes“:
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- Evacuation routes must ensure that all persons in a room or building can evacuate safely, without obstruction by smoke or dust, within the time required for evacuation in the event of a fire.
- Exits are considered evacuation routes if they satisfy one of the following conditions:
- Leading directly outside from rooms on the ground floor, or through corridors, lobbies, or stairwells;
- Leading from rooms on any floor other than the ground floor to a corridor that leads to a stairwell, including passage through a buffer zone. In such cases, the stairwells must have direct exits to the outside or through a lobby separated from the corridors by partitions with doors;…
- An exit may be a doorway, corridor, or passageway leading to an internal or external staircase, a veranda leading to the street or rooftop, or a safe area. Exits also include horizontal passages leading to an adjacent structure at the same level.
- Elevators and other passenger-transport means shall not be considered evacuation routes.
- All exits must be clearly identifiable and the routes leading to them must be clearly marked with directional signs.
- Mirrors must not be installed near exits.
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- The number of evacuation exits from a building must not be fewer than two; evacuation exits must be distributed at dispersed locations.
Conclusion
After analyzing and comparing the current QCVN and the new QCVN, it is readily apparent that there are significant changes in how pump systems are governed under fire fighting and prevention standards.
If you require consultation on fire fighting systems or assistance selecting a fire-fighting pump in accordance with applicable legal requirements, please contact Thái Khương for support!
With many years of experience in fire fighting and prevention system solutions, and pump equipment available in stock, Thái Khương is ready to meet your requirements with appropriate and prompt solutions.
