Abstract
Global warming is a factor that is posing a very big challenge to the world today. Electrical pollution is one of the biggest challenges and the leading cause of global warming. This is due to the burning of fossil fuels, which are mainly used in the production of power. Petroleum and its products are being used in many fields today despite the high rate of pollution that it causes to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are being sent into the atmosphere each day at very fast rates (Coon, 215). This is causing life on earth to remain at risk. Steps need to be taken to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This paper addresses the question of making the process of fire protection green. The paper will address fire protection, the greenhouse effect, the connection of fire protection and the emission of greenhouse gases and extensively discuss ways in which fire protection can be made green. In this last bit, it will tackle the process of fire protection and how it can be done with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. When greenhouse gases are minimized by any chance, the chances of degradation of the atmosphere will have been made slimmer and so the process of fire protection will have become green fire protection (Coon, 215).
Fire protection
The process of fire protection is inclusive of two areas; theoretical and practical. Theoretically, it is a study and practice, it is in real life. Fire protection is mainly concerned with the mitigation of the harmful effects that are caused by fire. The field of fire protection is very broad; fire behavior, suppression issues and factors, research on fire-related issues, legislation, local fire codes, and so many other fire-related factors. Fire protection thus covers all areas from design issues to mechanisms that are applied to avert and mitigate the harmful effects of fire (Lataille, 321).
In the body of this paper, green fire protection will be taken to be the steps in fire protection that aim at preventing the emission of greenhouse gases to the environment in a bid to reduce global warming. The paper will also take into consideration all the dimensions which are found in the realm of fire protection which includes the design of buildings in compliance with the required codes and at the same time respect the green environment. Buildings are required to be constructed using the most recent version of the building code. Maintenance must go along with the current fire code. Once a fire occurs, the mitigating personnel do not just do that but should also learn from the mistakes so as to have better codes in the upcoming versions. The following parts will explain some of the green techniques that can be applied (Lataille, 321).
Fast response
The best way of mitigating the harmful effects that come along with fire is to put off the fire as fast as possible. Once this is done, there is less damage and fewer consequences. However, in some cases, this might not be as simple as it sounds because the fire might have been caused by highly flammable substances (Kibert, 98).
In a bid to hasten the process of putting the fire off, there are necessary measures that should be taken prior to such a tragedy. One of the ways is fitting loud and fast response alarm systems such that the necessary authority is notified of the tragedy on time. Before getting into more details on the ways in which to circumvent the harsh attacks, it is wise to check on the possible atrocities that are caused by fire to the environment that will make the fast response a green response.
When a building is burning, there are a lot of gaseous emissions which take place. Some of the gases which are emitted are the most important constituents of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. When the gases accumulate into the atmosphere, they concentrate to the levels which are causative agents of global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.
When the fire is put off at a very fast pace, most materials that have a high carbon content like plastics would not have bunt and so the levels of emissions will below. At the same time, no sophistication will be required to put off a more fierce fire which would consume more energy. The more the energy is used, the more the environment gets depleted and so a fast response to a fire is a way of making the process of fire protection a greener process (Coon, 87).
Use of automatic fire sprinklers
In a bid to go green, some recent research has been done in order to establish green power. When automatic fire sprinklers are fitted into a building, the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is cut too much higher levels unlike it would have been the case if water alone was used to circumvent the damage that would have been caused by fire. According to some research, the use of the sprinklers which are fitted into the building during construction, the emissions are cut down by approximately over 98%. If a current building was to catch fire at the moment without having a sprinkler, then the benefits that would otherwise have been gained due to safe carbon gases are lost.
The sprinklers have been designed in such a way that they are able to mitigate the effects of heat, smoke and also the flames that are released by a fierce fire. When the mentioned fire products are reduced and controlled as stated, the harmful effects of combustion are controlled and thus consequently reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Another advantage that is brought along by employing water sprinklers in buildings is water usage. The main advantage of using sprinklers in the process of fire fighting is saving water as they release less water as compared to jets. This entails that the sprinklers are very effective in the process of saving the water that is used. On the green arena, when fighting off the fire, the water comes into contact with the flames, the smoke and also the burnt-up deficit in more than one area. After the water has touched the debris, it automatically drops down and spills away according to the forces of gravity. The implication of this process is that the more water that is released to the scene of the fire, the more the water that will spill away. This implies that more water, which is contaminated with greenhouse substances, will be released into the environment thus making the whole process riskier. It is thus clear that the use of the sprinkler will ensure that less water is used and so less water will be released and by the end of the day less contamination to the environment (Burke, 221).
Looking at the presented cases in the use of the sprinklers, it is well versed that the sprinklers are not just requisite in a building which is to be deemed sustainable in this era but are a method that will be used and advanced in the future as a form of an essential risk management practice. They have proven to be a practical method that is making buildings greener than ever before. They are helping to reduce emissions to such high levels that the end result is the improvement of sustainability to the environment and the community.
Experiments have proven that the sprinklers operate in much the same way in almost all the buildings and should always be recommended as a sustainable fire depressant in fire protection and also a tool that is being used to mitigate environmental degradation. If built-in more energy-efficient mechanism, then they would be the best invention in the recent past.
Pump usage
When there is a fire outbreak, there is a general tendency to carry water among other power suppressants. As it has been in most cases, water is eventually used to pit off the fire. The type of pump that is being used hence can be used to measure how green the protection mechanism is (Lataille, 321).
There are basically two types of pumps that can be used in any situation. An electric pump and a diesel pump. In reality, both the pumps involve the release of some substance into the atmosphere though at different levels. When the diesel engine pump is used, there is direct burning of diesel which is heavy oil. When the substance is burned, just like other similar substances, there is eventual and direct release of carbon oxides, sulfur and nitrogen into the atmosphere, amongst other substances. These are the critical components of greenhouse gaseous emissions and result in atmospheric pollution and acid rain.
The resultant truth is a direct abuse of the environment and so the greenest way in the usage of the water pumps is using the electric pumps. Electric pumps have no direct emissions to the atmosphere and through fossil fuels were burnt for the production of the electricity which is used to push them, it is clear that they are not as harmful as the diesel counterparts. At the same time, there is a probability that the electricity is from greener sources like nuclear or solar hence making the whole process carbon-free.
Usage of CPVC pipes
Cpvc is an acronym for chlorinated polyvinyl chloride. They are thermoplastic piping mechanisms that are made using the cpvc compound. They have quite a lot of functions in the market today like; used in fire suppression mechanisms, used in the portable distribution of water, and are also used to handling corrosive fluids in industries.
From the stated usage of the pipes, it is clear that they are very strong in their applications and can be used in tough situations. The pipes have various characteristics that make them a tool of choice in green fire protection systems; they are very environmental friendly, they can serve their purpose for a very long time, they are installed and handled very easily, they easily resist corrosion, they are not very expensive, and they can serve under very many codes which are accepted under dissimilar circumstances .
The cpvc pipes can be used in buildings to supply both hot water and cold water at very high pressures and temperatures. In case of any fire, the cpvc pipes do not support combustion. They only do so if they have an internal source of fuel hence falling in place as a tool in green fire protection systems.
In this green battle, the pipes can mainly be used in two diverse areas. The first application is in the ordinary pipes for water distribution in the building or in the manufacture of the fire suppression equipment. When the cpvc pipes ail to support combustion, they mitigate most of the risks that are associated with combustion. From this argument, during design, it is recommended that cpvc pipes are used instead of copper in the manufacture of sprinklers and if possible, they are used in water distribution channels throughout the building. This will have reduced combustion in case of a fire outbreak (Zalosh, 234).
Fuel Detection
For any fire to start at any one place, there are some requirements, which have to be met. There has to be fuel, a source of ignition and an oxidizing agent. To be green in fire protection, avoidance of fire in the first place is the best way out as there will be no opportunity for the greenhouse gases to emit into the atmosphere. To avert the risks of the fire then, there has to be identification and possible detection of possible sources of fuel.
Fuels are classified generally as substances, which are flammable, and others are substances, which are combustible. Gaseous and high vapor pressure condensed fuels are flammable and low vapor pressure condensed fuels are combustible. Other risky substances in the building are combustible substances, which are not flammable. The substances have a low probability of being accidentally sparked and so a lot of care should be taken against their tendency to spill as compared to their tendency to get instant pressure and sparks. A good example of this is a comparison of petrol and kerosene.
The flammable substances require to be properly labeled and treated as substances, which can cost first-degree fires. In buildings that might be holding such substances within them, it is important to have detectors for fuel leakage. A basic detector is based on a platinum wire which varies in resistance due to the very fast oxidation of fuel and air at a normal room temperature. Once the spillage has been detected, alarms should be set off immediately such that the necessary steps are taken to avert the changes (Zalosh, 276).
Inert atmospheres
In a bid to avert the risks of the fire occurring and try to avoid the risks in the greenest way possible, it is important to take more precautionary measures. In case direct flames like during welding have to be in the sight of near combustible materials, inert atmospheres can be procured which will mitigate the risk of the fire without having an impact on the environment. An inert atmosphere is achieved when the level of oxygen in the atmosphere is less than 5%. When inert atmospheres are used using whichever method will be the cheapest to apply, risks of fires happening are thwarted and so emissions are kept at bay and the environment remains greener.
Halogenated agents
Halogenated agents for extinguishing fire are at times referred to as the most effective fire suppression mechanism available today. In essence, this is very true as it has a very low degree of flammability and it has the power to suppress the chain that is required for combustion to take place. This is because of the fact that they have been designed in a way that they occupy the base of the fire leaving no space for oxygen which is requisite for combustion (Industrial Association of Fire Chiefs, 196).
In terms of green fire protection, the substance fails due to the many hazards that it poses to the atmosphere as it will be seen hereafter. Some Halon products are known to carry up to 30% toxicity which can be life-threatening. Most of the most serious hazards that come along with the use of Halon are asphyxiation which is the deficiency of oxygen in the atmosphere. Considering the carbon content that comes along with a burning fire, a decrease in oxygen would be more troublesome as the concentration of the risky emissions will be greater than the normal and so an increase in the likelihood of global warming.
The products that are produced when Halon decomposes are very toxic. If released into the atmosphere, there is a risk to both flora and fauna and a very high increase of gases in the atmosphere. Looking at these probable harmful effects of this substance, it is better avoided for the environment to remain safer and for the process of fire protection to look greener.
Use of solar power
Solar power is natural and can be categorized as the greenest source of power. In the design of buildings, it is recently being suggested that the designers should consider solar power as backup power in case of system failures. In making the process of fire protection green, the authorities involved should adopt solar power as the choice power in powering their equipment.
As much as this might not look like a direct way to make the whole process green, by doing so the fire protection agency will have helped in reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases. When electricity is used, fossil fuels are burnt in order for the electricity to be produced and so the more the electricity is used the more fuels are burnt. The burning of fossil fuels comes along with the emission of many carbon substances into the atmosphere thus making the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere shoot to higher levels (Lataille, 321).
Once the fire protection companies retract to solar use, fewer gases are released and so there is a greener system. Solar energy can be utilized in fire protection in such areas as alarm systems, smoke detectors and other gadgets which are fixed into buildings during the design process. This also helps by being an example of responsibility to the other stakeholders who might eventually change some of their systems to solar thus saving the environment more (Burke, 67).
Recycling
Fire protection can also be made green by recycling. The process of fire protection is very dynamic and involving. A lot of material is used and most of it is worn out very fast due to the frequency of use. When the material required to do a certain job is worn out, it is essential to make an immediate replacement to avoid stalling work (Kibert, 190).
There is a lot of energy which is used in the manufacture of new products today. There is much more energy that is used when worn-out debris is disposed of in a trashy manner. Recycling where possible helps in minimizing the energy that would otherwise have been used to come up with new materials and gadgets. For the fire protection department to keep green, then they should adopt a way of recycling their material so that they protect the environment from consuming extra energy (Coon, 215).
In protecting the environment, recycling eliminates landfills which are very toxic at times. The plastic debris found in landfills depletes the environment due to its biodegradable nature. Thus the process of recycling should be encouraged to all people alike due to the protection that is offered to the environment (Burke, 67).
Conclusion
The concept of going green in the world today is rooted in the avoidance of excessive carbon emission to the atmosphere due to the adverse effects that are posing a great risk to mankind if left uncontrolled. The use of natural resources is a way that we can conserve the environment. It is, therefore, necessary that all industries focus on ways and means to elucidate the ways in which they are making environmental degradation a thing of the past through greener methods of conserving the environment.
Green fire protection has been visualized as a mode of fire protection that has been oriented towards an environmentally friendly manner. This paper has tackled different ways in which fire protection engineers can employ in their field of practice as they seek to make the environment safe for every one of us as well as avert the risk of fire.
Different methods of a greener environment have been discussed and appraised though they have not been exhausted. With more research going on currently in this field, all people should aim at reducing the number of toxic carbon emissions as much as it is possible to avoid greater problems in the future (Zalosh, 123).
References
Burke, Robert. Fire Protection: systems and response. New York CRC Press, 2008.
Coon, Walter. Fire protection: design criteria, options, selection. New York: R.S. Means Co., 1991
Industrial Association of Fire Chiefs. Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills. Kansas: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2008
Kibert, Charles. Sustainable construction: green building design and delivery. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2008
Lataille, Jane. Fire protection engineering in building design, Oxford: Butterworth- Heinemann, 2003.
Zalosh, Robert. Industrial fire protection engineering, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2003.