Workout of Fire Control and Fire Water Supply Planning

出　　自： CECS-TC24 and CCES-WWE-P United Annual Conference & Academic Exchange Between CP — IAPMO Technical Papers, May, 2001, Shanghai, p113-117.
发表时间： 2001-5

Peng Haiqing Gao Naiyun Fan Jinchu Zhou Xuesong School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Tongji University,China
Add:1239 Si Ping Rd.,Shanghai, Zip Code:200092 Fax 021-65986786 Tel 021-65980198

Abstract This article introduces the importance of urban fire control and fire water supply planning. At the same time it introduces the principles, the basis and the main content of the planning in detail.

Keywords Fire fighting planning Fire water supply Hydrant

In order to improve the capacity of urban fire precaution and fire fighting, ensure the safety of modern cities through fire fighting, direct and standardize the construction of basic facilities for fire fighting fire scientifically, according to 《 Urban Planning Law of People‘s Republic of China 》 , 《 Fire Fighting Rules of People‘s Republic of China 》 and the other relevant regulations, the fire work should carry out the principle — “Precaution must be the first, precaution and fire fighting must be integrated”. All urban planning departments should layout and construct public fire services such as fire water supply, while in new building, enlarging and rebuilding all kinds of city services. In the course of workout of urban overall planning, urban fire control planning should be involved simultaneously, which is established by designing institutes with national certification and qualification of urban planning, under the organization of the urban public security organizations with the urban-planning departments in charge and other relevant ones.
According to the regulations of national elementary construction procedure, after sanction of the relevant government, urban fire control and fire water supply planning should be brought into plans of national economy and social development and should be implemented step by step.　
It should also be brought into the urban overall planning, be detailed under the instruction of overall planning and be corresponded with other relevant special planning. Generally speaking, concrete processes of workout, the principles and the content are as follow:

1 City General Situation

In general, the geographical location, the climate, the zone, the population distribution, the gross output value of industry and agriculture, the situation of economic development and other features of the city are required in this section.

2 Current State Analysis of Urban Fire control and Fire Water Supply

It is the prerequisite of the fire fighting planning to be familiar with the current state of urban fire control and find out the problems. The current state should be investigated emphatically, including fire water sources, the urban fire demand of water, the fire water pressure, water supply equipment as well as their maintenance and operation inside and outside buildings, especially tall buildings and place of recreation.
The state also means the sections as follow: the amount, location and equipment of fire stations; fire distance between buildings, fire resistance rating; location, area and population of shanty district; distribution of gas stations, liquefied gas stations, inflammable and explosive storehouses and factories in cities; fire road ( including road breadth, radius of bending, turnarounds of blind lanes and so on); the power supply and communication of current fire fighting state. At the same time, the analysis of instances and causes of fires in history is indispensable. Table 1 displays times and causes of fires in some city between 1990-1995.

Statistics of fire disaster and analysisof its causes in acity (1990-1995) Table 1

No. Fire Causes Times Percentages(%) Remark 1 Careless usage of fire 19 26.8 2 Short circuits by electric fittings and wires 27 38.0 3 Operation with break rules and regulations 3 4.2 4 Play with fire and fire crackers 3 4.2 5 Arson 5 7.0 6 Spontaneous combustion 2 2.8 7 Cigarette end 5 7.0 8 Others 7 10.0 Including Total 71 100

The conclusion can be drawn that fires caused by short circuits by electric fittings and wires rank the first by percentage then fires by careless usage of fire. So it is also one of important tasks of fire control planning to propagate some general knowledge of electricity.

3 Principles, Allotted Time, Basis of Urban Fire control And Fire Water Supply Planning

The guiding ideology and principles of planning must be unequivocal. Fire fighting is not only a whole social matter, but also the embodiment of the concrete capacity and practice about the whole social common cognition. Its purpose is to ensure the prosperous development of economy and society and to safeguard the security of people lives and wealth. And urban fire fighting planning is one of vital measures that ensure economic construction and society security. Fire planning both has affinity with the other special planning of city construction and is a relatively independent part.
The fire planning would be changed into the official implementation writ based on the urban overall planning under authorization of government‘s relative departments and ratification of superior departments, after outgrow based on reconnaissance on the spot, investigation and collection all kinds of ideas and after repeated emendation.
Nowadays, urban fire precaution and fire fighting planning follows relative regulations of the state, the provinces, the cities and municipalities as well as relative criterions and codes issued principally. Such as:
A 《 Fire Regulations And Detailed Rules of People‘s Republic of China 》 .
B 《 Regulations of Urban Fire Planning Construction 》 , issued by the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance of People‘s Republic of China.
C 《 Code for Distribution and Equipment of Urban Fire Stations 》 .
D 《 Code for Fire Protection design of Buildings 》 ; 《 Code for Fire Protection Design of Tall Buildings 》 .
E 《 Code for Fire Protection Design of Fire Stations 》 .
F 《 Regulations for Fire Control of Public Places of Amusement 》 , NO.22 code of the Ministry of Public Security of People‘s Republic of China.
G Regulations of fire precaution and fire fighting planning issued by provincial and municipal government.
H Urban overall plan

4 Fire water Supply Planning

The main content of fire planning is firewater supply planning. Blueprints of fire sources, the pipe net and municipal hydrants layout should be drawn in the course of fire planning. The city water supply pipe net and natural water sources can take part in firewater sources. Fire demand of water should be assured at the time of the lowest water level in low water season if natural water sources are as firewater sources. Safe feed water facilities should be set up simultaneously. But usually, city water supply system is the main source of firewater. Fire cisterns and sharing cisterns of firewater and water for waterscape fountain, greenbelt planting can be added up if necessary. However, it‘s is guaranteed that the firewater in sharing water cisterns can‘t be used for other purpose. Construction of city water sources, right outlays of water works as well as firewater supply services construction and management planning should be attached importance to very much with a view to guard against and put out a city fire available.
Fire demand of water is decided according to fire times at the same time and firewater demand at a time, and can‘t lower the demand in table 8.2.1 about outdoor firewater demand in cities, towns and inhabitant areas of 《 Code for Fire Protection design of Buildings 》 （ GBJ 16-87 ） ( 1997 edition ).
Fire water supply methods are decided according to city terrain situation and water supply range. A mountain area may make use of terrain. For example, in Nanping city of Fujian province, several fire cisterns are set up at the top of mountains. In the plain, water supply pipes are always long. For instance, in Shanghai, more than ten reservoir pumping stations and raising pressure pumping stations are set up in the city pipe net to assure water usage for fire, living and production. City water supply system should be deployed reasonable. And both fire water and water for living and production are assured in case of waste of water supply energy. City pipe net is arranged into circularity in the course of extension of building or rebuilding old pipe net in order to improve safety of water supply. When pipe net hydraulic adjustment of planning, enlargement and rebuilding, fire accounting must be carried out. The pipe diameter should be adjusted when the diameter isn‘t satisfied with the demand. Hydrants are installed on the water supply pipes buried under roads and the distance between hydrants is 120 meters. When road breadth is beyond 60 meters, hydrants are laid out at the both sides of the road and are close to crossings.
Distribution of tall buildings, places of amusement and markets should be showed in the planning blueprints. Construction and management of fire water supply system in doors should be strengthened and construction, installation, debugging, operation and maintenance are requested conforming to the codes strictly. The pipe net forms circularity outdoors and fire pumps indoors may draw water from city pipe net under allowance of pipe diameters and amount of pipes from water source.

5 Other Contents of Urban Fire Planning

City fire planning is established as a whole after fire water supply planning is worked out based on full knowledge of present situation of city fire control and city overall planning. If taken as a subsystem, the urban fire planning can be defined as a set including many factors and its function can be described as following:
Tp=F(W,R,C,E,Z) ………………………………… . (1)
Tp---Urban fire planning subsystem function;
W----Fire stations; R---Fire road;
C----Fire communication; E---Fire electricity supply;
Z---Fire overall function layout.
W, R, C, E and Z are the factors of subsystem city fire planning in the equation (1). And they have interrelations with one another. What concrete contents include is as follow:

5.1 Fire Station (W)

First of all, the outlay of fire stations must be corresponded with urban planning departments and make it sure that firemen can arrive at the site as soon as possible, that is to say, generally in 5 minutes, they can receive any spot within its scope since fire alarm appears. On the base of the fire danger grade of the area, urban fire stations are arranged complied with the conditions: major fire fighting organizations, enterprises, population density, buildings situation, traffic roads, water sources and terrain. Each fire station takes the responsibility of an area of 4~7 square kilometers, and always locates on the spot where it is easy for fire fighting trucks to start immediately. The distances between the boundary of fire stations and schools, hospitals, kindergarten, cinemas or markets, which are crowded, are no fewer than 50 meters. But sometimes in an old city, the distances can be reduced, properly, if difficult. Equipment of a fire station such as fire trucks and communication devices depend on the fire station grade, which is classified by the type of area that it serves as well as needs of fire fighting. Water-fire-stations should be always set up in coastal cities and internal water cities, where materials are concentrated, traffic volume is big and fire danger grade is high.

5.2 Fire Road (R)

The road system, whose density turns high with the improvement of city road network, mainly depends on main and minor roads in the city. Central lines of roads in the square should be no more than 160 meters considering the convenience of fire truck passing through. So when the length of a building‘s side along the street is over 220 meters, a fire road should be designed to cross the building. Fire roads should designed to reach natural sources and fire cisterns from which fire trucks can draw water. The fire road should be around a tall building cyclically, with at least two spots connecting to other roads. As for a blind fire road, a turning lane or turnaround is required. The area of the latter is no fewer than 12 × 12m, or 15×15m for large-scale fire trucks. The breadth of a fire road isn‘t fewer than 3.5 meters. And the net height is no fewer than 4 meters if pipe shelves or trestle bridges cross above the road.

5.3 Fire Communication (C)

As an important part of urban fire planning, fire communication planning, especially in telecommunication, should be established congruously to distribute and co-share the channel according to relating regulations of telecom, fire fighting broadcasting station and so on.
Modern communication means should be attached importance to in order to ensure rapidity, flexibility, credibility and accurating. Advanced devices and technology are to be used to set up a perfect fire communication system by making full use of both wire and wireless communication means.
Fire command centers, established in cities, are equipped with “119” fire alarm lines (one or more than one) as well as watchtowers 、 infrared detectors and television monitors. In addition, the centers are communicated with fire stations in their area and companies that have the first fire-fighting grade by special lines and telecommunication. Each fire station should has both wire and wireless communication devices.
Radio fire alarm systems and photo transmission networks can be established in cities to obtain sound-to-picture transmission command on the spot, if possible.

5.4 Fire Electricity Supply (E)

In order to supply the whole city with enough water continuously in any case, every water work must have two independent power sources. National codes about fire electricity source should be sternly followed when design of industrial and mining establishment workshop and civil buildings, especially tall buildings.

5.5 Overall Function Layout of Fire Control (Z)

Factories, warehouse and storage stations, which manufacture 、 store and carry explosive and inflammable goods, should locate on the edge of city and behind leeward whose frequency is the lowest, and should keep required safe distance from dense public buildings.
The route for trucks with dangerous goods should be showed in fire planning blueprints and should be far away from prosperous area, while the trucks should be hitched with an obvious sign. These trucks should run at nights or wee hours when there aren‘t more persons in streets.
The reconstruction of inflammable building area in old city should be accelerated. All new buildings should be the first or second fire grade, the third grade ones are controlled and the fourth grade limited. And simple and inflammable huts should be forbidden. Fire planning in city garden should be made. Incombustible trees should to be planted in separate zones in garden and should be larded in greenbelt.

6 Implementation Cost of Fire control and Fire Water Supply Planing as well as Program of Short Term and Long Term

Estimation of cost is made according to all items in planning.Dredge personages of investment and appropriation, increase investment ways and accelerate the pace of investment. Fire services are the important part of urban base services and should be bought into urban public facilities and equipment. Fire services and city exploitation develop synchronously. Fire planning annual expenditure increases annually to assure normal affair charge.Urban fire plan is often divided into short-term and long-term plans due to funds and priority.

7 Results Report of Fire control and Fire Water Supply Planing

After establishment, the fire planning should be presented to superior departments for approval and examination. Once passed, it is put into practice. Presented planning is made up of blueprints of expository writing about the planning, including addendum.To express the purpose of fire control planing and fire fighting water supply planing definitely, items in the expository writing should be labeled in detail in all kinds of classified planning blueprints. Addendum includes investigation information, statistics tables and so on.