What is Fire Life Safety?
Fire life safety (FLS) are the systems that minimize risk and help prevent death, injuries and loss from fire and other hazards.
Fire life safety can involve practices such as regulations, public awareness and emergency action plans, as well as building features like fire alarms and fire suppression systems — right down to the building design itself, and how the HVAC system works. Simply put, FLS saves lives.
Simply put, operational FLS systems in a building can mean the difference between a nuisance fire and an uncontrollable catastrophe.
Certifications offered by the International Certification Board (ICB), provide building owners, safety professionals and stakeholders with assurance that the people doing this job are qualified at the highest level.
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While the HVAC system can cool or heat a building, the same system can act as a highway to transport smoke, fire and other pollutants to occupied spaces far from the flashpoint, putting lives in danger.
Fire dampers, smoke dampers and combination fire-smoke dampers are points in the HVAC system where this highway can be automatically shut down or rerouted, allowing a building’s occupants to safely exit while providing passage for first responders to enter.
HVAC FLS systems are part of passive fire protection — they are designed into buildings and do not involve many complicated moving parts. As such, they can sometimes be taken for granted or overlooked during the course of other inspections and maintenance. Fire inspectors and stakeholders in building safety must be vigilant to ensure FLS systems get the regular inspections and maintenance required to function as designed, so they can continue to save lives when needed.