ASHRAE Column
ASHRAE COMMITTEE
FOCUSES ON FIRE ENGINEERING
By Ron Burns, fire and related technologies committee chair
ASHRAE South Africa Chapter is the first Chapter to form a Fire and Related
Technologies sub-committee.
O
ur main aim and focal point is starting the journey
toward sharing knowledge and unifying the broader
aspects of all role players in the Fire Protection Industry.
Currently in South Africa there is no unified body which
caters for the for all aspects of Fire Engineering which
encompasses all role players from registered engineers,
designers, manufacturers, installers and students. The
majority of professionals find their way into fire engineering
with strong grounding in mechanical engineering.
We have formed a committee encompassing the following
specific disciplines in the field, these are:
• Detection;
• Flammable Stores;
• Gas Suppression Systems;
• Hypoxic System;
• Local Authority Participation;
• Risk Assessments;
• Smoke Control;
• Sprinklers, Drenching and Foam Systems;
• Structural Integrity; and
• Suppression Systems.
This is the first attempt at
getting the different disciplines
discussing items which form
an integral part of any Fire
Engineered solution.
This is the first attempt at getting the different disciplines
discussing items which form an integral part of any Fire
Engineered solution.
2020 will see the committee making presentations
at tertiary institutions, pitching initially to Mechanical
Engineering and Architectural undergraduates. Creating
awareness and identifying the importance on system
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integration and the inter-related effect one fire system has on
the other. The first training session is presented by Engineering
Council South Africa (ECSA) registered fire engineer, Dave
Knight from Albrecht Knight and Associates. Knight presented
on the Practical Application of SANS 10400: 2011 Part T. The
Technical Talk was conducted in Durban with live video feed
available for members in other regions.
The course is being held over 16 months with an hour
presentation per month. Parts 1 – 3 occurred during
November, December 2019 and January, the remaining dates
will be confirmed at a later stage. Book your spot and to avoid
disappointment!
Each month (for 16 months), over the course of 60 minutes
will cover small grouped clauses which will be thoroughly
worked through and discussed.
Course content that Knight will cover includes:
• The practical application of the code with worked
examples;
• Associated relevant codes;
• Common misconceptions;
• Regular misinterpreted clauses within the codes; and
• Classification of buildings and the impact to the codes
and design.
All attendees are accredited with 0.1 ECSA CPD points.
The ASHRAE
South Africa
Chapter fire
and related
technologies
committee
aims to
educate the
industry more.
RACA
RACA Journal I March 2020
71