Hotel Construction

Performance Requirements

DB3610

FIRE DETECTION
AND ALARM

International Edition 2-1

March 2009

WARNING
- The Accor Requirements for Construction define the minimum rules or performance to be applied to all construction or
refurbishment projects, in all countries. They shall not replace the need for an individual design for each project, which
must incorporate the standards and regulations applicable locally.
- The more demanding between statutory or local Authorities requirements and Accor guidelines shall always apply.
- Please refer to “General Requirement” for general Guidance & for Terminology, Responsibilities and Guarantees.

This document is published by Accor exclusively for use on projects.

Distribution or reproduction (in full or part) for other uses is forbidden.

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 CONTENTS

1 GENERAL CONCEPT 3

2 TERMINOLOGY 3

3 GENERALLY 4
3.1 Safety devices............................................................................................................................................................4
3.2 Fire detection and alarm ............................................................................................................................................4
3.3 Conditions of installation ............................................................................................................................................4
3.4 Commissioning...........................................................................................................................................................4
3.5 SELECTION of equipment .........................................................................................................................................5

4 FIRE ALARM PANEL AND CENTRALISED APPARATUS 5

4.1 Fire alarm control panel .............................................................................................................................................5
4.2 Alarm control room.....................................................................................................................................................5
4.3 Electrical POWER supply...........................................................................................................................................6
4.4 Visual monitor SCREEN ............................................................................................................................................6

5 INSTALLATIONS IN THE HOTEL 6

5.1 Fire-resistant cables...................................................................................................................................................6
5.2 Locations of detectors: ...............................................................................................................................................6
5.3 REQUIREMENTS FOR detectors..............................................................................................................................6
5.4 Alarm indicators over doors .......................................................................................................................................7
5.5 Manual push buttons..................................................................................................................................................7
5.6 Audible alarmS...........................................................................................................................................................7
5.7 Interlocks....................................................................................................................................................................8
5.8 lift SERVICE IN CASE OF FIRE ................................................................................................................................8
5.9 Smoke MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................................................................9
5.10 air handling units ........................................................................................................................................................9

6 MAINTENANCE - PERIODIC TESTING – TECHNICAL CHECKS 9

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1 GENERAL CONCEPT
The present performance requirements define the guidelines and minimum requirements
which should be applied to all construction or refurbishment projects, in all countries by the
project consultants and contractors.
They do not replace the need for a risk assessment and safety strategy for each project,
including local standards and regulations, local authorities demands and requirements from
insurers or funding parties.
This document is to be used as guidelines for specifications which have to be prepared in
coordination with the project fire safety strategy established by the project Fire Safety
Consultant in accordance with:
Accor Fire Safety Guidelines (BTH)

2 TERMINOLOGY

Fire Safety Master Plan Document prepared by a suitably qualified professional (Fire Safety Consultant) to set the fire
(Fire Strategy) safety concepts and demonstrate that the project meets the Accor performance requirements

All equipment collecting data or commands related to fire safety, able to process them and to
Fire protection system
control the safety functions of the building, such as:

 Fire alarm control panel

 Automatic fire/smoke detectors
 Manual actuators
 Activated devices
Assembly combining the indicator panel and all the centralised equipment providing the
Fire alarm control panel functions of linked controls, direct controls, electrical supplies and monitoring of the fire safety
system.
Safety elements operated and controlled from the alarm control pane, such asl: audible alarm,
Interlocks
smoke extraction, fire dampers, smoke doors…
Fire safety equipment having an electronic identity allowing "addressed" information to be
Addressable equipment
sent or received and which can therefore be connected to common bus bars
Device permitting a fault on a line to be indicated to the control panel. This device will be
Line control
technically different depending on the type of equipment (conventional or addressable)
Remote control line Line providing the transport of a command to an activated device.

Stand by (or Reduced level of lighting allowing operations to continue in the event of a failure in the normal
replacement) lighting electrical power supply. It comprises light fittings fed from an stand by source.
Lighting fed from batteries, providing the functions of marking of escape routes to exits and
minimum background lighting to circulation and public rooms. It may be provided from self-
Emergency lighting
contained units or from a central source. It must always come on in the event of a failure of
the normal or stand by lighting.

Emergency power
Generator or second main voltage electrical supply from a reliable network (public or private).
supply

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3 GENERALLY
3.1 SAFETY DEVICES

The safety systems shall comprise all structural and technical elements described in the
hotel fire safety master plan (fire strategy).

3.2 FIRE DETECTION AND ALARM

The fire detection and alarm systems defined in the present guidelines form part of this
general context and include warning devices and interlocks.

3.3 CONDITIONS OF INSTALLATION

The fire detection and alarm systems must comply with the following conditions, in
accordance with Accor Fire Safety Guidelines (BTH)
 A suitably qualified Fire Safety Consultant must be appointed to establish the fire safety
master plan (fire strategy) and the specifications for the fire protection systems.
 The present Accor guidelines must be applied as minimum requirements and also meet:
 Local authorities requirements
 Possible requirements from the insurers and/or the funding parties.
 The conditions of appointment and the scope of work of the project consultants and
contractors (design, coordination, site supervision, control, technical inspections) must
be clearly defined in writing.
 Outline drawings/diagrams of the safety systems indicating all of the safety devices must
be prepared, submitted to all authorities having jurisdiction and then updated.
 General coordination of the design & installation of the fire safety systems must be
carried out by a qualified professional to ensure consistency and compatibility between
elements installed by different contractors.
 The fire detection and alarm systems (including cabling), must be carried out by a
competent contractor, having the required qualifications, trained or certified by the
manufacturer of the equipment, and responsible of bringing the system into full working
condition.

3.4 COMMISSIONING

 Commissioning tests must be carried out by the installation contractor.

 Technical acceptance of final installation must be carried out by the contractor in the
presence of the fire safety consultant and, if required, in the presence of representatives
of authorities having jurisdiction.
 The as built documentation regarding systems shall include:
 all the operating instructions,
 maintenance manuals,
 The drawings of the installation, the wiring diagrams…
 The equipment list with their location, reference and zone numbers
 The technical data sheets and certifications of all equipment,
 The test reports or certificates.
 Insurance certificates
 The contractor installing the fire detection and alarm system must provide training to the
hotel staff who will run the installation.
 This contractor, or an approved subsidiary, must provide 12 month free maintenance of
the installations.

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3.5 SELECTION OF EQUIPMENT

All fire safety related equipment must be certified and approved by the fire safety consultant
and authorities having jurisdiction.
Fire/smoke detectors must be made from environmentally-friendly and recyclable materials.
For this reason detectors with an ionization source are not permitted.

4 FIRE ALARM PANEL AND CENTRALISED APPARATUS

4.1 FIRE ALARM CONTROL PANEL

All elements on the detection network shall be of the addressable type and must be capable
of being connected to the fire alarm panel via closed loop connections. A line break or short
circuit in the loop shall not put out of service any loop element (such as: detector,
pushbutton).
The fire alarm control panel shall comprise:
 The indicator panel
 The centralised equipment to operate the linked controls, overall controls (automatic or
manual), electrical supply and controls that comprise the fire alarm control panel shall all
be grouped together in the same room.
 The emergency electrical supply unit

All equipment shall be fixed in a wall-mounted cabinet or on a rack, depending on its size,
and shall comprise:
 The control indicator lamps - Green > on – Yellow > fault – Red > alarm,
 The control buttons,
 The indicator labels,
 An audible alarm device.
 A message display screen,
 A system to record events and times (faults, alarms, etc.).

The fire alarm control panel shall contain only equipment related to safety functions. The
only control indicator lamps that may be incorporated in it shall be those of the activated
safety devices.
The fire alarm control panel and system must have a connection to a telephone line for
remote access and maintenance.
The software of the fire alarm control panel system must be of the open protocol type so that
any program review can be done without the supplier or the editor of the system.

4.2 ALARM CONTROL ROOM

All the equipment for the fire alarm control panel (including its batteries) must be located in
the same room dedicated only for this purpose.

 In general, as monitoring is carried out by the reception staff, the fire alarm control panel
shall be installed in a small room or cupboard behind the reception and a repeater panel
(with audible and visual signals and fitted with a manual alarm activator) shall be located
at the reception desk.
 In high rise buildings (and in other cases, as specified by the Fire Safety Consultant), the
control panel shall be installed in the central safety control room which must be located
on the same level as the fire brigade access route, as close as possible to the fire
brigade entrance door, separate from the public areas.

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4.3 ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY
The electrical supply to the control panel shall comprise:
 A normal power supply from a dedicated line directly issued from the main low voltage
panel.
 An emergency supply comprising a charger and batteries, with autonomy of 12 hours
(or of 24 hours where there is no generator).
 A standby battery to preserve software and supply visual indicators.

4.4 VISUAL MONITOR SCREEN

A colour monitor may be installed, on which a diagram of the relevant zone will be displayed
as soon as the alarm is actuated.
As an option it may also include a list of actions to be undertaken manually or automatically
in case of emergency (name and telephone numbers of people to call, specific measures
such as opening gates to fire brigade…)

5 INSTALLATIONS IN THE HOTEL

5.1 FIRE-RESISTANT CABLES

All cables connected to remote-controlled or interlocked equipment must be fire resistant or

included in fire resistant conduits.

5.2 LOCATIONS OF DETECTORS:

Smoke/Fire detectors shall be installed in all rooms or voids (ie: voids above false ceiling,…).
Their quantity, characteristic and location will depend on the lay-out of the project. Indicative
list:
 Guestrooms,
 Corridors (public or service),
 Linen rooms,
 Garbage room,
 Kitchen and related rooms,
 All public areas,
 Offices,
 Staff rooms,
 Plant rooms,
 Attics,
 Car parks,
 Technical shafts (if required),
 Internal stairs.
 Ceiling voids higher than 800mm

5.3 REQUIREMENTS FOR DETECTORS

 Detectors may be fixed to ceilings or to walls as specified by the manufacturer. Their

location must also take into account possible air flows from air conditioning systems or
other phenomena likely to interfere with their operation. For example, in bedrooms, the
selection of detector type and its exact location will make it unaffected by any possible hot
water mist coming out from the bathroom.
 The detector shall be controlled or addressable by software and not by setting a switch or
“dipswitch”.
 The different detectors must be interchangeable on the same detector socket.
 The detector socket in guest rooms should accept a plugged acoustic buzzer activated by
the fire detector mounted on the socket (see § 5.6.1) and/or a plugged siren activated by
general alarm (see § 5.6.3).

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  To avoid false alarms each individual detector shall have a built-in micro-chip which
automatically detects a fire or a phenomenon resembling a fire. The detector’s
microprocessor can be set to suit local environment and remains in constant digital data
communication with the fire alarm panel, so that alarm and error messages can be routed
immediately.
 The detectors in the guest rooms must be optical type:
 The detector reacts consistently to white as well as dark smoke particles, which are
released when both smoldering as well as open flaming fires occur
 Dust and insects cannot disturb the measuring chamber.

5.4 ALARM INDICATORS OVER DOORS

Red illuminated alarm indicators may need to be provided over doors of some rooms or
zones containing a detector, as required by the Fire safety Consultant.

5.5 MANUAL PUSH BUTTONS

The manual alarm activators (also known as "call points") shall be located near the exits at
each floor level of the building:
 Public and staff corridors, close to the exits onto the staircases or to the outside.
 Major public rooms.
 Major plant rooms
 Covered car parks.

5.6 AUDIBLE ALARMS

There are 3 possible levels of audible alarms as described below:

5.6.1 INDIVIDUAL PRE-ALARM (OPTIONAL)

 Selective and immediate operation of an audible alarm in the bedrooms may be specified in
order to warn guests as early as possible and avoid a general evacuation. These may be
achieved by the use of a buzzer plugged into the detector socket. This pre-alarm is not
transmitted to the central control panel.
 This system is recommended for smoking areas or bedrooms.

5.6.2 CENTRAL (RESTRICTED) ALARM

 It consists of a pre-alarm signalled only at the control panel. This is designed to allow time
for staff to check if it relates to an actual fire and is usually limited to 3 to 5 minutes before
the system automatically goes into full evacuation mode. The system should also go into
full (or selective) alarm in case a second detector or call point is triggered.
 It may be associated with the Individual Pre-alarm (see above)

5.6.3 GENERAL ALARM (OR SELECTIVE)

 An audible evacuation alarm, controlled by the control panel (automatically or manually),

audible from any point wherever in the building, shall be provided to indicate the need to
evacuate the building (may be general or selective, depending on Fire Safety Consultant’s
requirements).
 It shall consist of sirens or other sound emission systems distributed throughout the
corridors, major rooms (public and service) and within each bedroom.
 The intensity of the sound emitted shall be suitable for the location – noisy or quiet room –
particularly in bedrooms, where it should be loud enough to wake a guest but not to
traumatise him (a buzzer inside the fire detector socket may be a solution).

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  The selection between full or phased evacuation and consequently between general alarm
and selective alarm shall be specified by the fire safety consultant, depending on the
evacuation strategy. (selective alarm usually means alarm signalled only in affected and
adjacent fire compartments or floors)

5.6.4 HEARING-IMPAIRED

Flash alarms and vibrating pads for pillows must be installed in relevant rooms specially
equipped for hearing-impaired people.

5.6.5 VOICE EVACUATION SYTEM (OPTIONAL)

This option may be used if it is accepted by the local authorities.

5.7 INTERLOCKS

5.7.1 CLOSING OF DOORS

Interlinks from the alarm control panel shall control the automatic closing of fire or smoke
doors (fitted with holding devices) which are normally kept open for operational reasons,
such as:
 Smoke doors in corridors,
 Doors to refuge lobbies for disabled people
 Doors to lift landings or in front of lifts
 Doors dividing up areas in car parks
 Fire screens or shutters

Doors with electro-magnetic door holders shall close on lack of power supply.
Regulations may require particular specifications
The control may be general or selective, in association with alarm system.

5.7.2 EMERGENCY EXIT DOORS

 Emergency exit doors should be normally closed and openable from outside for security
reasons.
 Opening from inside should be by operation of a push bar or pad or lever handle.
 Locks should preferably not be installed.
 When exceptionally a locking system is required, it shall be inter-linked with the alarm
system and be of the electro-magnetic type released on lack of current. It shall be
complemented with an emergency release break glass unit immediately adjacent to
release the locking system.
 Exit doors shall not have key-operated locks. A key operating the latch must be provided
on the outside of exit doors to provide access for the fire brigade.

5.7.3 POSITION MONITORING

Local regulations or the fire safety consultant may require monitoring of the position of some
doors on the indicator panel. This may involve:
 Doors to staircase lobbies (normally kept closed)
 Doors linked to lift landings or in front of lifts.
 Fire screens or shutters

5.8 LIFT SERVICE IN CASE OF FIRE

Local regulations/authorities or the Fire Safety Consultant may require that lifts do not stop at
the floor involved with the fire.

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 The control system that closes fire doors or screens in front of lift landing doors must also
turn on the “not
Stopping” system for the lifts at the relevant floor, even if it is the result of a false alarm (this
is to prevent passengers from being disturbed at facing a shut fire door when lift stops).

The “not stopping” operation must be indicated by a red warning light on the relevant landing
and at the control panel.

5.9 SMOKE MANAGEMENT

Whenever required by local regulations/authorities or by the fire safety master plan, a smoke
management system will be interlocked with the fire detection system in order to facilitate
evacuation by clearing smoke from evacuation routes. This may include:
 Pressurisation staircases (automatic and manual mode)
 Extraction and fresh air supply in corridors
 Opening or closing of dampers, roof hatches or other flaps as necessary.

All information concerning smoke management must be specified in details in the fire safety
strategy.

In some cases (atrium for ex.) special studies will be required.

5.10 AIR HANDLING UNITS

Air handling units shall be fitted with autonomous or centralised detectors linked to a damper
at the outlet from the unit or at the passage of the fire wall of the plant room, in order to
ensure that the following functions are automatically provided:
 Fire in the filters: prevent the spread of smoke into the air ductwork (stop fan + closing of
damper…)
 Fire or smoke in the plant room: prevent the spread of fire or smoke into the air ductwork
or into other rooms.
 In both cases: indicate the incident on the fire alarm panel and on the technical alarm
panel.

6 MAINTENANCE - PERIODIC TESTING – TECHNICAL CHECKS

 All fire safety systems require written maintenance contracts (including periodical controls
and testing) with a qualified contractor.
 For fire alarm and detection systems, the service contract must include a requirement for
rapid attendance in order to avoid disruption to the hotel operation.

END OF DOCUMENT

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