Fire Load Density Survey in Four Shopping Malls in Hong Kong
International Journal on Engineering Performance-Based Fire Codes, Volume 10, Number 1, p.12-16, 2011
FIRE LOAD DENSITY SURVEY IN FOUR SHOPPING MALLS IN HONG KONG
Carmen C.S. Fong and W.K. Chow
Research Centre for Fire Engineering, Department of Building Services Engineering The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
(Received 1 December 2010; Accepted 11 January 2011)
ABSTRACT
Fire loads in four shopping malls with 301 retail shops in Hong Kong were surveyed and reported in this paper. It was observed that fire loads are different under different seasons. Shops might have higher fire load in summer, but lower value in winter. About 16% of the retail shops exceeded the upper limit of fire load density of 1,135 MJm-2 specified in the local code. The highest fire load density was observed in shops selling bedroom products such as curtains, blankets, pillows and mattresses. The survey results are also compared with those reported elsewhere in the literature. The fire load density for malls in Hong Kong is higher. Finally, it is interesting to note that fire load is related to the floor area, higher fire load density in smaller retail shops.
1.
INTRODUCTION
Shopping malls in the Far East used to be crowded with people in weekends and holidays. Regulations requirement on occupancy follows the means of escape code [1]. The usable floor area that can be occupied by every occupant in a shopping centre from basement to 2/F is 3 m2. At levels 3/F and above, the usable floor area is 4.5 m2 per person. Storing high amount of combustibles would give fire hazard. Fire load density FLD (in MJm-2) is a key factor which should be studied carefully. It was estimated in the code [2] by inspecting the numbers and types of combustibles within a retail shop. FLD is given by: FLD = Sum over all mass of contents (kg) × Calorific value of contents (MJkg-1)/Floor area (m2) (1) This formula is outlined in the local fire service installations (FSI) code [2].
FIRE LOAD DENSITY SURVEY IN FOUR SHOPPING MALLS IN HONG KONG
Carmen C.S. Fong and W.K. Chow
Research Centre for Fire Engineering, Department of Building Services Engineering The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
(Received 1 December 2010; Accepted 11 January 2011)
ABSTRACT
Fire loads in four shopping malls with 301 retail shops in Hong Kong were surveyed and reported in this paper. It was observed that fire loads are different under different seasons. Shops might have higher fire load in summer, but lower value in winter. About 16% of the retail shops exceeded the upper limit of fire load density of 1,135 MJm-2 specified in the local code. The highest fire load density was observed in shops selling bedroom products such as curtains, blankets, pillows and mattresses. The survey results are also compared with those reported elsewhere in the literature. The fire load density for malls in Hong Kong is higher. Finally, it is interesting to note that fire load is related to the floor area, higher fire load density in smaller retail shops.
1.
INTRODUCTION
Shopping malls in the Far East used to be crowded with people in weekends and holidays. Regulations requirement on occupancy follows the means of escape code [1]. The usable floor area that can be occupied by every occupant in a shopping centre from basement to 2/F is 3 m2. At levels 3/F and above, the usable floor area is 4.5 m2 per person. Storing high amount of combustibles would give fire hazard. Fire load density FLD (in MJm-2) is a key factor which should be studied carefully. It was estimated in the code [2] by inspecting the numbers and types of combustibles within a retail shop. FLD is given by: FLD = Sum over all mass of contents (kg) × Calorific value of contents (MJkg-1)/Floor area (m2) (1) This formula is outlined in the local fire service installations (FSI) code [2].