Escape in 20 minutes

Despite the active construction of skyscrapers in the regions, Moscow's experience of high-rise construction still remains cutting-edge. We asked Oleg Tverdokhlebov, chief engineer of the IFC "City of Capitals", implemented in Moscow City by the Capital Group, about the specifics of the complex's fire safety system.

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IFC "City of Capitals", height — 302 meters (Moscow tower), 257 meters (St. Petersburg tower), area — 288 thousand square meters, composition: residential apartments, class A+ business center, shopping gallery, 6-level underground Parking.

- What unique technologies and equipment are used to ensure fire safety at the facility?

- The fire protection conditions developed for the City of Capitals MFC are much tougher compared to all other facilities in Moscow. So, in addition to ventilation, heat supply, heating, and lighting, life support systems include BMS (dispatching systems) and the DMS (Danger Management System, a software and hardware complex designed to build automated control systems), which was first used in our complex, as a kind of innovation in the construction of IFC. This system combines almost all engineering systems, including the security system, through its equipment. When we made this design decision, there were no similar ones in similar complexes in the city of Moscow. The system operates automatically and its main advantage is to reduce the response time in any emergency situation.

- Describe how it works?

- If any element of the security system initiates a signal that an emergency is occurring or something has happened at the facility, all systems will be activated simultaneously. Thus, everything is aimed at ensuring that all building services - the security service and the dispatch service - instantly receive information about what is happening and where. This requirement is mandatory for a complex of this level. This information is consolidated and transmitted to the city, as well as to the 207 fire rescue squad specially created for the Moscow City Moscow Fire and Rescue Center, which is located nearby in the Severnaya Tower. All this became possible thanks to the use of the DMS system.

- How much has the project implementation become more complicated due to the use of so much high-tech equipment?

- The scale of the system increased the duration of the start-up work, the installation of more endpoints, modules, and additional devices took more time. Nevertheless, the contractor was able to complete all the work on time, during the first and second phases of construction. The difficulties of installation include, again, the scale of the systems, the duration of commissioning and the difficulties of end users (tenants, owners), who are required to integrate into this system during finishing work, and it is not cheap.

- Describe the principles of the complex's fire safety system.

- The building is structurally divided into several fire compartments, and a fire that started in one compartment will not spread up the floors. All bulkheads and ceilings on each floor are made of non-combustible materials, as well as partitions between apartments. The most important fire protection systems are: an automatic fire alarm system, evacuation control alerts, an automatic fire extinguishing system, fire plumbing, and fire intercom, a communication system inside buildings. In rooms where fire is possible: transformer substations, electrical distribution boards, server rooms, etc., gas or powder extinguishing equipment is installed. By the way, if one of the residents or employees smokes, the fire alarm will not work: confirmation of smoke from two sensors is required to exclude a false alarm. If the alarm system does report a fire, the alarm system turns on, the elevators descend to the first landing floor, the supply and exhaust ventilation is turned off so that the fire does not spread, the doors on the escape routes are unlocked, the air backup of the evacuation stairs and smoke extraction from the premises are activated, water fire extinguishing is triggered.

- How are the escape routes planned in a building with a height of more than 300 meters?

- All escape routes lead down. There are two smoke-free staircases in each tower. They are made in a separate concrete box – the core of rigidity. The doors leading to them have special seals that foam when the temperature rises and additionally insulate the stairs from smoke. In a normal situation, access to the floors is closed for security reasons. But there is a special manual access device near each exit — by lifting or breaking the glass, you can automatically unlock the door.

Each staircase is equipped with fire-fighting ventilation with air backup: special fans take fresh air from the street and drive it into the stairwell. People who go downstairs are thus isolated from fire, elevated temperatures, and combustion products such as smoke. Gorenje The total evacuation time was calculated for our project. For the Moscow Tower, it is 20-21 minutes. The fire resistance of the evacuation doors is at least 1 hour. If it is not possible to descend, there are security rooms on each technical floor, designed for about 20 people, where you can hide until rescuers arrive. By the way, there is a supply of gas protection kits. If you put it on your head, you can continue the rescue relatively calmly.

There are communication devices in the security rooms and on the evacuation routes - fire intercom, through which a person can contact the 24-hour control room. Each device has a personal number, so we always know where the call came from. There is also one staircase leading to the roof, but this escape route is not the main one, but an alternative one. Evacuation from the roof is possible if necessary. Only helicopters of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are allowed to fly over Moscow. Each tower has two fire elevators, from which it is possible, among other things, to evacuate people. But in case of fire, they are controlled only by the fire brigade. Ordinary elevators automatically descend in case of an emergency and remain there with the doors open. If the fire spreads to the lower floors, you can escape through some of the 21 stairs that are in the stylobate part of the "City of Capitals". Even with a large-scale fire, the time for complete evacuation is 10 times less than the fire resistance limit of the building's load-bearing structures.

- Does the complex have fire safety measures for owners and tenants?

- According to responsible persons from government agencies and fire safety authorities, the security system installed on the complex allows us to consider the "City of Capitals" the safest on the territory of the Moscow City Exhibition Center. At least every six months, exercises of the PSO 207 fire and rescue squad, which was created specifically for the MMDC, take place in the skyscraper. Firefighters are also practicing climbing escape ladders to the top. In full ammunition with fire extinguishers, it takes them 45 minutes. There are also exercises for tenants and residents. Of course, we cannot force apartment owners to participate, but we always strongly recommend and give everyone memos and instructions.

Fire safety issues for high-rise buildings, as well as the experience of Russian and foreign developers in this area, will be discussed in detail at the 100+ Forum Russia high-rise and unique construction forum, which will be held in Yekaterinburg from September 23 to 26, 2015.