IFAB is specialized in fire protection consulting. For this purpose, we offer fire protection expert opinions, fire protection concepts, fire protection planning and verification services for buildings as well as for regulated and unregulated special structures. The fire protection requirements are covered by the regulations and measures of the building code. The individual measures are bundled in a holistic fire protection concept or fire protection verification as follows:
preventive fire protection | fire prevention | structural fire safety | technical and plant-specific fire safety | organisational fire safety
firefighting | fire protection
Implementing these regulations is one of the standard tasks of our employees. Regulated and unregulated special buildings or buildings with above-average risk often require a special approach. This is necessary, for example, if the building or parts of it are not covered by regulations or if special design, monument protection and architectural concepts are to be implemented. Realizing the objectives of fire protection in spite of this is a major focus of our consulting services. With the experience gained from more than 1800 real fire tests, we are able to develop efficient and cost-optimized solutions. Concert halls, high-rise buildings, retail outlets, hospitals, laboratories, high-bay warehouses and listed buildings are typical examples of the challenges IFAB successfully meets.
To many industrial buildings and applications, the rules of the applicable law cannot be applied or can only be applied inadequately. Particularly high risks or valuable investments often require customized fire protection solutions. The conception, planning and support during the realization of these solutions are just as much part of our range of services as the proof in individual cases for their load-bearing capacity. For this purpose, IFAB uses contemporary engineering methods and backs them up with CFD simulations or real fire tests.
Fire safety concepts help to implement the requirements of building law and serve to reduce the risk of fire and its effects to an acceptable level. IFAB prepares fire safety concepts, fire protection certificates and carries out fire safety planning on the basis of generally accepted building law principles. We have a unique collection of results from real fire tests and are thus able to comprehensively evaluate and apply measures of preventive and especially of plant fire protection. The concepts we develop are therefore not only based on theoretical principles, but also incorporate the results of more than 1800 real fire tests.
The creation of sophisticated fire safety concepts requires the holistic consideration of all measures of organizational, preventive and defensive fire protection. We offer support and supervision throughout the entire approval and planning process. Architectural and design aspects, protection of historical monuments, life cycle costs and technical reliability are taken into account as required. Together with clients and authorities, we ensure an accepted, yet cost-optimized execution and implementation of fire safety concepts.
If unconventional ideas are required for challenging objects, such as atria, glass facades, special buildings in existing structures, metro stations and listed buildings, we are able to develop protection-goal-oriented fire safety concepts and provide fire protection certificates with the help of many years of versatile experimental investigations and the application of recognized engineering methods, such as fire simulations, smoke tests and fire tests. Especially when the implementation of conventional measures is not effective or economically not required, IFAB can develop compensatory measures and establish the approvability. In doing so, the technical/technological solution approaches are worked out and the foundations are laid for the subsequent planning processes of all service phases.
Our employees are recognized experts in their field. This enables IFAB to evaluate fire safety concepts and planning, fire risk analyses and proof of effectiveness as an independent third party.
To prove the effectiveness and viability of exceptional fire protection solutions, experience and profound knowledge of fire processes and the interaction of the various measures of plant engineering, organizational and defensive fire protection are required. IFAB uses recognized engineering methods such as calculation methods, simulations and realistic fire tests to provide proof in individual cases for special fire safety concepts and solutions.
IFAB is an accredited test laboratory according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 for the performance of fire tests as proof of effectiveness of water-based fire fighting systems. This includes the recording of the measured variables such as temperature, system pressure of the firefighting systems or extinguishing systems and gas concentrations (oxygen as well as fire gases carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide). The real fire tests and the measurements are carried out in accordance with valid standards and guidelines of IMO, FM, CEN, DIN, VdS for buildings and industrial buildings. Other measured variables (visibility, flow velocities of air and media, gas concentrations, humidity, etc.) required by the standards and norms are recorded using the mobile IFAB measuring equipment. Heat release rates are determined in real time using recognized calculation methods. The following standards and guidelines have been applied for standardized fire tests so far:
Guideline no. | Title |
|---|---|
DIN CEN/TS 14972:2011-09 | Fixed firefighting systems - Fine spray extinguishing systems - Planning and installation |
Attachment A.1 | Test method flammable liquids |
Attachment A.2 | Test method Fire test for cable ducts |
Attachment F | Fire test procedure for certain areas of use of the medium fire hazard class OH3 |
DIN EN 14972-1 | Fine spray extinguishing systems - Part 1: Design, installation, inspection and maintenance |
DIN EN 14972-3 | Fixed firefighting systems - Water mist systems - Part 3: Test report for offices, schools and hotels for automatic nozzle systems |
DIN EN 14972-8 | Fixed firefighting systems - Fine spray extinguishing systems - Part 8: Test report for machines in enclosures larger than 260 m³ for open nozzle systems |
DIN EN 14972-9 | Fixed firefighting systems - Fine spray extinguishing systems - Part 9: Test report for machines in enclosures up to 260 m³ for open nozzle systems |
DIN EN 14972-10 | Fixed firefighting systems - Fine spray extinguishing systems - Part 10: Fire test report for atria protection with side wall nozzles for open nozzle systems |
DIN EN 14972-14 | Fixed firefighting systems - Water mist systems - Part 14: Fire test report for combustion turbines in enclosures larger than 260 m³ for open nozzle systems |
DIN EN 14972-15 | Fixed firefighting systems - Water mist systems - Part 15: Fire test report for combustion turbines in enclosures up to 260 m³ for open nozzle systems |
DIN EN 14972-16 | Fixed firefighting systems - Fine mist extinguishing systems - Part 16: Fire test report for industrial large-scale open nozzle fine mist extinguishing systems |
IMO Resolution MSC 265 (84):2008-05 | Addendum to the revised guidelines for the approval of sprinkler systems in accordance with those referenced in the SOLAS regulations (Resolution A.800(19)). |
FM 5560 | Approval standard for water mist system / fire tests |
Attachments: A - N | Fire tests |
VdS OH1 Office | Test setup and requirements - OH1 (office) |
VdS OH1 Hotel | Test setup and requirements - OH1 (Hotel) |
VdS OH1 intermediate floor | Test setup and requirements - OH1 (intermediate floor and ceilings) |
VdS OH3 Bearing: 2011 | Test setup and requirements - OH3 (ST1 and ST5/5, sales, storage and technical areas) |
VdS cable ducts | Test setup and requirements - cable ducts |
VdS Sidewall nozzle | Protection of LH and OH areas with sidewall nozzles |
VdS chipboard press | Object protection with fine spray nozzles for particleboard presses |
VdS machine protection | Fire tests for machine protection |
VdS OH2 underground garages | Test setup and requirements - OH2 (underground garages) |
IFAB performs smoke tests and fog tests for the above-mentioned different applications, such as industrial buildings, tunnel metro stations or rail vehicles. For this purpose, IFAB has the necessary equipment with heat sources, fog generators and smoke generators. This is used to provide evidence for the effectiveness of smoke extraction systems, to investigate the dispersion of smoke gases or to validate the positioning of smoke detectors in rail vehicles. The following standards and guidelines have been applied for smoke tests to date:
Guideline no. | Title |
|---|---|
DIN EN 54 | Fire alarm systems |
DIN EN 54 – Part 12 | Linear detector based on the transmitted light principle |
DIN EN 54 – Part 20 | Aspirating smoke detector |
DIN EN 54 – Part 22 | Linear heat detectors |
VDI Guideline 6019 Sheet 1 | Engineering methods for the design of smoke evacuation from buildings - fire courses, verification of effectiveness. |
Test object: smoke extraction
IFAB offers comprehensive support from a single source. Our employees handle the entire process from test conception - through coordination and organization with the test laboratories to the provision of customized measurement technology solutions and including data acquisition and data evaluation.
Together with the customers and, if necessary, authorities and approval bodies, the required documentation and reports for fire tests and smoke tests are prepared.
In addition to the accredited test methods for large-scale fire tests, IFAB as an independent test laboratory also develops application-specific test methods that are not standardized. Applications can be for example:
- Atriums and glass facades,
- Theater aisles and large ceiling heights,
- Industrial plants with assembly lines,
- Escalators,
- Coating plants,
- Tunnels,
- Compact archives,
- Warehouses with plastics,
- Fryers,
- High-voltage energy storage systems and
- Experimental investigations of design fire scenarios by real fire tests.
For the applications mentioned above IFAB develops with the help of the methods from DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025
test concepts, which serve the verification of the effectiveness of the following systems:
- Fire alarm systems,
- Firefighting systems and extinguishing systems,
- Smoke extraction systems and heat extraction systems.
Special attention is paid to the development and dimensioning of the design fires and design fire scenarios. These must be designed in such a way that, on the one hand, they represent the application and, on the other hand, they can be reproduced with sufficient accuracy. These requirements are ensured by the use of suitable surrogate fire loads whose combustion characteristics are precisely known.
Such test series are developed in close consultation with the approval bodies (VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH, TÜV Nord, TÜV Süd or TÜV Rheinland, DEKRA, etc.) so that passing the evaluation criteria defined in the test concept leads to approval for the tested application.
