Aircraft Hangar
Commercial and military aircrafts are extremely expensive pieces of equipment. From a fire protection standpoint, the aircraft hangars where these high-value airplanes are stored are unique facilities for several reasons.
There is typically a significant amount of flammable liquid aircraft fuel present in these facilities. Besides, the regularly occurring maintenance activities provide several potential ignition sources. Moreover, the airplanes themselves have large main bodies and wings, which create sizeable obstruction for many typical fire protection systems.
NFPA 409 “Standard on Aircraft Hangars” is the most common standard for the protection of aircraft hangars. When choosing a fire protection system for an aircraft hangar, the classification of the hangar must first be determined. There are four types of aircraft hangar groups which are classified as follows, per NFPA 409: Group I, Group II, Group III & Group IV. Variable factors that affect system design and component selection include hangar floor area, type of hangar construction, aircraft access door height, type and size of housed aircraft, aircraft quantity and parking arrangement, and floor drainage details
Areas to be protected:
- Hangar Area
- Shops Area
- Warehouse Area
- Office/Administration and Specialty Areas
- Building Utilities Area
Kind of Protection Required:
- Fire Alarm & Detection System
- Sprinkler System
- Foam Suppression Systems
- Clean Agent Fire Suppression System
- Portable Fire Extinguishers
- Mobile Fire Extinguishers
Aircraft Cabin
Fire in the passenger cabin, a lavatory, galley, or luggage compartment within the cabin during flight is amongst the worst situations that an airline crew can be faced with.
Crew Incapacitation: Heat, toxic smoke, and fumes building up in this confined space can quickly incapacitate the crew and passengers and may lead to death by suffocation or the inhalation of toxic gasses.
Loss of Control: Panic among passengers, rushing to either end of the aircraft may create an out of balance condition making the aircraft difficult to control. Aircraft systems may be damaged leading to a loss of control situation.
Time is critical - an established in-flight fire is difficult to bring under control, so every effort, using immediate and aggressive action, must be made to extinguish the fire as soon as it is detected.
Fighting the Fire :Firstly identify the type of fire which is determined by the fuel being combusted.
- Detection of fires within the aircraft cabin or flight deck usually depends on the ability of the cabin or flight crew member to see or smell smoke. Detecting the location of the seat of the fire can be particularly difficult due to air flow distribution within the aircraft.
- Experience shows that fires can start in inaccessible locations, making it difficult or impossible to extinguish the fire.
- The inability to access the source of the fire is a serious limitation that significantly reduces the likelihood of successfully extinguishing it. All fire extinguishers work best when they are discharged at the base of the fire.
Areas/Equipment to be protected:
- Galley
- Electrical Equipments
- Lavatory
- Waste Containers
- Overhead Compartment
- Engine Compartment
- Seats
Kind of Protection Required:
- Fire Detection System
- Clean Agent Fire Suppression System
- Portable Fire Extinguishers
