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Prediction and Reduction of Alarm Sound Propagation Through Escape Stairways

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Abstract

Emergency alarm systems notify people in case of a fire hazard so that they can quickly escape to safe areas. As buildings become larger and taller, emergency alarm systems have been transitioning from alarm-at-once systems to priority alarm systems. The Korean National Fire Safety Code for the emergency alarm system (NFSC 202) states that if there is a fire on or above the second floor of a building, it is mandatory to sound an alarm on the fire floor and the floor directly above it. A previous study reported that as the fire alarm sound transferred to the upper and lower floor through escape stairways, the transferred alarm sound could also be recognized by residents on unintended floors. Consequently, there is a possibility that all of the residents in a building may try to attempt to escape simultaneously. Application of sound absorption material in the alarm sound propagation routes was proposed to reduce alarm sound transmission to unintended floors. However, a study on the prediction of alarm sound propagation through escape stairways connected to the elevator hall was not conducted. This study predicted the propagation of alarm sounds generated in the elevator halls of Korean apartment buildings to floors above and below the alarming floor using a standardized room acoustic simulation method. To control alarm sound transmission to the unintended floors, the application of sound absorption materials on the walls of the escape stairways and the sound insulation performance of fireproof doors was considered. To facilitate effective escapes from high-rise buildings, control of a situation in which the alarm sounds of a priority alarm system are transferred to unintended floors is necessary. Prediction results showed that to prevent alarm sound transmission though the escape stairways, installation of fireproof doors with high sound insulation performance at the entrance of escape stairways and application of incombustible sound absorption materials or sound-absorbing blocks on the walls of escape stairways are needed.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2019R1F1A1061425).

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  1. Fire Safety & Building Environment Research Center, Fire Insurers Laboratories of Korea, Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

    Jeong-Ho Jeong

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  1. Jeong-Ho Jeong
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Correspondence to Jeong-Ho Jeong.

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Jeong, JH. Prediction and Reduction of Alarm Sound Propagation Through Escape Stairways. Fire Technol 58, 251–279 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-021-01131-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-021-01131-z

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