International. Arup and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) presented the EFFECT project, a tool to more accurately assess fire risks in high-rise buildings. More specifically, EFFECT aims to facilitate the work of owners, facility managers and administrations when it comes to foreseeing possible fire risks that may occur in buildings with existing combustible facades, and that prioritize rehabilitation works.
The presentation took place within the framework of SICUR, the International Safety Exhibition by Javier Unanua and Eugenio García, Fire Safety consultants of Arup in Spain and Donald Bliss, vice president of the National Association of Fire Protection (NFPA).
The tool is the result of an investigation carried out by Arup with the sponsorship of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and takes into account aspects such as the envelope of the building, whether the cladding is combustible, the façade and the impact of potential sources of ignition. In addition, it evaluates the spread of fire on the façade from inside the building or from a balcony, vehicle or garbage container.
Levels in the evaluation process
To do this, EFFECT employs a two-tier risk assessment process. Level 1 implies that the competent administrations, the owner of the property or the facility manager answer a small questionnaire with predefined answers for its classification such as: the combustibility of the insulation and the cladding of the façade; the presence of sprinklers; or the type of alarm system.
Level 2 entails a more thorough assessment for those buildings considered at risk in level 1. From this point on, an inspection would be carried out to evaluate the maintenance records. If necessary, sampling and laboratory tests will be carried out for those unidentified façade materials.
Risk assessment
Freely accessible, the tool has a user guide that describes the methodology, helping to answer through words, images and examples, each of the questions posed by the tool. In some cases, EFFECT will highlight the need for a more detailed risk assessment by a qualified team of façade and fire safety engineers.
The tool can be used in any geographical area and is currently applied to existing residential properties, including hotels and apartments, or offices that are more than 18 meters high. This height is measured as the vertical distance from the level from which firefighters can access the highest occupied floor of the building. EFFECT assesses risk in existing buildings and has not been created for use in the design of new buildings.
