Key points for establishing and implementing a hotel fire protection system operation and management system
I am fire protection expert Alexander Li. As a high-occupancy venue, a hotel's establishment and execution of fire protection system operation and management systems directly affect the safety of life and property, and are a core element of fire safety management. Based on my years of engineering experience, the operation and maintenance management of hotel fire protection systems (including automatic sprinkler systems, automatic fire alarm systems, smoke control and exhaust systems, hydrant systems, etc.) must strictly follow national standards such as GB25201 "Maintenance and Management of Building Fire Protection Facilities," GB50016 "Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings," and GB50261 "Code for Construction and Acceptance of Automatic Sprinkler Systems." Below, I will combine standards and practice to elaborate in detail on the key points for establishing and executing the system.
Key Points for System Establishment
1. Division of Responsibilities and System Framework
First, in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 4 of GB25201, the hotel should clearly designate the fire safety responsible person (usually the general manager) and the manager (such as the engineering director), and establish a "daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual" inspection system. For example, I participated in the fire protection system optimization of a five-star hotel, whose system included: daily patrol of the fire pump room and alarm control panel; weekly testing of the end water test device; monthly linkage testing of smoke control and exhaust fans; quarterly simulated fire alarm drills; and annual comprehensive testing. The system needs to be refined down to the inspection cycle and responsible person for each device (such as sprinkler heads and fire dampers).
2. Equipment Maintenance Standards
Citing Chapter 9 of GB50261, automatic sprinkler systems require regular inspection of water sources, pumps, valves, and sprinkler heads. For example, sprinkler heads should be checked monthly for obstruction or damage (GB50261 Clause 9.0.6), and fire pumps should be started and tested quarterly (GB50261 Clause 9.0.4). In a hotel project, I once found that failure to clean the strainer of the wet alarm valve assembly monthly per the standard resulted in delayed alarms, which was later resolved by establishing a "monthly strainer cleaning" system.
3. Emergency Response Procedures
Establish emergency procedures matching GB50116 "Code for Design of Automatic Fire Alarm Systems." For example, after an alarm signal is triggered, the fire situation must be confirmed within 3 minutes and the fire pump started within 5 minutes (refer to Chapter 7 of GB25201). I recommend that hotels develop a "fire alarm graded response table," such as Level 1 (false alarm) manual reset, and Level 2 (real fire) immediate activation of evacuation broadcast and smoke control and exhaust systems.
Key Points for Execution
1. Training and Drills
According to Article 16 of the "Fire Protection Law," hotels must organize at least one full-staff fire drill every six months. A case I supervised: a hotel's employees were unfamiliar with the location of the fire pump start button, resulting in delayed initial fire suppression. The improvement measure was monthly "equipment operation assessments," such as simulating manual start of the sprinkler pump and operation of fire shutter doors.
2. Records and Rectification
During execution, the "maintenance records" required by Chapter 6 of GB25201 must be implemented, including inspection date, problem description, and rectification results. For example, during an audit of a hotel, I found that the fire pump pressure gauge reading was abnormal but not recorded; this was later addressed by establishing an "electronic inspection system" to enforce recording and setting automatic alarms for overdue unrectified items.
3. Third-Party Inspection
According to Clause 9.0.1 of GB50261, a qualified maintenance unit must be commissioned annually for comprehensive testing. I once handled a case where a hotel's failure to conduct annual testing led to corroded and blocked sprinkler heads; after renovation, a third party was required to issue a "system integrity report" quarterly.
Practical Case
In a high-rise hotel project in Shenzhen, I led the optimization of the fire protection system operation and maintenance system. The original system lacked a "monthly smoke control and exhaust fan testing" step, resulting in the failure of smoke exhaust outlets to open in linkage during a simulated fire alarm. I introduced Clause 8.5.4 of GB50016 (smoke control zone requirements), set fan linkage testing every two weeks, and added "manual reset inspection of fire dampers" as a monthly priority. Six months later, the hotel passed fire acceptance, and the annual inspection passed on the first attempt.
Summary
The establishment and execution of a hotel fire protection system operation and management system must use standards such as GB25201 and GB50261 as the framework, refine inspection processes according to equipment characteristics, and ensure implementation through training, records, and third-party inspection. The core is "responsibility assigned to individuals, clear cycles, and traceable records." The above are reference opinions. Actual project conditions still need to be further comprehensively evaluated and implemented in combination with specific operating conditions, site conditions, and other factors.