The Fire Protection Project (PCI in Spanish) is a document required in licenses to open shops, industries and in the construction of new buildings, with the aim of adapting them to current regulations in this field. It is a set of procedures and equipment necessary for a building to protect itself against the possibility of a fire, both in passive protection and in active protection, as well as in emergency evacuation procedures… At Arce Clima,we are specialists in Protection Against Fires at all levels that are required, providing all the regulatory and technical requirements that you may need for your project.

Fire protection systems are required in the vast majority of public buildings, businesses of all kinds, garages or industrial buildings. In the case of housing, it is not mandatory, but it is in the common areas of a building, and they have to be visible to all the people who live in it. In the case of industrial establishments, new constructions, or after December 2004 (RD2267/2004) it is also mandatory, and those that change or modify their activity, move, expand or reform, will also require the presentation of a PCI project. This will depend on the current regulations of each country.

The type of building is not the only variable to consider when selecting a fire protection system, for this the following must be considered:

• Type of establishment.
• Fire load.
• Type of production process.
• Storage.

As a result of all these variables, the system and the technology applied in each case are established depending on: response times, reliability, the economic cost of the installation, as well as the future maintenance of these facilities.

This process must be designed and developed by a specialized engineering department since its correct operation is vital to guarantee the safety of both people and property.

Fire detection systems, depending on their technology, warn of this danger through the phenomena that occurwith them (smoke, flame, gases, temperature or radiation). Some of them are the following:

• Point smoke detector: it’s the traditional detection whose use extends to small and low-rise areas, so its response is effective.

• Aspirating smoke detector: it detects fire in its initial stage and with high reliability, special for use in large areas, high ceilings, extreme environmental conditions, in unique buildings where aesthetics are predominant, as well as in areas where a quick evacuation is required.

• Flame detector: It has several applications in the industrial sector for fires with flames, working in adverse conditions with high reliability and efficiency.

• Temperature detector: its detection is based on the increase of punctual temperature where a semiconductor is sensitive to the increase of temperature in a determined interval of time.

The extinguishing systems have the purpose of controlling and extinguishing the fire by means of using the appropriate extinguishing agent for the fire to be extinguished.

The core of the installation is the water supply both from a public network, approved for such use, and the private supply made of a water tank authorized for the exclusive use of PCI, as well as pumping equipment designed for the requirements of each installation.

Regarding the extinguishing systems, we can choose between water sprinklers, water spray, powder and gas (Argon, Novec 1230, CO2, gas mixtures, etc.), depending on the purpose, the location or the products that we are protecting.

The choice of one system over the other will depend on the criteria mentioned above, allowing detection from its earliest to the most critical stage, so that a rapid intervention makes it possible to extinguish the fire effectively and minimise losses. It is important to always contact professionals to ensure that we choose the system that best suits our needs and guarantees the greatest possible security.