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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Postgrad (School of Engineering)

Postgraduate Course: Fire Safety Engineering (MSc) (PGEE11245)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course provides a training in engineering approaches to applied problems. The student is introduced to the principles of design for the fire safety engineering of various infrastructures, with an emphasis in the built environment. A variety of different aspects of design are discussed (including: flammability, detection & alarm, smoke management, fire suppression, fire resistance, egress, etc.), with particular attention to systems of classification and design applications. The course distinguishes 'prescriptive' and 'performance-based' approaches to design, with an emphasis on understanding the philosophy of design guidance; references are made to more advanced methods and opportunities to use fire science knowledge and engineering analysis approaches, as well as the interface with structural engineering. The overall aim is to build confidence in tackling simple fire safety engineering design with due consideration to any limitations, uncertainties or conservatisms which may be present.
Course description Lecture 1 Introduction to Fire Safety Engineering (wks1, 2)
Principles of regulations for fire safety, lessons from failures, intro to prescriptive and performance-based design methodologies

Lecture 2 Flammability (wk3)
Concept of 'Flammability' and associated principles of hazard classification

Lecture 3 Fire Detection and Alarm (wk4)
Design of fire detection and alarm systems, including technologies

Lecture 4 Smoke Control (wk5)
Concept and application of 'stairwell pressurisation'

Lectures 5a,b Fire Suppression (wks6, 7)
Principles and design of water and gaseous suppression

Lectures 6a,b Fire Resistance (wks8, 9)
Concept and application of 'Fire Resistance'

Lecture 7 Egress (wk10)
Human factors including escape route design

Lecture 8 Revision (wk11)

There is a single assessed tutorial encompassing one or more of the above topics. A formative tutorial will also be completed, with feedback provided before the assessed tutorial.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Appreciate the role and importance of fire safety engineering in the design of modern infrastructures
  2. Describe the range of approaches adopted, with an awareness of distinctions and limitations
  3. Justify fire design specifications with reference to appropriate codes and standards, with appropriate consideration of information that may be incomplete or uncertain
  4. Demonstrate awareness of potentially conflicting demands, i.e. commercial, safety, environmental, ethical, etc
Reading List
All required materials are provided in course VLE on Learn, i.e. codes & standards (including some technical papers) and various items for "course reading" (papers by Brannigan and Woodrow, plus Milliken carpet factory case study); two publicly available videos are also used, Buncefield (Domoney) and BRE's "No Smoke with Fire"; useful pre-course reading would be Prof Rasbash inaugural lecture, providing some historical context: https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/5574
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsFire Safety Engineering,Codes and Standards,Prescriptive design,Performance based design
Contacts
Course organiserDr Stephen Welch
Tel: (0131 6)50 5734
Email: S.Welch@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Ruben Gutierrez Martin
Tel: (0131 6)50 5690
Email: Ruben.Gutierrez@ed.ac.uk
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