# Firefighting Systems — Hydrants, Sprinklers and Pump Rooms

> Firefighting systems are the hydrants, hose reels, wet risers, automatic sprinklers and fire pump rooms that suppress a fire in a building. Pumps, tank and pipework are sized by hydraulic calculation from the occupancy's hazard classification and the systems installed, with reference to NBC 2016 Part 4, IS 15105 and IS 3844.

## What we deliver

**Fire hydrant and hose reel systems, wet risers, automatic sprinklers, fire pump
rooms and the associated piping** — installed, pressure tested and commissioned.

This is life-safety work, and the standard it is held to is correspondingly
higher. A sprinkler system is tested once properly and then, with luck, never
used — which means whatever was wrong with it on day one is discovered on the
worst day of the building's life.

## Scope of works

| Stage | What we deliver |
| --- | --- |
| Assessment | Occupancy, hazard class and applicable requirements |
| Design | Layout, hydraulic calculation, pump and tank sizing |
| Pump room | Main, jockey and diesel pumps, valves, controls |
| Hydrants | Internal and yard hydrants, hose reels, wet risers |
| Sprinklers | Heads, range pipes, installation control valves |
| Piping | MS / GI piping, supports, painting and identification |
| Testing | Hydrostatic pressure test, flow test, commissioning |
| Handover | As-built drawings, test records, O&M documentation |

## What drives the cost

Hazard classification · building height and floor area · whether sprinklers are
required in addition to hydrants · pump capacity and the diesel standby · tank
volume · pipe material and lengths · the number of enclosures on a fit-out, since
each needs its own coverage.

## Where projects go wrong

- **Pump room space allocated before the calculation.** The pumps and valves
  then do not fit, and the room is rebuilt.
- **Sprinklers not reassessed after partitioning.** Every enclosure needs its
  own coverage.
- **Pressure testing rushed or skipped.** The test is the only proof the system
  holds pressure; leaks found later are found in finished ceilings.
- **Obstructions ignored.** Ducts, beams and cable trays that block a sprinkler's
  spray pattern leave areas uncovered despite heads being present.
- **No maintenance plan.** Jockey pumps, valves and diesel engines need routine
  testing to still work when called on.

## Why Hagerstone

**A dedicated 35-member firefighting team** — the largest single trade team in
our organisation — plus 15 plumbers, 15 fitters and 15 welders, with pipe
threading, cutting, bending and pressure testing equipment owned in-house.

**Coordinated with interiors and MEP under one contract**, so sprinkler rework on
a fit-out is resolved on the drawing rather than discovered on site.

**79+ quality checkpoints** under ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001.

## Standards referenced

Fire and life safety requirements under **NBC 2016, Part 4**. Sprinkler design
and installation to **IS 15105**. Internal hydrants and hose reels to
**IS 3844**.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does every commercial building need sprinklers?

Not every one — the requirement depends on occupancy, height and floor area under NBC 2016 Part 4 and the local fire authority's interpretation of it. Most multi-storey commercial buildings and larger industrial buildings do. The requirement should be established for the specific building at design stage, not assumed from a similar project.

### What decides the size of the fire water tank and pumps?

The hazard classification of the occupancy, the systems installed — hydrant, sprinkler or both — and the duration the code requires them to run. Those set the required flow and pressure, which in turn size the main pump, the jockey pump and the diesel standby, and the stored water volume. It is a calculation, and it has to be done before the pump room is given its space in the building.

### Why do sprinklers need rework during an office fit-out?

Because the base-build sprinkler layout assumes open plan. Each new cabin or meeting room is an enclosure that needs its own coverage, and a head that sat in the middle of an open area may now be on the wrong side of a wall. Every partition drawn on a fit-out has a sprinkler consequence behind it.

## Sources

- [NBC 2016, Part 4](https://www.bis.gov.in/standards/national-building-code/?lang=en) — Fire and life safety
- [IS 15105](https://standards.bis.gov.in/website/published-standards/department-wise) — Design and installation of fixed automatic sprinkler systems
- [IS 3844](https://standards.bis.gov.in/website/published-standards/department-wise) — Installation of internal fire hydrants and hose reels

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Source: https://hagerstone.com/services/mep/firefighting-systems