Question

What are some landmark fires that could have been different is detection/suppression systems were installed or functioning as intended?

Answer 1

There are many incidents of landmark fires that have been detected such as

1. Fire in Brazil's national museum
2. Fire in Venice Opera House
3. Fire in Barcelona opera house
4. Fire in Windsor Castle, London
5. Fire in Bosnia's national library

If the detection or suppression systems were installed here the fires could have been avoided.

Let us see some of the fire detection or suppression systems that could have been installed there

1. Smoke Detectors - As the name implies, these devices are designed to identify a fire while in its smoldering or early flame stages, replicating the human sense of smell. The most common smoke detectors are spot type units, that are placed along ceilings or high on walls in a manner similar to spot thermal units. They operate on either an ionization or photoelectric principle, with each type having advantages in different applications. For large open spaces such as galleries and atria, a frequently used smoke detector is a projected beam unit. This detector consists of two components, a light transmitter and a receiver, that are mounted at some distance (up to 300 ft/100m) apart. As smoke migrates between the two components, the transmitted light beam becomes obstructed and the receiver is no longer able to see the full beam intensity. This is interpreted as a smoke condition, and the alarm activation signal is transmitted to the fire alarm panel.
2. Alarm Output Devices - Upon receiving an alarm notification, the fire alarm control panel must now tell someone that an emergency is underway. This is the primary function of the alarm output aspect of a system. Occupant signaling components include various audible and visual alerting components, and are the primary alarm output devices. Bells are the most common and familiar alarm sounding device, and are appropriate for most building applications. Speakers also offer the added flexibility of emergency public address announcements. With respect to visual alert, there are a number of strobe and flashing light devices.
3. Optical Detector - While the ionisation detector responds to the invisible products of combustion, including, small particles of smoke, the optical detector, as its name implies, reacts to the visible products of combustion. An optical detector has two important components, a light source and a photo-electric cell.
4. Sprinkler System - Sprinkler systems are essentially a series of water pipes that are supplied by a reliable water supply. At selected intervals along these pipes are independent, heat activated valves known as sprinkler heads. It is the sprinkler that is responsible for water distribution onto the fire. Most sprinkler systems also include an alarm to alert occupants and emergency forces when sprinkler activation (fire) occurs.
5. Water Mist - One of the most promising automatic extinguishing technologies is the recently available fine water droplet, or mist systems. This technology represents another tool that can provide automatic fire suppression in some cultural property applications. Potential uses include locations where reliable water supplies do not exist, where even sprinkler water discharges are too high, or where building construction and aesthetics impact the use of standard sprinkler pipe dimensions. Mist systems may also be an appropriate solution to the protection void left by the environmental concerns, and subsequent demise, of Halon 1301 gas.

A properly selected, designed and installed system will offer unexpected reliability. Detection or suppression system components should be selected for compliance with the institution's objectives. We must identify which systems offer the greatest degree of reliability and are the most appropriate system type for most heritage fire risks. Their success is dependent upon selection of proper suppression and detection components and management's commitment to properly maintain systems.