Gigi C. H. Lui

A Fire Safety Ranking System for Karaoke Establishments in Hong Kong

A 20-point fire safety ranking system is proposed for assessing the fire safety provisions for existing karaoke establishments in Hong Kong. The deviations of the existing karaoke establishments from the new codes are investigated. Attributes are grouped into four areas as the key parameters for local fire safety requirements, passive building design, active fire protection systems and fire safety management. From the results of two surveys carried out in May 1998 and December 1999, fire safety levels of 45 karaokes are rated. It is observed that the scores are relatively low, and fire safety provisions must be enhanced. A long-term plan is to carry out in-depth studies on karaoke fires. An immediate action is to improve the fire safety management which should play an important role in keeping a karaoke safe.

A proposed fire safety ranking system for karaoke establishments and its comparison with the NFPA-fire safety evaluation system

A fire safety ranking system (FSRS), excluding the fire safety management at the moment, is proposed for assessing the fire safety provisions for existing karaoke establishments in Hong Kong. The objective is to investigate how far existing karaokes deviate from the expectation of new codes. Suitable fire safety management can then be worked out based on the scores. There are three attributes in the FSRS grouped as the key parameters for local fire safety requirements, passive building design and active fire protection systems. From the results of a survey carried out in May 2000, fire safety of 19 karaokes is rated by studying their architectural features and interior details. The results are compared with those by the National Fire Protection Association-Fire Safety Evaluation System (NFPA-FSES) on the part on fire safety parameters. Apart from dealing with fire spreading for interior finish, the proposed FSRS and NFPA-FSES are similar. The study of 19 of the existing karaoke establishments shows that the assessed level of fire safety is similar to the result of an assessment using the modified American system of evaluation.

Numerical studies on evacuation design in a karaoke

Abstract Two key questions concerning the effect of increasing the corridor width from 1.05 to 1.2 m , and elimination of ‘deadends’ were raised by the local industry on the fire safety requirements to be implemented in karaoke establishments. To answer these two questions, evacuation pattern in a typical karaoke establishment was studied numerically with the software buildingEXODUS. Six sets of scenarios were designed to study different layouts and occupancy levels. Evacuation times were studied for each scenario by changing the corridor width, exit access configurations such as the number of exits and their locations. Four corridor widths of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 m were set and three simulations were carried out for each case, giving a total number of 6×4×3 or 72 simulations. The simulations were on the normal emergency evacuation without specifying a fire. It is found that karaokes with wider corridor might not necessarily give shorter evacuation time. The presence of deadends might not affect the evacuation pattern, depending on their distances. However, to ensure safety, good fire safety management must be implemented. The possibility of burning the partition walls is another key item to consider.

On the Heat Release of Burning Karaoke Music Compartments

The possible heat release rates of fires resulting from burning combustibles in 900 karaoke music compartments of 19 local karaokes were studied. Combustibles of concern are furniture foam, partitions and surface lining materials. Equations appearing in the literature for calculating the heat release rates of these combustibles are used. Heat release rates of furniture foams were studied first, followed by igniting surface lining materials classified under the Swedish system. The likelihood of flashover in those 900 karaoke music compartments was then investigated. Further, the total heat release rate curves for burning foam, surface lining materials and carpets are studied using the results reported in the literature. Based on this study, it is recommended to select furniture foam with less heat release rates upon burning, and replace timber surface lining materials as soon as possible. As an urgent action, a good fire safety management scheme “tailor-made” for individual karaokes is to be implemented.

Movable Fire Load Survey for Old Residential Highrise Buildings in Hong Kong

This paper describes how the fire safety of existing highrise residential buildings in Hong Kong that are over thirty-five years old is a major concern. These buildings have high occupancies but they have far fewer fire safety provisions than those specified in current fire codes. In order to understand the potential fire risk behind the old existing buildings, fire load density should be surveyed first. A sample of eight old highrise buildings was selected and surveyed. Both fixed and movable fire loads were reviewed. Fire load density was found to be high because of the excess storage of domestic fuel and movable fire load in cage houses is a concern. Four of the eight surveyed buildings have fire load density over the upper limit specified in the current code and the fire risks associated with storing too many combustibles were also studied. With such a high content of combustibles, it is more likely that big accidental fires will happen. Finally, occupant loading in each example building was also surveyed. This would provide important information for working out the evacuation strategy.

Fire safety facilities assessment for karaokes

Consequent to an arson fire killing 17 persons in a Hong Kong karaoke in 1997, fire safety provisions in karaokes has raised public concern. Government officers and the services industry have agreed to upgrade fire safety provisions. But before deciding what to do, facilities for the existing karaokes are the subject of a review. A simple fire safety ranking system was proposed in 1999 for existing karaokes. They were grouped on the basis of their fire facilities and management system. The system was criticized for being inapplicable to local industry, as a result of failing to solicit views from the services industry. That system has since been revised. Trial runs in 19 existing karaokes were carried out in 2000. Now, the system is more suited for local use as it is simple. Hence advocates the use of the system to the Hong Kong Fire Authority for assessing fire safety of existing karaokes.

Estimation of Peak Heat Release Rate of Furniture and Possibility of Flashover for Fires in Local Karaoke Musical Boxes

Furniture foam might be ignited accidentally as the first burning item for fire in a karaoke musical box. Consequently, igniting adjacent items such as surface lining materials and carpet might lead to a big fire. Therefore, furniture fires should be studied carefully. The likelihood of flashover in 900 musical boxes of 19 local karaoke establishments due to igniting the furniture foam will be assessed in this article. The empirical equation for heat release rate of furniture, according to Babrauskas and Walton, was applied to study the start heat release rate in karaoke fires. The wide range of parameters appearing in the empirical equation were varied to estimate the possible heat release rate. Language: en