| CODE | MEC5003 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Fire and Public Health Engineering | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Mechanical Engineering | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This unit is intended at providing a wide ranging basis of fire and public health engineering practices. In particular, for fire safety engineering the unit is intended at presenting a systematic approach in providing a package of measures aimed at reducing the potential for injury, death, property and pecuniary loss when drawing a building services brief. It forms part of an overriding effort in improving building regulation standards. Fire safety engineering will set off by characterizing the legal framework and then move on to how to go about designing and implementing the various mitigation measures. The systems design will address methods of of escape, fire detection, suppression and compartmentation putting them into practice by drawing up a brief of measures to particular application. Moreover, this study unit will aim to frame buildings within a water centric mindset with a view towards demonstrating the importance of sustainability in building design and operations. Moreover the study unit will also tackle the existing policy framework that governs the management of Malta's waters with a view to, once again, place the built environment at the centre of water policy. Students will be introduced to the different systems that exist for potable water to be supplied to buildings as well as the collection, treatment and possible reuse of resultant effluents with a view to promote circular practices. Study-unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are to: - Familiarize students with legal framework associated with fire safety engineering; - Provide a general understanding of fire dynamics; - Describe the various methods of escape means during a fire incident; - Familiarize the students with the various methods of fire detection and suppression; - Introduce fire safety management; - Set out the policy framework governing water resources management in Malta; - Identify potable and non-potable activities occurring in buildings; - Quantify the impact of urbanization on water resources; - Outline methods for securing potable and non-potable supply volumes; - Outline alternatives for the management of resultant effluents. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - List the various risk designations to buildings; - Recognize when a fire incident becomes critical and irreversible; - Demonstrate knowledge of the various wide ranging fire suppression measures and where they are applicable provided that the building risk designation is known; - Identify the various means of escape to minimize fire incident impact; - Outline local water policy; - Assess the impact of urbanization on water resources; - Crystallize the behaviour of buildings and the demands generated on the water infrastructure. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Compute and identify the critical fire flashover stage; - Draw up a fire escape plan; - Designate fire doors to meet compartmentation requirements; - Specify fire detection and suppression requirements; - Distinguish between the various means of fire suppression and identify their suitability of application; - Provided a case study draw up an effective fire safety and mitigation plan; - Frame decision making within a sustainability framework; - Quantify the amount of water required and generated by buildings; - Design buildings services to respond to the identified waste water policy challenges. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Malta's Second Water Catchment Management Plan. (2016) Sustainable Energy and Water Conservation Unit - Environment and Resources Authority. - Wise, A. F. E., & Swaffield, J. A. (2002). Water, sanitary and waste services for buildings. Oxford, (etc.): Butterworth Heinemann. - Novak, C. A., DeBusk, K. M., DeBusk, K. M., Giesen, G. E. V., & Giesen, E. V. (2014). Designing rainwater harvesting systems: integrating rainwater into building systems. Hoboken: Wiley. - Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F. L., & Stensel, H. D. (2014). Wastewater engineering: treatment and reuse. New York: McGraw-Hill. - Fire safety engineering: CIBSE guide E: 3rd ed. (2010). London: Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers. |
|||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Ind Study & Ind Online Learning | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
|||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Kevin Gatt Johan Anthony Psaila |
|||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
||||||||||