Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
This included lengthening and widening the platforms. As a result, the existing dry risers within the station also need to be modified. A job that poses the necessary challenges for contractor Waverail due to the monumental nature of the building.
Waverail is a full-service provider for dry and wet fire sprinkler systems, water systems and turnout heating, among others. Specialties that the company fulfills from a to z as an engineer, supplier and installer. Also in Leeuwarden. But first, project manager Ernest-Jan Achterhuis explains the term dry fire line in more detail. "A dry fire line consists of a pipe with hydrants, one or more attack points, emptying and venting points. The installation is called a dry fire line because it only contains water during extinguishing operations."
The purpose of a dry fire line is to provide the fire department with a piping system that allows water to be transported quickly, without having to roll out many hoses. "The use of a dry fire line saves a lot of time and ensures that the extinguishing water is quickly available at any desired location," continues Achterhuis. "In addition, it is important that the system continues to operate undisturbed during a fire so that the fire can be extinguished."
Partly as a result of the 2017 London Grenfell Tower fire, permitting authorities and builders have increased their focus on the installation of dry fire suppression systems. At the same time, several factors exist that make the construction and engineering of dry fire sprinkler systems increasingly complex. For example, there is a scarcity in the subsurface due to the construction of new and the expansion of existing networks. In addition, there are more stringent requirements in terms of causing nuisance to building/infra users and more compact construction makes accessibility more difficult.
Such complexity is partly at play during the modification of the dry fire lines in Leeuwarden. "First of all, the pipes were installed in a national monument. On top of that, the station is open during construction, so we have to take passengers into account. Furthermore, there are many cables and pipes in the platforms. That limits the work space considerably. And of course we have to deal with the safety regulations that apply within rail traffic," Achterhuis said, concluding with the project status. "We made the modification of the fire lines on platforms 1 and 2 last September. A new PE pipe was also installed in these platforms, to which the existing fire hydrants were mounted. The adaptation of the third platform will follow during 2021."
