Natural Smoke and Heat Exhaust Ventilation Systems (NSHEVS) are an efficient and cost-effective way to protect occupants in non-residential buildings during fire incidents.
NSHEVS use thermal buoyancy to exhaust smoke and heat from buildings, creating a low-smoke air layer that facilitates safe evacuation of the occupants, and facilitates the job of the fire and rescue teams.
Improving Visibility during Escape and Rescue
By exhausting smoke and heat through NSHEVs in the roof, natural smoke control systems are specifically designed and installed to create a low-smoke air layer high enough to allow occupants to see their way and evacuate the building safely. This improvement in visibility also enables fire and rescue teams to locate and assist anyone remaining in the building and to more easily find and combat the source of the fire.
Reducing the Risk of Smoke Inhalation
Global statistics demonstrate that the greatest threat to life in a fire-related incident is not the fire itself, but the smoke generated by burning building contents. Using thermal buoyancy, NSHEVs lift up and out of the building toxic smoke particles and gases, replacing them with fresh air pulled in from outside. NSHEVs reduce the concentration of particulate matter in the air, vastly lowering the risk of toxic smoke inhalation of the occupants on their escape route from the building, and facilitate the job of the fire and rescue teams entering the building to locate and assist anyone remaining in the building, and to combat the source of fire.
Preventing Skin Burns
During a fire, the rapid buildup of heat can cause gases to reach extremely high temperatures. NSHEVs exhaust these hot gases and reduce the temperature within the building. This reduction of temperature aids in protecting occupants from potential burns caused by exposure to hot gases in the evacuation routestes.
