APSAD reference bases include APSAD regulations and technical documents.
APSAD regulations are written in conjunction with the various parties involved in safety. They meet the demands of insurers and are often reference documents for APSAD service certifications.
In France, APSAD regulations are very often applied for the design, implementation and maintenance of fire safety systems. They are, in this respect, often considered as “codes of practice”.
APSAD R1
Automatic water sprinkler-type extinguishing installations
APSAD R1 specifies the design, installation and maintenance requirements that need to be taken to achieve satisfactory sprinkler system performance.
It is advisable to consult with the insurer from the writing of the tender specifications to agree in particular on the scope of protection, and to classify the risks correctly.
This edition incorporates the requirements of standard EN 12845. This regulation was prepared in conjunction with the Prevention arm of the Fédération Française des Sociétés d’Assurances (French Federation of Insurance Companies).
APSAD R5
Relates to fire hose reels and hose stations with additive systems.
APSAD R5 is referred to in the design and implementation of a fire hose reel system in all types of building. It also applies to hose stations with additive systems which can be used as a complement to protect particular hazards that may cause specific types of fire that cannot be controlled with water only (e.g. class B fires).
Specific requirements apply to the technical characteristics and layout of equipment, water supplies, and the piping system, and to the surveillance, checking and maintenance operations on the installations. A case study will help understanding of the approach.
APSAD R6
Relates to control of the fire hazard as well as organisation and the management system.
APSAD R6 provides all the useful information for control of the fire hazard in the company.
It sets out the organisational requirements, specifies the missions of the first- and second-response crews and the material resources that the site should have available.
It may also lead to the implementation of a fire hazard management system.
APSAD R7 Related to the design and installation of automatic fire detection systems
The purpose of APSAD regulation R7 is to guide users, specifiers and installers in the management of a project involving the design and installation of automatic fire detection systems in all types of sites and buildings.
The main points of APSAD R7 are:
Installation design.
Choice of type of detectors.
Layout of the signalling equipment.
Water supply sources.
Electrical installations.
Checks.
It contains two chapters relating to checks:
The first covers inspection visits to verify compliance.
The second relates to periodic and maintenance checks.
APSAD R8
Relates to the surveillance of the operational risks of a business.
It proposes a model for the surveillance of the operational risks of a site and defines the organisational requirements to guarantee the best possible prevention and effectively counter all events that could adversely affect its integrity: fire, malicious damage and technical incidents.
The 2010 edition has been fully revised, especially to extend the field of application to technical risks and to integrate surveillance into a broader view of risk control. It widely develops the organisation mode, and proposes a precise approach and numerous methodological tools. This method breaks down into four levels of risk surveillance based on an analysis of the risks and challenges facing the business.
The requirements applicable to each level define:
Human resources.
Organisational resources.
Technical resources.
APSAD R12
Concerns automatic high-expansion foam extinguishing installations.
The rule stipulates the design, construction, commissioning, periodical checking and maintenance requirements of fixed, automatic, high-expansion foam extinguishing systems installed in buildings in the industrial, commercial, agricultural or tertiary sectors.
APSAD R13
Concerns automatic gas-based fire extinguishing installations.
APSAD R13 sets out the minimum design, installation and maintenance requirements for the fixed, automatic, gas-based systems that extinguish fires by total flooding, protecting buildings and closed spaces. The measures applicable to all installations are grouped in the first part of the rule.
Distinct parts are provided for the measures specific to the different gases, with all the information required for installation dimensioning and typical calculations:
Carbon dioxide (integrating the requirements of former APSAD regulation R3).
Inhibitor gases.
Inert gases.
APSAD Technical document D2
Guide for the Installation of Water Mist Fire Protection Systems.
The document analyses water mist technology, the characteristics of the extinguishing agent, how it acts on the fire and the various parameters conditioning the effectiveness of the systems. It sets out the minimum installation, maintenance and reliability requirements.
Typical application sheets stipulate the protection principles, performance targets, specific points of the installation to be considered and its most important parameters.