Air-Handling System
In the event of a fire, minimizing the spread of smoke and heat
within the building is essential. It is usually the smoke and heat
produced by a fire which limits the ability of people to evacuate
and which causes the most deaths in a fire.
In most modern buildings, air handling systems separate from the
building's main HVAC systems can be activated to contain the spread
of smoke.
Stairwells in newer high rise buildings are pressurized to maintain
an atmosphere that is both safe for exiting and an aid in fire fighting
procedures. In older buildings, the HVAC systems can be manually
controlled either to shut down in order to prevent the spread of
smoke through the systems themselves or activated in particular
portions to remove smoke.
Imagine how much air can be moved by a system of this size.
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