Field of the application
CYPEFIRE Design allows fire protection installations to be designed and analysed for both codes and generic purposes, as the definition of the installations' elements can be configured by users. The program includes the option of importing the features of predefined codes:
| Country | Type | Code |
 | Protection contre les risques d'incendie et de panique dans les ERP | Établissements recevant du public, ERP |
 | Sécurité contre les risques d'incendie et de panique dans les constructions | Règlement de sécurité contre les risques d'incendie et de panique dans les constructions |
 | Customisable codes | - |
Interface
CYPEFIRE Design has a simple and efficient interface to solve the main aspects of any fire protection project. At the top of the screen, the options and tools available in the program are grouped into the following sections or menus:
- Project
- Compartmentation
- Evacuation
- Protection installations
- Outdoor propagation
- Firefighter accessibility
- Edit
- Analysis
Project
In this section, the General options, Spaces and Types of spaces can be defined.
General options
The general options panel is divided into two groups:
- Equipment catalogue
The program offers a variety of protection installations whose characteristics can be edited individually. With this tool, users can quickly and easily define equipment from leading manufacturers in the industry, as well as user-defined elements.
Installation elements that can be defined are:- Fire extinguishers
- Fire hose reels
- Hydrants
- Standpipes
- Detection systems
- Alarm systems
- Alarm buttons
- Checks
In this group from the “General options” panel, the checks that users wish to apply to the main elements of a fire protection project are defined. Users can:- Define checks for the elements included in this group.
- Import the checks for the codes implemented in the program and optionally make changes to the limits of the codes or add other checks.
The image shows how checks on the geometrical characteristics of the sectors can be applied and the requirements for the fire fighting equipment they include can be established by defining their properties.
The aforementioned checks can be applied to the following elements:
- Zones
- Indoor compartmentation
- Safe zones
- Evacuation routes
- Stairs
- Outdoor propagation
Compartmentation
Compartmentation is one of the main elements in the fight against the spread of fire. Compartmentation delimits areas that may involve a special risk due to their specific properties.
CYPEFIRE Design allows compartmentation against fire to be carried out as a means of passive protection. These spaces will be separated from the remaining areas by fire-resistant construction elements for a certain amount of time. Both the fire resistance of the construction elements (structural resistance, heat resistance or flame resistance) and the properties of each compartment can be modified.
- Zones or sectors
- Use units
- Stairs
- Safe zones
- Risk zones
Evacuation
There are two tools in the “Evacuation” menu:
- Evacuation routes
With this tool, the layout of the escape routes is created. This is one of the most important tasks for a designer, as it will allow the occupants of the building to leave the building as quickly and safely as possible in the event of a fire. - Evacuation origins
Here the route checks are assigned to the defined evacuation routes. Users will generally only assign checks to the evacuation routes they consider to be the most unfavourable.
Protection installations
Depending on their definition, compartments may have requirements as to what types of fire-fighting equipment must be present. Using the tools in this menu, this equipment can be quickly entered.
The code used will determine the minimum protection level for the fire protection equipment and installations in each project. The design, implementation, installation and maintenance of this equipment must be done in accordance with the code of each country.
The fire protection installation equipment that can be entered is the following:
- Extintores
- Fire hose reels
- Automatic fire extinguishing installation
- Detection systems
- Alarm systems
- Alarm buttons
- Hydrants
- Dry standpipes
Outdoor propagation
One of the most dangerous factors in the event of a fire is the external spread of fire to upper floors. To minimise this possibility, codes require that there must be at least a minimum distance between openings on different floors or horizontal elements to prevent the rapid spread of fire.
To carry out these checks CYPEFIRE Design has two tools that allow the necessary checks to be carried out on the project:
- Creating outdoor vertical propagation cases
- Assigning outdoor vertical propagation cases
Firefighter accessibility
The “Accessibility” group contains two tools for checking whether firefighters have access to the location of the fire. The different standards propose two types of requirements:
- Access road
An access road with the geometric and resistance properties proposed by the code so that the fire engine is able to reach the burning building. - Manoeuvre spaces
A manoeuvre space near the building allows the fire engine to be in the best position for extinguishing or evacuating the occupants through the façade.
Edit
The program has the following editing tools:
- Edit
This is the working mode activated by default that allows users to open the properties panels for the equipment in order to modify their characteristics. - Copy
Allows the selected elements to be copied to a new location on the plan. - Move
Allows a single element to be moved to a new location on the plan. - Delete
Deletes the selected elements from the plan. - Rotate
Allows elements to be rotated around the selected rotation axis. - Copy onto another floor plan
A tool that allows elements to be copied quickly from one floor plan to another. - Invert the direction of the evacuation routes
In cases where the drawn route is in the opposite direction to the marked one, it can be reversed with this tool without having to delete it or create it again. - Measure length on-plan
Allows a quick distance measurement to be carried out.
Analysis
This group includes the following tools:
- Update results
Launches the program's analysis engine for obtaining results and evaluating compliance with the limits established for each magnitude. - Show/Hide results
Enables or disables the display of warnings and errors regarding the layout.
User license
In order to use CYPEFIRE Design, the user license must have this program's specific permission.
