Internal fire water system design
An internal fire water system is a building’s pipework with fire hose reels, used to fight fires by building staff or responding firefighters. UAB “ID projektas” prepares internal fire water system design sections for manufacturing, warehouse, public and apartment buildings throughout Lithuania.
We determine the number of hose streams, perform hydraulic calculations, select a pump room or water tank, and coordinate the design with the expert reviewer and PAGD. Our designs are prepared by certified fire safety specialists with more than 15 years of experience in the field.
Get a proposal with pricing and timeline
Email your project materials to idprojektas@idprojektas.lt – you’ll receive an initial response with a preliminary scope within a few business days.
Phone consultation
Call +370 686 78507 or +370 630 08858. Office: Marijampolės g. 5, Vilnius – we prepare projects throughout Lithuania.
When is an internal fire water system required?
Internal fire water supply is required in buildings specified by fire safety regulations according to their use, height, area and fire load. These are most often apartment buildings above a certain number of storeys, public buildings, and industrial and warehouse buildings. Whether the system is required for your project is determined in the fire safety design section; this design is then prepared once the number of hose streams and required flow rate are known. The most common situations are:
- Designing an apartment block, hotel or office building that requires fire hose reels on every floor due to its height?
- Building a manufacturing or warehouse facility where the fire water system is coordinated with a sprinkler system and a shared pump station?
- You’re renovating a building, and the existing water supply cannot provide the required pressure and flow rate at the most distant fire hose outlet.
- Designing a high-rise building that needs a dry riser for fire service connection?
- The expert review returned another company’s design section due to errors in the hydraulic calculations.
What an internal fire water system design includes
The internal fire water supply design is prepared either as a separate section of the building design or as a section within the water supply design, coordinated with the fire safety, structural and electrical sections. It calculates the water flow and pressure required at each fire hose outlet and determines the water source. The design section includes:
- explanatory report: number of hose streams and flow rate based on the building’s use and fire load, and operating duration;
- fire hose reel layout plans – ensuring the required number of water jets can reach every point in the room;
- hydraulic calculations: pipe diameters, pressure losses, and pressure at the most remote and highest hose reels;
- water supply solutions – municipal network, storage tank, pump station with a standby pump, and controls;
- dry riser solutions and fire service connection points for high-rise buildings;
- coordination with the domestic water supply when the systems are connected, and with the sprinkler system when they share a pump room;
- equipment specification: hose reel cabinets, hoses, nozzles, pumps and valves.
If the building is also being designed with a sprinkler system, we prepare both packages together, using one pump room and one water tank. Learn more: Fire Suppression System Design.
External fire water supply and hydrants
External fire water supply – hydrants on the site or street from which fire engines draw water – is designed separately from the internal system, but the two solutions must be coordinated: the total firefighting flow rate is calculated jointly. The fire safety design section sets out the external fire water supply requirements:
- Required flow rate The combined internal and external fire water flow rate required for firefighting.
- Number of fire hydrants How many hydrants are needed so fire engines can reach a fire anywhere in the building.
- Distances from the building Hydrant locations on the site or street, and the maximum permitted distances from the building being protected.
We pass the specified requirements on to the water network designers to ensure the external and internal solutions are coordinated.
How the internal fire water system design process works
Internal fire water system design involves five stages, with hydraulic calculations and selecting the water source as the main tasks. The sooner we know the pressure and flow rate available from the municipal network, the more accurately we can tell whether a pump station is needed and where space for it should be allocated in the building.
- Initial information. We receive the architectural design, fire safety design solutions, and the water supplier’s connection conditions, including network pressure and flow rate. We provide a proposal with a fixed fee and timeframe.
- Establishing requirements. We determine the number of water jets, flow rate and operating duration based on the building’s use, height and fire load, and select the hose reel type.
- Hydraulic calculations and design. We lay out hose reels, calculate pipework and pressure, select pumps or a storage tank, and prepare plans, schematics and specifications.
- Expert review and approvals. We submit the design section for expert review, respond to comments and coordinate it with the Fire and Rescue Department. Revisions to address comments are included in the price.
- Handover and installation support. We deliver the design section in PDF and DWG formats, advise the contractor, and take part in hydraulic testing and commissioning.
Want to know whether your building will need a pump station and how long the design will take? Email the architectural design and connection conditions to idprojektas@idprojektas.lt or call +370 686 78507 – we’ll provide a proposal with a fixed fee and timeframe.
Fire water system design cost
The fire water system design is quoted as a fixed fee, which remains unchanged unless the project scope changes. The fee includes hydraulic calculations, plans, schematics, specifications, addressing expert review comments, and coordination with the Fire and Rescue Department.
The price depends on:
- number of storeys, floor area and number of hose reels;
- whether municipal network pressure is sufficient, or a pump station and storage tank need to be designed;
- whether the system is connected to the sprinkler system and domestic water supply;
- when dry risers are required in high-rise buildings;
- project stage – technical design, detailed design, or both.
How long it takes and what you get
We specify the timeframe for preparing the internal fire water supply design in our proposal. It depends on the size of the building and whether a pump room needs to be designed. The timeframe starts once we receive the architectural design and connection conditions; the time required for expert review and coordination is specified separately.
The result is a coordinated design package with hydraulic calculations and specifications that allow contractors to submit comparable bids. The timeframe also depends on you: we can’t complete the calculations without the water utility’s connection conditions, so it’s worth requesting them as early as possible.
Codes and standards we follow
We design internal fire water systems in accordance with the Rules for the Design and Installation of Internal Fire Water Systems, approved by an order of the Director of the Fire and Rescue Department, and apply the LST EN 671 series of standards to fire hose reel equipment. These documents specify which buildings require a system, the number and flow rate of water jets required for each building use, the pressure to be maintained at the hose reel, and how hose reels must be positioned to reach every point in a room. We also apply:
- Fire safety design solutions – fire load and building category determine the number of water jets.
- Rules for the design and installation of external fire water networks and structures – for calculating the total flow rate together with external hydrants.
- Water supply and wastewater design standards – for combining domestic and fire water supplies.
- Water supplier connection conditions and insurance company requirements – where these are stricter than the regulations.
When a fire water system is suitable – and when we recommend another solution
A fire water system with hose reels is the most affordable fixed fire suppression measure, but it only works when someone is there to operate it. For smaller projects where a system is not mandatory, fire extinguishers and a fire alarm may sometimes be enough – we assess this in the fire safety design section before recommending a water system.
In warehouses and industrial facilities with a high fire load, fire hose outlets alone are not enough—a fire suppression system is required, with the internal fire water supply designed as a supplementary measure using a shared pump room. We do not use water in server rooms or archives. If the municipal network cannot provide sufficient pressure and there is no room for a water tank in the building, we select an alternative together with the architect: a tank on the site, a pump room in another building, or a connection to the sprinkler water supply.
Why commission your fire water system design from ID projektas
The design is prepared and signed by certified specialists whose certifications are listed on the team page.
- One pump station for the whole building We design the fire water system alongside the fire safety section and fire suppression systems, so the building needs just one pump station and one storage tank, rather than several separate systems.
- Edita Dulko Fire safety design lead, with over 15 years’ experience in design and safety assessment.
- Irina Demidova-Buizinienė Fire safety expert, PhD in materials science, certified cultural heritage specialist, member of LGSA and PDPA.
After design handover
Addressing expert review and Fire and Rescue Department comments is included in the agreed fee, as long as the project scope does not change. During installation, we advise the contractor and take part in hydraulic testing and commissioning, including checks of pressure and flow rate at the most remote hose reel. We assess changes involving alternative equipment proposed by the contractor and coordinate them with you separately.
Frequently asked questions
When is an internal fire water system mandatory?
An internal fire water system is mandatory in buildings listed in the Rules for the Design and Installation of Internal Fire Water Systems, based on their use, number of storeys, floor area and fire load. These most commonly include apartment buildings above a certain height, hotels, public buildings, and manufacturing and warehouse facilities. We determine whether your project requires a system in the fire safety design section.
How is a fire water system different from sprinklers?
A fire water system uses hose reels operated by people, while sprinklers activate automatically. Both systems can share a pump station and storage tank, but are calculated separately: for the fire water system, pressure at the most remote hose reel is key; for sprinklers, it is the application density over the protected area. Both systems are designed together in many buildings.
Can a fire water system be combined with the domestic water supply?
Yes. In most buildings, the fire and domestic water supplies are combined into one system, provided regulations and network parameters allow it. In this case, the design specifies that during a fire, the pumps maintain the required firefighting flow rate regardless of domestic water use. Manufacturing and warehouse facilities with a pump station more often have a separate fire water system.
Do you need a pump station and storage tank?
It depends on the pressure and flow rate available in the municipal water network, as specified in the water utility’s connection conditions. If the network provides the required pressure at the highest fire hose outlet, a pump room is not needed. For taller buildings and industrial facilities, we usually design a pump room with a standby pump; a water tank is required when the network flow rate is insufficient for the required operating duration.
Order a fire water system design
Send the architectural design and connection conditions to idprojektas@idprojektas.lt, or call +370 686 78507 or +370 630 08858. We’ll provide a proposal with a fixed price and timeframe; to arrange a meeting in Vilnius or at the site, get in touch via the contact page.
Designing the internal fire water system together with the fire suppression systems makes it possible to provide one pump station for the whole building – the most cost-effective route to project approval.
