A320 Fire Protection

Question 1

Which areas are fire detection and protection provided for?

Answer 1

Engines
APU
Cargo compartments
Lavoratories

Question 2

Is fire protection provided for the avionics?

Answer 2

No, only smoke detection is provided and the system is reconfigured to when smoke is detected.

Question 3

What provides fire detection to the engines and APU?

Answer 3

Dual heat detection loops

Question 4

How many halon bottles is each engine equipped with?

Answer 4

2

Question 5

How many halon bottles is the APU equipped with?

Answer 5

1

Question 6

How is fire/smoke detected in the cargo compartments?

Answer 6

Through multiple smoke detectors on the ceiling the cargo compartments

Question 7

How many halon bottles are there for the cargo compartments?

Answer 7

This depends on the tail number

-N230FR and N232FR have 2 bottles.
-All other 200’s and 300’s and 700’s have 1 bottle
-601-630 have 1 bottle
-631-669 have 2 bottles

Question 8

How is fire/smoke detection provided is the lavatories?

Answer 8

Each has a smoke particle detector

Question 9

What unit do the dual fire detection loops in the engines send information to?

Answer 9

The fire detection unit (FDU)

Question 10

When will the fire detection unit generate a fire warning?

Answer 10

1.) Both engine fire detection loops detect a fire
2.) One loop has failed and the remaining loop detects a fire
3.) Both loops fail within 5 seconds of each other

Question 11

What happens when the FDU generates a fire warning?

Answer 11

-The continuous repetitive chime (CRC) sounds and the red MASTER WARN lights flash
-The red ENG FIRE and LAND ASAP message display on the upper ECAM
-The ENGINE page appears automatically on the SD
-The red FIRE light illuminates next to the respective ENG MASTER switch to identify the correct switch to use during engine shutdown
-The ENG FIRE pub on the overhead FIRE panel illuminates

Question 12

When are the engine halon bottles armed?

Answer 12

When the ENG 1/2 FIRE guarded pb is pressed

Question 13

What happens when the ENG 1/2 FIRE pub is pressed?

Answer 13

-The continuous repetitive chime is silenced
-Both squibs arm
-The hydraulic fire valve closes, preventing the circulation of hydraulic fluid near the area of the fire
-The low pressure engine fuel valve closes
-The engines FADEC is de-energized
-The respective IDG is deactivated
-The respective packs control valve closes
-The respective engine bleed valve closes

Question 14

How do you fire the halon bottles into the engine?

Answer 14

By pressing the Agent 1 or 2 pb

Question 15

How many visual cues are there when an engine fire test button is pressed?

Answer 15

7

Both MASTER WARN lights illuminate
ENG 1 or 2 FIRE light illuminates
Both SQUIB and DISCHARGE lights illuminate
ENG 1 or 2 FIRE warning message on the ECAM, and the engine page on the lower ECAM
FIRE light below the ENGINE 1 or 2 MASTER switch illuminates

Question 16

Does the FDU use the same logic for the APU as it does the engines?

Answer 16

Yes, and will activate a warning under the same conditions

Question 17

What are the indications if the FDU senses and APU fire?

Answer 17

-Continuous repetitive chime (CRC)
-Red APU FIRE failure message displays on the upper ECAM
-The APU system page displays on the lower ECAM
-The APU FIRE pb illuminates on the overhead FIRE panel

Question 18

When is the APU fire squib armed?

Answer 18

When the APU FIRE pb is pressed

Question 19

What happens when the APU fire push bottle is pressed?

Answer 19

CRC stops
Squib is armed
Low pressure fuel valve is closed
APU fuel pump shuts off
APU generator is deactivated
APU bleed valve closes which also closes the cross bleed valve
The APU shuts down

Question 20

How can you check the status of the APU fire bottle during your exterior inspection?

Answer 20

There’s a red disk located on the left rear of the fuselage which is blown out due to bottle overpressure. If the disk is there than the bottle is in good shape.

Question 21

What are the indications of an APU fire on the ground?

Answer 21

An external warning horn sounds
APU FIRE light on the external power panel illuminates

Question 22

What happens when an APU fire is detected on the ground?

Answer 22

The APU will automatically shutdown and the fire extinguisher automatically discharges

Question 23

What must also be on, when the APU is running on the ground?

Answer 23

The batteries must be on. This ensures that when the APU automatically shuts down that there’s a power source available to discharge the fire bottle, when it was previously the only source of electrical power.

Question 24

What happens when the APU fire test button is pressed?

Answer 24

With the aircraft on battery power only:
-Half of the APU FIRE pb lights illuminate
-The SQUIB and DISCHARGE lights are illuminated on the AGENT pb.
When external power is in use:
-Both MASTER WARN lights
-CRC
-APU FIRE warn message appears in the upper ECAM
-APU system page appears in the lower ECAM
-The entire APU FIRE pb illuminates
-The SQUIB and DISCHARGE lights illuminate on the AGENT pb

Question 25

Which cargo compartment is ventilated?

Answer 25

The aft cargo compartment

Question 26

What happens if smoke is detected in the aft cargo compartment?

Answer 26

-The inlet and outlet isolation valves close -Extraction fan stops

Question 27

How many smoke detectors are in the forward and aft cargo compartments?

Answer 27

2 smoke detectors in the forward cargo compartment (in 1 ceiling cavity) 4 in the aft (in 2 ceiling cavities)

Question 28

What unit gets smoke signals from the cargo compartments?

Answer 28

The Smoke Detection Control Unit (SDCU)

Question 29

When will cargo smoke warnings be generated?

Answer 29

If smoke is detected by both detectors in a single ceiling cavity or One detector detects smoke but the other detector in that cavity is inoperative

Question 30

What happens when cargo smoke is detected?

Answer 30

The CRC sounds The red MASTER WARN light illuminates The red SMOKE light illuminates on the overhead CARGO SMOKE panel The ECAM displays a red warning message

Question 31

How many heads does the cargo halon bottle have?

Answer 31

2. One for forward cargo and one for rear cargo.

Question 32

How long is/are the cargo halon bottle/s designed to provide fire suppression for?

Answer 32

A/C 230 and 232: 2 bottles supply suppression for 205 minutes A/C 631-669: 2 bottles supply suppression for 75 minutes A/C 601-630, 233-238, all 300’s, and all 700’s: 1 bottles supplies suppression for 60 minutes

Question 33

What indications do you get when you perform the cargo fire protection test?

Answer 33

Both DISCH lights illuminate MASTERN WARN lights illuminate CRC FWD and AFT SMOKE lights illuminate FWD and AFT CARGO SMOKE warning on the upper ECAM

Question 34

Who performs the Cargo Fire test?

Answer 34

Maintenance only

Question 35

Where is the smoke detector located in the lavatories?

Answer 35

Inside the ventilation duct

Question 36

Where to the lavatory smoke detectors feed information to?

Answer 36

Either the Smoke Detection Control Unit (SDCU) or Smoke Detection Function (SDF) of the Cabin Intercommunication Data System (CIDS), depending on the particular aircraft.

Question 37

What are the cockpit indications of smoke detection in the lavatory?

Answer 37

The only indication is and ECAM warning, however the FA’s are alerted in the cabin to the presence and location of lavatory smoke.

Question 38

What provides lavatory fire extinguishing?

Answer 38

Each lavatory trash bin contains a self-contained fire-detection and protection unit. If there’s a sudden temperature rise sensed, the extinguishing agent in the small halon fire bottle will discharge automatically. The is no cockpit indication that this halon bottle has discharged.

Question 39

Where is the smoke detector located in the avionics compartment?

Answer 39

Prior to the extract fan. This ensures that smoke in the compartment passes over the detector prior to exiting.

Question 40

What does the avionics smoke detector send information to?

Answer 40

The Avionics Equipment Ventilation Controller (AEVC).

Question 41

Cockpit avionics smoke indications

Answer 41

A single chime MASTER CAUTION lights flash AVIONICS SMOKE caution message appears on the upper ECAM with and extensive checklist of action steps The ELEC page appears on the lower ECAM On the EMER ELEC PWR panel, SMOKE illuminates on the GEN 1 LINE pb On the VENTILATION panel, FAULT lights illuminate on both the BLOWER and EXTRACT pbs

Question 42

Which of the following does NOT have a fire extinguishing system? A.) Engines B.) APU C.) Avionics compartment D.) Cargo compartments

Answer 42

Avionics compartment

Question 43

What does it mean if any SQUIB light illuminates on any AGENT pb?

Answer 43

It means that the indicated squib is armed

Question 44

Which areas have fire detection and which only have smoke detection?

Answer 44

Fire detection: -Engines -APU Smoke detection: -Lavatories -Cargo compartments -Avionics bay

Question 45

Which area has smoke detection but no extinguisher?

Answer 45

Avionics bay. There’s no extinguisher but you can put the ventilation in the smoke configuration to try and put anything out.

Question 46

How many portable fire extinguishers are on board the aircraft?

Answer 46

4. One in the cockpit on the FO’s side, two in the forward overhead bins, and one in the rear overhead bin.

Question 47

Which areas of the engine have fire detection from the dual loops?

Answer 47

The pylon nacelle, the engine fan, and in the engine core

Question 48

How do the 2 halon bottles work on A/C 230 and 232?

Answer 48

Bottle 1 discharges in 60 seconds but the halon concentration lasts for 60 minutes. After the 60 minutes elapse the plane prompts you to discharge bottle 2 which slowly releases for 90 minutes. According to Vol 3 this gives the plane at least 205 minutes of effective halon concentration.

Question 49

How do the halon bottle/s work on AC 631-669?

Answer 49

Bottle 1 discharges in about 60 seconds. The second bottle is then slowly released over a 75 minute period.

Question 50

How do the halon bottle/s work in 233-238, all 300’s, all 700’s, and 601-630?

Answer 50

For these aircraft there is only 1 halon bottle for the cargo areas. It discharges in about 60 seconds but provides fire protection for 60 minutes.