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As always, train hard and stay safe.
Jason
Archives for fire-prevention-education
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We know the importance of inspections and identifying hazards in the buildings that we serve and respond to. This is just a simple reminder of one hazard that depending on it's location in the building, can be missed.
Combustible storage under stairs or in the stairwell can cause some serious problems. Even in sprinklered buildings this is a hazard.
The pictures you seeshows a pile of combustible storage in the stairwell and under the stairs in a hotel. You can also see that this is in the means of egress area next to the exit door.
Smoke from a fire from these combustible materials can make the use of the stairwell almost impossible and access for firefighters difficult. Occupants are expected to use the stairs during a fire and a large mass of people filling a smoke filled stairwell is disastrous.
This building also is equipped with standpipes in the stairwells, so making that connection would be difficult for fire crews trying to make the connection.
Keep an eye on your buildings and explain this situations to your crews to impress the importance of inspections and mitigating these hazards before they become problems.
Train hard and stay safe.
Jason
We have discussed standpipes in the past, but I think it is worth mentioning again. Standpipes in large and high rise buildings are our water source. It is important to know the location of these devices and to ensure that they are not obstructed.
In addition we need to know and understand if they have pressure reducing devices and how that affects our operations. Study up on these systems and know how to adapt and trouble shoot the stand pipes in your area.
The picture shown is a stand pipe in a hotel. I went to ice in the hotel I was staying in and this was right next to the ice machine. I didn't measure it, but this standpipe would be very difficult to connect to. Additionally, if we did get connected with hose only, there would certainly be a kink at the coupling, further reducing our pressure.
This might be a time when we would try to put an elbow on the connection prior to connecting our hose. However, I think that with this particular standpipe connection, it would be a stretch just to get the elbow connected as well.
Know your buildings and their systems. Prepare for these types of problems and come up with solutions before you have a fire. Thanks for reading and train hard.
Jason
Some devastating fires have occurred in commercial cooking establishments. We all know the history of fast food restaurant fires and the toll they can have on a fire department if the fire is not found early.
Kitchen suppression systems are designed to activate to limit the effects of a grease fire in these establishments. It is important to note that when these fires occur and the system is activated, the return air should shut off and the hood vent should activate if it is not already on.
When these systems are designed they are equipment specific. Meaning that the flow points are determined by the type of cooking appliance and its location under the hood and suppression system. Moving or replacing any appliance requires reevaluation of the system and could mean an alteration to keep the system adequate.
As you can see in the picture, the appliance shown has wheels. This could create a problem in the future when the ownership wants to move things around a bit and could be detrimental to the effectiveness of the system. One suggestion is to adopt a local ordinance that requires these wheels to be removed or locked. I have seen it both ways and it is up to your jurisdiction on how to do that.
Secondly, you want to ensure that the suppression system is hooked into a monitored fire alarm system or on a direct dial alarm system. We, the fire department, want to know if this system activates. Even if the system puts the fire out, there is a possibility of fire being pulled into the vent duct. If there are any penetrations or gaps in that duct, fire could smolder above for a long time or it could be burning the uncleaned grease. We also want to make sure that if that system activates it gets put back in service appropriately and prior to cooking commencing again.
In the video it shows a "dump" test where we make sure that the correct amount of product is being flowed and that all utilities are shut off with the activation.
I know this is not a tactical post, but it gives you a little insight of why these systems are important. I may not have touched on all of the aspects of these systems, so if you have additional comments or suggestions, please feel free to comment.
Thanks, stay safe and be careful.
Jason
As we all have discovered during our careers, the winter can be a tough time to be a firefighter. Freezing conditions can and will make operations difficult by making lines ineffective, freezing up pumps, making walking surfaces impossible to navigate and turning us firefighters into popsicles.
In addition to all of this, the winter also brings about some considerations that we might not have thought about or that are not as obvious. One of those is the pushing of snow.
In these wintery conditions the plows run up and down the streets and all over the parking lots clearing the snow from the roadways and parking areas. There is little thought about where they are piling the snow except to make sure it isn’t where vehicles are going to be.
Knowing where the fire department connections and hydrants are located prior to them getting covered or blocked by snow is helpful in locating them, but it still doesn’t help in gaining access if they are blocked by tons of snow.
A little pre-planning with the property owner can go a long way. Ask them to communicate with their snow removal company to establish a predetermined place to push the snow to without blocking the FDC or blocking fire lanes.
Photo from Perry Joint Fire District
Be careful and take precautions this winter season. Stay warm and be prepared.
We hear it all of the time in the fire service and many of us agree; we don’t spend enough time training and learning building construction and fire behavior. So, in the spirit of practicing what I preach, here is a short lesson on Type I construction, or otherwise referred to Fire Resistive construction.
This first picture shows all non-combustible structural components of an addition to our local hospital. This is the basement, but the floor above is of similar design with interior wall studs of metal.
The floor above is concrete on metal decking, which you can see in this first picture.
You have a steel column, a steel beam with metal bar joists as the primary structural components with the exterior walls all of concrete.
As I mentioned before, the floor above is the same with the exception of the exterior walls being non-combustible metal stud walls.
Here is the same area from a different angle with a fire resistive coating sprayed on the structural members.
The data cable that you see is plenum rated and is for the computer and communications networking inside the facility.
In addition to the spray coating, the entire facility is fully sprinklered and has a monitored alarm.
The spray coating is designed to be applied to a specific thickness depending on the rating that is being achieved. Normally, and in this instance, a third party inspector is present to randomly inspect the thickness and provides a report to the building commissioner and the fire marshal.
What characteristics of this type of construction are important when sizing up a building like this?
What are some tactical importances in regards to operating at this building or one of Type I construction?
If you have any experiences or suggestions to add, please post them.
Stay safe and train hard,
Jason
This is just a reminder to get the whole picture when doing inspections and pre-plans. Just don’t get lazy when doing these prevention functions. Especially on larger buildings that require some effort to get around.
Recently I did an inspection at a local nursing home. It had been awhile since I had been there because we have the crews do most of these inspections. There were some things I had forgotten about and had I not taken some extra time, would have missed.
As I walked out the back of the building this is what I saw. Unremarkable, really. However, to the right is the drive that leads from the front of the building.
Apparatus coming to the rear would get a view similar to this if they were assigned to the rear.
This second picture is the view from the other corner. What do you notice? It is kind of tough to see and unless you are aware and really looking for it, you might miss it. Especially at night or in rain or snow and with smoke conditions.
If you look real hard you will see one end of an 1000 gallon LP tank jutting out from behind the shed.
If you were to walk over there and actually take a look, this is what you would see.
These are two 1ooo gallon LP tanks that are near the rear property lines. These feed the appliances in the building with the exception of the generator, which has it’s own smaller tank.
But, there are separate shut offs for each line going into the building, but it is not typical.
The lines and shut offs could easily be missed entirely if prior experience with this building is not known.
This is one of the numerous shut offs for the gas lines going into the building. They are all up high on the building and some are actually on the roof.
It just points out the importance of knowing your buildings, in particular your high life hazard buildings.
Take some extra time to ask the maintenance person a lot of questions, they usually like to show all of the little intricacies of the building.
Be safe and be familiar with your response area.
Stay safe and be careful.
I enjoy looking for things like hydrant locations and building features whether I am on the job or just out and about. It really makes my wife nuts because I point out what exits we will be using if something happens and things like that. She just doesn’t understand.
Hydrants are a real challenge sometimes. People like to hide them like Easter eggs for the firefighters to find. But, instead of a bright, sunny morning to go hunting for these important pieces of our suppression puzzle, we get to hunt for them in dark, rain or snow driven nights being half awake.
These are just some examples of what property owners do with hydrants. The one shown above is behind a large complex with an anchor store and many ancillary stores in a strip mall. You cannot see this hydrant when you pull into the drive. Notice the leaves are mostly gone and we still can’t see the plug.
This hydrant is the closest to a FDC on the same building. I found this one while doing an inspection at the building next door. I just happen to park where you see this vehicle and as I got out of the vehicle noticed the plug. You have to be looking just in the right place to find this one.
The really bad thing about this plug is that the most obvious hydrant is straight across a four lane road. Odds are that is where the operator would take his line for his supply. In the middle of the night he is going to hit the closest, most visible hydrant.
We don’t only have hydrants that are hidden, but some get damaged and it is never reported or repaired.
It is fairly obvious that we would have a tough time turning this hydrant. We have to have the property owners make these repairs.
Accidents happen and hydrants are not typically an attractive addition to well manicured landscaping. However, we must be diligent to find and make sure corrections are made to keep these valuable resources accessible.
In my experiences, once explained to the property owner the importance of having the hydrant accessible, and the fact that it is a code violation, they are willing to fix the problem. Some jurisdictions will trim brush and trees on their own; be careful doing that, unless there is a fire of course.
Do any of you have a policy on cleaning up around hidden hydrants? Who paints them and what color scheme do you use? Are they identified by size or gallons per minute? Do you share that information with your mutual aid companies?
Take care and remember that we need to sweat some of this small stuff, it may be the difference between success and failure.
Train hard and stay safe.
We recently had a fire in an apartment complex. The apartments all have exterior entrances independent of each other. They are two stories in height and the landings from the upper floor units are unprotected treated lumber.
These were built prior to my current position and I don’t remember what year they were built, but I am guessing that they are about 12 years old. The fire started in a plastic planter that was next to the door and had what the tenant called “very old” potting soil in it. The tenant used the planter as a receptacle for her cigarettes.
Plastic Planter
As the fire grew, it spread to the vinyl siding and got into the soffit and on into the attic. Luckily the tenant happened to wake up and noticed a glow on the porch; no smoke detectors were activated and the unit next door was vacant.
All occupants escaped with no injuries and fire crews quickly arrived and made a good find and stop.
When they started doing overhaul they noticed something a little different about the fire barrier between the two units.
As you look at the picture below, you will notice in the upper right hand side of the photo the charred truss chase that did not extend to the left due to the draft stopping.
- Draft Stopping
However, this could have been worse because this should have been a continuous fire barrier between the two units. In addition the draft stopping should be protecting both sides of the truss shown.
The problem that the builder ran into was that the truss did not line up with the separation wall and the code official at the time either missed it or let it slide.
It was a good example of how these measures work. It was also a good opportunity to show the building manager how it worked and why it is important to do these things right.
If you get a chance to look at some of these buildings as they are going up, do so and look for these types of building components and fire stopping. Oh, the ceiling did have the proper rating with two sheets of drywall.
Fire Stop the Breach
Also, that wire is a breach or penetration in the fire barrier/draft stop and should be fire stopped with rated, UL listed caulk.
Stay safe out there and be careful.
Car lifts.
Although we all have these in our areas, we need to occasionally take a look at these occupancies and discuss and prepare for the hazards contained in these buildings.
As we can see in this picture, the car lift is holding a vehicle in the air. We know that when they close, these cars remain elevated.
Most of the time this is not an issue, but when a fire happens or if the area fills with smoke, it can be dangerous for firefighters entering the building.
Floor level hazards.
There are also floor level and pit hazards that need to be identified and planned for. These should be identified during inspections and pre-planning surveys.
Be aware and stay familiar with your area and the buildings that you will be responding to.
Stay safe and look at these buildings before they burn.
With the fire service and others taking this day and weekend to remember the Charleston 9, along with other high profile LODD, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to look at how we can specifically apply the recommendations that were listed in the report on the Charleston Super Sofa Fire.
I am going to do this just one at a time and I will likely take several weeks to cover them all. It is very likely that some will intermingle with others, and will be covered together.
Today I want to look at pre-incident planning. For me, this starts with when the building is being built. In reality, it is a combination of both, during construction and visits and regular intervals.
conduct pre-incident planning inspections of buildings within their jurisdictions to facilitate development of safe fireground strategies and tactics
Light weight, engineered floor joists.
Today, we stopped in on a new restaurant. As you can see from the photo it is all light weight, engineered construction.
The comment was made that we need not enter this building if it burns. Well, in an ideal world that is correct.
The fact is is that we just don’t know what we will be tasked with doing if this building catches fire. We can’t predict what time of day or who will or will not be in it. What we can do, however, is know what this building is made of and the hazards associated with those materials and products of construction.
We also must be prudent in our tactics when arriving, like lifting ceiling tiles before we get too far in the building, looking for fire running above us.
This visit provided some great information aside from the type of construction and those hazards associated with them. First, the building is completely sprinklered. That is a plus. We located the FDC and the nearest hydrant. Both good things.
Concealed spaces over the booths.
We found that this concealed space had sprinklers dropped down to the ceiling level, but none were in the space or immediately above it. An easy place for fire to spread quickly.
As we discussed earlier in the post, most would say we don’t need to enter this building. In theory I agree, but we never know what we are facing when we arrive.
Something that we learned was that there is an area on the east side of this building, Side D, that is built with dimensional lumber and is sprinklered as well. The roof construction is not truss and the walls are all dimensional studs. What can we take away from this?
Side D construction was different than the rest of the building.
We discussed that if there needed to be an attempt to make entry, it would be best to try to take a stand from this area. It is not part of the rest of the roof system and will likely hold up a little longer with the dimensional lumber.
Another idea was that RIT would be staged near this entrance if there would happen to be interior crews making a rescue or knocking down what was perceived as a small fire. They know that there is a straight shot to the middle of the building through a more secure type of construction.
With all that being said, accessibility to the building needs to be looked at; where will multiple units be staged? Where will you place ladders and are there overhead dangers?
It is important to look at all of these factors to make a good decision based on prior knowledge. We also understand that Plan A doesn’t always work so have a Plan B ready based on the planning you did on the building.
There are many other components about pre-incident planning that I didn’t mention, but hopefully you get the point. Get out and visit these sites. Be involved and have discussions about how you would perform at a fire here.
Above all, don’t let the lives lost at any LODD be lives lost in vain. Learn from their mistakes, but don’t be critical, we have all screwed up and been lucky enough to get away with it. Be constructive and train on the recommendations so that you don’t repeat history.
Stay safe and please, never forget those lost in the line of duty. We owe them our promise to train hard and to learn from them.
This is new site that was sent to me by a reader, Monte Stonewall. It is a site that is unique in that it provides top ten lists for the fire service. It really is some interesting stuff. The website is Fire Sciences Colleges.
Ten Famous Arsonists
I will be posting additional lists from this site. So, go check it out and learn some not so famous facts and stories.
If you have something interesting you would like to share, send to us in a comment or email at jhoevelmann@gmail.com
Take care and be safe.
The Beverly Hills Supper Club was remodeled and upgraded and opened in 1971. It had previously gone through many changes and the original building had burned in the late 1930′s.
It had changed hands, sat vacant and been an off and on hot spot for several years until it was the primary club for top notch entertainment and high class amenities.
On May 28th, 1977, the place was packed with visitors that were expecting a night of glamor and star entertainer John Davidson. It is uncertain exactly how many patrons were in attendance that evening, but estimations put the number at approximately 3,000 at the entire facility with 1300 in the Cabaret Room. There were multiple events taking place in multiple rooms which were all filled to or over capacity, according to reports.
In the Cabaret Room alone, people were squeezed in and sat in aisles and ramps that would be exit pathways. Some of these ramps led to the stage and people were placed there in order to get as many people into the room as possible.
Smoke was first noticed in the Zebra Room by two waitresses sometime around 2100 hours. They noticed a dense smoke in the room and they notified management. The fire department was called within a few minutes and extinguishers were used on the fire with no effectiveness. Within 10 minutes, the fire had spread to the Cabaret Room and things would turn tragic very fast.
Here is quote from one of the first arriving firefighters about what he saw, “When I got to the inside doors, which is about 30 feet inside the building, I saw these big double doors, and people were stacked like cordwood. There were clear up to the top. They just kept diving out on each other trying to get out. I looked back over the pile of – it wasn’t dead people, there were dead and alive in that pile – and I went in and I just started to grab them two at a time and pull them off the stack, and drag them out…” , Bruce Rath, a Fort Thomas firefighter.
The results of this night were that 165 people lost their lives that night. The reports were not much different from the Cocoanut Grove fire some 30 years prior.
-Overcrowding of the facility, namely the Cabaret Room. The room had a listed occupancy load of 615 -756 people. That night, it was estimated that nearly 1300 people were in the room, almost double the allowed load.
-For the size of the facility Kentucky law required that there should have been at least 27.5 exits for the occupant load, there were only 16.5.
-The wiring was considered inadequate and it was stated that it would have never passed inspection by an electrician who inspected the electrical work.
-There were no fire walls to prohibit the spread of fire from one area to another.
-No sprinkler system and no audible fire alarm system.
-The local volunteer fire department acknowledged that there were issues, but had not ordered any of them to be corrected. (I was unable to find out if the department had fire or building codes ordinances at the time of the fire.)
-There were reports of locked doors.
These factors are all too familiar. We see the same failures in these large loss of life fires in assembly occupancies. We sometimes take our inspections and prevention activities lightly because it is not “fun” or interesting to some. Remember these fires and the lives that have been lost because of poor prevention measures and a lack of life safety measures in these buildings.
Below are some links where you can get more information and much of the sources for this post were from the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Until next time, stay safe, do your inspections with conviction and stay low.
http://www.enquirer.com/beverlyhills/lives.html
On May 17th, 1923 in Camden, South Carolina, over 300 people were packed in the Cleveland school.
The Cleveland School circa 1920's
They were there for a children’s graduation play that ended in tragedy. News from the small town would be known all over the country by morning.
The play was a tradition that would be the last that night. It was announced that the school would close after this school year and that these would be the last students to pass through these halls.
The building was a two-story, wooden frame building with the auditorium and stage on the second floor. The key feature of the second floor was a 30 inch staircase which was the only exit from the second floor.
As was customary in those days, oil lamps were burned when night fell. They hung along the corridor and above the stage. At approximately 21:00 hours a lamp that was above the stage fell and started a fire on the stage. There were attempts to put the fire out with coats but the fire spread to the stage curtains.
With the room being filled beyond capacity and the obstacle of chairs, the exiting of people was difficult at best. As people realized that the exit was jammed, they started jumping out of the second story windows and were severely injured. The room was dark, filled with smoke and getting hotter and more putrid.
As the stair way was full with people stuck on them, they finally gave way from the weight, spilling them to the floor below. At the same time, the upper floor was also slipping onto the floor below.
That night 77 people lost their lives at a school event that should have ended with celebration and refreshments. Instead the community was tasked with finding the bodies of those who did not make it out.
There is a reason we have fire codes and building codes. It also shows the importance of inspections and code enforcement. Over the years we have made great strides in fire prevention and fire codes. But, we have to make sure that corridors are free of clutter and that protection systems are in place and maintained.
Stay diligent and keep your community safe before the fire starts.
You can find more on this fire at http://www.scarboroughgenealogy.com/Cleveland.htm
Pictures are from the same site listed above.
This is a C-store and filling station with address numbers of 12785.
I was doing inspections the other day and this address was on the list. Not very exciting and pretty standard stuff.
It is a small convenience store with gas pumps out front. I found an exit sign with emergency lights dangling from the ceiling and the battery back-up was not working. Like I said, nothing to note that was out of the ordinary.
Then I look at my list and see the same numerics on another inspection form with a different business name. This is what I find…..
Same address as the filling station. Same owner.
This building is directly behind the filling station in the above picture. Both are labeled on the front of both buildings with the identical address.
Now this building was locked and I was not able to get in, but, this view is at the same elevation as the filling station, but behind it the elevation changes so that it is two stories on the back side.
This building houses offices on the main level and storage on the lower level.
Okay, the point is this, pay attention to your inspections. This is the kind of information you need to pass on. This is a situation that could turn ugly real quick.
Imagine getting dispatched to this address and finding that the filling station is closed. Nobody around and the address is prominently displayed on the store. False call, right?
Well, if we don’t know about that building behind it, even though we see it, we may not associate it with the call because how often are two buildings addressed the same?
Just be aware and alert. Take these inspections seriously and be thorough. Don’t be the one says, “Oops.”
Take care and be careful.
This photo shows what is supposed to be a light fixture. Now, this is likely in a residential building, like a house, but it is still something that will cause a fire.
Now, let’s say that you get a call for an “odor of” or something similar that makes you check the attic. You pop open the hatch and here you have this.
Depending on your jurisdiction, what do you do? What leverage, if any, do have to correct this right away? It is a tough spot for us as firefighters and company officers.
Let us know how you would handle this and what actions you would take to correct this to the best of your level of responsibility.
Stay safe and be careful.
Thanks again to Captain Jeff Schwering from St. Louis County. Great stuff.
Pillows for fire stopping?
These are fire stopping pillows. These, as you can see are used in fire walls/barriers for large openings.
They are typically used with large data trays or pass throughs that require a rated application.
The important thing to remember here is that there can only be spaces of a specific size. If the spaces left between the pillows and the trays and walls is too large, it will not seal up correctly when heated.
Basically, the way that these pillows work is that when they are heated, they expand (the plastic will melt away) and fill the void. This maintains the fire rating and prevents fire from spreading and smoke spread is contained.
There are several brands and each has it’s own specific way to apply it. Don’t forget, there must be an UL listing for each application and product to meet the minimum fire rating requirements. Make the contractor produce this and show you that it is appropriate.
Stay safe and be careful.
Penetrations through a rated floor.
This is a good example of penetrations in a rated floor assembly. This looks like data cable and there are three collars.
What is important here is that the installation is done appropriately and per manufactures recommendations.
You also have to make sure it meets the required UL system that applies for this specific situation.
Notice how the cables are very close, maybe touching the side of the collar? Depending on the UL system and the type of material, you may be creating a void for smoke and fire to travel through.
If the fire puddy or caulk is not completely around the cables or conduit, when the puddy/caulk is heated and expands, there will be a void on the side that the cable or conduit is touching the side of the pipe or sleeve.
Just make sure you look at the UL system and the product recommendations so that you know what it can and cannot do. If it isn’t done correctly, smoke and fire can spread. Don’t be afraid to make a contractor dig all that out and do it right.
Check it out and be careful.
Old wire insulators still in use.
This is an old building that still has many old building systems in use.
As you can see from the picture, these wires are still in use with these old ceramic insulators.
These are unique and not seen very often. Some of these old cloth wires are worn and can give you a shock or short out.
Just be aware in these older buildings. For example, in this particular building, there are a lot of places that had obvious signs of water leaks. We know how that turns out when electric is involved.
Stay safe and be careful out there. Take the time to look at the older buildings in your area. There is a lot to see and learn.
A few weeks ago I posted comments HERE about attempts in Mississippi to pass legislation that would prohibit the adoption of residential sprinklers.
I have received word today that efforts to stop those legislative actions have been successful. In the email I received from the MS Chiefs Association:
HB 1291–Relating to prohibiting adoption of ordinance requiring installation of sprinkler systems in certain dwellings by municipalities and counties. Died in committee.
SB 2079–Relating to prohibiting municipalities and counties from adopting any ordinance, bylaw, order, building code, or rule that requires installation of a multipurpose residential fire protection system in a family dwelling. Died in committee.
This is good news and a win for the “good” guys. Congratulations to the Mississippi Chiefs and all the supporters of residential sprinklers who helped in getting this legislation stopped.
Take care and stay safe. Sprinklers save lives.
Painted sprinkler heads will not activate.
Here is one example of why we should have an inspection program that includes remodels.
I know that many times it is like pulling teeth to get engine companies out to do inspections. And in some instances, they are too busy to do them.
But, most places have the time.
This type of head is often seen in residential, assisted living and other facilities that have over night occupants. They may also be seen in some day cares but are not limited to the above mentioned occupancies.
A painted head will not operate as designed and could limit its effectiveness. The end result could be the inability of the sprinkler system to control the fire and allow occupants to have more time to escape.
This head will need to be replaced. The contractor or owner must be made aware that this head must be replaced and all other heads that may look the same.
Stay safe and train hard. Do your inspections, they are important.
Bare Wires Encased in Foam!
This picture shows how someone used Styrofoam as a junction box.
If you look at the wires real close, you see that some have a great deal of copper showing.
Just imagine these bare wires getting hot and then heating that “junction box.”
Look for these unique ways of wiring on your inspections. Sometimes it takes a keen eye.
We would love to see some of the things you find. Send them to sfpdfm@fidmail.com
Keep an eye out for this stuff and make them correct it.
Stay safe and fight the good fight.
- Open junction boxes and some heavy timber.
This picture shows some heavy timber construction in an old shoe factory. These are about 12-15 foot ceilings. You just don’t see this kind of construction any more.
Secondly, you can see the open junction boxes with wires hanging out.
This building is still operating mostly as storage. There is not any production anymore, but there are many combustible foams and plastics that are used in shoe soles and rubber mats.
Although the wires aren’t likely to be touched by anyone as high as they are, they could and probably will short or arc from inadequate installation.
Keep these thing in mind when doing your inspections. Take the time to look at these old buildings and ask about it’s history. These buildings won’t be around much longer, but, boy did they have some charm.
Take care and stay safe.
Do the exit doors really need to be able to open?
This is an example of something that happens frequently. Store owners or building owners want to protect there merchandise and prohibit unwanted foot traffic in and out of unsupervised areas.
There is almost no way a person scared and almost blind from smoke would be able to exit from this door.
This also makes entry into this door difficult for firefighters. That top slat would be difficult to get to.
A lost firefighter could find the door locked and even remove the lower slat, but the top one may keep him from escaping.
Keep a good look out for these and explain the other options out there that are safer, like panic hardware.
Stay safe and do your inspections.
Check the panel boxes, you never know what you will find.
Take a look inside the breaker boxes if you get a chance. Especially if something seems “not right.”
These two breakers are melted and still have wires connected. In certain instances they will fail and be overloaded and instead of being removed, get left on the bar.
These are no longer on the bar, but we need to know what, if anything, is powering whatever was connected to these breakers.
Just be aware that if a panel box looks bad, you may need to look a little harder and take off the panel cover.
Be careful and stay safe out there.
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