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.
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.
We recently took a look at Type I construction and the characteristics associated with it. Basically, Type I construction is also referenced as fire resistive construction. The question always becomes, what is fire resistive?
We have to remember that a Type I building has structural components that are non-combustible and then is rated, usually at two hours or higher. In addition, the components are commonly protected. This protection comes from fire resistive products applied to the structural components.
So, what is Type II construction. The easiest way to define a Type II building is that is has the same structural characteristics as a Type I in that it is non-combustible construction. The major difference is that it is not protected.
For example, in a Type I building we will see columns and beams covered with fire resistive spray on material as seen in the first picture. In a Type II building these columns and beams are not protected and will be exposed during a fire.
A Type II building can be sprinklered but is still considered Type II based on the rating of the structural components. A rule of thumb is typically a Type II building will have rating requirements of one hour or less. A Type I building will require a rating of components of two hours or more. Again, this is a rule of thumb and not always the case in all examples and codes.
Just remember, that the structural components will be attacked quickly in Type II buildings because they are not protected with any fire resistive materials.
I know this is pretty basic stuff but I find it to be a good reminder of what we are looking at when we get around to these buildings. Chiefs and company officers must know the differences and be able to expect the building to react certain ways based on the type of construction. We all know that the building type and materials can affect how we attack the fire and deploy our people.
Stay safe and be careful.
Thoughts and prayers with the CFD and all families and friends affected.
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.
I recently received an email with some pictures attached to it. The pictures were taken by Victor Dane, a firefighter in St. Louis County. He took these pictures not far from where he works and has been kind enough to share.
As you can see, these are shipping/storage containers that are being stacked and pushed together to create a building. Here is what Victor says about the containers and what they are being used for:
There was a Night Club called City Slickers. It burned down and the owner wanted a building that would be fire proof and bullet proof. These are whole cargo shipping containers. There will be some rooms in these containers I was told. The builder told me building with these containers is very common in the South. I need to get updated photos now. The building now has siding all over it. You can not tell it is a metal building. I hope the local FD remembers this if it burns again. The walls will be very difficult to breech.
As soon as I get updated photos I will pass them along. We need to remember that with the economy and other factors, contractors and builders will cut corners however necessary to save a buck. We need to also remember why it is so important to get out and know our area.
I post the importance of this frequently, but I just don’t think you can emphasize it enough. You must know what is going on in your jurisdiction.
Make it interesting and stop at a building and put up your ladder just for practice. Sit and consider the obstacles or water supply issues with a certain area or complex. Just get out and do it.
In addition to the fact that these may be being built with no code enforcement, what other tactical issues can you identify with this situation?
What will happen to the heat in this make shift building?
How will ventilation happen with the over roof?
There are a number of issues that must be identified and put into tactical considerations. List your concerns and tactics for this building.
I recently was in downtown St. Louis with my family for a day with the kids before school started. We were across the street from the building in the picture.
What you see in this picture is just a row of windows, right? Well, they are labeled, which is nice because if they weren’t there could be big problems.
You can see in the second picture that the labels identify this as an elevator shaft. This is a heads up move for the building department and/or fire department for requiring this labeling.
Just imagine trying to make entry or counting dwelling/unit windows for RIT or emergency escape and finding out about this later.
This is just another example of knowing your area and the unique construction methods that are used.
Get in your buildings and be familiar. Had these not been labeled and a significant fire broke out here, this could have caused some serious problems.
Just for fun, what kinds of problems can we identify as a result of these windows not being labeled? I look forward to hearing some great ideas.
We were recently going through a large senior residential occupancy. This occupancy has 7 wings and several different stairwells.
Not all of the stairwells have standpipes in them. Most were typical connections with a valve and 2 1/2 inch connection. As you can see in this picture, this one was not a typical seen in a stairwell.
At the left of riser you can see the standpipe connection. They basically put the sprinkler room in the stairwell.
If you weren’t familiar with this, a person might just start turning valves or just think that there is not a standpipe connection at all.
The point here is that not all standpipe connections are created the same. Nor are all sprinkler rooms in a closet.
Get to know your buildings and the systems that operate in them. You never know when you will need to use them.
These pictures show how buildings are altered over the years and with change of ownership and/or occupancy type.
You can see that what used to be windows are now bricked in.
This is very common on older buildings that had numerous windows and in some cases they are not very efficient. Owners will frame or brick them in just to eliminate the problem all together.
The problem is we don’t know what the inside sill and frame-out of the inside of the window is like.
This is important to note when your doing your 360 or pre-planning.
When firefighters become lost or disoriented we are taught to find a window or door on an outside wall. The inside of this building may feel like windows to the gloved hand, but in reality it has been blocked up.
A firefighter may spend a great deal of time and energy trying to get out the “window” and not move on to an actual egress point.
Keep these things in mind and get to know your area. We probably all have these buildings with these feature changes in our area and we have an obligation to point these out to our newer firefighters. Stay prudent and be involved in your jurisdiction’s building construction and occupancy types.
This is a good video on operating a typical elevator. I understand that there are many different types of elevators and different operating methods, but most are very similar to this. You can have different types of keys but the systems should be pretty standard.
Now some of the older elevators can have less options and safety features, so get familiar with the elevators in your jurisdiction. This is something I have seen firefighters struggle with, believe it or not, because they have never had any hands on experience with them.
Get out and use some of these and no how to use them before you have to.
When this pulls up on YouTube, you can subscribe to the creator, dieselducy, and he has additional videos of different elevators. Pretty interesting stuff.
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.
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.
I was out of town most of this past week for class and noticed this building on the first morning I drove in.
The first morning they had only installed the wall to the “r” in Performing. The second day I realized that I needed to snap a picture of this to share.
This false wall is about four stories tall and covers the entire length of the building.
What challenges do you see?
As you can see, this wall definately would challenge any rescue efforts were there victims in the windows.
Not only will it hamper rescue efforts, performing ventilation or suppression from this side of the building would be challenging at best.
The frame of the false wall is set off of the building wall at a distance of approximately two feet. That is just a guess, but operating ground ladders here is almost impossible.
Interior crews would need to know that this side is limited access and egress because of the wall. It will certainly challenge our strategies and tactics should an incident happen here.
This is one good example of why you need to get out and see your area. Know what’s going on and get involved. As a crew you can preplan this building by just parking out front, take a picture or two and go back and have a discussion about how you would operate at this building.
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.”
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.
This is a picture of some light weight trusses being set on a commercial building.
As you look at this building you can see that it seems to be a series of stores or spaces in a commercial building. Most likely a strip mall type building.
In the old days, these were block buildings with steel roof components, structurally speaking. They were fairly sturdy buildings, still not great, but heavier construction.
Now, it is all light weight wood. No doubt they will put a facade on this building that looks like rock or brick, but it is a house of commercial occupancies. It is also easy to see how fast a fire in the concealed space will consume those truss members, causing very early failure.
In addition, remember what goes on top of these buildings; HVAC units.
Just be aware of what is in your area. Stop by and look at these buildings. Make sure they are properly building fire barriers and walls with penetrations fire stopped.
Use your training and common sense when these buildings burn, they are dangerous in today’s fire service.
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.
This is the type of situation that, if found, needs to be corrected. You might be here on an EMS call, an odor of, or any other non-fire incident. But, the important thing is that you notice it and correct it.
This is pretty extreme, but this is how we stay employed and busy. Be aware and pay attention to those so-called “B.S.” calls. You never know the difference you could make at that particular time.
Thanks again to Captain Jeff Schwering from Crestwood Fire Department. He has found some very interesting things. Thanks Jeff, and keep ‘em coming.
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.
Look for this in commercial and residential structures. The way that this beam is pocketed will allow it to fail much faster than normal.
As we all know, these beams support much of the center of the building with floor joists resting on them.
Steel will deform and twist and this beam will meet little, if any, resistance during a fire. I understand that a pocket of concrete will not keep this beam from dislodging, but it there is a reason for properly pocketing these beams.
Not to mention a small tremor or bump from equipment or remodeling can compromise the stability of the beam.
Just one more thing to keep an eye on when doing inspections, especially during construction.
I got a lot of interest over the fire stopping sleeve, so, I thought I would show you all this.
These collars are used for pipe penetrations through rated floor/ceiling assemblies.
The material inside the collar is like the fire putty or caulk and will expand when heated.
These typically will be wrapped around PVC or plastic piping. However, you need to make sure that the system meets UL listed requirements for this type of system.
Basically, each type of pipe and size have different listings and uses depending on the rating required. It gets complicated, but you need to ask the contractor to provide the appropriate listing and you need to ensure that the appropriate materials are being used and the rating is met.
These penetrations have to be protected and these collars do that. It allows penetrations in rated floors and ceilings without compromising safety.
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.
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.
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.
Vertical fire stopping is critical for maintaining fire separation.
This is a good picture of vertical fire stopping.
These penetrations need to be appropriately fire stopped in order to maintain the fire separation rating of that floor/ceiling assembly.
This is a large space that was fire stopped and the inspector needs to make sure the materials were UL listed and applied correctly.
Many times, especially with caulking, it is only effective for filling a certain size space but will be used in much larger spaces because the contractor did not read the UL listing for application.
There should be no gaps or spaces for heat and smoke to get through. This kind of material will swell, creating a hard air-tight obstacle for fire and smoke.
Stay safe and fire prevention needs to be everyday. This stuff is your first step to situational awareness.
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