When entering a commercial building you need to take into consideration that the roof may be carrying a heavy load.
Although the roof systems are designed to handle the added load under normal conditions, when attached by fire, these roof top units will come crashing down.
The time to find out about what’s on the roof is not during the fire, but during inspections and pre-planning visits. Get familiar with these buildings before it’s dark and smokey.
Stay safe and be careful.
At least 38 were injure and 20 dead after a fire started in the room of a tenant on Jan. 6, 1961. The fire was originally to have been extinguished, but it proved to be a mistake.
There were approximately 150 occupants in the Hotel at the time of the fire and many had jump from upper story windows to escape the fire and smoke.
When the mattress first caught fire from careless smoking, the tenant and a neighbor thought they had put it out. By not calling the fire department, the mattress was not removed from the room and building and it re-lit later on.
The fire marshal at the time, Albert Hayes, stated in the newspapers that the rapid spread of smoke and fire was caused by doors being left open. He began a push to require changes in the building and fire codes to mandate all stairways and corridors to be protected with fire resistant doors.
Another example of a fire claiming lives that could have been prevented. IF they would have called the fire department, which had automatic alarms been installed may have happen, the mattress would likely have been removed.
IF the door to the stairs would have been closed and rated, the smoke and fire spread would not have been as fast and widespread as it was.
Fire codes make a difference. Be thorough and enforce them. It takes only a small event to cause a catastrophy.
Someone thought its was a good idea to put a 2×4 in the door to keep it locked.
But, it will also do a good job of keeping people in during a fire.
If it is dark and people are panicked, that board could cause some big problems.
The board very easily could prohibit people from getting out in an emergency. If you see this, look for other types of locks on this door too. If they are willing to put a board in there, they have also tried other methods of locking people in.
Remove the board and explain why it is dangerous. Be aware of these types of issues on inspection. It could make a huge difference.
Stay safe and take care.
That's a long way down.
These rear exits are a good ways off of the ground. People trying to make an attempt to exit through these rear exits will find themselves making a huge leap.
This is an issue that should have been addressed during the plan review stage and emphasizes why doing plan reviews are so important.
I would venture to guess that the original plans called for stairs and they just never got put in.
This creates a dangerous situation for those that might have to evacuate this building to the rear. Not only is it a long way down, jumping may cause a person to lose his/her balance and roll right into that water.
If you do plan reviews, make sure you inspect all the way through the project. Don’t let contractors get by with promising to put something like these stairs in before they officially open. Make sure all safety components are installed and in service prior to issuing an occupancy permit.
Stay safe and do those inspections.
Who can identify what is wrong here? It should be pretty obvious and this is one reason we need to look at the panel boxes when we do our inspections.
First, there is not 36 inches of clear working space. But, that is not the kicker.
The great thing here is that the person must have gotten tired of tripping the breaker so he just tied it “Open.”
I have to admit, I haven’t seen this one before, but, you just never know what you will find out there.
This will definately cause an over load and could easily cause a fire. If the breaker is tripping then something is wrong to begin with.
Be diligent and remember the small things count. Check those panel boxes.
Stay safe, train hard.
This is the type of thing you would want to note on an inspection or pre-plan.
If you had a working fire inside this building, getting a view from all sides would be important to find something like this.
This is telling you that this building is already under stress and if attacked by fire it could fail faster than expected.
You might notice smoke pushing from this or even fire. The important thing is to keep it in mind if crews are working inside or even on the exterior.
Just another example of the need to keep your eyes open on inspections, pre-planning visits and on the workers.
The photo was found at brotherhood trainings website. Check them out at http://brotherhoodinstructors.com
As always, stay safe and be careful.
What's Good for One is Good for the Other.
This is a great picture of how fire stopping is done.
As you can see, one penetration has been fire caulked while the one right next to it has not been.
Many times each subcontractor will be responsible for doing his own fire stopping. This at times will get confusion for some generals as to who has done what.
On other occasions, this may be an existing building that a new utility was added to and nobody bothered to do any fire stopping.
When accepting fire stopping make sure that the product and the application are compatible with the proper UL listing. Each manufacturer has different products and applications, but they need to meet the appropriate UL listing.
In addition, depending on what type of occupancy this is, those wires may need to be plenum rated. Ask for specifications and ensure that the materials being used are appropriate.
Stay safe and I will be posting more on fire stopping. It is crucial in keeping fire travel to a minimum.
You never know what you’ll find when on an inspection. This is an example of some really bad wiring.
These things can get missed if you don’t check all areas of the building.
This is something you may have to require immediate action on. This is definately an electrical fire waiting to happen.
Check the small spaces and hidden closets, just be brave, you never know what is lurking in there.
How are we supposed to get out?!
Even if it wasn't blocked, this exit is locked with a padlock.
While at the hardware store the other day, I noticed the condition of this means of egress door.
It is blocked with a display case. As you can see from the photo, the panic hardware is not accessible and can barely be seen.
A closer look shows that even if the exit was accessible and did not have the display case in front of it, it is locked.]
There is a slide bolt that is padlocked on the exit door. So, even if it wasn’t blocked, you would never get out.
A firefighter that might be lost and was following a wall looking for doors and windows could come across this door and still not be able to escape.
These are the things that we need to bring to the attention of the business owners. Typically, once they understand why the door needs to be accessible and not bolted, they remedy the issue.
Be diligent and do inspections. These issues could mean the difference in people getting out of a fire or emergency. It could also mean the difference in how a Mayday is resolved.
Stay safe and be careful out there.
This is an interesting picture. How many inspections have you been on where a room was so full of stuff that you couldn’t get in to look around.
That may be what happened here. A hoarder comes to mind too.
I also like that “everybody” wants to see what is going on. I can just see this fire getting going and starting to work it’s way out of that room with smoke and gases filling that corridor.
This is an extreme example of why we need to do inspections and enforce fire codes, but it is a good illustration of how bad it could get if we don’t do our job in regards to prevention.
Stay safe and be careful. Stay warm too, it’s a balmy -1 this morning in Missouri.
This is obviously wrong!
Whether you do commercial or residential or both types of inspections, this is not acceptable. We can get into what the NEC says and any other electrical code, but this is obviously wrong.
This is an electrical fire waiting to happen. Depending on when this was done, likely after the initial construction phase, it is a good argument for permits and construction plan reviewing.
I just thought this was a great picture. What a mess.
Candy wrapper, one of many items that can be foun inside your sprinkler/standpipe connections.
Many jurisdictions have adopted ordinances that require locking caps on FDCs which greatly reduces the probability of tampering. Otherwise, ask the property owners to frequently check these connections.
Things such as rocks, bottles, balls and anything else that will fit in them have been found. These objects will limit water flow and reduce the effectiveness if not make it non-functional for fire protection.
Stay safe and make sure to know where these are during your inspections and pre-planning.
Engineered I-Joists being used in construction of roofs.
We have been learning about these engineered i-joists over the last several years and we know about the dangers of falling through floors that seem to be intact.
As you can see, these building components are also being used for roofing systems. We are already careful because of the history of light-weight truss systems, but I can see the same problem with these i-joists.
Just remember, the houses are getting bigger and lighter and they are burning faster. Situational awareness and a strong understanding of the risk vs. benefit theory is a must.
Keep you and your people safe and get to know what is being built in your area.
We would like a table by the exit!
We would like a table by the exit!
This happens on a regular basis in many establishments in order to increase the number of seating. Although most would think that this is a minimal obstacle, when people are in a panic and are rushing to get out, this little table and two chairs become a serious problem.
This situation has to be corrected to make this exit accessible. There has to be a clear path of travel to this door to make the exit effective.
Another obstacle that you might see like this is a trash can or large potted plants. They all have to be moved.
Remember, this may be your only way out while fighting a fire and you could easily get entangled in these obstacles as well. Pay attention and be careful.
Importance of exits
We can see that the signs on the doors must not be in the language of the owners of this store.
Normal, everyday citizens and store owners don’t understand the importance of these exit doors. They don’t understand that this is how people will get out safely if something bad happens in there, like a fire.
I know a great deal of firefighters that do not like doing inspections and some departments just flat out don’t do them. This is a perfect example of why we need to do company inspections.
Inspecting and requiring corrections like the removal of these obstructions is part of our job to serve and protect. No, it’s not making a good grab in a smoked up house fire, but it is just as important and could save more lives than you might think.
Take inspections seriously and get out and do them. Stay safe and keep your citizens safe.
Could this be bad?
If a large group of people were using the stairs to exit this building, this cart would no doubt have a profound affect on their ability to escape. This would easily cause bodies to be stacked up on each other and the numbers injured and killed would likely be from crush injuries and not smoke or flame.
It is important to look not only at the exit doors, but where they lead to. These paths of egress may join other egress corridors or discharges that are not the primary egress path of travel. Be particular and stubborn with these exit accesses, it could be all the difference in the world. Stay safe and warm, it’s cold in Missouri today.
How many of these do you have in your response area?
No doubt that we all have a building like this in our jurisdiction, if not several.
In many cases these buildings have been several different kinds of business and altered some fashion or another.
These are not simple fires, especially if there are part of a main street block or strip mall type of set up.
We can see some pretty thick smoke from the attic vent on the front. I see a fan set up and can’t tell if it is running, but at this point in the fire, should it be?
Post your comments and give your thoughts. Happy New Year, stay safe.
Remember when doing inspections to check out the fire department connection. We all do that pretty well for the most part, making sure that nothing is blocking it and noting where it is for tactical reasons. However, I have seen crews miss checking the Post Indicator Valve when checking the FDC/Sprinkler System. It is just as important.
The biggest reason this is missed is because they are usually a little ways from the building and are not right next to the FDC, but it they are not checked and are SHUT, it could have grave circumstances if there is a fire.
These PIV control the water to the system. They should always be open and the window on the PIV will read OPEN or SHUT. Look around, usually these are on large industrial complexes and some high rise buildings.
With the holidays over, so to speak, the big sales days are upon us now. You might want to check on your big stores to make sure things are in order.
As we can see here, the shopping carts have taken precedent over the people inside for access to the exit. This happens a great deal at these stores.
Most of the time the manager has no clue that this is happening and when told is pretty quick to remedy the problem. Don’t leave it this way, mention it and get it taken care of. As we say in the last post, watch the back and sides of the building for extra storage containers blocking exterior exit doors. Stay safe and be careful.
As you can see, this is a huge obstacle for those wanting to get out of that door. I have had companies do inspections and when I asked about the exterior, especially the rear of the building, I would get blank stares.
It is important to check out the exterior in particular where the exit discharge is. These areas should be level, lit and clear of obstacles.
An engine company could inpsect the interior of this building and never notice this unless they do a 360 of the building. This is another time when your tactics are the same for fire suppression as they are for prevention. As I have said before, inspections and prevention are the first steps to situational awareness. Stay safe and be careful.
You can see the problem here, right? This is a common problem in warehouses, mercantile stores and the “big box” stores, especially the large do-it-yourself stores. We have to make sure that these lanes are not ‘permanently’ blocked. The exception is if they are using the lift to move merchandise to or from high shelves, in that case, the aisle is temporarily blocked for the consumer’s protection. We just need to make sure that the staff understands the importance of opening it up as soon as possible. Keep safe out there and be diligent in doing these inspections. Remember, they are as much for you, the firefighter, as much as the patron.
On this day in 1924, children and their parents were gathered in the Babbs Switch School for a visit from Santa Clause. It would end up being a tragic Christmas story and a reason for inspections and codes. The school had been recently painted with terpintine used for paint thinner. After windstorms had damaged the building, it was restored and repaired and metal mesh was placed over the windows to protect them.
The program and gathering took place in a small building of approximately 1200 square feet and people were standing against the walls and in the aisles. Santa started to hand out presents from under the tree which had lit candles on it for decoration. Santa’s suit had cotton trim on it and was lit after bumping into the tree and lit candles.
A panic started and the tree was knocked over, which was a real tree, and the fire grew quickly. As people attempted to exit, many were not able to escape because the door opened to the inside instead of out. This allowed only one side of the building to easisly exit, trapping those on the other side of the room. A total of 36 people died from the fire and many others injured from burns.
This is another reminder of where fire and building codes have come and that we must monitor and inspect these occupancies to ensure that all safety requirements are met. Stay safe and be careful.
On this day in 1995, over 500 people were killed during a school ceremony in Dabwali, Haryana India. There were entire families and mostly children that were killed that day.
The school had set up a large tent/membrane structure for a special event for the school. It is believe that a short circuit in some wiring could have started the fire.
The large loss of life was primarily due to the stampede created from the panic from the rapidly spreading fire. It was reported that there were over 1200 people in the tent at the time of the fire. This could happen here to any jurisdiction. Inspections need to be done on these events and temporary structures to ensure proper wiring and adequate exits. Stay safe and diligent.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNjO3wZDVlA]
I know I have just about beat this to death, but I attended two Christmas plays and a wedding in the past week and was glad to see that there were no candles in the aisles at any of them. This time of year we see an increased use in candles in places of worship and we need ensure that the attendees are safe. Just remember that these aisles are used as exit aisles. Don’t be afraid to confront this issue with some common sense. Stay safe and be careful.
 This blog is part of the Emergency Services Ad Network. For marketing opportunities, please click here |
I wrote a non-EMS related blog. It's about my vagina, and who doesn't want to read about my… (more)
FORCE MORE DOORS IN A DAY THAN YOU HAVE IN YEARS! The Bluffton Twp. Fire District will be hosting… (more)
There was a "life lesson" or some sort of Fire Department training in every task. They worked hard… (more)
Retired Norfolk (VA) firefighter Sara Jones "Jonesy" needs your help in her battle with cancer.… (more)
Recent Comments