WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ Approved devices, equipment and systems or combinations
of systems used to deter a fire, activate an alarm, extinguish or control a
fire, control
or manage smoke and products of a fire or any combination thereof,
including fire
extinguishing systems, fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems and
standpipe systems. Answer: Fire Protection System -
◉ Location: Homeless shelter in Paris, Texas
Date: 2009. Answer: A 42 bed shelter housing 28 men caught fire due to
ignition of a table inside the
shelter that was piled high with donated clothing. More than 20 residents
evacuated
the shelter as a result of smoke and flames after several men attempted
to extinguish
the flames with pans of water. There was a heavy smoke condition in the
shelter,
making it difficult to see and even more difficult to evacuate. Five men
who lived on
the second floor were killed in the blaze. An investigation of the fire
determined that
,the building had no sprinkler system, fire alarms or smoke detectors.
Records
indicated that the shelter hadn't been inspected for at least five years,
even though
inspections were required on an annual basis. The shelter was used as a
drop-off
point for paper products, rags, clothing, furniture and other material.
◉ Lessons Learned:. Answer: Periodic Fire Department inspections
should be conducted as required
Excess debris and improper storage is
a fire hazard
Lack of fire prevention devices in the
shelter increases the probability of
fatal fires
◉ Location: Homeless shelter in Bronx, NY
Date: December 7, 2012 and December 9, 2012. Answer: At this Bronx,
NY shelter, improperly stored mattresses were ignited in two separate
incidents only two days apart. The first incident occurred when a child
was playing
with a match, and set a mattress on fire on the second floor of the
building. This was
,a small fire that resulted in no injuries and was quickly extinguished.
The second fire
started when another child was playing with matches who also ignited a
mattress that
had been stored in the building's lobby. Smoke and flames from the
resulting fire
spread into the stairwell and the upper floor hallways. There were no
building wide
alarms or hallway smoke detectors in the building to notify occupants of
the fire. Two
building occupants tried to use portable fire extinguishers to extinguish
the fire but
found them empty and inoperable. With the smoke and flames having
filled the
hallways, many occupants tried to escape by using the fire escapes.
However,
occupants reported that some of the fire escapes were broken, having
missing steps
and jammed ladders. The fire resulted in four adults and two children
being seriously
injured. It was determined that the mattresses that were involved in these
fires had
not been properly removed from the building. Instead, they were stacked
in the lobby
and propped against walls in common areas of the building. It was also
determined
, that the fire escapes were not in good working order, many of the fire
extinguishers
were not operable, and that the building did not have a fire alarm or
sprinkler system.
All of these factors contributed to the devastation that resulted from this
fire.
◉ Lessons Learned:. Answer: Excess debris and improper storage
presents a fire hazard
Lack of a building wide fire alarm system will cause significant delays
in
implementing a building evacuation
Fire escapes must be inspected to ensure that they are in working order
Fire extinguishers must be visually inspected monthly to ensure that
they are
in working order
◉ Homeless shelter in New York, NY
Date: August 28, 2012. Answer: A homeless shelter in New York City
caught fire and required complete evacuation.
The fire started when a lit cigarette left unattended by a tenant ignited a
mattress on
the fourth floor. The fire was quickly extinguished by the building's
sprinkler system.