Arson forces evacuation of elderly Written By Leon Thompson Wednesday, October 14, 2009   Housing site fire set in entryway ST. ALBANS CITY –– A sprinkler system late Tuesday night partially doused a suspicious fire that posed significant harm to dozens of elderly people here, according to Fire Chief Joe Beaudry.     Approximately 40 residents of Lake Street Housing, a senior complex that was created from a former Holy Angels Catholic Church building, were evacuated to the parish center until 1 a.m., two hours after the small fire broke out.     St. Albans City Police said that at 11 p.m., a small, suspicious fire was set in the first-floor entryway. The sprinkler system extinguished most of the fire, but authorities decided to evacuate residents on the first and second floors, as well as some from  the third and fourth floors. Some residents stayed inside.     “This shows the importance of why we need sprinkler systems in our businesses and private homes,” Beaudry said this morning.     No one was injured, but there was a lot of smoke, Beaudry said. One resident used a fire extinguisher on the blaze.     Damage was minimal and listed at under $1,000, but some residual effects lingered through the night. “You’re going to have some smoke odor,” Beaudry said of the aftermath of the blaze.     City and town firefighters responded to the scene, as did AmCare Ambulance Service. Beaudry said firefighters tried to vacuum up as much water as they could from the soaked carpets. He was meeting with the property manager today.     Firefighters started clearing the scene around 2 a.m. St. Albans City police detectives have launched an investigation with a Vermont State Police fire investigator.     “It’s very unsettling to have a fire like that in a building like that, where you have that many people in a building,” Beaudry said today.     St. Albans City Police today asked anyone with information or who may have seen anything to contact the Arson Tip Program at 1-800-32-Arson, or the police department at 524-2166.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa. (KTIV) - It's a scary figure, but every year around 3000 people die in housefires across the nation.

"It's a time we talk about the common leading causes of fire. Eighty percent of all fires are in the home, where people feel the safest," said Chuck Hirsch, Sioux City Fire Marshall

Sunday kicks off fire prevention week all across Sioux City, its purpose is teaching people about fire safety.  To do this, for the first time ever in Sioux City, the fire department held a demonstration with two different rooms, one with and one without a sprinkler, and set them both a blaze.

"It shows people how quickly a fire spreads and how it gets out of control. Two to three minutes your whole living room can be fully involved in flames. That's not a lot of time," said Joe Rodriguez, Sioux City Fire Department.

In fact, in only a minute and a half, the room without a sprinkler burned up, reaching 1100 degrees, destroying the entire structure. The sprinkler saved the other after only ten seconds.

"I learned that if you don't have a sprinkler in your house it will burn faster," said Caleb Crum, Sioux City.

"The fire gets put out faster, so you have more of a chance at living," said Jon Walker, Sioux City. 

"If your clothes are on fire, stop what you're doing, drop and roll."

A lesson fueled through hands on activities, like spraying a fire hose, touring a fire truck and even dressing up like a firefighter.

ICC hearings threaten home sprinkler provision

NFPA urges advocates to take action

At next month's ICC code development hearings in Baltimore, home fire sprinkler opponents will be pushing to remove requirements for residential fire sprinklers for new one- and two-family homes from the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC).

Several anti-sprinkler proposals have been submitted to the ICC. See pages 96-100 of proposed changes to ICC documents, as well as NFPA's comments on these proposals (PDF, 58 KB). 

Some sprinkler opponents are spreading misinformation about the need, cost, and effectiveness of this life-saving technology. The fact is that home fire sprinklers save lives and protect property from destruction by responding quickly and effectively to the presence of a nearby fire. In fact, the risk of dying decreases by about 80% when sprinklers are present. Sprinklers also reduce the average property loss by about 71% per fire.

Get involved
If you're an ICC member, please make plans to attend the hearings in Baltimore and vote "NO" on the anti-sprinkler proposals. There is no cost for ICC members to attend the hearings, but pre-registration is required.

Note that individuals who are "individual" members of ICC will be allowed to vote at the hearings. ICC membership information.

Sprinkler Puts Out Fire in Vermont Paper Warehouse

 

Sprinkler system stops fire in its tracks

By STEFANIE THOMAS

Updated: 08.25.09More than a dozen fire fighters from four area fire departments responded to a fire alarm at the newly-built Best Buy in Atascocita around 2:30 a.m. early Tuesday morning, Aug. 25.

Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department Engine 39 was the first fire truck at the scene, said AVFD spokesman Bob Kelshaw, and found heavy smoke permeating the store.

"It is unclear at this time how the fire started," Kelshaw said. "The Harris County Fire Marshall's Office is investigating."

There appeared to be no structural damage to the building, but Kelshaw said the store suffered heavy smoke and water damage.

"The sprinkler system inside the store did its job well," Kelshaw said. "There were about two inches of water on the floor and a lot of smoke, but as it turned out, the actual fire was pretty much out already when we arrived."

Sheldon, Ponderosa, Eastex and Houston fire departments assisted. AVFD Engine 39 was supported by AVFD Ladder 19, Engine 19, Medic 19 and Rehab 19    

Home sprinkler system proves its worth

Sprinkler Saves Ga. Assisted Living Residents

Sprinkler system at hostel praised by fire service

A hostel in north Wales has been praised by fire officers for installing a sprinkler system.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has revealed that the hostel on Berwyn Street, Llangollen, is one of only a few buildings of its kind in the region to have fitted sprinklers as a fire safety measure.

When plans were drawn up for the conversion, fire safety enforcement officer at the service Mike O'Meara met with the owners and architect to discuss the project.

Commenting on the sprinklers, Mr O'Meara said: "This additional safety measure will positively enhance the safety of the guests should a fire occur."

Hostel co-owner Arlo Dennis said that he now has more peace of mind that guests are safer because of the sprinklers and upgraded alarm system in place.

Automatic sprinkler systems are an effective way of tackling a blaze and offer excellent reliability - when regularly tested and well maintained, said David Tonkinson, sprinkler risk adviser at Aviva Risk Management Solutions. 

He stated that systems with pump and tank water supplies, when this advice is followed, can be more dependable than town's main fed systems which are susceptible to reductions in mains pressures and flows.    

2009-10-06 08:20:03

GRAND FORKS, ND - An apartment fire that could've ended in tragedy.

Just after 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, Grand Forks firefighters responded to a sprinkler alarm. Captain Kelli Flermoen says there was light smoke in the hallway and police were evacuating tenants when they arrived.

The man had been sleeping. He was checked out by ambulance personnel but not taken to the hospital.

Flermoen says the apartment did not have working smoke alarms and if it hadn't been for the sprinkler system and the closed bedroom door, the fire could've been fatal.

Sprinkler saves seniors home: fire marshal

Sprinkler system saves another business from fire

By JERI MARTINEZ

Updated: 09.01.09The automatic fire sprinkler system has proven another save recently when a fire broke out in a business last month.

Pasadena firefighters were dispatched in the late hours of Aug. 12 to a structure fire at the Camin Cargo Control, Inc. in the 1800 block of Dabney.

"Upon their arrival, firefighters found that the fire had been extinguished in a chemical lab by the activation of a single sprinkler head from the building's automatic fire sprinkler system," said David Brannon, Pasadena fire marshal.

He said the fire originated in a trash can inside the building and resulted in minimal damage to the business.

"Firefighters believe that without the actions of the automatic sprinkler system, the fire would have been much worse," Brannon said.

Studies have shown automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance in protecting life and property. Within the city of Pasadena, automatic sprinkler systems are required in all new buildings over 12,000 square feet and in all new assembly occupancies with an occupant load of 100 people or greater.

"With the fire sprinkler activating the way they were designed potentially saved the business from much greater damage and saving the business owner a substantial amount of money in reference to the damages that would have occurred if they wouldn't have activated effectively," Brannon said. "As well as effectively protecting life and property."

He also said that the emergency responders, such as the firefighters, don't have to enter an extremely hazardous environment when the sprinkler work properly.

"We are definitely happy to say that once again there is another success story of a sprinkler system working effectively and basically functioning exactly the way they are designed," Brannon said.