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Coffee Break Training: Automatic Sprinklers: Sprinklers Near Heat Sources
"Sprinklers installed near heat sources should be selected with consideration for the potential accidental operation as a result of short- or long-term exposure to elevated temperatures. According to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 13, 'Standard for the Installation of Automatic Sprinkler Systems', these locations should be given special attention to provide sprinklers having other than ordinary-temperature classification (135 to 170 °F [57 to 77 °C]), unless other temperatures are determined or unless high-temperature sprinklers are used throughout the remainder of the space."
United States Fire Administration
2010-02-16
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Coffee Break Training: Hazardous Materials: Prohibited Storage Districts
"The 'International Fire Code' includes language that authorizes a jurisdiction to prohibit the storage of some hazardous materials in some or all parts of the community. The authority occurs in four places in the 'International Fire Code': regulations for cryogenic fluids in stationary containers, Class I and II liquids in above ground tanks, inside buildings or outdoors, and the storage of liquefied petroleum gas."
United States Fire Administration
2010-02-10
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Coffee Break Training: Storage Practices: High-Piled Storage: Banding or Encapsulating?
"This stack of palletized products awaits loading into the nearby rack storage system. Each pallet of material is known as a 'unit load.' Notice how the unit loads are wrapped with a thin plastic sheet. This sheet stabilizes the load and prevents small items from slipping off. However, the arrangement creates a potential problem that the fire inspector may need to address. If a unit load of combustible commodities is wrapped with a plastic sheet completely enclosing the sides and top (all five faces) it is classified as encapsulated. On the other hand, if it is wrapped only on four sides, it is said to be banded."
United States Fire Administration
2010-02-09
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Coffee Break Training: Inspection Techniques: Unprotected Attic Storage
"Large open attic spaces generally occur as the result of an architectural decision to have a tall roof line on a building. Often, these spaces are unheated, have limited ventilation, marginal access, and no fire protection because they are not meant to be occupied spaces. The structural supports may be there solely to support the roof and ceiling elements, and may not be capable of handling additional loads. Almost as often, however, this unused space provides the building tenant a simple solution to storage problems. Whether the storage occurs in the attic of a multi-family dwelling, the weather-resistant crawl space of an office occupancy, or in some other concealed space, there is a potential for combustible storage to add to a building's fire load and weaken its structural integrity."
United States Fire Administration
2010-02-02
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Winter Residential Building Fires
"These topical reports are designed to explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA's) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or fire-related topic, high¬lights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information. Also included are recent examples of fire incidents that demonstrate some of the issues addressed in the report or that put the report topic in context."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; United States Fire Administration
2010-02
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Coffee Break Training: Access and Water Supplies: Protecting Underground Water Pipe
"Underground water mains are a crucial part of many water-based fire protection systems, and must be installed and tested in a way that assures their reliability. Generally, pipe should not be run under buildings but there may be circumstances where that is unavoidable. In those cases, the predominant installation criteria for private water lines, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 24, 'Standard for the Installation of Private Fire Service Mains and Their Appurtenances', allows it when special precautions are taken."
United States Fire Administration
2010-01-26
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Coffee Break Training: Petroleum Bulk Plant Incidents
"Thanks to modern fire codes, its [sic] unlikely one will find wooden roofs on bulk tanks in today's petroleum industry. The steel tank in the illustration includes an aluminum geodesic dome designed to keep rainwater from accumulating on the tank's floating roof, as well as reduce the amount of product vapor lost due to atmospheric conditions. Do you have a bulk plant or refinery in your first response district? If so, honor the fallen by taking some time this week to conduct a familiarity visit or inspection so that this tragedy is not repeated."
United States Fire Administration
2010-01-21
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Coffee Break Training: Portable Extinguishers: Minimum Hydrostatic Test Pressures for Extinguishers
"Other than rudimentary hand-pump devices, most portable fire extinguishers employ some sort of internal or cartridge-applied pressure to discharge the fire extinguishing agent. To minimize the risks associated with catastrophic container failures, high-and low-pressure portable extinguishers must be periodically pressure tested."
United States Fire Administration
2010-01-19
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Special Inspections for Spray-on Fire-Resistant Materials
"Spray-on fire-resistant materials (sometimes mislabeled as 'fireproofing') are cementitious or fibrous materials that are to provide fire resistant protection to some underlying building element such as a floor, roof or wall assembly, or structural framing members."
United States Fire Administration
2010-01-05
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Alive on Arrival: Tips for Safe Emergency Vehicle Operations
This document provides tips for emergency responders to prevent injuries or death from crashes involving emergency vehicles and personal vehicles responding to and returning from fires and other emergencies. Some tips include: "[1] Ensure that you are qualified and fully capable of
operating the emergency vehicle you are driving.
[2] Drive with due care. Operate an emergency vehicle
as you would if all those in your vehicle and on
the road around you are your family.
[3] Slower means safer. A good safety guideline is
not to exceed the posted speed limit. Drive even
slower when road conditions or visibility are poor."
United States Fire Administration; United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2010-01
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America's Fire and Emergency Services Leader: Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2010-2014
From the Strategic Framework, page 14: "Building on FEMA's current mission to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. USFA [U.S. Fire Administration] is leading by example and setting the standard for fire and emergency services throughout the country. This strategic plan has been created to help USFA achieve its Vision. The plan provides both strategic direction and operational focus. The Goals are the foundation for our strategic planning work and describe the desired future of the USFA."
United States Fire Administration
2010
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Topical Fire Report Series: Hotel and Motel Fires
Topical Fire Reports "are designed to explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in the U.S. Fire Administration's (USFA's) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or fire-related topic, highlights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information. Also included are recent examples of fire incidents that demonstrate some of the issues addressed in the report or that put the report topic in context." This report examines hotel and motel fires.
National Fire Data Center (U.S.); United States Fire Administration
2010-01
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Information for First Responders on Maintaining Operational Capabilities during a Pandemic
"First responders have a critical role in prehospital emergency care and must continue to provide this essential service and fill the many emergency response roles in a community. The first responder community includes: fire, emergency medical services, law enforcement, emergency management, and 9-1-1 telecommunications. During a severe pandemic, workloads will increase and staff sizes will diminish as employees and their families become ill. Contingency planning now can help reduce the worst impacts: smart planning can save lives. To help with planning for the impacts of a severe pandemic, this document provides the following kinds of information for first responders: (1) Potential ways to adjust operations to maintain readiness and response; (2) Potential ways for leaders in the first responder community at the local level, including two planning tools; [and] (3) Reference sheets with discipline-specific potential action steps."
United States Fire Administration; United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Health Affairs
2010
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Coffee Break Training: Access and Water Supply: Underground Water Pipe Depth-of-Cover
"Underground water mains for hydrant and fire protection systems must be protected from freezing and physical damage. In addition to jurisdictions where a water purveyor may have its own standards, or rely on the recommendations of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes a standard for fire protection water main installation on private property. The depth of cover over water pipes should be determined by the maximum depth of frost penetration in the locality where the pipe is laid. The top of the pipe should be buried not less than 1 foot (0.3 m) below the frost line. In those locations where frost is not a factor, the depth of cover should be not less than 2- 1/2 feet (0.8 m) to prevent mechanical damage. Pipe should be buried below the frost line when entering streams and other bodies of water."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12-29
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Part 7: Fire Resistance Based on Separation
"The terms 'fire or horizontal separation distances' appeared in a table in last week's Coffee Break Training. These terms describe the minimum distance requirements from one building to another-or to a nearby property line or exposure-to minimize the likelihood of exposure fires and establish minimum fire resistance ratings for the exterior walls. NFPA [National Fire Protection Association] 5000, Building Construction and Safety Code' and 'International Building Code' (IBC) address these dimensions slightly differently. In NFPA 5000, horizontal separation is the 'width of the permanent open space as measured horizontally between a building exterior wall and the adjacent property line or the centerline of a facing street, alley or public way.'"
United States Fire Administration
2009-12-22
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Coffee Break Training: Exploring Invisible Web Resources: Part III -- Learn about the Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL)
"The HSDL offers a wide variety of materials cutting across all disciplines within Homeland Security and first responder communities including the fire service. Its collections are divided into a broad general collection searchable by the general public and a restricted repository. The general collection consists of over 65,000 fully downloadable documents of all kinds. Typing in the word 'fire,' for example, in the title keyword box retrieves over 500 full text titles ranging from after-action reports to fire prevention tips and factsheets."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12-17
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Part 6: Required Fire Resistance
"The locally adopted building code establishes fire resistance ratings for various building elements based on the size, height, and intended use of a building. The requirements for fire resistance come from a table similar to the one below. A building must meet all of the criteria described in the table to achieve one of the five types of construction. (Note that four of the types have 'A' or 'B' subgroups.) For example, to meet the requirements of Type IB construction, a building's structural frame, bearing walls, and floor assemblies must be a minimum 2 hour rating, and the roof construction must be 1 hour. If such a building were to have 2 hour rated structural frame, bearing walls, and floor assemblies but non-rated roof construction, it would have to be classified no better than Type IIB. This 'lower' rating would limit its size, height and intended use."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12-15
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Part 5: Understanding Construction: Fire Test 'Survival'
"When a fire assembly is submitted for evaluation, it must meet certain minimum acceptance criteria before it is granted a fire resistance rating. According to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard E119, 'Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials', these requirements cover the following measurements and determinations during the test exposure: 1) For wall, partition, floor and roof assemblies, the measurement of the heat transmission through the assembly, and the ability of hot fire gases to ignite cotton waste on the side of the assembly opposite the gas-fired flame. 2) For wall, partition, floor and roof assemblies, the measurement of the load carrying ability of load bearing elements. 3) For individual load bearing assemblies such as beams and columns, the measurement of the load carrying ability of, with consideration for the end support conditions, either restrained or not restrained."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12-08
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Coffee Break Training: Abandoned Buildings
"Are there abandoned buildings in your jurisdiction? Honor the fallen by taking some time to inspect these dangerous conditions so we don't repeat history."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12-03
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Part 4: How Fire Resistance Ratings are Measured
"Will a four-hour fire wall really resist the spread of heat and flames for 240 minutes? Will a two-hour floor/ceiling assembly truly prevent vertical fire spread for 120 minutes while a highrise building is evacuated? The answer is definitely 'maybe' and depends upon the actual fire exposure conditions. In order to obtain an hourly fire-resistance rating, sample fire assemblies must undergo rigorous testing under controlled laboratory conditions. These conditions may not match real world environments found in buildings."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12-01
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Intentionally Set Fires in Residential Buildings
"From 2004 to 2006, an estimated average of 18,100 intentionally set fires in residential buildings occurred each year in the United States. Intentionally set fires account for 5 percent of residential building fires responded to by fire departments across the Nation. These fires resulted in an average of approximately 290 deaths, 850 injuries, and $533 million in property loss each year. As part of the Intentionally Set Fires Topical Reports series, this topical report addresses the characteristics of intentionally set fires in residential buildings reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) between 2004 and 2006. Intentional fires are those fires that require fire service intervention and are deliberately set. These fires include fires that result from deliberate misuse of a heat source, fires of an incendiary nature (arson), as well as other deliberate acts."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12
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Intentionally Set Vehicle Fires
"From 2004 to 2006, an estimated 27,900 intentionally set vehicle fires occurred each year in the United States. Intentionally set fires account for 10 percent of all vehicle fires. These intentionally set fires resulted in an average of approximately 40 deaths, 75 injuries, and $169 million in property loss each year. This topical report addresses the characteristics of intentionally set vehicle fires reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) between 2004 and 2006. Intentionally set fires are those that are deliberately set and include fires that result from deliberate misuse of a heat source, fires of an incendiary nature (arson), as well as controlled burn fires, such as crop clearing, that required fire service intervention. The NFIRS data provide information on fires and factors that may have contributed to the fire's ignition. In the case of suspected arson fires, NFIRS allows for the collection of additional information to determine why the fire was set. In the case of intentionally set fires, only 12 percent of the incidents provide information as to the potential motive for these fires."
United States Fire Administration
2009-12
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Part 3: Fire-Resistive Assemblies
"When all or parts of a building are required to be fireresistive or have fire resistance, the model building codes typically require that the fire protection be achieved by some sort of fire-resistant rated 'assembly.' What is an 'assembly?' An assembly is a combination of materials put together in a specific way that achieves the fire resistance rating required in the building code. For example, today's illustration shows only part of an assembly: gypsum wallboard applied to a steel stud. In order to achieve a minimum fire resistance rating, both sides of the steel stud would have to be covered with fire-rated gypsum wallboard. Fire-resistance ratings apply only to assemblies in their entirety."
United States Fire Administration
2009-11-24
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Part 2: Where Fire Resistance May Be Required
"There are many components that make up modern buildings: construction materials, plumbing systems, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, fire protection systems and equipment, interior finish materials and furniture. When a building is constructed, the locally adopted building code generally establishes the requirements for life safety and fire protection features. The building designer must create drawings showing that the building is in compliance with the codes; the contractor must construct the building to meet the plan and the codes; and the building and/or fire inspector is responsible to assure the final product complies with the requirements. Not all complete buildings or their components-by the nature of their construction materials, distance from property lines or the intended use-are required to have any fire resistant construction elements. They may be erected of entirely combustible or non-combustible materials without being protected by gypsum drywall, spray-on fire-resistant materials or concrete: the most common means for creating fire resistant construction."
United States Fire Administration
2009-11-17
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Coffee Break Training: Building Construction: Part 1: Understanding Construction 'Types'
"The late Frank Brannigan, author of the renowned text 'Building Construction for the Fire Service', is often quoted for his famous saying, 'The building is your enemy... know your enemy.' To help you know the 'enemy,' this week's Coffee Break Training begins a series on building construction features; explaining how our modern building codes classify 'types of construction,' how to identify them, and what many building code requirements might mean to code officials and fire suppression forces. The major model building codes describe construction and establish occupancy life safety, fire protection and fire resistance requirements based on five 'types of construction.' The codes use Roman numerals I through V to classify buildings. In general, buildings that have a lower Roman numeral (I and II) are allowed to be larger and taller than those with a higher number (III-IV-V). Once you learn this building code shorthand, you will better understand how the construction codes work."
United States Fire Administration
2009-11-10
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Coffee Break Training: Automatic Sprinklers: Homeowner/Occupant Sprinkler Inspections
"A close look at the pressure gauge on this residential sprinkler system riser reveals there is no water pressure and the system may be out of service, or the gauge valve is simply closed. In either case, this system needs attention. Residential sprinkler systems are intended to be easy to install and simple to maintain, yet one of the arguments by those who oppose residential sprinkler mandates is 'who will force maintenance the system' since fire inspectors generally do not inspect occupied one- and two-family dwellings and manufactured homes. According to NFPA [National Fire Protection Association] 13D, 'Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in One- and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes', the sprinkler system installer must provide the owner/ occupant instructions on inspecting, testing, and maintaining the system."
United States Fire Administration
2009-11-03
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Recommendation or Regulation: Analysis of the Enforceability of the National Fire Protection Association Standards on the Merced Fire Department
"The distinction of whether or not National Fire Protection (NFPA) standards were voluntary or enforceable has been lost in translation. This has created a situation, whereby, the Merced Fire Department, and the fire service as a whole, has been exposed to preventable liability by not having had standardized approaches to personnel safety, operations, and minimum training requirements. The purpose of this research was to conduct analysis into the enforceability of NFPA Standards to detetmine: (a) how NFPA standards are adopted, (b) which NFPA standards have been adopted and are applicable in Merced, (c) legislation and other precedents that have enabled the enforcement ofNFPA standards, (d) if fire agencies have been cited for failing to adhere to NFPA standards, and (e) which NFPA standards provide the greatest degree of liability protection to fire agencies. The descriptive research methodology for this project included: data collection and analysis, document collection and analysis, and structured interviews. Results found that NFPA standards have been used to cite and/or litigate against fire departments throughout the Nation. The enforceability of the standards bas been developed through: (a) direct adoption ofNFPA standards, (b) issuance of special orders, (c) comparison to national standards to detetmine prudent actions, and (d) the application of the General Duty Clause or the Califomia Illness and Injury Prevention Program (IIPP). NFPA standards have also been used to establish the standard of care in negligence cases against fire departments. Recommended improvements included: (a) conduct a self-assessment to detetmine which NFPA standards apply to the Merced Fire Department, (b) prioritize the NFPA standards based on the degree of liability protection they represent, (c) educate stakeholders and obtain buy-in, (d) develop and roll-out an implementation plan, and (d) conduct regular evaluations to measure the ongoing compliance with the identified NFPA standards."
United States Fire Administration
McLaughlin, Michael W.
2009-11
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Intentionally Set Outdoor Fires
"Between 2004 and 2006, an estimated 176,100 outdoor fires were intentionally set each year in the United States. These intentionally set fires accounted for approximately 27 percent of outdoor fires reported to fire departments and 7 percent of all fires. Intentionally set outdoor fires resulted in an estimated 250 civilian injuries and 20 civilian deaths. Property losses for intentionally set outdoor fires are sometimes difficult to assess as intentionally set outdoor fires. For example, rubbish fires often do not have dollar losses associated with them. Nationally, losses from intentionally set outdoor fires are estimated at $23 million. The term 'outdoor fires' can include a variety of fires that occur out of doors: wildland fires, crop fires, rubbish fires, and others. Intentionally set fires are those fires that are deliberately set and include fires that result from deliberate misuse of a heat source, fires of an incendiary nature (arson), as well as controlled burn fires of crops, rubbish, and waste that required fire service intervention. This topical report focuses on intentionally set outdoor fires that are reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) using the standard fire reporting modules and does not include wildland fires."
United States Fire Administration
2009-11
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Intentionally Set Fires
"From 2004 to 2006, an estimated 210,300 intentionally set fires occurred each year in the United States. Intentionally set fires account for 13 percent of fires responded to by fire departments across the Nation. These fires resulted in an average of approximately 375 deaths; 1,300 injuries; and $1.06 billion in property loss each year. Intentional fires are those fires that are deliberately set and include fires that result from deliberate misuse of a heat source, fires of an incendiary nature (arson), as well as controlled burn fires, such as crop clearing, that required fire service intervention. This topical report addresses the characteristics of intentionally set fires reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) between 2004 and 2006. Subsets of the intentionally set fire problem-outside, vehicle, and residential building intentionally set fires-are further investigated in separate topical reports. Each topical report addresses specific concerns related to these subsets of the intentional fire problem."
United States Fire Administration
2009-11
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University Housing Fires
This short topical report addresses the nature of university housing fires and highlights important findings from the data. According to the report, "an estimated 3,800 university housing fires occur each year in the United States. Eighty-three percent of university housing fires are cooking fires. Small, confined cooking fires account for 77 percent of university housing fires. Cooking fires account for 6 percent of all nonconfined university housing fires. University housing fires peak in September and October; this peak accounts for 23 percent of fires. The three main causes of nonconfined university housing fires are intentionally set fires (17 percent), open flames (15 percent), and other unintentional causes (12 percent). One-fifth of nonconfined university housing fires in bedrooms are started by candles."
United States Fire Administration
2009-11
