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#1
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
"State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building
codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers |
#2
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
HeyBub wrote:
"State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers Sounds like my former town in Illinois. I have seen sprinklers by the furnace and water heaters in some houses. Maybe it was only attached townhouses, but I really don't remember. When we were building the church in the mid 80s, the town wanted the entire building sprinkled. The builder/architect didn't want sprinklers and sited a loophole in the code that said the building could be divided into various parts separated by firewalls. I think the architect just didn't know how to put in the sprinklers and properly hide all the plumbing. There were only 2 sprinklers in the boiler room. Otherwise the building was separated into 5 fire zones. The were fire detectors connected to the fire department in each zone. BTW, he also sited statistics at the time where there were almost no church fires on record and the ones sited were always when the building was not occupied. Since then I've seen many church fires on the news, mostly in the middle of the night, though. I think the sprinklers would have been an improvement over the system that was installed. But this was a commercial building. Homes are another thing. |
#3
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sep 18, 7:04*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
"State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers I've always been a fan of that plan. I see it as the best solution, eliminating the response time from the fire department. The downside would be the water damage from a relatively easy to control fire, but likely worth the risk. They should be zoned though, no point in washing down the TV in the living room to control a little fire in the kitchen. Easy to turn off would be another good feature, auto off after flames subside for 10 minutes or so. even better, so long as it had the ability to turn back on if the embers came back to life. Cost would probably eliminate those desirable features though. |
#4
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sep 18, 10:00*am, Eric in North TX wrote:
On Sep 18, 7:04*am, "HeyBub" wrote: "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers I've always been a fan of that plan. I see it as the best solution, eliminating the response time from the fire department. The downside would be the water damage from a relatively easy to control fire, but likely worth the risk. They should be zoned though, no point in washing down the TV in the living room to control a little fire in the kitchen. Easy to turn off would be another good feature, auto off after flames subside for 10 minutes or so. even better, so long as it had the ability to turn back on if the embers came back to life. Cost would probably eliminate those desirable features though. Cost? How about the cost of all the systems that are going to be installed compared to the number of lives they MIGHT save? According to the article, 3000 people die each year in fires. I'm sure some reasonable estimate can be made of how many of them would actually be saved if there were sprinklers. Certainly it's not anywhere near the total 3000. Is a sprinkler gonna save someone smoking in bed by going off from the heat before they are already dead? I think not. Now compare how much money would be spent and I'd venture there are plenty of other things the money could be spent on, like healthcare for the poor, which would save an order of magnitude more lives. As the opponents point out, smoke detectors are very effective. I'd like to see statistics on how many of those 3000 deaths had working smoke detectors. Lots of theoretical ideas turn out to be nowhere near what they were supposed to be. One prime example is anti-lock brakes. They were supposed to drastically reduce traffic fatalities and serious wrecks, but curiously in practice they have done little if anything. |
#5
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Eric in North TX wrote:
On Sep 18, 7:04 am, "HeyBub" wrote: "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers I've always been a fan of that plan. I see it as the best solution, eliminating the response time from the fire department. The downside would be the water damage from a relatively easy to control fire, but likely worth the risk. They should be zoned though, no point in washing down the TV in the living room to control a little fire in the kitchen. Easy to turn off would be another good feature, auto off after flames subside for 10 minutes or so. even better, so long as it had the ability to turn back on if the embers came back to life. Cost would probably eliminate those desirable features though. I'm of the opinion there are better solutions: 1. If a city can mandate smoke alarms (at, say, $5.00 each), it could easily mandate fire extinguishers for the same amount. This is a big difference from $1,500.00 to install sprinklers. 2. If response time from the fire department is an issue, beef up the fire department! In my city, our fire department virtually guarantees the first piece of equipment will be on-scene within four minutes of the alarm.* 3. If sprinklers were worth it, insurance companies would be offering discounts to homeowners. Obviously, the insurance people couldn't offer a big enough discount to amortize the cost of sprinklers. ------- * Last year the power went out in my home. After putzing around for about ten minutes, I stepped outside from boredom. Jay-suss! There were FORTY-TWO fire department vehicles on my block! (I've got pictures) Seems there was a spreading kitchen fire in the apartment house across the street. The fire department had ripped down and uprooted the iron-picket fence between the apartment units and the street, had run hoses off to the horizon, and swarmed over the whole shebang like vultures on a dead zebra. There were ladder trucks, ordinary pumper trucks, a truck with ladders that could reach the thirty-seventh floor of this two-story aparment house, a water-spray truck with a boom like a cherry-picker, supervisor vans, ambulances, a cascade unit, special operation's vans, and a HUGE, black, bus-looking vehicle labeled "City of Houston Mobile Command Center" that looked like the thing that carries seniors to the local Indian reservation for a day of gambling. I recognized one of the station numbers on a pumper. It was from the station near the Texas Medical Center, some eight miles away. In addition to the 42 fire trucks in front of my house, a couple of neighbors reported that several pumpers were stationed up to six blocks away with hoses connected to fireplugs ready to race to the scene with more water. There were police cars without number to direct the traffic. News vans. A helicopter. A power company truck (he was the one that cut power to the block). Everything but a steam-powered calliope playing the Star Spangled Banner. I half-expected a hurdy-gurdy man with a monkey and a tin cup. Lordy! On the plus-plus side, I now know what to do if I get lonely. |
#6
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote: 3. If sprinklers were worth it, insurance companies would be offering discounts to homeowners. Obviously, the insurance people couldn't offer a big enough discount to amortize the cost of sprinklers. They do. At least in IN you get 20% off your homeowners insurance. The same as for having an alarm. I would amortize it within 10 years, using your $1500 scenario. -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
#7
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
"State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt
building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers I've always been a fan of that plan. I see it as the best solution, eliminating the response time from the fire department. The downside would be the water damage from a relatively easy to control fire, but likely worth the risk. They should be zoned though, no point in washing down the TV in the living room to control a little fire in the kitchen. Easy to turn off would be another good feature, auto off after flames subside for 10 minutes or so. even better, so long as it had the ability to turn back on if the embers came back to life. Cost would probably eliminate those desirable features though. I'm of the opinion there are better solutions: 1. If a city can mandate smoke alarms (at, say, $5.00 each), it could easily mandate fire extinguishers for the same amount. This is a big difference from $1,500.00 to install sprinklers. 2. If response time from the fire department is an issue, beef up the fire department! In my city, our fire department virtually guarantees the first piece of equipment will be on-scene within four minutes of the alarm.* 3. If sprinklers were worth it, insurance companies would be offering discounts to homeowners. Obviously, the insurance people couldn't offer a big enough discount to amortize the cost of sprinklers. ------- * Last year the power went out in my home. After putzing around for about ten minutes, I stepped outside from boredom. Jay-suss! There were FORTY-TWO fire department vehicles on my block! (I've got pictures) Seems there was a spreading kitchen fire in the apartment house across the street. The fire department had ripped down and uprooted the iron-picket fence between the apartment units and the street, had run hoses off to the horizon, and swarmed over the whole shebang like vultures on a dead zebra. There were ladder trucks, ordinary pumper trucks, a truck with ladders that could reach the thirty-seventh floor of this two-story aparment house, a water-spray truck with a boom like a cherry-picker, supervisor vans, ambulances, a cascade unit, special operation's vans, and a HUGE, black, bus-looking vehicle labeled "City of Houston Mobile Command Center" that looked like the thing that carries seniors to the local Indian reservation for a day of gambling. I recognized one of the station numbers on a pumper. It was from the station near the Texas Medical Center, some eight miles away. In addition to the 42 fire trucks in front of my house, a couple of neighbors reported that several pumpers were stationed up to six blocks away with hoses connected to fireplugs ready to race to the scene with more water. There were police cars without number to direct the traffic. News vans. A helicopter. A power company truck (he was the one that cut power to the block). Everything but a steam-powered calliope playing the Star Spangled Banner. I half-expected a hurdy-gurdy man with a monkey and a tin cup. Lordy! On the plus-plus side, I now know what to do if I get lonely. *In NJ the fire extinguisher manufacturers lobbied for mandatory fire extinguishers in every home. So now we are required to have a visible fire extinguisher in or close to our kitchens. When we sell our homes we have to pay for a smoke alarm and fire extinguisher inspection by the town before we can close. I talked to several fire inspectors about this and they all said that they were against this law. Their thinking is that they want people to get out of the house if there is a fire; not stick around and try to put it out. There are many towns here that have all volunteer fire departments. The response time can be as long as 20 minutes. Sprinklers are not a bad idea in a situation like that. I personally feel that the fire rating for walls and ceilings should be increased in certain areas of the house such as the kitchen and garage. |
#8
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Meanwhile, Barney Frank and Newt Gingrich having an argyment
over whether it's "sprikler" or "sprinkler". Barney Frank is quoting Ted Kennedy, on the correct pronunciation. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "HeyBub" wrote in message m... "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers |
#9
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Your ignorance is astounding. Please let me attempt to
replace ignorance with facts. 1) Generally, sprinklers reduce water and fire damage. Non sprinklered areas, the fire gets a much better "hold". Also, fire departments have been known to do water damage. 2) Each individual head has a low melting point metal, or some other way of activating. The only way to wash the TV is if the sprinkler head gets hot enough for the fusible metal to melt. Like the auto shutoff feature. Good idea. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "Eric in North TX" wrote in message ... On Sep 18, 7:04 am, "HeyBub" wrote: "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers I've always been a fan of that plan. I see it as the best solution, eliminating the response time from the fire department. The downside would be the water damage from a relatively easy to control fire, but likely worth the risk. They should be zoned though, no point in washing down the TV in the living room to control a little fire in the kitchen. Easy to turn off would be another good feature, auto off after flames subside for 10 minutes or so. even better, so long as it had the ability to turn back on if the embers came back to life. Cost would probably eliminate those desirable features though. |
#10
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Sounds like over kill for a kitchen fire. However, one town
where I used to live. They had a stretch of apartments that were tinder boxes. We in the FD all had heart flutters when we heard "wintergreen way" on the air. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "HeyBub" wrote in message m... I'm of the opinion there are better solutions: 1. If a city can mandate smoke alarms (at, say, $5.00 each), it could easily mandate fire extinguishers for the same amount. This is a big difference from $1,500.00 to install sprinklers. 2. If response time from the fire department is an issue, beef up the fire department! In my city, our fire department virtually guarantees the first piece of equipment will be on-scene within four minutes of the alarm.* 3. If sprinklers were worth it, insurance companies would be offering discounts to homeowners. Obviously, the insurance people couldn't offer a big enough discount to amortize the cost of sprinklers. ------- * Last year the power went out in my home. After putzing around for about ten minutes, I stepped outside from boredom. Jay-suss! There were FORTY-TWO fire department vehicles on my block! (I've got pictures) Seems there was a spreading kitchen fire in the apartment house across the street. The fire department had ripped down and uprooted the iron-picket fence between the apartment units and the street, had run hoses off to the horizon, and swarmed over the whole shebang like vultures on a dead zebra. There were ladder trucks, ordinary pumper trucks, a truck with ladders that could reach the thirty-seventh floor of this two-story aparment house, a water-spray truck with a boom like a cherry-picker, supervisor vans, ambulances, a cascade unit, special operation's vans, and a HUGE, black, bus-looking vehicle labeled "City of Houston Mobile Command Center" that looked like the thing that carries seniors to the local Indian reservation for a day of gambling. I recognized one of the station numbers on a pumper. It was from the station near the Texas Medical Center, some eight miles away. In addition to the 42 fire trucks in front of my house, a couple of neighbors reported that several pumpers were stationed up to six blocks away with hoses connected to fireplugs ready to race to the scene with more water. There were police cars without number to direct the traffic. News vans. A helicopter. A power company truck (he was the one that cut power to the block). Everything but a steam-powered calliope playing the Star Spangled Banner. I half-expected a hurdy-gurdy man with a monkey and a tin cup. Lordy! On the plus-plus side, I now know what to do if I get lonely. |
#11
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Debate over mandatory sprinklers
There's a lot of different people out there. Some can whomp
out a fire with an extinguisher, do the salvage and such. Others, it's a virtual death sentence, to go after a fire. I like the smoke detectors, the other things (sprinklers and fire extinguishers) oughta be personal choice. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "John Grabowski" wrote in message ... *In NJ the fire extinguisher manufacturers lobbied for mandatory fire extinguishers in every home. So now we are required to have a visible fire extinguisher in or close to our kitchens. When we sell our homes we have to pay for a smoke alarm and fire extinguisher inspection by the town before we can close. I talked to several fire inspectors about this and they all said that they were against this law. Their thinking is that they want people to get out of the house if there is a fire; not stick around and try to put it out. There are many towns here that have all volunteer fire departments. The response time can be as long as 20 minutes. Sprinklers are not a bad idea in a situation like that. I personally feel that the fire rating for walls and ceilings should be increased in certain areas of the house such as the kitchen and garage. |
#12
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
John Grabowski wrote:
There are many towns here that have all volunteer fire departments. The response time can be as long as 20 minutes. Sprinklers are not a bad idea in a situation like that. I personally feel that the fire rating for walls and ceilings should be increased in certain areas of the house such as the kitchen and garage. Not only many towns... When someone tells me there's no private substitute for some governmental entities - like fire and police - I like to point out that there are MANY more private security guards on the job than cops and that 85% of the nation's firefighters are volunteers. |
#13
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Debae over mandtory spriklers
Good one! That really puts government in perspective.
-- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "HeyBub" wrote in message m... When someone tells me there's no private substitute for some governmental entities - like fire and police - I like to point out that there are MANY more private security guards on the job than cops and that 85% of the nation's firefighters are volunteers. |
#14
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
In article ,
"Stormin Mormon" wrote: Your ignorance is astounding. Please let me attempt to replace ignorance with facts. 1) Generally, sprinklers reduce water and fire damage. Non sprinklered areas, the fire gets a much better "hold". Also, fire departments have been known to do water damage. Sprinklers generally don't let fires get big enuff to bring out the truckies which means vast expanses of roof remain intact (g). 2) Each individual head has a low melting point metal, or some other way of activating. The only way to wash the TV is if the sprinkler head gets hot enough for the fusible metal to melt. The other thing is that only the ones that are near the fire go off. I always get a kick out of the TV when a small fire in a corner kicks off the sprinklers throughout the entire warehouse. About the same as when the car ALWAYS catches fire after a wreck. -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
#15
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Debate over mandatory sprinklers
In article ,
"Stormin Mormon" wrote: There's a lot of different people out there. Some can whomp out a fire with an extinguisher, do the salvage and such. Others, it's a virtual death sentence, to go after a fire. I like the smoke detectors, the other things (sprinklers and fire extinguishers) oughta be personal choice. Outside of high rises. Anything over about 6 stories should get sprinklers because that is generally about as high as most ladder can get by the time you get setback, etc., out of the way. In the City County Building in Ft. Wayne, because the bldg had a underground garage the largest ladder could only get to the third floor. Guess which the floor the FWFD occupied? -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
#16
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Debate over mandtory spriklers
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Good one! That really puts government in perspective. And most wars in history were fought by (or helped by) mercenaries. The original British Navy was founded by a gift of warships by British merchants ("Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves..."). The Pony Express was a private outfit. And so on. On another matter: Ran into an interesting statistic on health care, particularily the president's claim that there is too little competition. Consider Maine where two companies have 88% of the insurance business (Wellpoint 78% and Aetna 10%). Ah, but 52% of the employers in Maine SELF-INSURE and merely hire some companies to manage the paperwork (much like administering payrolls). That means that Wellpoint (in this example), the largest insurer in the state, manages only 37% of the health insurance in the state. Wellpoint is in "competition" with thousands of medium-sized businesses that self-insure. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/...-claims-obama/ |
#17
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article , "Stormin Mormon" wrote: Your ignorance is astounding. Please let me attempt to replace ignorance with facts. 1) Generally, sprinklers reduce water and fire damage. Non sprinklered areas, the fire gets a much better "hold". Also, fire departments have been known to do water damage. Sprinklers generally don't let fires get big enuff to bring out the truckies which means vast expanses of roof remain intact (g). 2) Each individual head has a low melting point metal, or some other way of activating. The only way to wash the TV is if the sprinkler head gets hot enough for the fusible metal to melt. The other thing is that only the ones that are near the fire go off. I always get a kick out of the TV when a small fire in a corner kicks off the sprinklers throughout the entire warehouse. About the same as when the car ALWAYS catches fire after a wreck. In some sprinkler systems, when one goes off, they all go off. Better to be wet than blown into the ocean. |
#18
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Please post evidence. I've never seen such.
-- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "HeyBub" wrote in message ... In some sprinkler systems, when one goes off, they all go off. Better to be wet than blown into the ocean. |
#19
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote: In some sprinkler systems, when one goes off, they all go off. Better to be wet than blown into the ocean. None that I ran into in 9 years in the fire service. Although I did not do inspections so did not have to run the numbers, it would seem that if they did all go off, you'd lose too much water pressure and they would be close to useless. -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
#20
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sep 18, 10:00 am, Eric in North TX wrote:
" The downside would be the water damage from a relatively easy to control fire, but likely worth the risk. They should be zoned though, no point in washing down the TV in the living room to control a little fire in the kitchen. Easy to turn off would be another good feature, auto off after flames subside for 10 minutes or so. even better, so long as it had the ability to turn back on if the embers came back to life. Cost would probably eliminate those desirable features though. The sprinklers only go off in the area of the fire, not the entire property so that is not a consideration. Homeowner should be able to turn them off, also. In commercial/industrial applications, the shut off valve is usually chained open to prevent accidental or mischievous turning off of the valve. |
#21
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
"Kurt Ullman" wrote in message About the same as when the car ALWAYS catches fire after a wreck. But they do. I've seen it on TV so I know its real. |
#22
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message ... Please post evidence. I've never seen such. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org . "HeyBub" wrote in message ... In some sprinkler systems, when one goes off, they all go off. Better to be wet than blown into the ocean. Deluge systems "Deluge" systems are systems that have open sprinklers, i.e. the heat sensing operating element is removed or specifically designed open sprinklers, so that all sprinklers connected to the water piping system are open. These systems are used for special hazards where rapid fire spread is a concern, as they provide a simultaneous application of water over the entire hazard. They are commonly seen as preventative measures to prevent egress of fire from an external source (eg hi-rise windows, warehouse bay entries, over openings in a fire-rated wall) Water is not present in the piping until the system operates. Because the sprinkler orifices are open, the piping is at atmospheric pressure. To prevent the water supply pressure from forcing water into the piping, a deluge valve is used in the water supply connection, which is a mechanically latched valve. It is a non-resetting valve, and stays open once tripped. Because the heat sensing elements present in the automatic sprinklers have been removed (resulting in open sprinklers), the deluge valve must be opened as signaled by a specialized fire alarm system. The type of fire alarm initiating device is selected mainly based on the hazard (e.g., smoke detectors, heat detectors, or optical flame detectors). The initiation device signals the fire alarm panel, which in turn signals the deluge valve to open. Activation can also be manual, depending on the system goals. Manual activation is usually via an electric or pneumatic fire alarm pull station, which signals the fire alarm panel, which in turn signals the deluge valve to open. Operation - Activation of a fire alarm initiating device, or a manual pull station, signals the fire alarm panel, which in turn signals the deluge valve to open, allowing water to enter the piping system. Water flows from all sprinklers simultaneously. |
#23
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
When I took some fire protection courses, we learned about
the Parmalee Perforated pipe system (it was 20 years or so ago I learned of this). Some textile mill owner put pipes overhead, with holes drilled. In case of fire, they could open the valve, and spray the entire plant. Same concept. I doubt deluge systems will be installed in homes. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message ... Deluge systems "Deluge" systems are systems that have open sprinklers, i.e. the heat sensing operating element is removed or specifically designed open sprinklers, so that all sprinklers connected to the water piping system are open. These systems are used for special hazards where rapid fire spread is a concern, as they provide a simultaneous application of water over the entire hazard. They are commonly seen as preventative measures to prevent egress of fire from an external source (eg hi-rise windows, warehouse bay entries, over openings in a fire-rated wall) Water is not present in the piping until the system operates. Because the sprinkler orifices are open, the piping is at atmospheric pressure. To prevent the water supply pressure from forcing water into the piping, a deluge valve is used in the water supply connection, which is a mechanically latched valve. It is a non-resetting valve, and stays open once tripped. Because the heat sensing elements present in the automatic sprinklers have been removed (resulting in open sprinklers), the deluge valve must be opened as signaled by a specialized fire alarm system. The type of fire alarm initiating device is selected mainly based on the hazard (e.g., smoke detectors, heat detectors, or optical flame detectors). The initiation device signals the fire alarm panel, which in turn signals the deluge valve to open. Activation can also be manual, depending on the system goals. Manual activation is usually via an electric or pneumatic fire alarm pull station, which signals the fire alarm panel, which in turn signals the deluge valve to open. Operation - Activation of a fire alarm initiating device, or a manual pull station, signals the fire alarm panel, which in turn signals the deluge valve to open, allowing water to enter the piping system. Water flows from all sprinklers simultaneously. |
#24
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sep 18, 10:23*pm, Van Chocstraw
wrote: HeyBub wrote: "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers Most house fires are caused by Jewish lightening.I'm sure the firebug will find a way to disable the sprinkler. Actually the leading cause of home fires is smoking. I doubt sprinklers would have saved someone who died smoking in bed. But a working smoke detector probably would. |
#25
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Please post evidence. I've never seen such. "Deluge systems are connected to a water supply through a deluge valve that is opened by the operation of a smoke or heat detection system. The detection system is installed in the same area as the sprinklers. When the detection system is activated water discharges through all of the sprinkler heads in the system. Deluge systems are used in places that are considered high hazard areas such as power plants, aircraft hangars and chemical storage or processing facilities. Deluge systems are needed where high velocity suppression is necessary to prevent fire spread." http://www.apifiregroup.com/firesprinkler/deluge.html or http://www.tpub.com/content/construc...s/14259_71.htm |
#26
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article , "HeyBub" wrote: In some sprinkler systems, when one goes off, they all go off. Better to be wet than blown into the ocean. None that I ran into in 9 years in the fire service. Although I did not do inspections so did not have to run the numbers, it would seem that if they did all go off, you'd lose too much water pressure and they would be close to useless. Where water pressure may be inadequate, auxillary pumps are installed as part of the system. You probably never inspected a munitions bunker, a Minuteman Missle silo, or similar. In my town, near the ship channel, is a WW2 Ordnance Depot. It has hundreds of munition bunkers that have these overhead water pipes. Aside: The San Jacinto Ordnance Depot was sited on 5,000 acres and is comprised of these bunkers. Each bunker is about 150' long and 50' wide, and 20' high, made of concrete with 6-ft walls in the shape of a Quonset hut. Each bunker it topped with about ten feet of dirt. Between each bunker is a mound of soil higher than the bunker. These bunkers are arranged in rows with VERY small thick steel-doored entrances (~3x6 ft) that face each other across a "street." The "street" is more like a concrete pad with a railroad track down its center. The bunkers are on either side of this 100' wide "street." Over the years, since 1941, the dirt and mounds between the bunkers have been overgrown with a pine forest and assorted shrubbery. You'd think the valuable land - on the Houston Ship Channel - would have been converted to something other than storage warehouses for honey. It hasn't, and I suppose the reason is the enormous cost to demolish these bunkers. For sure you can't blow them up! |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
HeyBub wrote:
Kurt Ullman wrote: In article , "HeyBub" wrote: In some sprinkler systems, when one goes off, they all go off. Better to be wet than blown into the ocean. None that I ran into in 9 years in the fire service. Although I did not do inspections so did not have to run the numbers, it would seem that if they did all go off, you'd lose too much water pressure and they would be close to useless. Where water pressure may be inadequate, auxillary pumps are installed as part of the system. You probably never inspected a munitions bunker, a Minuteman Missle silo, or similar. In my town, near the ship channel, is a WW2 Ordnance Depot. It has hundreds of munition bunkers that have these overhead water pipes. Aside: The San Jacinto Ordnance Depot was sited on 5,000 acres and is comprised of these bunkers. Each bunker is about 150' long and 50' wide, and 20' high, made of concrete with 6-ft walls in the shape of a Quonset hut. Each bunker it topped with about ten feet of dirt. Between each bunker is a mound of soil higher than the bunker. These bunkers are arranged in rows with VERY small thick steel-doored entrances (~3x6 ft) that face each other across a "street." The "street" is more like a concrete pad with a railroad track down its center. The bunkers are on either side of this 100' wide "street." Over the years, since 1941, the dirt and mounds between the bunkers have been overgrown with a pine forest and assorted shrubbery. You'd think the valuable land - on the Houston Ship Channel - would have been converted to something other than storage warehouses for honey. It hasn't, and I suppose the reason is the enormous cost to demolish these bunkers. For sure you can't blow them up! And each one of those bunkers likely has a blowout plug in the top or in the back wall, designed to be weaker than the door, and to vent the pressure wave from an explosion away from the other bunkers. Any crew in the bunker would be a writeoff, of course, but they didn't want the whole yard going up. As to linked sprinkler heads- I'm no expert, but I thought they just linked heads within the local firewall perimeter- ie, that wing or floor or whatever. No need to flood the whole building for a small fire. -- aem sends... |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote: Stormin Mormon wrote: Please post evidence. I've never seen such. "Deluge systems are connected to a water supply through a deluge valve that is opened by the operation of a smoke or heat detection system. T The original context was how sprinkler always all came on on TV and how unlike real life that is. Unless people are having nuclear reactors or refineries or some kinds of warehouses storing highly flammable haz materials in their homes, it is still very unrealistic. Probably about as many deluge systems going off over the course of a year as cars actually blowing up. -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote: You probably never inspected a munitions bunker, a Minuteman Missle silo, or similar. In my town, near the ship channel, is a WW2 Ordnance Depot. It has hundreds of munition bunkers that have these overhead water pipes. I missed those, I admit. Of course the original context of how they ALWAYS all go off on TV and how that is unlike reality (outside of maybe something they are doing on 24). -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sep 18, 10:00*am, Eric in North TX wrote:
On Sep 18, 7:04*am, "HeyBub" wrote: "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers I've always been a fan of that plan. I see it as the best solution, eliminating the response time from the fire department. The downside would be the water damage from a relatively easy to control fire, but likely worth the risk. They should be zoned though, no point in washing down the TV in the living room to control a little fire in the kitchen. Easy to turn off would be another good feature, auto off after flames subside for 10 minutes or so. even better, so long as it had the ability to turn back on if the embers came back to life. Cost would probably eliminate those desirable features though. Automatic Fire Sprinklers are always zoned. Except in some rather exotic systems, that protect risks containing flash fire or flammable liquid hazards, fire sprinkler heads; which is what the individual discharge nozzles are called; do not open until the temperature at the individual head reaches a set level and remains there long enough to melt the woods metal, or rupture the glass bulb, that hold it closed. In other words ordinary fire sprinkler heads open one at a time in response to the temperature at the head. They can be combined with a heat detector system that will shut off the water when the temperature has dropped to a safe level but such additional controls add markedly to the cost. There are even sprinkler heads that shut themselves when the temperature drops but there cost is quite high compared to the much simpler open and replace type. All fire sprinkler systems are easy to shut off but premature shut down is the primary cause of large losses in sprinklered premises. Many large cities have local laws or ordinances that forbid the closing of sprinkler valves prior to the fire department's permission. -- Tom Horne |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sep 18, 8:46*pm, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote: Please post evidence. I've never seen such. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus *www.lds.org . "HeyBub" wrote in message ... In some sprinkler systems, when one goes off, they all go off. Better to be wet than blown into the ocean. Those are known as deluge sprinkler systems. The individual heads are open and only covered with a light weight dust cover to keep hte heads clear of accumulations that might interfere with the discharge pattern. Deluge systems are used to protect occupancies like cotton mills, explosives and pyrotechnic manufacturing, and aircraft hangers were there is a danger of flash fire or the ignition of spilled flammable liquids such that the fire might spread faster than individual heads would heat up and open to the point that more heads would open then the system was designed to supply. Deluge sprinklers are often supplied with foam or other water additives that make them effective against the particular hazard for which the system is installed. -- Tom Horne |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sep 19, 8:13*am, wrote:
On Sep 18, 10:23*pm, Van Chocstraw wrote: HeyBub wrote: "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers Most house fires are caused by Jewish lightening.I'm sure the firebug will find a way to disable the sprinkler. Actually the leading cause of home fires is smoking. * I doubt sprinklers would have saved someone who died smoking in bed. * *But a working smoke detector probably would. Unfortunately the smoke detectors do not save small children, the elderly and infirm, or the smoker themselves, because the smoking ignition is often coupled with the consumption of intoxicants which render the user incapable of responding effectively to the alarm. Children, and others that are incapable of self evacuation, can only be completely protected by automatic fire suppression. The office of the State Fire Marshal did a study of ten years worth of fire fatalities in the State. They concluded that about half of those deaths would have been prevented by a fire alarm system that would have automatically summon the fire department and that all except the smoking igniters; including the children and others who had died with the person who's smoking had caused the fire; would have been saved by fire sprinklers. -- Tom Horne |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Tom Horne wrote:
On Sep 19, 8:13 am, wrote: On Sep 18, 10:23 pm, Van Chocstraw wrote: HeyBub wrote: "State and local officials are now wrestling over whether to adopt building codes that would require sprinklers in every new home and townhome starting in 2011 amid intense lobbying from both sides." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/...ome_sprinklers Most house fires are caused by Jewish lightening.I'm sure the firebug will find a way to disable the sprinkler. Actually the leading cause of home fires is smoking. I doubt sprinklers would have saved someone who died smoking in bed. But a working smoke detector probably would. Unfortunately the smoke detectors do not save small children, the elderly and infirm, or the smoker themselves, because the smoking ignition is often coupled with the consumption of intoxicants which render the user incapable of responding effectively to the alarm. Children, and others that are incapable of self evacuation, can only be completely protected by automatic fire suppression. The office of the State Fire Marshal did a study of ten years worth of fire fatalities in the State. They concluded that about half of those deaths would have been prevented by a fire alarm system that would have automatically summon the fire department and that all except the smoking igniters; including the children and others who had died with the person who's smoking had caused the fire; would have been saved by fire sprinklers. -- Tom Horne Hmmm, One reason I have two different kind of detectors. |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Kurt Ullman wrote:
As of three years ago there had NEVER been a fatality reported in a fire with a functional sprinkler system. Uh, both World Trade towers had sprinklers. |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:23:51 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote: Kurt Ullman wrote: As of three years ago there had NEVER been a fatality reported in a fire with a functional sprinkler system. Uh, both World Trade towers had sprinklers. I'm almost sure the Oklahoma City Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building had sprinkler units. After the MGM fire circa '87, 74 souls lost, Las Vegas became a leader in mandatory sprinkler system for high rises. Locally, a city ordinance requires sprinklers in any home that is 5,000 sf - even a single story home of that size. |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote: Kurt Ullman wrote: As of three years ago there had NEVER been a fatality reported in a fire with a functional sprinkler system. Uh, both World Trade towers had sprinklers. WHich were not functional after the planes took out the risers. -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
In article ,
Oren wrote: On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:23:51 -0500, "HeyBub" wrote: Kurt Ullman wrote: As of three years ago there had NEVER been a fatality reported in a fire with a functional sprinkler system. Uh, both World Trade towers had sprinklers. I'm almost sure the Oklahoma City Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building had sprinkler units. I'd have to dig out my copy of the report, but all the fatalities were from the blast and (mostly) collapse, IIRC. I don't recall there being any fire or if it was it was very small. After the MGM fire circa '87, 74 souls lost, Las Vegas became a leader in mandatory sprinkler system for high rises. A couple of years later the International Association of Arson Investigators met in LV and went over that in really great detail. The HQ hotel was the Bally (earlier the MGM). It was strange sitting right next to where the fire blew out the front door like a blo wtorch. -- "Politics should be limited in its scope to war, protection of property, and the occasional precautionary beheading of a member of the ruling class." -P.J. O'Rourke |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:16:06 -0400, Kurt Ullman
wrote: After the MGM fire circa '87, 74 souls lost, Las Vegas became a leader in mandatory sprinkler system for high rises. A couple of years later the International Association of Arson Investigators met in LV and went over that in really great detail. The HQ hotel was the Bally (earlier the MGM). It was strange sitting right next to where the fire blew out the front door like a blo wtorch. And then, LV got a fire truck (largest in the country then). Posted right off the Strip at a fire house. I wish I could find the picture. I occasionally speak with a strip fire captain and he remembers the name of the fire engine. The Engine had a driver on the rear-end to turn corners. It is a two-driver truck.... |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
Thanks, you're exactly correct. Of course, those aren't
often used in residences. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "HeyBub" wrote in message m... Stormin Mormon wrote: Please post evidence. I've never seen such. "Deluge systems are connected to a water supply through a deluge valve that is opened by the operation of a smoke or heat detection system. The detection system is installed in the same area as the sprinklers. When the detection system is activated water discharges through all of the sprinkler heads in the system. Deluge systems are used in places that are considered high hazard areas such as power plants, aircraft hangars and chemical storage or processing facilities. Deluge systems are needed where high velocity suppression is necessary to prevent fire spread." http://www.apifiregroup.com/firesprinkler/deluge.html or http://www.tpub.com/content/construc...s/14259_71.htm |
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Debate over mandatory spriklers
That's not quite the same as a cigarette butt lighting up a
trash can. -- Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org .. "HeyBub" wrote in message m... Kurt Ullman wrote: As of three years ago there had NEVER been a fatality reported in a fire with a functional sprinkler system. Uh, both World Trade towers had sprinklers. |
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