DISPATCHES
Proposed bill colls for sprinklers in nursing homes
Since September 1989 four fires have killed residents in Virginia apartments or nursing facilities for the elderly or handicapped. This has prompted Senator Stanley Walker (D-VA) to propose a state bill mandating sprinkler systems in these structures. The state legislature reconvened January 10 and is currently considering the bill.
The bill calls for the following:
- after January 1, 1993, sprinkler systems in all nursing homes and facilities as a condition of receiving or renewing a license to operate, regardless of building age;
- standards for such sprinkler systems by October 1, 1990; and
- a committee to study the cost of installing sprinkler systems in psychiatric hospitals, adult homes, childcare facilities, and so on that will report on its findings by November 1, 1990.
Firefighters on the scene of the devastating Virginia fires discuss the difference sprinklers make in these fire scenarios.
“There is no doubt that sprinklers would have made a difference,” says Captain Mark W. Light of the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department of the early morning fire on December 14 in the Shenandoah Homes Retirement Community that killed four people. An overloaded gang plug in one of the rooms started the fire. The building only had sprinklers in the trash chutes. In 4° to 5°F weather, firefighters evacuated 155 elderly residents into six inches of snow. “Sprinklers would have confined the fire to one room. I don’t know if they would have prevented all four fatalities, but they would have saved the three victims who died of smoke inhalation,” Light says.
On December 6, a sprinkler did extinguish a fire in the Windham Retirement Village in Crozet, Virginia. According to Clarence Morris, a lieutenant in the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department, a resident smoking in bed caused a fire, but when units arrived, they found that the sprinkler had gone off and put out the fire. The person in the room of origin was uninjured. “Without the sprinklers, there could have been lives lost on the fire floor,” Morris says.
According to Battalion Chief William P. Syrax of the Norfolk (VA) Fire Department, the accidental discarding of a lighted match on a bed ignited bed linens and pads in a second-floor patient’s room at the Hillhaven Rehabilitation and Convalescent Center on October 5. Twelve people were killed.
While the fire alarm sounded, the system had blown a fuse, and the central station was not notified so it in turn did not call the fire department. Since the detection system had a bad fuse, the smoke doors didn’t operate (shut) to contain the fire’s heat and smoke. To complicate matters, when a nurse initially smelled smoke, according to Syrax, she went from room to room looking for fire. The latches on the doors, if not closed securely, remain open. So as the nurse evacuated residents, she left all those doors open. Thus the entire floor was contaminated by smoke, flashover occurred, and fire and smoke poured out the windows.
“Sprinklers more than likely would have stopped the fire in its initial stages,” Syrax says, “and while there would still have been smoke from the open doors, the fire would have been confined to the room of origin.” Hillhaven is currently in the process of installing a sprinkler system, according to its director.
The Virginia Healthcare Association is “in favor of anything that would save lives” and has spoken out for the sprinkler legislation in testimony before the Board of Housing and Community Development, according to Barbara Bodeman, director of public relations.
“I hope that these facilities learn by others’ mistakes and don’t wait to install sprinkler systems,” says Chief Syrax. “It is almost impossible to evacuate the large number of people needing evacuation in such a fire. We had to cut people out of beds who were restrained and unhook people from feeding systems— all in thick smoke. The only way to handle such a situation is to have sprinklers in place to handle the fire when it starts.”
“No matter how good the laws are, anyone can sneak cigarettes and other potential fire hazards into a facility,” Syrax concludes. “The only thing we can do is build in a system and depend on it being operational; it’s better to take that chance than to have no system at all.”
This is fire
“This Is Fire”—fast, hot, dark, and deadly—is the theme of the U.S. Fire Administration’s new public education campaign. It is designed to teach the general population more about the ravages and consequences of fire, but especially the elderly and the very young—“two groups who suffer a disproportionate share of injuries and deaths during fires,” says Edward Wall, deputy administrator of the USFA.
The USFA estimates that 5,000 people die in home fires each year because they don’t understand the basic facts about fire. Thus the campaign’s emphasis is on the nature of fire —a topic often neglected in fire education.
“Fire is deceiving. People assume that it’s not as dangerous as it is. They see Hollywood-fabricated fires on TV and in the movies. They are unaware that hostile fire left unattended for a few minutes can be devastating,” Wall says. “We want to stress that if they go back into a burning house for a treasure, purse, a photo, they can die. We’re trying to bring reality to fire.”
The kit contains a flyer on major fire characteristics, printed public service announcements that are camera-ready for placement in local newspapers, and radio scripts for local stations—all free of charge. In addition, videotapes that contain four public service announcements and a news release for television stations are available at cost. The spots were produced by Dr. Frank Field, New York City newscaster.
Fire behavior is stressed in the campaign. Such topics as flashover, smoke toxicity, and heat strata are presented in laymen’s terms.
Fire departments and schools and other training organizations can obtain a variety of public education resources, including “This Is Fire,” from the USFA/ FEMA, P.O. Box 70274, Washington, D.C. 20024.
Fire protection engineering scholarships
Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts is offering S 5,000 scholarships for the study of fire protection engineering as of the 19901991 academic year. Members or former members of all fire departments, their children, as well as fire-related groups such as the Boy Scouts of America Fire Explorers are eligible.
“We established the scholarships as a way of training and educating fire service personnel in the fire protection engineering field. It is a strong direction for the fire service to go in for the future—life is getting more technical every day,” says Richard L.P. Custer, associate director and graduate coordinator for the Center for Fire Safety Studies at WPI. The number of scholarships awarded will depend on the demand, but awards also will be based on academic record, fire service history, and a letter stating goals and aspirations. Funding is provided by a grant from the CIGNA Corporation.
WPI offers a master’s degree in the field as well as a dual BS/MS program, which allows high school graduates to complete a bachelor’s degree in a traditional engineering discipline (such as mechanical or chemical) and a master’s in fire protection engineering. Approximately 60 students are currently enrolled in this area of study.
To apply for the scholarships, you must first apply to WPI undergraduate or graduate school for full-time study. WPI must receive all applications by mid-February.
For more information on the Fire Service Scholarship Program, contact the Fire Service Scholarship Coordinator, Center for Fire Safety Studies, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, or call (508) 831-5593.
