HOW YOU CAN “E.F.F.E.C.T.” FIRE SAFTEY
BY WILLIAM SHOULDIS
It was 4:12 a.m. on a cold Saturday morning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when an alarm came across the station printers reporting a fire in a private home on Cedar Avenue. As the district chief, I was unnerved to once again see the red flames lighting up the clear night sky. On my arrival at the scene, there was heavy fire from the top level of the three-story structure. Direct flames were threatening the adjoining properties on the B and D sides. Neighbors informed me that the occupants were still inside the burning property. Years of training would be put into action in the next few minutes.
The first-due pumper accelerated up the snow-covered street; it was difficult to navigate the ice-encrusted ruts. Unable to locate a water supply quickly due to the high banks of snow, the company began its offensive attack using the 500 gallons “off the tank.” The crew stretched a preconnected 134-inch hoseline to the front door. Advancing inside the structure, the crew swiftly located the interior stairs. On reaching the second level, they encountered “drop-down” fire. Extinguishment began and progress slowed. The magnitude of the fire was overwhelming the approximately 120-gpm hose stream.
A continuous water source was secured by the second-in pumper. A second hose team was in position and, after gaining control of the stairway, was able to advance its line and gain control of the stairway. The team made the third floor and began to knock down the fire, opening an entry path for the rescue group.
SEARCH FOR VICTIMS
As the incident commander, I waited to hear some screams of life, see some faces in the smoke at the front windows, or be given a verbal report that the neighbors were wrong and the residents were away for the evening. Nothing–only the smashing of window glass–broke the silence.
Inside the dwelling, the search and rescue group was able to make the top floor and inside the front bedroom found four bodies. A firefighter lifted an infant and proceeded back to the stairs. The baby was passed to waiting firefighters, who began CPR while returning to the ground level and to a waiting medic unit. A second small child was discovered several feet inside the room in the mother`s arms and was taken to another waiting ambulance.
Unfortunately, it was too late for both adults–a male and female–who were dead at the scene. Despite the heroic efforts of the firefighters, paramedics, and hospital emergency room staff, both children later died. Smoke and toxic gases had taken the lives of an entire young family.
PREVENTABLE DEATHS
Every year, fires take lives needlessly across this nation. Statistically, almost all of these fires occur in structures that are not fully sprinklered. In my community, there have been more than 150 fire fatalities in the past few years. The first three months of this year alone have seen 51 fire deaths in my city. These fatalities occurred mostly in residential fires and one at a time–not four at once as in the Cedar Avenue incident. The victims were usually younger than five years old or older than 65.
The sad fact is that most of these deaths could have been prevented. Some resulted from a lack of fire safety knowledge, a few were due to economic conditions, and many were the result of pure human carelessness. As firefighters, we must continue to endorse passive fire protection features such as early warning detectors, fire rated interior finishes, and the testing of consumer products for fire safety. (The Philadelphia Fire Department on April 24, 1995, launched a program whereby fire companies conduct residential fire inspections for two hours each evening.) Unfortunately, many members of the fire service have taken a reactionary stand in the area of active fire protection.
Tragically, we settle for installing sprinkler systems only in new construction or partially sprinklering existing commercial sites–all in the name of cost effectiveness. For emergency responders, partial protection is a dangerous and an unsatisfactory option because it can provide a false sense of security. If a fire starts in a remote area, the sprinkler system will have no effect on the incipient fire. In turn, when the fire spreads to the protected areas, it may have sufficient intensity to overpower the sprinkler discharge. In addition, many of these partially protected structures are compromised due to building code “trade-offs.”
Two tragic fires that occurred in my hometown could have been minimized had the structures been fully sprinklered. Both–the One Meridian Plaza high-rise and the Rising Sun Church fires–had characteristics in common. Both started out small. Both started out as offensive attacks with 134-inch handlines and ended up in a defensive mode with master streams. Both had ventilation and access difficulties. Finally, both resulted in multiple firefighter fatalities. Today, even after a series of investigations, many questions about these complex incidents remain. However, one simple fact applies to both: Neither building was fully sprinklered. At One Meridian Plaza, the fire started on the 22nd floor, and nine sprinkler heads on the 30th floor suppressed the fire. At the Rising Sun Church, sprinklers were not present.
As a “life-long learner,” I believe that knowledge is always evolving; history has repeatedly shown that a working sprinkler system is the greatest life-saving tool in the fire service.
It is ironic that those in public safety do not take stronger steps to put this knowledge to work since we, as emergency responders, are painfully aware that the business of providing fire protection is changing. New materials in residential furniture burn faster and produce greater amounts of heat. Increased insulation adds to the chance of flashover. Lightweight construction features invite early collapse. Commercial offices that were once compartmentalized now have relatively low ceilings and are a virtual labyrinth of crisscrossing corridors and partitioned mazes. Industrial facilities are now loaded with “space-age” synthetic products stored in plastic containers. It is no wonder that requests for mutual aid and the number of chronic health problems for firefighters have increased.
Regrettably, the concept of built-in fire protection is not new and unfamiliar to most of us. In 1723, the first automatic fire extinguishing system was patented in England. In 1864, the first automatic sprinkler was invented. In 1896, a group from the insurance industry, which later grew into the National Fire Protection Association, held a conference in Boston to write a standard for the installation of sprinkler systems. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the “landmark” document, many communities still have not considered adopting any type of mandatory sprinkler ordinance.
Certainly, the technology has continued to expand with an increasing number of organizations, institutions, and associations participating in the developmental process. Without question, part of the problem is politics. However, most of the choices are still within the control of the fire service.
In reality, delaying decisions will not help, and code compromise is not the answer. The rational approach is to form a group of dedicated individuals to create an awareness of the life-saving features of active built-in fire protection such as Operation Life Safety.
In 1968, Congress established the National Commission of Fire Prevention and Control to create a “road map” for improving fire safety in America. In 1987, a conference in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. “revisited” the national fire problem. Today, a multitude of cities, towns, and villages have not made any inroads in adopting automatic fire extinguishing system requirements. In 1995, our paradigm cannot be resolved by more committees or further research, but “plain, old-fashioned” action. The bottom line in the life-safety equation is to reduce deaths and injuries. With the help of the simple mnemonic–E.F.F.E.C.T.–you can transform the vision for a safer community into a workable plan.
E.F.F.E.C.T.
E – Excellence. Excellent fire departments accept challenges. They focus on reducing risk to their local community based on meaningful priorities. Strategies vary from fire issues to particular life-safety problems such as unintentional injuries from motor vehicle crashes, fall-related deaths, and even drowning.
F – Funding. Funding is perennially a “numbers game.” Firefighters must act as facilitators with business and government leaders to gather support. There are valid reasons for creating a sprinkler ordinance. Anyone can look at the great accomplishments of David Hilton in Cobb County, Georgia, and understand that residential sprinklers will not “downsize” a progressive fire department.
F – Fundamentals. Fundamental knowledge of civil and criminal law is critical to minimizing liability exposure. “Failure to act properly” can put you and your department on the “ladder of liability.” Court decisions change daily, and fire service leaders must be aware that the legal trend is away from sovereign immunity.
E – Ethics. Ethics is at the core of leadership. Elected officials will want to please constituents. Fire officials must function in accordance with the rules for proper conduct and practices. This can be extremely difficult because pressure will be exerted to explore alternative options in building and fire codes whenever a sprinkler ordinance is introduced. An experienced code enforcer will remember that in the rare instances (explosions, arson, malfunctions when an automatic sprinkler system may fail to control a fire) emergency responders must still be able to safely operate within the structure.
C – Commitment. Commitment is the key. Certainly, tragedies temporarily arouse people`s emotions. Now is the time to establish a broad-based coalition to start identifying strategies, anticipating changes, and drafting concise legislation.
T – Talk/take action. Take specific and measurable steps to improve internal and external communication. Targeted high-risk groups need to be made aware of the seriousness of the contemporary fire problem while firefighters train to perform competently in their expanded roles.
Traditional prevention and educational activities have not been given the time, energy, and emotion of operational tasks. The fire service of the future is heading toward new diverse duties. Dwindling resources and competition from the private sector will force us to become more adaptable. Managing change through careful strategic planning will increase the odds of our making a successful transition into a multipurpose organization that exceeds the community`s expectations.
For a moment, let`s stop looking forward. Briefly reflect on the history of automatic sprinklers and their positive EFFECT on life safety. Then, the change in your department`s goal will be as clear as the lesson from Cedar Avenue: Sprinklers really do save lives. n
 |
Philadelphia firefighters remove a fire victim to a police van for transport to a morgue. The fire problem in America is complex, but one of the contributing factors is our own reactionary attitude toward active fire protection measures. (Photo by Richard Brown, Northeast Times.)
WILLIAM SHOULDIS, a 21-year veteran of the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department, is a battalion chief and certified fire protection specialist. He is a former deputy director of the Philadelphia Fire Academy and is currently assigned to a district in the inner city. He has a bachelor`s degree in fire science administration and a master`s degree in public safety; is an adjunct instructor at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland; and is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering.
