NEWS IN BRIEF
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium fire raises safety issues
An accidental fire that occurred on July 20, 1993, and damaged or destroyed seven Atlanta-Fulton County (GA) Stadium press boxes and luxury suites and rendered 10,000 seats unusable also brought to light some safety concerns related to the facility, according to an Atlanta Fire Department (AFD) report.
Constructed in 1956, before the city adopted codes mandating that stadiums be sprinklered, the stadium has no standpipes and only partial automatic sprinkler system protection. In addition, the fire department’s ability to fight a fire in the stadium is hampered by the fact that there are no stairwells. Consequently, firefighters must hand-carry the hoses to the fire floor by ramps.
No serious injuries or fatalities were reported at this incident, which occurred when a burning food-warming gel was left unattended and ignited combustible items on the serving table in a luxury suite. The fire spread to adjacent booths.
The Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Authority, which has jurisdiction over the facility, has declined to install sprinklers in the stadium on the basis that it would be too costly, considering the facility is scheduled to be demolished following the 1996 Olympics, which will be held in Atlanta. Hie Atlanta Braves baseball team, which currently plays at the stadium, will move into a new stadium, the Georgia Dome, which, the AFD says, will have the latest in fire protection and suppression systems.
The Dome, in downtown Atlanta, notes the AFD, “is equipped with the latest in fire detection systems and is completely protected by automatic sprinklers and standpipes. It also contains a smoke-evacuation system and four deluge guns, controlled from a remote location, that can reach anywhere on the playing field and most of the spectator seats.”
A week after the July 20 fire, the Atlanta Fire Department met with stadium officials and recommended that they do the following:
- install standpipes in the stadium according to NFPA 14, Installation of Standpipes and Hose Systems (1993),
- protect all enclosed areas with automatic sprinklers,
- install an enhanced fire detection system in all enclosed areas,
- install automatic ventilation fans in the tunnel (service level) for the removal of smoke in case of fire,
- prohibit the use of open-flame devices in the stadium and use electric devices instead, and
- install an emergency recall system for all elevators in the stadium.
The Authority has agreed to install more fire extinguishers in the stadium, to use fire-resistant material in the reconstruction of the press boxes, and to update the evacuation plan to make sure that all employees are properly trained to assist in an emergency. Open-flame devices still will be permitted; however, users will be required to attend to them while they are in use.
President declares Texas wildfire threat an emergency
President Clinton has declared that the extreme threat of wildfires to communities throughout the central part of Texas constitutes a state of emergency. The 149 affected counties, therefore, are eligible for federal disaster funds to cover some of the costs for mobilizing, prestaging, and using federal firefighting resources to assist state and local efforts in controlling fire outbreaks as they may occur in the counties, according to James I.ee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Witt explains that the President took the action after FEMA reported that the combined effects of a prolonged drought and an overabundance of dried vegetation have placed much of the state at a high fire risk since August 30. State officials have been reporting up to 55 wildfires a week in Central Texas as a result of the tinderbox conditions, adds Witt.
Fire service certifications nearly doubled in FY ’93
Noting that Fiscal Year 1993 has been a “record-setting year for national fire service certifications,” Chief Jim Estepp, chairman of the National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualifications, reports that 5,201 certifications were processed during that period. compared with 2,718 for the previous fiscal year.
National certification is available in 12 disciplines. For more information, contact Gary Tokle at (617) 9847468.
NFPA reminds public of hazards of home heating equipment
Home heating equipment caused an estimated 85,200 reported fires, 511 civilian deaths, and 2,176 civilian injuries in 1991 (the latest year for which statistics are available), reports the National Fire Protection Association. In addition, home heating equipment had been the leading cause of home fires from 1978 (the year the NFPA first computed national fire statistics) to 1990, when it dropped to second place and cooking equipment became the leading cause of home fires.
Among the most common causes of fires cited by the NFPA are the following:
- leaving cooking unattended,
- placing things that can burn too close to space and portable heaters.
- failure to clean chimneys and connectors,
- improper design or installations, and
- fueling errors involving liquidor gas-fueled heaters.
The association has available a three-page bulletin listing safety tips for consumers, including some pertaining to wood stoves and holiday celebrations. For more information,contact Julie Reynolds at the NFPA, (617) 984-7274.
FMRC develops limited water supply sprinkler for mobile homes
Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC), a unit of Factory Mutual Engineering and Research, has developed a limited water supply (LWS) sprinkler for mobile homes that can be used with a freestanding water supply of as little as 100 gallons.
The LWS sprinkler was tested and developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Fire Administration. The heads are spaced eight feet apart instead of the typical 12 feet, reducing the heat release rate at first sprinkler actuation by about 50 percent, thereby requiring less water to suppress the fire, according to FMRC.
Testing results were used by FMRC’s Approvals Division, which tests and approves products related to fire protection, to draft an updated version of the Approval Standard for Residential and Limited Water Supply Automatic Sprinklers, Class Number 2030, now being circulated for industry review.
For more information, contact Diane Viera, FME&R, at (617) 2554660.
WPI announces availability of research graduate traineeships
A new graduate research traineeship program has been announced by Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Funded under a grant from the National Science Foundation, the awards are valued at up to SI20,000 per student and provide a SI4,000 per year stipend, full tuition, and additional professional development funds over a threeto five-year period.
The program is open to individuals with undergraduate degrees in any field of engineering and supports study in fire protection engineering at the master’s and doctorate levels. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States, must have (or expect to receive) a bachelor’s or master’s degree in any field of engineering or the physical sciences, and must possess a strong academic record.
Application forms and additional information are available from the Center for Firesafety Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute; 100 Institute Road; Worcester, MA 01609; (508) 831-5593Women, minorities, and disabled persons are especially encouraged to apply.
Congress and staffers undergo fire extinguisher training
Some 25 legislators and 200 congressional staff members undertook training in fire extinguisher use in September. The event, cosponsored by the Congressional Fire Services Institute, the International Society of Fire Service Instructors, the U.S. Fire Administration, and AAI Corporation, was part of a Fire Prevention Week awarenessraising campaign.
rhe USFA distributed fire safety literature to attendees, who also will receive for their offices a complimentary fire extinguisher from BRK/First Alert. For more information on the program, call Pat Patterson, CFSI, at (202)
