STRUCTURE FIRES IN INDUSTRIAL PARKS
TRAINING NOTEBOOK
No two industrial complexes are exactly alike, but the following basic principles of fighting fires within the confines of a basic industrial park can be helpful for responders.
STRUCTURE TYPES
Many types of structures are found in these complexes. The building types are listed below by their applications.
Office buildings. Almost every industrial complex has some type of office building. Although office buildings usually are not considered a high fire risk, their hazards should not be overlooked. Today’s modern office buildings contain a number of potential fire problems, including a variety of new sophisticated electronic machines: computer terminals, computer main frames, duplicating machines, recording machines, and telephone equipment. These items not only present electrical hazards during a fire, they also give off smoke that can be very hazardous. In addition, large amounts of paper products can form a heavy fire load, and the new modular office dividers can create a deadly maze during search and suppression if you are not careful. Do not treat office-building fires lightly.
Maintenance facilities. Maintenance facilities are notorious for being fire hazards. The activities taking place and the materials stored in these areas are a dangerous mix. Many industrial maintenance facilities contain Class A, B, C, and even D fire hazards in the same area, including wood, aerosol sprays, solvents, and repair parts. Activities in these areas can range from machining processes to welding to chemical treating to woodworking. The industrial maintenance facilities could be housed in a single building or could be spread out in a number of buildings. The buildings may be of steel-beam construction with metal outer walls or may be of brick or block construction.
The type of industry involved also adds to the hazards of maintenance areas. The equipment “in the shop” to be repaired, for example, could contain hydrocarbons or other hazardous materials that can add to the fire risk. Most maintenance areas contain a large electrical load to run machinery. Many maintenance facilities also contain storage areas for repair parts, tools, and other maintenance supplies. Proper electrical service, product storage, ventilation, and work procedures are essential to maintain a fire-safe environment in such facilities.
Warehouses. Warehouses probably present one of the largest fire threats in any industrial park. Many are massive, making it difficult to reach the seat of the fire. Basic warehouse construction can range from old-timber framing to new lightweight-steel or wood-truss construction. Each type has its own hazards. The fire load in a warehouse can be substantial. The new’ high-rack storage systems also make reaching the fire difficult. The types of materials stored at the facility range from ordinary combustibles to hazardous materials and mixed loads. Knowing the contents of a warehouse is very important. You should consider any fire in any type of warehouse a very serious fire situation.
Processing buildings. These structures may be as simple as a building that houses a pump and some piping or as complex as storage areas for vast arrays of machinery and finished products. They are of steel-beam construction and usually contain large electrical, hydraulic, and similar utility systems. They usually are constructed with processing in mind, and little or no attention is paid to possible fire or other emergencies. The buildings contain piping, structural platforms, and operating machinery installed in a very congested manner. The type of processing that takes place in the facility also can increase the fire load. A fire in any type of processing building is a major emergency situation. You must have sufficient preplan information for these and all other types of buildings.
Garages. They contain many of the same fire hazards as a maintenance facility. Many garages are made of woodor steel-truss construction. They usually are wide-span buildings with large, open expanse interiors. The possibility of a roof collapse is very real.
A diverse array of materials usually is present in a garage setting. In addition to the vehicles and their fuel tanks (gas, diesel, or propane could power the engines), the types of materials inside the vehicles also must be considered. They can range from ordinary combustibles to hazardous materials. Garages are a high-risk area in any industrial setting. Be especially wary of the call for a vehicle on fire within an industrial park. If the vehicle is in or near a garage housing a large number of vehicles, you could have a real firefight on your hands.
Control rooms!computer rooms. A fire in a control or computer room in an industrial complex usually is a twofold problem. First, the control room/ computer room usually is small and compact and nestled inside the operating/manufacturing area of the plant. Many times it is difficult to gain access to the area to fight the fire. The room may be insulated and airtight, creating a unique ventilation problem.
Another, and usually more severe, problem is that the processes within the area may be running in an uncontrolled manner if the fire has damaged the control units/computers. Emergency shutdown systems usually are built into operating centers, but a fire could damage the shutdown equipment. Always anticipate the presence of electrical and other utility systems and toxic gases from electrical equipment in this type of fire.
It is common for computer rooms to have halon systems installed. If a halon system has been activated or if there is a chance it might have been activated, wear proper respiratory protection before entering the room.
Also, small sampling labs, found in many control rooms, add to these hazards. Many industries that produce chemicals and other by-products conduct on-site testing to ensure the quality of their products. These onsite labs usually contain a large number of combustible materials, as well as electrical-powered analyzers and other utility systems.
Electrical su’itchrooms. Fires in these areas contain the same types of hazards as fires in control/computer rooms. Electrical switchrooms usually are constructed of block or brick and are of very simple construction. Often they are added onto existing buildings in a lean-to fashion.
The access problem usually is not as severe as it is for a control room, but the possibility that uncontrolled processes will occur is about the same. Other problems that can be associated with electrical switchroom fires include the presence of live electrical, high-voltage circuits and toxic gases from the electrical circuitry A fire in this type of facility needs to be very closely coordinated with operations and maintenance personnel and possibly even the local power company. Some SOPs may call for waiting for the local power company, depending on the facility
Multipurpose buildings. These buildings contain two or more of the above-mentioned facilities. They are very common in industrial parks that house a variety of companies, including large laundry services, small manufacturing plants, and large service companies. Many fire hazards are rolled into one building. Any fire situation in this type of facility demands extreme caution.
Tra i l ers/ tempo ra ry b u i l d i ngs. Common in large industrial complexes, these buildings generally are used during major maintenance overhauls and plant-reconditioning projects. As soon as the project is completed, the trailers and temporary buildings are relocated to another part of the plant for another project.
Fighting a fire in these facilities is similar to fighting a fire in your local trailer park. You can expect fast-burning fires and very lightweight construction. Gaining access to these areas usually is difficult. The trailers/ buildings generally are tightly grouped in small, confined areas. Exposures are a major concern, and the locations of these trailers frequently change as the project moves. Make sure you know where you are going.
PREPLAN FOR SUCCESSFUL FIREFIGHTING
Winning a firefight involving an industrial park entails several key factors—all of them addressed before the fire occurs. They include the following:
Preplans. A good preplan includes building diagrams, utility shutoff locations, building contents listings—especially haz mats and their locations, process isolation points, valves, and water-supply locations. Other information such as the phone numbers of key plant personnel, material safety data sheets (MSDSs), and plant emergency plans also is helpful.
Take the time to make a thorough and detailed preplan information package. The extra time spent preplanning pays off during an incident: The smallest piece of information may pay large dividends.
Plant visits. The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words applies especially to the need for regular prefire visits to the plants within industrial parks (and all other plants) in your response areas. The visits need not be inspection visits. If your department provides inspections, fine; but general visits by responding companies and officers are just as important as inspection visits. They keep you up to date on plant layout and operations. Maintenance and construction activities can change the plant’s layout overnight. Regular visits can keep you from being surprised during the heat of a fire battle. If inspectors are available to respond to alarms, doing so familiarizes them with facilities even more.
Industry/fire department relations. A good working relationship between local industry and the fire department is very important. In smaller industrial settings, you probably would deal directly with a plant manager. In larger industrial settings, your liaison may be a safety department representative or the fire chief of the industrial fire brigade. With whom you deal makes no difference. What matters is how you interact with them.
Most industries have a large number of available resources such as special equipment, experts in various fields, and financial backing. By maintaining a close relationship with the industrial community within your response area, you can use these resources to develop an adequate firefighting plan for each facility. Most industries are more than willing to work with the local fire department.
Another important part of the industry relationship is teamwork, including developing fire prevention programs with plant management. It also includes working on response plans with industrial emergency teams. Large industrial complexes sometimes may handle incidents on their own without even calling the municipal fire departments as part of the preplan.
(Photos by Darrell Nash.)
Attack (thin. An attack plan helps control the initial phases of the response. Nothing is worse than showing up at the scene and having no idea where to go. Initial attack plans should include identifying the first-in units, mutual-aid responses, water sources, and apparatus placement. The basic components of rescue, exposures, containment, extinguishment, salvage, and overhaul should be included in every attack plan.
Additional elements that should be worked into industrial attack plans include detailed information on how to gain access to the plant, which may include escorts from the plant’s security force; whether special extinguishing agents are needed and if so, which kinds; and whether the let-it-burn approach should be followed. Other issues that may need to be addressed are how to control the contaminated runoff water and released hazardous materials and what special equipment or help is needed. It is virtually impossible to develop an attack plan for every possible scenario, but a general plan of attack could prove invaluable during an emergency.
Fire equipment that works. The need at the response scene for fire suppression equipment that works cannot be stressed enough. This includes sprinkler, alarm, and standpipe systems; fire extinguishers and employees trained in their use; ventilation systems; fire doors; and other fire control equipment. Clear access to buildings and water-supply equipment always must be maintained. Personnel should have some knowledge of a facility’s supplying system, if one exists, in terms of layout, hookups, size/capacity, and so on.
Proper emergency response plans also are crucial. A close working relationship with the plant safety/security department is needed to develop them. If on-site personnel can evacuate the plant or contain the fire until you arrive, time and dollar losses will be minimized.
Fire prevention. The best way to fight a structural fire in an industrial setting is not to have to fight it at all. Stress the importance of a good fire prevention program, including the value of periodic inspections, to all local industries. Also stress that some sort of fire protection system is needed, whether it be sprinker, dry chemical, or halon (depending on the application). It is easier to prevent an emergency than to have to react to it.
Fighting a structure fire in an industrial setting is one of the most hazardous situations you can encounter. Proaction — knowing what you are going to face and how you are going to deal with it — determines your chances for success. Instead of sitting back and worrying about the potential for the “big one” in the industrial park in your response area, get out and do something about it. Working closely with the principals of the plants within your locality’s industrial parks can give you —and help you maintain — the upper hand with regard to industrial fire problems in your area.
