Spotlight on Fire Sprinklers March 24, 2023

March 22, 2023

In this week’s issue:

Important Agenda Highlights Meeting
Fire Sprinkler System Controls High-Rise Fire
Sprinkler Sound-Off
Occupied Factory Saved by Sprinkler System

Important Agenda Highlights Meeting

By President Shane Ray
This week, I was grateful to take part in a meeting hosted by Verisk ISO (Insurance Service Office). The meeting focused on several important emerging issues. It was an honor for me to participate with our partners in progress.

The meeting included the National Association of State Fire Marshals, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and the United States Fire Administration. The agenda was wide in scope, with topics ranging from lithium-ion batteries to climate change, and from storage/warehouse issues to parking garages. Hopefully, this group is beginning new partnerships to share information and establish relationships to prevent and mitigate risks. More to come!

Fire Sprinkler System Controls High-Rise Fire

On March 20th, a fire broke out in a unit on the seventh floor of a Baltimore, MD high-rise. Because of the quick containment of the fire by the fire sprinkler system, this story was barely picked up by local media. The following link illustrates the few words used to report what could have been yet another devastating and tragic high-rise blaze. Instead, the fire sprinkler system contained the fire and firefighters finished the job. Only one injury was reported. Residents and firefighters are safe.

Sprinkler Sound-Off

A true fire sprinkler advocate and one of our #partnersinprogress, Chief Marc Bashoor is the Executive Editor of FireRescue1.com, as well as a retired Fire Chief, Public Safety Director, & Emergency Manager. We shared his recent article. It’s Just Not That Difficult to Do the Right Thing, on our social media and it received an overwhelming response. Here’s an excerpt:

Too often, we are bombarded by silly and sometimes reckless distractions that impact our delivery of service. Sometimes, as in the residential sprinkler discussion, those “distractions are keenly engineered decisions by an industry to discourage – OK, IGNORE – the positive impacts of life-saving technology. Although residential sprinklers have consistently shown that we could reduce fire deaths by 85% or more, the homebuilders’ associations have convinced builders that residential sprinklers are a bad thing. What’s more, the political lobby against sprinklers is surprisingly strong, albeit misguided from my perspective. Only two states, California and Maryland, and the District of Columbia have been able to pass universal residential sprinkler legislation.

Take the time to read and share the article and follow Chief Bashoor on social media. The links to his accounts are included in the article.

Occupied Factory Saved by Sprinkler System

On March 21st, an Eaton Corp. Factory in Hastings, NE caught fire for the second time in two months. The fire was caused by the disassembly of equipment inside the factory.

According to the city, six workers were in the building at the time, and a plasma cutter was being used to cut and remove metal as part of the disassembly of some machinery inside the plant.

The cutting process ignited built-up oil residues in the building, and the fire began to spread throughout the area. The fire sprinkler system activated and kept the fire contained until firefighters arrived on the scene and extinguished it completely. The workers escaped safely. No injuries were reported.

A similar incident occurred at the factory on January 6th. The sprinkler system, along with quick action by employees and firefighters, has saved the building each time.