The Scandinavian Star, The Nordic Empress and Fire Protection

The Scandinavian Star was a passenger ship and ferry with a route between Oslo and Denmark in the 1990's. During one of its routine voyages, a fire broke out on one of the decks. 158 people were killed in the blaze.

The Scandinavian Star was built according to fire safety regulations of the time. Unfortunately, these regulations did not require a fire sprinkler system throughout the ship. There was limited fire sprinkler systems installed in certain areas of the ship, including the car garage, the fire sprinkler system did not cover the entire ship. Firefighters later found that the fire sprinkler system had not been properly maintained, and that the sprinkler heads were plugged with rust.

The fire was started deliberately in a hallway. Passengers died taking shelter in cabins and attempting to escape through the halls to safer areas of the ship. The problem, of course, is that there are no safe areas on a ship when a fire breaks out. Passengers have nowhere to go in case of a fire.

That's why effective fire prevention is so important on seagoing vessels. Investigative officials, in charge with discovering the causes of the fire, strongly recommended that all seagoing vessels be fitted with a fire sprinkler system in the future. 

Today, high velocity water sprays combined with low water discharge rates are changing the way shipboard fires are fought.   

The eruption of a fuel fire in the engine room of the cruise ship Nordic Empress was controlled and extinguished expeditiously because of the swift activation of a water mist system designed to protect shipboard machinery spaces. This is the most recent success of high velocity water sprays combined with low water discharge rates.

Known as water mist systems, the technology is being installed on an increasing number of commercial vessels, especially cruise ships, replacing alternatives such as Halon-1301. The Navy is also using a water mist system on its new Amphibious Transport Dock ship, the LPD-17, it was delivered from the Litton Avondale Industries Shipyard in New Orleans in 2003.

 

Water has been the traditional fire-fighting agent for centuries, but too much water combined with inappropriate fire fighting techniques has had disastrous results.

Traditional water fire-extinguishing systems are based on water applied to a fire from straight hose streams or sprinkler systems. Typically, wet pipe sprinkler systems are activated when heat from a fire melts a fusible link in a sprinkler head allowing water to flow and spray into the area. Other systems, known as dry pipe, have open sprinkler heads and an electrically controlled main supply line valve controlling water flow to all sprinkler heads in the system. Both systems are designed to allow for a maximum volume of water to be discharged onto a fire area, effectively drowning the fire. The disadvantages of traditional water systems are that they can cause substantial damage to areas not directly affected by the flames and, for ships, jeopardize their buoyancy.

to be continued. 

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Fire safety or the environment – is it necessary to choose?

Awareness of the fact that large fires may present dramatic and persistent adverse effects on the environment has risen since the occurrence of numerous high impact incidents over the past 25 years. Traditionally, discussion of the environmental impact of fires has focused on the emissions that fires can cause both to the air, water and soil; but in recent years a new debate has arisen where the impact of chemicals on the environment and the precautionary principle have taken precedence.

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Web Developer #12857 | Beaverton | eBay Classifieds (Kijiji) | 12389846

Web Developer #12857 | Beaverton | eBay Classifieds (Kijiji) | 12389846

Non-Sprinklered Residential Apartment Unit Fire

Firefighters agree that residential fire sprinklers could have saved a pregnant woman who died in a Nebraska fire in late 2006. The woman, whose due date fell on the same day she died, passed out from smoke inhalation soon after a faulty electrical cord set her mattress on fire. Her two-year-old daughter was trapped within the apartment unit, and suffered critical injuries.

The smell of smoke woke a neighboring couple late that night. They checked their own apartment unit thoroughly, and found no fire. Then they went into the hallway and followed the smell to the woman's apartment. They managed to get the door open. Smoke and flames poured into the hallway, and the couple could hear the two-year-old crying inside. While the woman rushed to call 911, the man tried to enter the apartment and save the little girl. But the smoke was too thick--even with a damp cloth over his mouth and nose, he couldn't see well enough to find her.

Residential fire sprinklers handle fires like this every day. If residential fire sprinklers had been installed in this building, a sprinkler head would have activated the moment the fire started, extinguishing it before it could do serious harm. In cases where bedding catches fire, and even when people's clothing ignites, residential fire sprinklers have been able to suppress the fire quickly enough to save victims' lives.

Lessons Learned From Unsatisfactory Sprinkler Performance: An update on trends and a root cause discussion from the investigating engineer's perspective

This article is from the FPE Magazine archives.

Automatic sprinkler systems are often considered the most significant component of a building fire protection strategy. When properly designed, installed and maintained, an automatic sprinkler system can control a fire and significantly reduce deaths, injuries and property damage. However, sprinkler systems have their limitations, and their performance can be affected by factors not linked to the initial design or installation of the sprinkler system. This article explores automatic sprinkler system failure data to identify and discuss causes of unsatisfactory sprinkler performance.

Historical fire losses provide experiences that shape current fire protection design methodologies, design criteria and defense strategies. Significant lessons learned have been extracted from post-fire investigations of major losses of life and/or property despite protection by an automatic sprinkler system. These post-fire loss investigations revealed not only the cause of the fires, but causes associated with unsatisfactory sprinkler system performance. Unsatisfactory performance includes failure to operate, as well as ineffectiveness to control a fire and limit damages to life and property.

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Residential Fire Sprinklers Saved the Lives of a Father and Daughter

A kitchen fire that started late one February evening could have claimed the lives of a father and daughter--if not for residential fire sprinklers.

The fire started when a burner left unattended ignited in the kitchen that evening. Firefighters discovered smoke, but no fire--the residential fire sprinklers had extinguished it before it could spread to other areas of the house.

Over 70% of fire fatalities happen in the home. Of those, around half start in the kitchen. Leaving a pan of food unattended, even for a minute, is enough to start a serious fire. Burners take a while to cool, even when turned off. It's not safe to leave a pan or anything else flammable near a burner, even when it's not turned on. Fires also start in microwaves when food is left inside too long, or when people use non-microwave-safe utensils and containers.

While many kitchen fires are a result of carelessness or inattention, they can happen even when owners take all reasonable precautions. Modern kitchens contain lots of electrical appliances, any of which could have faulty wiring that causes a spark. Gas leaks are another hazard.

There has never been a fire fatality reported in a home with residential sprinkler systems installed. With a sprinkler head in the kitchen, residents can feel safe--even in the most fire-prone area of the home.

Fire Sprinkler System Saves A School

Fire Dept response

Firefighters received a call early one July morning that a local middle school was on fire. This probably wasn't a big surprise--school fires are common occurrences, both during and after school. This particular school was on holiday, leaving it open to arson. 

Rushing to the scene, however, the fire department found that the fire was contained in a single classroom--and the building's fire sprinkler systems had kept it in check. It took just minutes for firefighters to extinguish the blaze completely.

The cause of this fire was not conclusively determined to be arson-related. However, that's a likely scenario. In 1996, firefighters responded to over 2,000 school fires--70% of which were caused by arson. Schools are obvious targets for delinquent youth. Insurance companies claim that 40% of the time, the culprits are boys aged 10-17 years old. While many arson fires are started outside of normal school hours, an alarming trend indicates that more arsonists are starting fires while school is in session. Common places for fires include bathrooms, closets, and locker rooms--anywhere a child can be undisturbed for a few minutes.

School fires are tragic, not only for the children involved, but also for the staff and the community. Children lose their sense of safety and security at school. Staff lose a school they may have invested decades in developing--a loss that can be devastating to any teacher or administrator. The community and school district can be hit hard by the financial burden of rebuilding a school. In addition, loss of supplies, test results, important records, computers and furniture can affect children's school careers long after the fire. It can take a community and school district years or even decades to recover from a fire started by a single malicious act.

Many school districts can't afford to have guards posted outside while the school's closed--and arsonists can find ways to get inside a locked and unattended school. In addition, no matter how attentive the staff, it's nearly impossible to watch every child, every minute.

That's why fire sprinkler systems are the ideal solution. They're nearly impossible to set off accidentally or maliciously without starting a real fire--so the risk of water damage from practical jokes or accidental firings are minimal. In addition, fire sprinkler systems control a fire the minute it starts, giving it no time to spread to other areas of the school. Their record of fire safety tells the story: a school with fire sprinkler systems installed has never been lost due to fire, from arson or any other causes.

Sprinkler discharge

More and more states are requiring all schools to be built with fire sprinkler systems and it should go farther than that, it should be mandated that all existing school buildings should be retro-fitted with fire sprinkler systems. Our Washington law makers should enact a federal law that would be funded by the federal government to install fire sprinkler systems in all existing school buildings. 


To cut costs it should also be mandated that the prevailing wages for the construction sector should be extricated and allow any contractor to bid on the project without the detriment of requiring to pay the prevailing wages to the workers. 

Fire Dept Connection

I'm not against the prevailing wage and unions, but in this day and time because of the economic down turn, saving costs and lives is more important than a persons hourly wage. We should all help out to get the schools protected from the loss of life and property.