This past weekend our team of fire instructors worked with departments at a large nursing home training burn. The nursing home is being demolished to make room for a larger more modern facility. The building was immense and gave them a once in a career opportunity to work with many different tactics they normally cannot train in.
One example was fighting a fire after a sprinkler head had activated. The FD normally would not be taking in a hose line initially when smoke or fire were showing and water flow alarms indicate sprinkler heads were activating. Instead, they would hook additional lines and provide increased pressure to the sprinkler system through the Fire Department Connection (FDC). With sprinkler systems, there are already firefighters throughout the entire structure ready to react when conditions are met. Systems are designed to control (perhaps not extinguish) a fire normally with 1-5 heads activating. The entire building does not flood as we have seen on TV, only the heads activated by heat spray water.
In our demonstration / training for the students, we placed a large fire set near two heads but purposely put it under a table so the water would not be able to immediately put the fire out. Once lit, the sprinkler activated in 22 seconds. When a sprinkler goes off, the FD gets a water flow alarm and responds. They can control the sprinkler system to reduce water damage, re-set the system and overhaul any fire if needed.
Our fire instructors remarked about a couple of things. There was no black smoke: The sprinkler activated before much smoke developed and when the heads activated, the water spraying on the fire produced white steam and also “washed” a lot of the carbon from the smoke. The smoke did not stratify at the ceiling: once water cooled; what smoke there was, it was cooled by the water so it did not rise like warm smoke does. Visibility even low at the floor was hampered by smoke throughout, but just a few feet away conditions were much better.
Assisted care facilities, businesses, factories, new residential living units with more than 2 units, and many other occupancies are protected by sprinkler systems. These systems may loosen the building construction requirements and pay for itself with reduced insurance rates. Sprinkler systems when properly maintained and inspected work well. Sprinkler systems save lives and save property.
17 additional burn rotations over 2 burn sessions took place during the weekend. Firefighters were given the chance to put their training into action and hone their skills. In the after action meeting, firefighters and our instructors commented the most learning occurred in the 1 demonstration with the sprinkler systems. Learning was had by all.
Be Fire Safe!
Scott Carriveau, Maple Lake