NFPA Journal - May/June 2012 - (Page 32)

>>firewatch and a finished basement containing a television room and a kitchenette. Its exterior walls were covered with brick and vinyl siding, and the roof was topped with asphalt shingles. Batteryoperated smoke alarms were located outside and inside the bedrooms. There were no sprinklers. The woman awoke to the sound of an operating smoke alarm and found smoke coming from the basement. She called for the victim, who had lung ailments that required that he use home oxygen. While the man called 911 to report the fire at 1:20 a.m., the woman looked downstairs and saw an upholstered couch on fire in the television room. As they were leaving the house, the man decided that he needed to get a pair of shorts, as he was wearing only his undergarments. As he made his way down the hallway, the woman left and propped open the front door. She told investigators that she could not see him after he went down the hallway because it was “all black.” She also told them that she thought she heard him fall. Firefighters, who arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the house, found the victim sitting on the kitchen floor near an exit and removed him from the house. Ambulance crews tried to revive him on the way to the hospital, where he later succumbed to smoke inhalation. Investigators determined that the fire started in the basement television room. A sectional couch had been pushed up against an extension cord that showed signs of electrical failure near its blades. Heat from the extension cord failure ignited the upholstery, and the fire burned undetected until the smoke alarm sounded. Direct flame damage was limited to the basement, although there was heavy smoke damage throughout the home. An oxygen generator and portable oxygen bottles were not affected by the fire. The house and its contents, together valued at approximately $247,000, sustained $100,000 worth of damage. GLOBAL Our reach is global. Engineers from around the world are enrolled in our online Master’s program in Fire Protection Engineering. With the rapid acceleration of technology and the higher demands of working in a global environement there is an increased demand for well-educated engineers with the experience and training to deliver on their projects. We’ll provide you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Students have access to a faculty that are experts from around the world and bring their insights and experience to a performance-based curriculum. Offered by the only ABET accredited Fire Protection Engineering program, this 10-course degree can be completed in as little as 15-months, is 100% online, does not require a thesis/research project, and will fit into your schedule. Boy, mother die in fire Apply today... w w w. o a e e . u m d . e d u / f i r e SOUTH CAROLINA—A 35-year-old woman and her 7-year-old son died of smoke inhalation when they were overcome by smoke as they tried to leave their burning home. The two-story, wood-frame structure had an asphalt-shingled roof and was equipped with smoke alarms, although the type and location were not reported. There were no sprinklers. A neighbor called 911 to report the fire at 2 a.m. When arriving firefighers entered the home, they found the 32 NFPA JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2012 http://www.oaee.umd.edu/fire http://www.oaee.umd.edu/fire

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - May/June 2012

Nfpa Journal - May/june 2012
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzz Words
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Treasurer's Report
Signal Concern
Giant Steps
13^3
Sprinklered Menagerie?
Free Samples
Eye on Health Care
Membership: The Sections
Expo Preview: Exhibitors' Showcase
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - May/June 2012