NFPA Journal - May/June 2012 - (Page 39)

cooking equipment and spread to a deep fat fryer, causing the hood extinguishing system to activate. Additional heat fused a nearby sprinkler, which held the fire in check until the fire department arrived to extinguish the blaze. The kitchen’s hood system extinguished the fire in the deep fryer. Suppression system controls kitchen hood fire UTAH—A fire suppression system controlled a fire that started in the hood duct of a restaurant kitchen, but the fire fed off the grease that had built up in the duct and continued to burn until firefighters extinguished it. The building was occupied when the fire broke out, but everyone had evacuated safely by the time firefighters arrived. Someone called 911 to report the blaze at 4:20 p.m., and firefighters arrived four minutes later to find smoke coming from the roof. The restaurant owner told the incident commander that the hood had caught fire after they started the grill. It looked as though the hood suppression system had put the fire out, but firefighters on the roof reported that they could still see the fire burning in the ductwork some 8 feet (2 meters) below them. When they were unable to get water on the flames from their position, they recommended an interior attack. Interior crews advanced a hose line into the kitchen and opened the ceiling around the ductwork. Once the duct was exposed, they saw that the grease and creosote that had built up on the sides of it were still burning. Fortunately, the duct maintained its integrity, preventing the fire and heat from escaping into hidden areas before it was extinguished. Investigators noted that that the hood suppression system heads did not discharge properly. Damage to the property and its contents was estimated at $5,000. There were no injuries. HealtHcare Maintenance worker extinguishes electrical fire TEXAS—A hospital maintenance worker detected a fire that started when mops and cardboard boxes stored in a mechanical and electrical room ignited after a fire started in an overheated electrical panel. The worker extinguished the blaze before sprinklers could activate. The single-story, steel-frame hospital, which was 40 feet (12 meters) long and 40 feet (12 meters) wide, had concrete walls. The building had an automatic detection system and a wetpipe sprinkler system. The fire detection system alerted the hospital’s occupants and the fire department at 6:24 p.m. By the time firefighters arrived four minutes later, however, the maintenance staff had extinguished the blaze. Investigators found that a loose electrical lug securing an electrical cable on a panel that provided electricity to Become one of the world’s most in-demand engineers. Attend the world’s premier graduate Fire Protection Engineering program. Online. Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPi’s Master of Science in Fire Protection engineering reinvigorates your career without uprooting your life. our flexible online program follows the same curriculum as our on-campus program and features the same stellar faculty. Learn the latest in fire technology—from performance-based design to codes and standards to different forms of fire modeling—wherever you live. earn the degree that makes our graduates in demand around the world. get started by visiting online.wpi.edu or email us at online@wpi.edu. + Fire Protection engineering Professor Nicholas Dembsey and student conducting flame spread research. 11-FPE-0002-FPE-Online-HalfPg-OLv2.indd 1 Leading the world to safety. 3/14/11 11:55 AM MAY/JUNE 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 39 FORGE worldwide client: WPI - Distance Learning http://online.wpi.edu http://online.wpi.edu

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