NFPA Journal - September/October 2012 - (Page 25)

Investigators questioned the boy, who told them that he and his sister had built a tent in their bedroom using a blanket supported by toys. They then started a camp fire with matches. After trying to put the fire out with water from the bathroom, the boy went to tell his mother what was happening, while his sister fled to the mother’s bedroom. Firefighters found her in a fetal position by the bedroom door. An operating air conditioner in the children’s bedroom contributed to the spread of the fire by feeding fresh air into the room. In addition, a well-intentioned relative broke several windows around the home, giving the fire more oxygen and allowing the fire to quickly spread. The fire destroyed the structure and its contents. The children’s mother received minor burns when she tried to enter the burning home to rescue her daughter. When firefighters arrived about three minutes after the alarm, they found smoke coming from the roof of the independent living section. The two independent living sections were completely evacuated, and the occupants of the assisted living units were sheltered in place. Fire crews advanced to the top floor and roof, and used high-rise packs connected to the fire department standpipe connection to operate two lines. They exposed the wall and ceiling of a community room to determine the extent of fire spread, and roof companies pulled back burning sec- Overheated generator exhaust pipe ignites roof decking RHODE ISLAND—An emergency generator being used to provide power to a housing complex for the elderly in the aftermath of a hurricane ignited the structure’s roof decking and roofing materials. The four-story building, a former mill complex that had been converted into apartments, had 97 independent living units for older adults and 92 units of assisted living space. The building, which covered 110,000 square feet (10,220 square meters) and was divided into three sections, was constructed of heavy timber with a brick exterior and a heavy wood plank roof deck covered by asphalt and gravel. The building was protected by a wet-pipe sprinkler system and a monitored fire alarm system. Employees of the facility detected the fire in a chase that ran from the first-floor generator room to the roof and called 911 at 2:15 p.m. The fire alarm system also activated, and the fire department received the alarm through a municipal radio master box. Compliance is not a choice. Facility Managers trust BuildingReports. The world’s most trusted inspection reporting solution Fire safety inspections are a crucial element in ensuring the protection of facilities and the people that work there. BuildingReports, the leader in web-based reporting, is committed to providing the most trusted inspection solutions in the world. We operate the largest network of independent service organizations and facility managers completing inspections in hundreds of thousands of buildings worldwide. BuildingReports’ cloud-based digital reporting and mobile bar code technology ensures comprehensive inspections that are fully documented retrievable from anywhere, anytime. BuildingReports delivers device Contact BuildingReports for a demonstration today! 770.495.1993 sales@buildingreports.com www.buildingreports.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 NFPA JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 25 http://www.buildingreports.com http://www.buildingreports.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2012

NFPA Journal - September/October 2012
Contents
First Word
Mail Call
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Lessons of Comayagua
After Waldo Canyon
Catastrophic Multiple-Death Fires in 2011
Fire Loss in the United States in 2011
Section Spotlight
Research + Analysis
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - September/October 2012