NFPA Journal - September/October 2012 - (Page 28)

Universal Stopper® Enclosed ﬂush backbox, surface frame, waterproof backbox or ﬂush frame in a variety of colors BUILD IT YOUR WAY MOUNTING OPTIONS >>firewatch Investigators determined that the woman discarded a cigarette, which ignited the sofa. Flames spread from the sofa to the wood paneling on the walls, but the sprinkler kept it from going any further. The building, valued at $3,676,000, sustained an estimated $1,000 worth of damage. Damage to the apartment’s contents, valued at $2,000, was estimated at $250. first moving them farther away from the burning home. Although neither initially reported any problems, the woman said she had difficulty breathing and was taken to the hospital. While en route, she told the EMS crew that she had lit a cigarette while using medical oxygen and had seen a flash. Her husband told the fire investigators that the oxygen concentrator, which was found at the point of fire origin, was plugged in at the time of the blaze. The investigators determined that the fire was caused by smoking while using medical oxygen, which intensified the fire. The fire did $70,000 worth of damage to the house, which was valued at $140,000. Its contents, valued at $90,000, also sustained an estimated $70,000 in damage. Educational HORN OR LABEL HOOD A variety of colors With or without horn Free custom label or no label + Woman dies in fire involving medical oxygem Install your pull station, button or keypad and close cover COVER = Easy n Selectio Guide NOW YOU CAN PROTECT ALMOST ANYTHING • Sized to fit most dual-action pull stations, buttons, keypads, etc. • Enclosed flush backbox, flush frame, surface frame or waterproof backbox (Type rating pending). • With or without alarm. • Indoor/outdoor use (gaskets included). Safety Technology International, Inc. www.sti-usa.com/nfpa18 800-888-4784 MISSOURI—Despite the help of a neighbor, a 73-year-old woman who had recently returned home after surgery and used medical oxygen died in a fire in her single-family home. She and her husband, who managed to escape, both had difficulty walking. She used a walker, and he used an electric scooter. The two-story, wood-frame house, which was 66 feet (20 meters) long and 30 feet (9 meters) wide, had smoke alarms, but they were not operational. There were no sprinklers. The fire was reported by a neighbor, who had gone to his kitchen to get a drink of water and noticed smoke and flames coming from the victims’ front door. After calling 911 at 12:15 a.m., he ran over and found the woman’s husband sitting on a lawn chair behind the home. When he asked him where his wife was, he said that she was still inside. The neighbor entered the house, got to his knees because of the intense heat and smoke, and called out to the woman. She answered and told him she was in a living room chair. He crawled through the living room until he found her and dragged her along the floor and out the door. Arriving firefighters found flames enveloping the entire front door, and a captain advised that the structure was fully involved. The engine and ladder crews worked together to deploy hose lines to knock down the fire and enter the house, while additional companies arrived to help the two occupants, Teacher injured in science lab explosion MINNESOTA—A high school science teacher was burned when an experiment he was preparing exploded, forcing the evacuation of the school until hazardous materials teams determined it was safe to reenter. The high school, which was of unprotected, noncombustible construction, had sprinklers installed throughout, although the explosion did not create enough heat to activate them. The fire alarm system, which included manual pull stations and notification devices, operated as designed. When the explosion occurred, the teacher was mixing acetone and hydrogen peroxide on a table, which the force of the blast shoved down toward the floor, damaging a tray and a chair. The explosion’s pressure wave displaced furniture, ceiling tiles, and glass on a chemical fume hood and forced open the 20-minute fire door, allowing debris to spread into a corridor. A staff member responding to the explosion found the disoriented teacher slumped over a sink, trying to wash his face and clean up. Staff called 911 to report the blast. 2012 STI 28 NFPA JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 http://www.sti-usa.com/nfpa18

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