NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 19
waste is always coming in. This could
mean it has to be stored somewhere
onsite that's not designed or intended
for such storage, which can be dangerous, especially if another fire breaks
out. It could mean transporting the
waste elsewhere, which creates added
costs. In any case, it could lead to
service issues for the community.
Recycling facilities face more monetary repercussions since they're no
longer generating products from the
raw materials that come in.
There also may be health and environmental hazards associated with
these fires. With plastics burning in
many of them, the gases emitted from
these fires can force public officials
to close businesses and schools. [This
happened during the recent Connecticut fire.-A.V.] Rivers and other bodies
of water could be polluted from the
water that runs off of these fires.
Considering that kind of impact, how
can fires at waste and recycling facilities be prevented?
There are a number of measures that
can be considered. For example, it's
a good idea to keep waste away from
any mechanical equipment, vehicle
exhaust pipes, and anything else
that could set it on fire. The waste
piles themselves should be kept at a
manageable size that the facility is
designed to handle. Adding noncombustible barriers to break up the bulk
mass of waste and separate it from
equipment can help, too.
Installation of Sprinkler Systems. It's
much different than a traditional warehouse where neatly palletized goods
are stored in piles or on racks with
defined flue spaces, aisles, and prescribed maximum ceiling heights.
This bulk, porous mass of waste
introduces the potential for a fire to
smolder inside of it. While fixed fire
protection systems like automatic
sprinklers may control the fire on the
surface of a bulk mass, they'll likely
have no effect on a fire spreading
within the mass because the water
doesn't get all the way through it.
Because of this, these fires may burn
for days. In the U.K., we've had waste
fires that have taken a week or more to
fully extinguish.
What are the consequences of waste
and recycling fires?
During a waste fire, often no waste
can be processed by the facility, yet
Some projections estimate that by
2100, the world's population will
be producing three times as much
waste as it does now. Does that
worry you?
Yes, this does concern me, and I think
we could hit a threefold increase
in [waste facility] fires even sooner
than 2100 if waste processing capacity doesn't keep pace with increased
waste production. I think research is
needed to help identify better means
of fire protection specific to waste and
recycling facilities.
N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL
| 19
http://WWW.NFPA.ORG/JOURNAL
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - March/April 2018
Contents
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 1
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Contents
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 3
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 4
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 5
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 6
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 7
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 8
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 9
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 10
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 11
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 12
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 13
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 14
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 15
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 16
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 17
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 18
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 19
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 20
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 21
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 22
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 23
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 24
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 25
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 26
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 27
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 28
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 29
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 30
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 31
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 32
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 33
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 34
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 35
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 36
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 37
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 38
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 39
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 40
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 41
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 42
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 43
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 44
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 45
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 46
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 47
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 48
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 49
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 50
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 51
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 52
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 53
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 54
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 55
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 56
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 57
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 58
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 59
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 60
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 61
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 62
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 63
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 64
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 65
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 66
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 67
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 68
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 69
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 70
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 71
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 72
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 73
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 74
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 75
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 76
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 77
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 78
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 79
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 80
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 81
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 82
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 83
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 84
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 85
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 86
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 87
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - 88
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - March/April 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201610_sprinkler
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120304
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com