NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 55
SUPPRESSION + DETECTION
As gas leaks become more frequent, the risk of deadly explosions
increases. A new NFPA standard-NFPA 715, Standard for the
Installation of Fuel Gases Detection and Warning Equipment-
aims to address the problem. B Y A N G E L O V E R Z O N I
ON AUGUST 10, THE MORNING QUIET in Baltimore's Reisterstown Station neighborhood was shattered by an immense
explosion. Three rowhouses were leveled by the blast, and
dazed residents stumbled through the rubble in search of loved
ones. "This is a horrendous situation," Niles Ford, chief of the
Baltimore City Fire Department, told the Baltimore Sun, as
responding firefighters combed through the site for survivors.
The incident left two dead and dozens more injured. Investigators determined the explosion was caused by a gas leak, but that
it did not involve the pipes or equipment belonging to the local
utility, Baltimore Gas & Electric.
The Baltimore incident joined a growing list of deadly gas
explosions that have made headlines in recent years. In September 2018, the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts
was rocked by a series of natural gas explosions and fires that
killed one person and left more than two dozen injured. Almost
exactly a year later, a firefighter
NFPA.ORG/
was killed and several other people
EARLYWARNING
were injured when a propane gas
Read an October 2018 explosion leveled a building in FarmNFPA research report
ington, Maine. Similar incidents are
on natural gas and
propane explosions,
occurring around the world as well;
fires, and leaks.
a month after the Baltimore blast,
Read "Big Assist,"
an explosion linked to a gas leak in
the July/August 2019
a mosque in Bangladesh killed two
NFPA Journal cover
dozen people.
story on the 2018
Merrimack Valley gas
Research has shown the incidents
explosions.
that make it into headlines are just
Read the Fire
the tip of the iceberg. An NFPA report
Protection Research
released in late 2018 found that, on
Foundation's August
average, natural gas ignites 4,200
2020 report on gas
detector location
home fires each year in the United
analysis.
States alone. According to the report,
US fire departments respond to an average of 125,000 residential natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas leaks annually,
an increase of about 25 percent compared to 2007. Gas safety
experts say detecting leaks before they result in catastrophe is
one of the best ways to combat the problem.
To reduce the threat, a new standard is being developed by NFPA
to establish requirements for the installation of equipment that can
detect and warn occupants of a gas leak. Set for release in 2022,
NFPA 715, Standard for the Installation of Fuel Gases Detection and
Warning Equipment, will apply to equipment manufactured to
detect leaks of fuel gas, including natural gas and liquefied petroleum gases like propane and butane.
According to experts, NFPA 715 will fill a safety void that continues to grow with each large-scale incident. "When you look
back and see the losses, there appears to be a hole in fire safety
that needs to be addressed," said Stephen Olenick, chair of the
NFPA 715 technical committee. "This is a standard that's going to
give municipalities and building codes something to point to that
shows how to do this right. We're hopeful it's going to save lives." u
Feature gas 11.20 DCS FINAL (10.29.20).indd 55
10/30/20 10:56 AM
http://www.NFPA.ORG/earlywarning
http://www.NFPA.ORG/earlywarning
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2020
Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 2
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 5
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 6
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 7
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 8
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 9
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 10
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 11
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 12
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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 14
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 15
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 16
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 17
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 18
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 19
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 20
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 21
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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 24
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 25
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 26
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 27
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 28
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 29
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 30
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 31
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 32
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 33
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 34
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 35
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 36
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 37
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 38
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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover4
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