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In a building that is sprinkler equipped EACH sprinkler head has a bi metal strip that melts at low temperature, which means that only the heads in the immediate vicinity of the fire source will start to shower water downwards. That does two things. It puts water on the area where there is actual fire, not smoke, and it keeps the entire building from being flooded.
Any building can be retrofitted with a fire sprinkler system. It does cost more that having a system installed when the building is first being built . A further fire fighting system is the "top down system". This involves a large roof top tank or swimming pool, that in a fire situation, provides a gravity flow of water to each floor's fire fighting hoses. This is in addition to the building's main flow system, that is powered by ground level fire engine pumps. These are seen at the ground level of the building, with double or triple inlet pipes.
I have lived in a number of high rise apartment towers here in Canada over the years. Before even looking at a vacant suite, I would be looking at the fire protection systems. Sprinklers in each suite, in all hallways and in the exit stair cases. No sprinklers, I would not live there.
How high does a building have to be though before those outside fire escapes aren't allowed? In the case of the recent, horrible fire in London, would they have even helped? Such a horrible thing for those victims.
No I wasnt talking about high rise flats, I was more meaning the old tenements that we still have in Glasgow. maybe four storeys high.. why didnt they have stairs on the outside..
Cannot speak for anywhere else, but here in NYC the laws have been since 1960's (IIRC), that where there are interior fire staircases with closing doors on each floor, no fire escape is required. IIRC this applies to residential construction, commercial buildings long moved to indoor staircases. It just isn't possible to have a fire escapes on twenty or more story buildings.
Since 9/11/01 either by code or trend the new thing is interior fire stairs are under pressure. This is to prevent them from acting as chimneys conducting smoke and flames to other floors.
This speaks to one of main problems with internal fire stairwells. People use them to get between floors (which in NYC is illegal), and often do not close doors behind. If or when a fire happens people rush to the staircases but don't often close doors behind them, which defeats their purposes as again the things become chimneys.
That building did have a fire escape on the outside of the building, but the intense fire quickly destroyed it, before most could escape down it. After that, the trend in the US was to have additional concrete stairways inside the building. But some older buildings particularly in New York, still have the steel fire escapes on the outside of the building.
I have been fascinated with the Triangle fire since i first heard of it 30-some years ago.
The building on the left near the soccer field has two external fire escapes visible. It looks like it is 15 stories. The second building to the right of that one also has one fire escape on the side facing the alley.
Also the building on the right with the rooftop pool (12 stories) had a fire escape in the indented area facing the alley. I lived in one of the townhomes across the alley from it, facing Clark St. The fire escape was there when I lived there from 1964-1966, but in the meantime, it has probably been remodeled with interior concrete staircases.
OT... I also lived between the two fire-escape buildings on the left, but at the time it was a 3 story building, which was razed for the current structure in the 1970s.
Merely having fire alarms, sprinkler system, and fire pumps installed is only one part of the solution. The other part is regular testing of the equipment. Once a year we test the smoke alarms and perform an independent in depth testing of our sprinkler pumps. Additionally, we perform a weekly run test of our pumps. We also have a maintenance crew who inspect the automatic door closers on all emergency stairway doors to ensure they fully close. Too often building management makes cutbacks to building maintenance which results in large expensive repairs when problems pop up. Spending on maintenance, in the long run, actually saves money. We can spot a problem before it starts thus allowing time to get estimates and schedule a time for repairs instead of paying for an emergency repair on overtime and overnight rush pay. It also reduces the loss from a fire and allows for quick recovery.
A segment of society do not wish to have the government or government regulations.
It is up to the individual to choose where to live. It is up to the individual to check whether there are enough fire escapes or sprinkler systems.
The movement today in the USA is to remove "unnecessary" government regulations.
Who opposes fire exists? Some people can't wait to get on their soap box no matter the topic.
Funnily I was looking thru some old Glasgow photos and found this one of an office block from the 70s with one.. but never on tenement houses. http://i.imgur.com/GSLdsBV.jpg
50 years of "consumer protection." Companies are sued out of existence for not having the right decals on ladders but entire buildings are allowed to be death traps.
The building on the left near the soccer field has two external fire escapes visible. It looks like it is 15 stories. The second building to the right of that one also has one fire escape on the side facing the alley.
I wonder if there is a height beyond which fire escape stairs are not practical. Could the twin towers have had them?
Last edited by mensaguy; 07-27-2017 at 05:18 AM..
Reason: fixed quote tag
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