theLATEST ISSUE 1 2015 Reason 11 to prevent being painted over but the wrap never removed Cannon says he hasn t come across foil covered sprinklers but has seen sprinkler heads encased in plastic bags with the edges permanently attached with paint Sprinkler issues such as these are unfortu nately common Explosions Those in attendance today are from around the region and consist of paid and volunteer firefighters veterans rookies and interns and fire marshals and fire prevention spe cialists Smith and Vincent were able to see the research campus in different phases of development On my first tour it was mostly woods and the burn lab The dust lab was there but the bunker hadn t been built yet so I wasn t able to see a dust explosion until my second tour says Vincent Smith adds This time around we were able to see the hurricane and earthquake demonstrations It s pretty impressive to see the extent of the test ing facilities and FM Global s dedication The dust lab Vincent mentions is where different combinations and concentrations of various dusts and powders are tested for their combustion thresholds in an attempt to reduce exposure and improve explosion protec tion systems Dust created from such things as sugar spice tobacco and sawdust can be combustible under the right conditions and understanding these conditions is the first step in prevention Even materials that are not combustible in solid form such as aluminum can explode under the right conditions when in dust form Today firefighters witness the speed and force of a sample dust explosion taking place inside an outdoor dust bunker And as firefighters and contractors know all too well what is left idle at a work site can be as dangerous as what is in use For example oil soaked rags are a sponta neous combustion hazard An uninformed construction worker boxing up used oily rags in an attempt to tidy the work area can unintentionally start a fire In Smith s 27 years on the job he s seen at least a dozen of these situations We can educate our resi dents but sometimes outside contractors just don t know he says We see it in both com mercial and in residential buildings Under standing the cause and effects of explosions can aid fire investigators in determining the cause of fire as well as in prevention plan ning for facilities working with combustible materials Paying It Forward The visitors all agree that these fire service days are a valuable resource We share what we learn here with the members of our department says Vincent from what they can expect to how things work Smith adds We re able to gauge where we can improve and where we might be on the mark It s cutting edge technology that s a precursor to what s coming and we re familiar with it by the time it crosses our desks The day concludes with Christian Frezza fire inspector for Manchester Con necticut Fire Rescue EMS and Jennings brainstorming an idea they had They want to create an awareness program for high school students preparing for college dorm life and need assistance putting their plan to motion Today s fire prevention awareness in schools is geared toward the early grades says Jennings we need to improve that Frezza agrees adding that his organization plans to apply for an FM Global fire preven tion grant There is a major gap here and the majority of college students have no idea what to watch for or what to do in the event of a fire These fire service days have a way of adding momentum to the goals of fire pre vention officials In turn the officials rein force FM Global s desire to keep their doors open to the fire prevention community

Hinweis: Dies ist eine maschinenlesbare No-Flash Ansicht.
Klicken Sie hier um zur Online-Version zu gelangen.