U.S. Experience -High-Rise Building Fires

Codes and StandardsCodes and Standardsfor a Safer Worldfor a Safer World

High-Rise Fires

What makes them differentHistorical high-rise firesChallengesSolutionsCurrent activities

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

LIFE SAFETY CODENFPA 101

March 25 ,1911

141 Men and Girls Die in Waist Factory

Fire; Trapped High Up in Washington

Place Building; Street Strewn with

Bodies; Piles of Dead Inside

New York Times, March 26, 1911, p. 1.

ORIGIN of the LIFE SAFETY CODE

1912: Pamphlet “Exit Drills in Factories, Schools, Department Stores and Theaters”.1913: Committee on Safety to Life Appointed.First Few Years of Existence Studied Significant Fires Dealing with Loss of Life.

1916: Pamphlet “Outside Stairs for Fire Exits”1918: Pamphlet “Safeguarding Factory Workers from Fire”1921: Committee enlarged to include interest groups1927: 1st Edition of “Building Exits Code”

ORIGIN of the LIFE SAFETY CODE

Coconut Grove Fire (1942) and other significant life loss fires raised awareness of adequate exits and fire safety.1948: Work started to rework the Code to mandatory language.1963: Committee reconstructed.1966: Code name changed to “Code for Safety to Life from Fire in Buildings and Structures”.

ORIGIN of the LIFE SAFETY CODE

Fire Escape Stairs

What makes a High-Rise different?

Fires on floors within reach of aerial apparatus

• Fixed Window to ensure heating & cooling

• Time taken by Fire spread is comparatively less resulting in less time for evacuation and First responder.

• Fires beyond the reach of aerial apparatus

What makes a High-Rise different?

Fires beyond the reach of aerial apparatus

The High Rise Challenge

Life Safety (Evacuation)

Extinguishment

Property Conservation

Evacuation Strategies

Managed Sequence Unmanaged Sequence

No Evacuation No movement-remain in place upon direction

No movement-remain in place per prior instruction

Partial Evacuation Managed or controlled partial evacuation-In building relocation on same floor-In building relocation to different floors-Occupants of some floors leave building

Unmanaged or uncontrolled partial evacuation

Total Evacuation Managed or controlled total evacuation

Unmanaged or uncontrolled total evacuation

Historical Fires

Non-Sprinklered

Delayed alarms

Large fire areas

Standpipe problems

MGM Grand Hotel – Las Vegas, NV11/21/1980

85 Fatalities

IgnitionElectrical Short CircuitContributing FactorsCombustible Interior FinishSmoke Spread – stairs, shafts and chasesAlarm MalfunctionLack of Sprinklers

MGM Grand Hotel – Las Vegas, NV11/21/1980

21 story hotel and casino 3400 occupants at time the fire occurred85 fatalities 61 in tower 25 in rooms 22 in hallways9 in stairs 5 in elevators 1 jumper 18 in casino5 unknown (moved)Fire began in small restaurant in pie caseFlame front through casino floor and out main entranceRapid flame/smoke development on casino level (available fuels)Smoke spread through stairs and exits corridorsLack of fire barriersLack of extinguishment in incipient stageUnprotected vertical openingSubstandard enclosure or interior stair/smoke proof towers/exit passagewaysDistribution of smoke through HVAC systemsSmoke in elevator shafts

First Interstate BankLos Angeles, CA

5/4/88

Building security and maintenance personnel delayed notifying Fire Department for 15 minutes after first evidence of fire.

Smoke detectors on several floors had been activated and reset a number of times before reporting to Fire Department.

A maintenance employee died while trying to investigate source of alarms prior to calling Fire Department.

Partially Sprinklered

First Interstate Bank Los Angeles, CA5/4/88

• 62 Story Building

• 17,000 square foot per floor

• Fire on 12th floor spreads to 16th floor before being extinguished.

• Fire occurred when only maintenance and security people were present-after normal work hours.

• Think about how many people could be in a building like this during normal working hours.

• NFPA 101 for office space = 1 person/100 sq. ft. or 170 per floor for 51 floors 8925 people

Partially Sprinklered

Meridian Plaza 3 Firefighter Fatalities

2/23/91

Building employees did not call the fire department when the alarm was activated. An employee investigating was trapped when the

elevator opened on the fire floor and was rescued when personnel on the ground level

activated the manual recall.

The Fire Department was not called until the employee had been rescued.

Delayed Alarm

Meridian Plaza

Partially Sprinklered

Fire Destroys 8 floorsBefore being extinguished

By 10 sprinklers on 30th floor

Big Problems with

Standpipe

High Rise Building Safety Advisory Committee

Reports to NFPA’s Standards CouncilNot an NFPA Technical Committee Develop action items for • NFPA Technical Committees• Standards Council• Public education and training efforts• Research• NFPA membership sections

Positions secured through letter ballot

High Rise Building Safety Advisory Committee

NFPA funded activityIdentify high rise safety issues and help focus discussion Aid in implementation of NIST (WTC) recommendations Provide measured, capable, intelligent responses

Elevators for Occupant Evacuation

Prior to phase I Emergency RecallElevators not credited for satisfying number, capacity or arrangement of means of egressEvacuation plan incorporating elevatorsElevator signageAdditional conditions to be satisfied

Elevators for First Responders

Elevator for use by first responders in buildings over 120 ft. in heightAwaiting ASME A17 task group hazard assessment and recommendation

Fire Department Communications in High Rise Buildings

In-building radio system specification addressing coverage, amplification, testing and inspection

NFPA 72 – 2010 Edition

Directional Sounders reduce evacuation time

Incident Commander for First Responders

Mass Notification

NFPA 72 – 2010 Edition –Directional Sound

Sounders sound Voice Evacuation

Public startto evacuate…

% Successful Evacuation

Fire Alarm Activated

The Missing Link-“Directional Sound”

Delay in evacuationDue to unwanted alarmscreating public apathy

Which way to go?

Incident Commander – NFPA 72

Revolutionary navigation tool for firefighters and emergency responders

A touch screen PC that displays critical information:

• Origin of a fire

• Spread of a fire

Wayfinding Incident CommanderWhere you are

Best route to destination

Recognizing the destination

Finding your way back

Graphically displays active fire alarm devices and potential hazards

Floor View

Building ViewCampus View

3D View

Enroute display

Smoke migration

Mass Notification and NFPA Code

Amendments to NFPA 72, 2007 Edition first allowed:• Fire alarm systems can be part of MNS • Mass notification to override a fire alarm

messageNFPA 72, 2010 edition – Emergency Communication Systems• Chapter 6 voice related sections moved to NEW

Chapter 12 including:Firefighters telephonesIn-Building firefighters communications

Mass Notification and NFPA Code

New Chapter 12• Emergency Communication Systems (ECS)• Connection of PA systems, fire paging and

other paging to ECS• Means for first responders to alert occupants

UL 2572• Standard for Control and Communication

Units For Mass Notification Systems

The Future?

At least we are learning from the past....

Or maybe not……

Before

After

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Contact Information:NFPA1 Batterymarch ParkQuincy, MA USA 02169-7471Website: www.nfpa.orgPhone: 01-617-770-3000Fax: 01-617-984-7110 R