Since we are offering up various thoughts and theories on the general application of sprinklers ..... Regardless of how much egress time is allegedly available or occupant ability to respond or even construction materials & methods - there still is a fire in a building - Presuming we get everyone out safely and that eliminates the 'life safety need for sprinklers' will we then NOT call the fire department to respond??
Once there's a fire in a building there is another completely real life hazard in play - the responding emergency personnel. Some may enter the building and be very close to harm's way and others may respond and have ancillary functions - traffic control, EMS, crowds etc. Regardless of the specifics we can generally agree that a fire in a non-sprinklered building will be larger than the same fire in a sprinklered building. It's not always the fire but medical emergencies or trips & falls that create the threat of harm. The larger the fire the greater its duration and intensity - all of which increase exposure and life safety risk to responders. Personally I don't get behind the non-combustible and limited or low fuel load argument as a valid application of sprinkler omission. Maybe thats just my narrow focus or perhaps its because I've been to alot bigger fires in non-sprinklered buildings than sprinklered buildings. The closer you get to the gun - the bigger the bullet. Thanks & Happy New Year Dave P. Fireman first and always. _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
