By Mat Chibbaro
Firefighters quickly learn on the job that buildings and the features they contain can either help or hinder them. Fireground operations may be enhanced or constrained by numerous factors, including the manner in which fire hydrants are located and fire apparatus access is arranged, standpipe systems are designed, annunciators are organized, and rooms and floors are designated. Hazardous features can expose firefighters to injuries or even death if not properly protected, as in the case of Denver (CO) Fire Department Firefighter John Whelan, who tragically died in July 2015 after falling through a skylight in June of that year. (http://bit.ly/2fdZjRb)
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| Stakeholder communication must include emergency responders. (Diagram courtesy of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.) |
Much can be done to limit these hazards, protect against them, and ensure that building features and protection systems facilitate firefighting operations. Following are several important factors design professionals and code officials should consider. Design professionals and code officials should work with the fire service to understand the challenges firefighters face and how they interact with building features and systems (Figure 1). When fire departments’ equipment, apparatus, and standard operating procedures are considered during the building design and approval processes, fire operations can be streamlined. This communication process would ideally start even before design and continue through building approval, occupancy, and use.
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| (1) Firefighters on a site visit to a new building are learning about its protection features and systems. (Photos by author.) |
Collaborative Preincident Planning
Firefighters’ workplaces may include any building in their response area. Many reports of firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) cite nonexistent or incomplete preincident planning as factors in the incident outcomes. Designers and code officials can contribute to this planning process by taking steps such as providing design information to firefighters; sharing plans of the building and its protection systems; and involving firefighters in acceptance testing, demonstrations, and site visits (photo 1.) Among the areas in which fire department input should be considered are the following.
- Apparatus access and maneuverability. With proper input from firefighters to building designers, fire apparatus will be able to approach a scene, access a building, and maneuver into position efficiently. Consider aspects such as apparatus size and capabilities; access dimensions; access arrangement; the ground material used; obstructions to the use of aerial and portable ladders (photo 2); site security features; and water supply capacity, distribution, and hydrants.
- Building entry and setup. The more efficiently firefighters can enter a building and set up their equipment, the faster they can mitigate the emergency and the more likely they will be able to keep themselves and any remaining occupants safe. Consider key box installation, entry point location and access, stair signage and arrangement, elevator features, sensible floor and room numbering, utility marking and access, proper standpipe system design (photo 3), and desired location of fire department connections.
- Accurate information delivery. Information available on a fireground can be incomplete, inaccurate, erroneous, and even conflicting. Decisions must often be made without a full picture of the extent of the fire, the materials involved, in which directions smoke is spreading, the locations of remaining occupants, and other important factors. Any improvements the designers and code officials can make to increase the accuracy of this information and speed its delivery to responding and on-scene firefighters will improve responders’ safety and increase the chance that the incident has a successful conclusion. These improvements may pertain to the following areas: fire alarm reporting; zone arrangement; alarm annunciation; building hazard and contents information; condition of the building structure; and occupant number, condition, and location. If the building has a fire command center, ensure appropriate size, location, access, and protection from fire and extreme weather events.
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| (2) Ladder access is severely restricted by wiring and lights strung across a roadway. |
- Communication. Inadequate communication is another issue that often is cited in reports covering firefighter LODDs and injuries. Certain building infrastructure features can enhance firefighter communication. One such feature is a fire service telephone communication system. However, because of their limitations and fire departments’ preference to use their own radios, radio signal enhancement systems are becoming more prevalent. These systems can involve mobile signal boosters and in-building enhancements (Figure 2), or both.
- New technology. Technological advances can be a hindrance or a help to firefighters. For example, photovoltaic systems and rooftop gardens (photo 4) can impede firefighter access, complicate ventilation, and introduce hazards. Conversely, relatively new systems such as firefighter breathing air systems can simplify operations-but only if they are designed and approved with adequate consideration, installed carefully, and maintained according to schedule. Technological improvements for firefighter tracking and predicting fire/smoke movement are likely in the future.
- Impairment programs. To make good decisions and operate safely in and around a building, firefighters must know about varying conditions or features, preferably before changes are made. The revisions may pertain to renovations, occupancy, processes, materials, and fire protection systems. When systems must be removed from service (such as for renovations or repair), impairment programs that keep responders informed help them plan for appropriate actions during outages. For example, rather than wasting time connecting to an out-of-service fire department standpipe connection, firefighters can use an ordinary standpipe hose connection as an inlet.
OSHA Manual
A recently revised resource to help stakeholders work together is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration free manual Fire Service Features of Buildings and Fire Protection Systems. It provides the framework that facilitates collaboration among design professionals, code officials, and the fire service to help keep firefighters safe. It contains more detailed information on the concepts mentioned in this article as well as additional information.
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| This is an example of a radio signal enhancement system. (Diagram courtesy of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.) |
Originally published in 2006, the manual was completely updated and expanded in 2015. Additions include new chapters on water supply and building phases (including construction, use, and demolition), new sections on energy conservation and emergency power, and the numbering of rooms and floors. Photos help clarify the manual’s concepts, and considerations in each chapter are summarized for quick reference or to serve as checklists for designers and code officials.
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| (3) Firefighters train in how to set up a hoseline from a stairway standpipe. Coordinating standpipe design with fire service nozzle types, hose sizes, and operating procedures is critical. |
Numerous technical reviewers with building and fire service experience helped make the manual timely and comprehensive. Reviewer Stephen Kerber, P.E., director of the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute and a former chief officer, describes the manual as “a great resource that puts the fire service and fire protection professionals on the same page to ensure the safest building for all potential occupants from design to emergency response.” Reviewer Ivan J. Humberson, P.E., fire marshal of the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and a former firefighter, characterizes the manual as “a very well-done and thorough publication.”
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| (4) A rooftop garden with access pathways to facilitate access and ventilation. |
Remember that none of the voluntary considerations in OSHA’s manual are substitutes for local, regional, state, or federal requirements or preferences. Use the document as a companion to mandatory requirements promulgated by all government agencies. The manual is available in pdf, eBook, and mobile application formats. Links are available on OSHA’s Fire Safety page: www.osha.gov/SLTC/firesafety in the “Highlights” box.
MAT CHIBBARO is the deputy fire marshal for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He authored the manual discussed in this article while working for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration National Office in Washington, D.C. He is a licensed professional fire protection engineer in California and Maryland, has 35 years of experience in fire code application and enforcement, and has served 42 years in the fire and rescue service (primarily with the College Park Volunteer Fire Department in Prince Georges County, Maryland).
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