I often think how sad it is,
That the world turns once each day. beyond today there are innumerable developments that
Like a clock that ticks off seconds,
Each tick a time that's passed away.
The spinning days take their toll,
In weathered face and graying hair.
And tomorrow brings a vacuum,
In place of one held dear.
No man's immune, Time is King!
You cannot stop that ticking.
You have a moment, then your gone,
The world, like speeding train, goes right on clicking.
But there's a way to win the game,
To live without a fear,
To pass thru life with no regrets.
To stand up straight when death is near.
Find a reason for your being,
Find a task that must be done.
Devote your life to something useful.
Then come what May, you'll have won.
In Patton Report No. 8 I described conditions that cause
an industrial conflagration. An industrial conflagration is a
major industrial fire. Since World War H buildings have
become so large, values at risk so great, and processes so
complex, that one fire in one building can equal the
devastation caused by most of the major urban
conflagrations of the 19th. century.
Further, I explained that the changes in industry which
increase the potential for loss have not been matched with
new techniques in fire protection. In effect, we are
currently protecting greatly advanced industries with
obsolete fire protection.
What, then, are the solutions? What new techniques of
protection are needed to cope with the situation?
Of course it is impossible to visualize all of the technical
developments in protection that have been thwarted in
past years. Only when the field of fire protection becomes
receptive to change and new ideas begin to emerge will we
see the full scope of fire science based on modern
technology.
However, for those who will look but a short distance
are ready and willing to be born. Here then, is a short
term outline for change that could be followed by far
greater innovations, presently unforeseeable.
1 — A SHIFT FROM REGULATORY TECHNIQUES TO
OWNER INTERESTS
Fire protection to date has been a regulatory matter.
Regulations and standards, usually developed by
committees, have been applied across the spectrum of
properties with little innovation or fitting of the cure to
the illness. It has been not unlike the Patent medicine
of old that supposedly cured all diseases of man,
regardless of the origin of the ills or die symptoms.
Such an approach is satisfactory (if it ever IS satisfactory)
only to a regulatory agency that can average its losses.
The new technology of fire protection will BEGIN when
industry equates loss control equal to, or greater than,
financial recovery for loss (insurance).
So long as industry accepts a regulatory concept of loss
control, as an adjunct to insurance, loss control will be
based on regulations. When industry demands loss
prevention specifically fitted to its own unique needs
(every plant has its own specific characteristics) then the
technique of custom design of fire protection will
develop.
Standardized solutions, based on tradition and loss
statistics and intended for universal application,
VIRTUALLY PROHIBIT INNOVATION OR
PROGRESS. Custom design, on the other hand, will bring
the freedom and initiative necessary to develop new
solutions to loss as needed by modern industry.
2 — A SHIFT FROM COMMITTEES TO TECHNOLOGY
Traditional solutions and cornmittee promulgated
regulations are increasingly inadequate. A fire technology
adequate to cope with modern industrial problems must
be developed if the rising fire losses are to be brought
under control.
Each industry has its own problems, whether it be
flammables in metal drums, whiskey in barrels, rolled
paper storage, vinyl chloride reactors, manufacture of
explosives, or a thousand others. These problems must be
broken down into measurable components, such as BTU
release per sq. ft. per minute, water density in GPM per
sq. ft. needed for control, safe operating temperatures and
pressures, safe storage configurations, chemical reaction
potentials, and other basic data from which economical
and reliable solutions can be developed.
Note that all of this boils down to industry wide interest,
co-operation, and research for control of losses. Industry
must INITIATE the shift toward technology, and MUST
NOT be diverted from innovations by the traditionalists.
3 — COMPOSITE PROTECTION
There are two broad facets of protection; mechanical
protection which is the province of regulatory
organizations; and the human element which is neglected
today.
The standards and the inspectors deal with construction,
sprinklers, water supplies and similar physical
characteristics of a plant. There has been relatively little
effort to evaluate, influence, and perfect human controls
to complement the mechanical. Yet, an ineffectual
corporate loss control program can adversely effect all
areas of fire protection including fire prevention, safe
operating procedures, sprinklers, water supplies, fire doors
and other mechanical protection, and fire fighting
operations.
Regulatory protection also concentrates on the internal
(private) protection with inadequate attention to the
public fire department's role in the industrial plant.
The concept of composite protection requires that ALL
facets of protection, human and mechanical, private and
public, be blended into one sensible practical approach for
control of losses.
4 — PROTECT THE IMPORTANT
Regulations and standards do not evaluate production
efficiency or the relative value of a facility to a
corporation. Standard inspection techniques often direct
the bulk of the fire protection expenditures toward the
older, less efficient plant, that does not have a major role
in the company's futureandustry oriented fire protection
must direct PRIMARY attention toward the most
important facilities and toward the greatest potential loss
to the corporation.
5 — PROCESS CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
There are many processes where the result of error can be
chemical detonation or a sudden potentially catastrophic
release of flammable vapor or gas. In such instances the
sprinkler piping or other conventional mechanical
protection system may be little more than a portion of
the projectiles that are scattered over a wide area.
Realistic protection, in such instances, means
PREVENTION OF THE UNDESIRABLE CONDITION
FROM DEVELOPING. Fire protection must move
beyond fire doors and fire pumps and include safe
methods of industrial process design.
6 — SHORT TERM DEVELOPMENTS AND
INNOVATIONS
The developments and innovations listed below could
come to fruition within the next five to ten years,
provided industry desires and supports such change.
a) A shift of emphasis from fire resistance in construction
(designing the building to withstand an extensive long
duration internal fire) to more reliable and more
economical systems of fire suppression.
b) Development of a wide variety of spray and fog
nozzles that will replace the conventional (sprinkler)
head.
c) Development of low cost fire suppression systems for
high rise buildings, hospitals, nursing homes,
educational facilities and similar properties. These
systems will use small piping and water supplies in the
100 to 300 GPM range.
d) Development of three dimensional suppression systems
(rather than "layouts" below the roof) for high rack
storage and similar properties.
e) Development of roof level automatically operated and
directed monitor nozzles (fog) in lieu of sprinklers for
protecting the high roof multi acre production
building.
f) Development of below floor level protection systems
for aircraft hangers (roof systems are obstructed by
aircraft wings).
g) Developments of systems that sense fire and other
hazardous conditions BEFORE they reach the
dangerous stage.
h) Shift from telegraphic central station operations to
radio transmission of coded alarm signals. This will
greatly expand the service area of a central station and
reduce the cost.
i) Shift from "fire alarm" and or "security alarm"
systems to complete industrial process supervision
INCLUDING, AMONG MANY OTHER ITEMS,
security and fire detection.
Use of water filled steel partitions with improved
structural stability and impact resistance in lieu of
masonry fire walls.
k) Greater use of water spray to protect openings in fire
walls where fire doors are not practical.
I) Development of small fire trucks for inside the
building use, with self contained oxygen supply.
m) A shift from an emphasis on fire extinguishers to an
emphasis on small hose (1" and 1-1/2") and small well
trained fire brigade.
n) Development of extremely large industrial parks
equipped with highly skilled, technically trained
emergency departments. These emergency
departments will be knowledgeable in preventing as
well as controlling all types of emergencies including
radio active contamination, theft, fire, etc.
7 — INDUSTRY AND TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
There are many associations through which all members
of a specific industry work for the common good. These
associations take on assignments pertinent to their
membership, but few come to grips with their industry's
fire problems, or related insurance needs. Certainly, none
has yet developed fire control programs of the scope and
in the manner recommended here.
There is an urgent, almost critical, need for industry to
concern itself with the fire problem, and one of the best
ways to undertake this task would be through the various
interested associations. I recommend such programs
include:
a) Complete research of industry fire experience to
determine causes of previous losses and areas where
research of solutions is needed. Also, this study should
determine if insurance premiums for members are
consistent with the loss ratios.
b) The problem areas uncovered in the survey should be
researched to find economical solutions.
c) Develop industry wide fire protection techniques,
programs and safeguards so that there will be a
reduced movement toward the inactment of legal
restrictions. (Associations usually keep abreast of
developments within the Federal and State
Governments in order to alert members of potential
laws or regulations that can effect them. However, fire
protection regulations are being developed at the
national level by regulatory agencies and often these
developments are undetected by the associations. An
interest should be taken in these matters.)
d) Work toward the replacement of many existing rigid,
and often unnecessarily costly, legal fire requirements,
with technical and practical solutions for loss.
e) Promote insurance programs that will be cognizant of
the industry's loss prevention efforts, and which will
offer adequate insurance to ALL members at a fair
price.
f) Offer individual loss prevention assistance and advice
to the members on a fee basis.
g) Develop mutual assistance agreements whereby all
members will help a fire damaged company meet sales
committments and find replacement equipment for a
speedy resumption of production.
INDUSTRIAL FIRE PROBLEMS WILL NOT BE
SOLVED UNTIL INDUSTRY ITSELF TAKES A DEEP
PERSONAL INTEREST IN THEM.
Richard M. Patton, Loss Control Consultant, 647 Colts
Neck Road, Freehold, New Jersey 07728 - Telephone No.
(201) 431-2752.