<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d37738917\x26blogName\x3dFind+Fire+Sprinkler+Installers\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dSILVER\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://firesprinklerinstallers.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://firesprinklerinstallers.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d4737112296377373546', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>

The Smart Way to Find a Fire Sprinkler Contractor

History of Fire Sprinklers

Saturday

Sprinklers were invented by an American, Henry S. Parmalee, in 1874 to protect his piano factory.

Until the 40s and 50s, sprinklers were installed for the protection of commercial buildings, like warehouses and factories. Insurance savings, which could pay back the cost of the system in a few years time, was a incentive.

Following fires with large losses of life, such as the Coconut Grove Nightclub in Boston, LaSalle Hotel in Chicago, and the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, fire officials searched for a way to provide protection for the occupants of any building. They found that factories and other buildings equipped with automatic sprinklers had an amazingly good safety record compared to similar buildings without sprinklers.

Building codes over the past 2 decades have called for sprinklers throughout buildings for safety. Where the building codes don't go far enough, many cities and states have enacted tougher sprinkler ordinances. West Virginia, for example, requires sprinklers throughout all new buildings exceeding 40 feet. Oak Brook, Illinois, requires sprinklers throughout all new buildings exceeding 1,000 square feet in area except single-family dwellings. Some communities, such as San Clemente, California, and Greenburgh, New York, require fire sprinkler protection even in new single-family homes.

In addition to requiring sprinklers throughout new buildings, some cities have encouraged sprinkler installation in existing buildings. These include New York City's landmark Local Law 5 for high-rise office buildings, and a Chicago ordinance requiring sprinklers throughout all nursing homes. High-rise hotels have been required to retrofit with fire sprinklers in the states of Nevada and Florida, and in the city of Honolulu, Hawaii.

Automatic fire sprinklers are individually heat-activated, and tied into a network of piping with water under pressure. When the heat of a fire raises the sprinkler temperature to its operating point (usually 165 degrees), a solder link will melt or a liquid-filled glass bulb will shatter to open that single sprinkler, releasing water directly over the source of the heat.

Sprinklers operate automatically in the area of fire origin, preventing a fire from growing undetected to a dangerous size, while simultaneously sounding an alarm. Automatic fire sprinklers keep fires small. The majority of fires in sprinklered buildings are handled by one or two sprinklers.

Sprinklers prevent the fast developing fires of intense heat which are capable of trapping and killing dozens of building occupants. Proper design and installation of sprinkler systems is standardized nationally in a consensus standard promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association - NFPA 13.

Aside from fire fighting and explosion fatalities, there has never been a multiple loss of life in a fully sprinklered building due to fire or smoke. Individual lives have been lost when the victim or his clothing or immediate surroundings became the source of the fire.

A National Fire Protection Association study for the years 1971-1975 found that approximately 20 lives are lost each year in this country in sprinklered buildings, as compared to approximately 4,000 per year in unsprinklered buildings.

technorati tags:
source - nfsa
posted by ConstructionDeal.com, 3:28 PM | link | 0 comments |

Fire Safety Tips - Cooking Safety

Tuesday

Cooking Safety Tips

* Always use cooking equipment tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.

* Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended, and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.

* Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (e.g. potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging).

* Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of three feet (1 meter) around the stove. Keep pets from underfoot so you do not trip while cooking. Also, keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto burner.

* Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.

* Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt is heated.

* Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small fire starts in a pan on the stove, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire and never discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire.

* If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing.

* If there is a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Call the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again. Food cooked in a microwave can be dangerously hot. Remove the lids or other coverings from microwaved food carefully to prevent steam burns.

If you need further protection for your home and family, consider installing fire sprinklers in your home. Talk with a local fire sprinkler system installer today.

source - nfpa

technorati tags:
posted by ConstructionDeal.com, 2:45 PM | link | 0 comments |

Cooking Fire Safety

Saturday

Cooking fires are the number one cause of residential fires and injuries. Most cooking equipment fires start with the ignition of common household items (food or grease, cabinets, wall coverings, paper or plastic bags, curtains, and more)

Cooking Safety Facts *

* Between 1999-2002, there were 114,000 reported home fires associated with cooking equipment every year, resulting in an annual 290 deaths and 4,380 injuries.

* Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.

* 3 in 10 reported house fires started in the kitchen -- more than any other place in the home.

* 2 out of 3 reported cooking fires started at the range or stove.

* Electric ranges or stoves have a higher risk of fires, injuries and property damage, compared to gas ranges or stoves, but gas ranges or stoves have a higher risk of fire deaths.

If you'd like to talk with a local residential fire sprinkler installer, post your project today with ConstructionDeal.com. It's fast, free, and easy and you're under no obligation to hire any of the professionals in our network.

Source: NFPA's "Home Cooking Fire Patterns and Trends" report by NFPA's John R. Hall, Jr.

technorati tags:
posted by ConstructionDeal.com, 2:41 PM | link | 0 comments |