General Merchandise Warehouse Fire, New Orleans, Louisiana

After reading the General Merchandise Warehouse Fire, New Orleans, Louisiana case study on page 209 of your textbook, respond to the following questions.

During your yearly inspection as an inspector, you noticed that an existing warehouse is now storing commodities that were not originally there when it was built and designed, which have increased the fire load substantially. What are some of the options and/or recommendations that you would require to make the fire protection system adequate for controlling a fire for these new high hazard commodities? How can increasing the fire load influence the water supply needs?

“When you look at this question consider not only the fuel arrangement but also the overall fuel being stored. Systems are designed for specific hazards. This could over tax the system if the loading is to great. How would you address this issue? Consider the information on the hydraulic plate.”

(Case Study on p. 209 of textbook)

© A. Maurice Jones, Jr./Jones & Bartlett Learning

On March 21, 1996, between 5:00 and 5:30 AM, an individual started a malicious fire in a 21-foot-high portable storage rack stocked with plastic lawn chairs and wicker baskets at a 1.1 million-square-foot storage warehouse in New Orleans, Louisiana. By the time the first engines arrived, the ceiling-level sprinkler system had activated but failed to control or extinguish the fire because the clearance between the sprinkler system and the top of the portable racks in the fire area was approximately 51 feet—a distance too great for adequate water application. Although many of the racks in the facility had in-rack sprinkler protection, the rack where the fire originated and the surrounding portable racks did not.

Within 5½ hours of the initial alarm, fire fighters gained control and extinguished the fire via an interior attack. Once the fire was extinguished, all of the system control valves for the 30 overhead fire sprinkler systems and 17 in-rack sprinkler systems were shut down, as well as the electrical power to the facility. However, approximately 2½ hours after the fire was extinguished, the power was restored to parts of the facility and damaged wiring started a second fire. Upon discovering the new fire, warehouse personnel started opening the sprinkler system control valves, but it was too late and the fire had already overwhelmed the facility’s fire protection systems. The second fire took 6 days to control, destroying the majority of the building and its contents.

These fires illustrate two of the common factors necessary for fire sprinkler system success: (1) the fire sprinkler system must be adequately designed and installed for the hazard, and (2) the fire sprinkler system must be in service and ready to operate.

1. The lack of an in-rack fire sprinkler system at and around the rack of fire origin played a major role in the rapid development of this fire. Based on the conditions, storage arrangement, and fire load described, what could have and should have been done to address the overall situation at this facility to manage or prevent this incident?

2. What precautions should have been taken and what procedures should have been in place before the power was restored to the building?

Source:

National Fire Protection Association, Fire Investigation Report, Warehouse Fire New Orleans, Louisiana, March 21, 1996 (Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 1996).

Flames: © Jag_cz/ShutterStock, Inc.; Steel texture: © Sharpshot/Dreamstime.com; Paper: © silver-john/Shutterstock, Inc.

Textbook resource: (Jr., A.M. J. (2015). Fire Protection Systems, 2nd Edition.) Chapter 7-8 both attached.

Chapter 7: Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems

Fed by a reliable automatic water supply, an automatic fire sprinkler system is a network of underground and overhead piping with sprinkler heads that connect to the overhead piping at specific intervals. Upon activation an automatic fire sprinkler system applies water over the fire area. Although simple in concept, automatic fire sprinkler systems require application of engineering principles to accomplish the primary goal: control of a fire. For well over 100 years, properly designed, installed, inspected, tested, and maintained automatic fire sprinkler systems have protected property and provided life safety with unmatched success. However, many people tend to become anxious and uncomfortable with the thought of fire sprinklers because they believe many of the myths associated with these systems. Movies, television programs, and product commercials incorrectly show every sprinkler head simultaneously activating and flooding an entire area or building. Broadcasts propagate misinformation and far too many people believe common myths. Dispelling the myths takes data and knowledge of how these systems operate.

Chapter 8: Specialized Water-Based Fire Protection Systems

In this chapter, the discussion shifts focus to the other types of water-based fire sprinkler systems typically used to protect special hazards. They are low-, medium-, and high-expansion foam systems, water spray fixed systems, foam-water sprinkler and foam-water spray systems, and water mist systems.

These systems provide protection to hazards where the automatic fire sprinkler systems discussed in the previous chapter would not be a) appropriate for the conditions and applications, b) where there is a need for a supplemental or different suppression agent, or c) the method of application requires specialized equipment and components

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