Columns

NFPA Journal®, July/August 2005

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Perfect application
I am writing in response to the article on directional exit sound in the May/June 2005 NFPA Journal.

In May 2001, I attended the NFPA World Fire Safety Conference and Exposition® in Anaheim, California. The most significant experience for me was attending the workshop on directional sound and…[participating] in the demonstration at a nearby empty building. It seemed like there weren't many people taking part, and I imagine that few are aware of the research and potential impact of this technology. My reaction to the demonstration was that this is a technology that needs to be developed and implemented as a standard life safety feature.

Based on my 34 years in the fire service, with 11 of those years in fire prevention, I found the potential benefits from directional sound to be a major improvement in safety for specific applications. When buildings are large, exit routes are complex, or occupants are not familiar with the building, this can make a real difference.

I was particularly impressed with applications in cruise ships, where exit locations and travel routes are not intuitive.

Two days before reading this article, I watched the story of the Norwegian Star ferry fire on the National Geographic Channel and I thought that having directional sound for exiting could have made a difference for some victims. The application for aircraft evacuation is also impressive.

When stories of large-life loss fire are reported, I always consider whether directional sound could have helped more people escape. As I read the article “A City Within a City” in the same issue, it struck me that directional exit sounds are perfectly applicable. Anyone who has visited large casinos will know that it is easy to get in but the way out is not always obvious.

Even though suppression systems may control the fire, often the building still needs to be evacuated. The confidence of moving toward an exit prevents panic.

My hope in writing this is to attest to my experience in the hope that others in the fire service see the potential for directional exit sound and support its development as a standard for life safety.

Dean K. Redman
Chief of Department
City of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Fire Department

NFPA responds:
We agree that it would seem like a perfect fit for the technology, however, as the author Daniel J. O’Connor points out “However, directional sound may not be of great use in all occupancy types. For example, hospitals may not benefit significantly from directional sound because hospital evacuation training relies on the staff to implement protect-in-place or relocation procedures before evacuating patients. In addition, required fire drills typically keep hospital staff well acquainted with the locations of exits and refuge areas.”

Significant part of the problem
A recent NFPA Journal “In a Flash!” news item, (“Cooking Fires are a Continuous Problem,” March/April 2005), cited two studies, which confirms the fact that cooking fires are indeed a significant part of the overall fire problem in the United States.

As a fire marshal in a medium-sized city in Michigan, I urge other fire prevention professionals across the country and NFPA to support rigorous standard and model code changes that would require Type I hoods, ductwork, and an approved, wet-chemical kitchen fire suppression system be installed in all newly constructed residential occupancies in the United States.

If we in the fire prevention community are finding it difficult to modify the behavior of our citizen cooking population, then it's time to mandate changes that will significantly reduce the injuries and property damage associated with cooking fires in the residential arena. No longer should kitchen fire safety be something that's “not on the menu.”

Andrew Gurka
Fire Marshal
Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Fire Department

NFPA responds:
Here’s some additional information. Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Most cooking equipment fires start with the ignition of common household items (e.g., food or grease, cabinets, wall coverings, paper or plastic bags, curtains, etc.).

In 2001, there were 117,100 reported home structure fires associated with cooking equipment, resulting in 370 deaths, 4,290 injuries and $453 million in direct property damage.

For more information on NFPA’s Home Cooking Fire Patterns and Trends, January 2005, go to NFPA's fact sheet on cooking fires.

In this Section:

			Buzzwords Importance of testing and maintaining

			Firewatch Fire damages school

			First Word Saving firefighters’ lives

			Heads Up Installing sprinkler systems on campus

			In Compliance Codes include referenced publications

			Just Ask NFPA 150: Metamorphosis

			Mail Call Letters to the editor

			Outreach Solving the car seat adjustment puzzle

			Structural Ops NFPA 1561 provides IMS guidance

			What's Hot Product spotlight