LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Safety comes first
I hold exception to the comments made by James B. Gargan in “Shame on insurance companies” (Letters to the Editor, May 1994). First of all, many insurers in North Carolina, as well as the entire United States, offer fairly substantial credits for fire (sprinkler) and burglar alarm systems. But, more importantly, the comment, “Lots of luck; there are no incentives,” to those who have fought for domestic fire systems is absurd. The primary focus is and always should be the preservation of life and property. Safety is the prime concern here, not insurance premiums.
Those who have fought for installation of sprinkler systems, both commercial and domestic, have done so for the sake of saving lives (the true benefit), not insurance premiums. Their efforts are valiant—not wasted.
Jon A. Jensen, AAI
Corrcll Insurance Group Gaffney. South Carolina
I am compelled to comment on the letter by James B. Gargan in the May 1994 issue. 1 can understand the shame directed at the insurance companies for not factoring in the excellent track record of residential fire sprinklers when they calculate the premiums for their personal line policies. 1 don’t like it that the insurance companies don’t give much of a break for sprinklers either; however. I’ve come to expect that type of behavior from a profit-driven business. Insurance companies exist because they make a profit, not because they encourage a fire-safe home environment.
Gargan states that he has spent his “entire life associated with fire/rescue.” He then makes the statement, “…if I had it to do over again, 1 would purchase a few smoke detectors tor $10 apiece, get out of the house, and let it burn —having insured it to the hilt, of course!”
Shame on him. He either forgot or is not even aware of the real reason for sprinkler installation. Sprinklers arc installed to protect people and property. 24 hours a day. I’ve carried from burned homes the charred bodies of those who probably felt “they could get out of the house.” This mistaken belief has caused the deaths and burn injuries of humans (we “depersonalize” when calling them “victims”) who didn’t realize the swiftness and power of fire until it was too late.
Mr. Gargan should hold his head high. He is one of the few (but growing) members of the fire family who have voluntarily taken the extra effort to provide the best fire protection currently available. Forget about “victimization” at the hands of the insurance companies. He should be proud of what he has accomplished. God forbid that he should experience the awesome power of fire in his own home; but if he does, he should remember, as he cleans up the minor water damage, who really cares the most about what he values—family, guests, and irreplaceable property. He does, not the insurance company. And. when he looks back on what he was wise enough to protect, he’ll ask, “Wasn’t it worth it. even without the insurance company’s amortizing the cost?”
He was smart enough to put in the sprinkler system instead of some cosmetic upgrade. He should pat himself on the back and forget the insurance companies.
Ralph E. Crane
President
Fire FX. Inc. Murrieta, California
Brannigan has done it again
Francis L. Brannigan’s common-sense approach to the fire service extends beyond building construction (“Productivity Measurement,” Fire Commentary, May 1994). For years, 1 have shared his view on how unfair it is to measure a fire department’s productivity based on fire loss. Proactive fire departments target fire prevention (public education, preplanning. inspections, fire ordinances) as their number-one priority. This is supplemented by an increasing number of specialized emergencies (EMS. fire, haz mat. rescue, confined space, etc.), which require more and more training and safety (measures).
Brannigan offers alternatives showing fire departments as a productive force instead of a destructive machine, but our productivity will remain a by-product of fire loss as long as firefighters and fire managers remain passive and modest about our operations. Let’s show our customers and the “bean counters” that we are an economic revenue source by promoting our operations.
Javier Crespo
Lieutenant
Sugar Land (TX) Fire Department
Carbon dioxide needs time to do its job
“Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishing Systems” by Paul B. Cromer (June 1994) provides very valuable information to any fire department that has a responsibility for marine Firefighting. The article and diagrams detailing typical systems will assist in training our personnel on carbon dioxide system design and operation.
The article explains that carbon dioxide must be contained within a space to accumulate to a concentration necessary to extinguish a fire. Unfortunately, firefighters’ actions or inactions, such as those given below, have allowed carbon dioxide to escape before it can do its job.
- Failing to secure a space by closing doors, hatches, and vent dampers. Openings with damaged or missing dampers must be sealed by improvising covers. Any opening to a space issuing smoke will allow carbon dioxide gas to escape when the system is activated.
- Prematurely opening a space before temperature and oxygen concentration have diminished. Consequently, the fire reflashes, wasting the discharge of carbon dioxide. A machine space may have to remain closed for several hours. It may take days for carbon dioxide to extinguish a smoldering fire in a cargo hold filled with Class “A” materials.
Bill Gustin
Captain
Metro-Dade County (FL) Fire Department
Additives can maximize power of tank water
I thoroughly enjoyed Bill Gustin’s splendid article, “The Role of the Booster Tank in Structural Fire Attack” (July 1944). I would like to add a couple of thoughts, which are in no way meant to be critical of the article.
First, the officer of the first-due engine company received an alarm for an address he never heard of. Even if that address was in a new subdivision, surely he should have been aware of it if he was first due. Taxpayers assume that the fire department knows the names of their streets, and that shouldn’t be too much to expect.
Second, the article gave many excellent pros and cons for the officer to consider when deciding whether to make the initial attack with the water in the booster tank. 1 would like to add one more consideration: Does the tank contain plain water or water that has been treated with an additive that will often enable 500 gallons to do the same job as 1,000 or even 2,000 gallons of plain water?
With a number of excellent cost-effective additives on the market, 1 have trouble understanding why a majority of fire departments do not avail themselves of this fatigue-, stress-, property-, water-, and perhaps even life-saving procedure. And, of course, we have class A foam, which arguably is even more effective than standard additives.
With only three members on the engine, why not maximize the fire extinguishing power of tank water with an inexpensive additive? This might sometimes throw’ the balance in favor of tank water for a fast initial attack.
W. Fred Conway
Ex-Chief
New Albany, Indiana
Saluting the “unsung heroes”
I would like to express appreciation to George S. Gibby for his salute to the men and women of the fire service who give their time and talents to promote fire safety in “Will You Dare to Be an Unsung Hero?” (Fire Commentary, June 1994).
Our all-volunteer department has placed a strong emphasis on many kinds of fire prevention activities, and we know firsthand that it takes a lot of time and hard work to get the message to the public. We have a dedicated core of volunteers who present programs at our station, preschools and elementary and secondary schools, senior citizen centers, local parks, and nursing homes—anywhere we can find people willing to listen.
I agree with Gibby that often we cannot know those whom our work has saved, but we were recently given just such an opportunity when a third-grade student’s home caught fire while he and his brother were alone with a 13-year-old babysitter. After the incident, he told us he knew how to escape because of a presentation we gave at his elementary school. As the fire began to get out of control, the babysitter instructed the children to wait in their bedrooms while she called 911. The boy insisted everyone evacuate and call for help from a neighbor’s house. All four children escaped unharmed. This “save” is a pat on the back for fire prevention programs everywhere and for the people who work so hard to make them happen.
Glenn P. Jansen, Sr.
Assistant Chief
Dover Township (PA) Fire Department
I am a volunteer firefighter and recreational diver whose interest to learn more about water rescue was sparked by “‘Gating’ a Window to Save a Life,” by E. H. Chip Sunier III (June 1994).
Also, I really enjoyed George S. Gibby’s article in the same issue. It was a great piece of work that carried a heartfelt message to which I’m sure all “unsung heroes” can relate.
Ronald J. Smith, Jr.
Bradley, California
Awaits mandated minimum staffing levels
i would like to thank all the people fighting so hard on the minimum staffing issue, which we have been dealing with for some time now. Career firefighters in our department sadly are on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to minimum staffing levels.
In our city, our fire department responds initially to all fire and medical emergencies with only one person on its fire apparatus. “A garbage truck has more personnel than our fire engines” is an analogy heard around here. Yes, we run one-man engine companies. I cannot describe the feeling when you pull up to a working structure fire or a person suffering a cardiac arrest when you are all alone. But I can assure you that, especially when the person’s loved ones are expecting you to help them, it is a lonely feeling.
When we try to increase our staffing levels with more paid personnel, administrators just ignore our concerns. The fire service is such a rewarding career, but when you learn in training academies about teamwork and working in pairs to ensure safety, our fire department defies all concerns of teamwork by making us work alone because that is the city’s “management right.”
So, the career firefighters in Coos Bay, Oregon, commend all the courageous individuals working on the minimum staffing levels issue and hope some day a mandated minimum standard will be in effect for every fire department in the United States. If anybody can help us with our problem of one-man engine companies, please write to us at P.O. Box 1252, Coos Bay, OR 97420.
Tony Cordie
Firefighter/Engineer
Coos Bay (OR) Fire and Rescue Services
Order of the fire defense line
I would like to comment on the Table of Contents (June 1944). I found it interesting that the first listing referred to fixed fire suppression systems and agents as “our second line of fire defense.” A second line of fire defense would be the line of fire defense that comes next in time.
Interested by this, I turned to this section of the magazine and began reading. A paragraph in the article titled “Automatic Sprinklers Save Resources” recapped a fire at a large hotel. The author wrote: “On arrival, the Radnor Fire Company found that a small fire set in the storage area had been extinguished by a single sprinkler head of the structure’s automatic sprinkler system before the responders’ arrival.” The sprinkler system preceded the responders in time. This is true in most cases when properly maintained fixed fire suppression systems are involved, making fixed fire suppression systems our first line of fire defense, not our second.
Michael D. Masters
Fire Protection Engineer
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Knoxville, Tennessee
Bill Manning responds: I’m pleased that you read the Table of Contents so carefully. Fire prevention is our first line of defense, followed chronologically by fire protection systems (second) and manned suppression (third). Unfortunately, in too many places, the first and second lines of defense are underdeveloped, paving the way for the possibility that with so many variables in the manual suppression mix, we may be left with no choice but the “fourth line” of defense: Let Nature take its course and the fire consume all the fuel.
