Recent web discussion got me thinking about the finer point of being an engineer for a fire department. One question posed over at Suburban Fire Development and First Due Questions challenges engineers to commit to the sprinkler, or the standpipe.
The scenario that was presented is as follows:
You are the engineer of a first arriving engine company at a confirmed working high rise fire. With flame blowing out the fifth floor apartment window your crew pulls the high rise pack and head up the stairs. As the engineer you are now faced with a choice. You can either connect the standpipe first giving water to that system, or you can connect to the sprinkler which can potentially keep the fire in check.
I feel that the standpipe should be charged first. If your crew is entering the building then they have no other source of water than that standpipe.
In short ,your crew is going to put the fire out so they need the water.
On a recent trip to New York city I had a chance to take the attached picture which adds insight into this issue. The sprinkler connection that is shown has a placard indicating where in the building the sprinkler system is located.
Can you imaging wasting time on a sprinkler system that doesn't even cover the area of the building with fire?
