Hamilton, New Jersey, Nov. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High rise buildings possess several inherent and unavoidable design elements that put the occupants at a higher risk for injury or death when a fire occurs. The public and members of the media are invited to learn about fire safety and prevention and witness first-hand just how quickly a fire can spread during a residential fire burn demonstration on Thursday, November 10th at 12 p.m. at Philadelphia City Hall, 1400 John F Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia PA 19107 (Southeast Apron Side)
High-rises provide limited means of ingress and egress for both occupants and firefighters. With much of the building existing so far above grade, the height of windows makes them impractical to serve as emergency exits. The occupants are then forced to use a limited number of stairwells to reach a safe exit. These same stairwells are also being utilized by firefighters to access the fire. Firefighters must navigate the stairwells and spend an exorbitant amount of time and energy climbing the stairs while wearing heavy fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus and carrying hoses and equipment to the floor of the fire. The height of these buildings also makes getting the amount of water necessary to effectively fight the fire more difficult for firefighters. The ability of the occupants to self-evacuate must also be taken into consideration as many high-rise buildings are dedicated to housing senior citizens who may have limited mobility or require continuous supplemental oxygen.
On hand will be Councilmember Mark Squilla, 1st District City Council to educate the public on the need for fire sprinklers in all residential high rises in Philadelphia. In addition to Councilmember Squilla, fire sprinkler experts will on hand to answer all of your questions, in addition to members of the National Fire Sprinkler Association.
“We are happy to support our PenJerDel Chapter with this event, and look forward to seeing everyone at City Hall,” explained NFSA President Shane Ray. “Fire sprinklers buy time and time buys life, we will witness this together on November 10th “
David Kurasz, Director of the National Fire Sprinkler Association PenJerDel Chapter explains that people know how important smoke detectors are, but what they don’t realize is that they only serve as early warning signals, while fire sprinklers actively save property and lives.
“From the time the smoke detector sounds, you may only have 3-5 minutes to escape safely, particularly in more modern homes that are built with composite materials and filled with furniture and synthetic fabrics that burn faster and hotter,” explained Kurasz. “What we want people to see is how quickly a fire sprinkler can control and, in many cases, stop the fire before the fire company arrives. In fact, fire sprinklers can reduce the risk of dying in a fire by 80 percent and reduce property loss by 70 percent.”
Who: NFSA PenJerDel Chapter and UA Sprinkler Fitters Local 692
When: Thursday, November 10th, 12 pm
Where: Philadelphia City Hall (Southeast Apron)
1400 John F Kennedy Blvd
Philadelphia PA. 19107
On Site Contact: David Kurasz
Executive Director, NFSA PenJerDel Chapter
732-492-0707
The mission of the NFSA PenJerDel Chapter is to save lives and protect property by educating the public about fire safety, demonstrating the benefits and effectiveness of fire sprinklers in suppressing and reducing the impact of fires, and supporting fire-safe building codes and legislation. NFSA PenJerDel is a cooperative partnership advocating installation and proper care of fire sprinkler systems.
Vickie Pritchett National Fire Sprinkler Association 615-533-0305 pritchett@nfsa.org
