Fire Prevention &

Safety
University Libraries

July 17, 2003

Environmental Health & Safety Fire Prevention &
Safety
Steve Sellie
Inspection, Testing & Maintenance
of Water Based Fire Protection
Systems

Mike Drosky
Inspection, Testing & Maintenance
of Electric Life Safety Equipment
and Systems.
Environmental Health & Safety Fire Prevention &
Safety

Student Assistants
Trained student assistants
responsible for inspection and
maintenance of more than
3,000 portable fire
extinguishers.
 POP quiz

TRUE or FALSE?
Fahrenheit 451 – the temperature
at which book paper catches fire,
and burns . . .
 Fire Prevention & Safety

Classroom MS PowerPoint! Presentation

Fires in Libraries

Fire Prevention

UAlbany Buildings & Fire Safety

Portable Fire Extinguishers

National Fire Protection Association Video

“Fire Extinguishers: Fight or Flight?”

“Hands On” Portable Fire Extinguishers

Fires in Libraries
 Fires In Libraries

Megalé Bibliotheke, Alexandria,

Egypt
48 B.C.
 Fires In Libraries

Opened October 2002

$230 million
240,000 volumes
Planetarium, Museums

Bibliotheca Alexandria
March 2003
 Fires In Libraries

Fire in March 2003

Cause: Electrical Short, Office Floor
Extinguished in 45 minutes by Fire Dept.
29 Injuries due to smoke inhalation.

Bibliotheca Alexandria

March 2003
Fires In Libraries

LOST
2/3 of 55,000 Volume
Jefferson Collection

Library of Congress fire

1851
Fires In Libraries

Cause: Electrical
Problems:
Failure of alarm system to activate.
Failure to maintain electrical equipment.
Defective fire sprinkler system.
Multiple fire hazards at the Library of Congress
pose a "serious potential threat" to human life and
to the valuable Library collections, according to a
report issued by the congressional Office of
Compliance.

Library of Congress fire

April 30, 1999
 Fires In Libraries

New York State Library

LOST
400,000 books
270,000 manuscripts

New York State Capital Fire

March 29, 1911

 Fires in Libraries

300 Rare Law Books Damaged

NATHAN FRANCIS/Yale Daily News

Bob Child/AP Photo

Yale University Bomb Explosion

May 21, 2003
 Fires In Libraries

ARSON #1 Cause of Library Fires

Annual average 40% of all library fires.
Fire Problem = Security Problem
Be Aware – Report Suspicious Behavior to 911

National Fire Protection Association

NFPA 909-2001 Code for the Protection of Cultural Resources
 Fires in Libraries

Injury and Loss of Life

Loss of Rare Books and Manuscripts
Loss of Expensive Equipment
Damage to Building & Closure of
Building
The Fire Problem
Fire Prevention
Fire Prevention

What YOU can do

BEFORE
the Fire
Department is
needed . . .
Fire Prevention

Use properly
sized bulbs in
lighting
appliances.

Electrical Fire Safety

2nd leading cause of library fires.
 Fire Prevention
Electrical Fire Safety
2nd leading cause of library fires.
Use extension cords and
power strips properly:
1. Do not overload circuits.
2. Use only listed cords.
3. Do not run under carpet, or
through doors or windows.
4. Extension cords are for
temporary electrical use
only.
5. Do not use multiple-plug
adapters.
6. Do not “train” extension
cords.
Fire Prevention

Keep Exits
Clear and
Unobstructe
d.

Means of Egress
Fire Prevention

Do not prop open fire

and smoke control
doors.
Smoke & Fire Containment
Fire Prevention

EMERGENCIES
Dial 911
Blue Light telephone
Manual Pull Box

Report problems
 Fire Prevention

In case of fire . . .
1. EVACUATE building without
delay.
2. ACTIVATE alarms to alert
others.
3. NOTIFY emergency
responders of KNOWN
problems.
Pre-Plan . . . KNOW what to do
 Fire Prevention
YOU decide . . .

Fire adversely impacts others . . .

Family
Friends
Co-workers
Firefighters & their families

YOU can make a difference

in their lives and in yours!
2001 Father’s Day Fire - 3 FDNY firefighters dead
UAlbany Buildings & Fire
Safety
 UAlbany Buildings & Fire Safety

CONTAINMENT
DETECTION

SUPPRESSION
UAlbany Buildings & Fire Safety

Fire Containment
Fire-rated walls.
Fire-rated doors.
Firestopped penetrations of rated assemblies.

Fire Detection

Fire Suppression
UAlbany Buildings & Fire Safety

Fire Containment

Fire Detection and Notification

Addressable heat and smoke detection.

Audible and visual notification devices.

Fire Suppression
UAlbany Buildings & Fire Safety

Fire Containment

Fire Detection and Notification

Fire Suppression

Fire sprinkler systems.

 More on Fire Sprinklers

Heads act as a
heat detector.

Only heads
activated by
heat from fire
will discharge
water.
90% of fires controlled by activation of six or fewer heads.
More on Fire Sprinklers

Water
Discharge
FIRE DEPT. 50 - 125 GPM

SPRINKLER 8 - 24 GPM
More on Fire Sprinklers

Fire on 22nd floor of 38 story high-rise.

Gutted eight floors.
Burned for more than 19 hours.
Fire stopped by ten sprinkler heads on the
30th floor.
Cause: housekeeping – oil soaked rags.

One Meridian Plaza, Philadelphia

February 3, 1991
More on Fire Sprinklers

“The explosion damaged the

classroom and adjacent alumni
lounge, and about 300 rare law books
in a room below were soaked with
water from the sprinkler system, but
no one was injured.”
Diane Scarponi, Associated Press

Yale University Bomb Explosion

May 21, 2003
More on Fire Sprinklers

The damaged books included volumes

printed in 16th- and 17th-century Europe,
said Roberta Pilette, who oversees
preservation for Yale's Beinecke Rare Book
and Manuscript Library. A freeze drying
system at the library will be used to dry out
the books, she said.
``The books will be useable. I don't think we
lost anything at all,'' Pilette said.

Yale University Bomb Explosion

May 21, 2003
Portable Fire Extinguishers
 WHEN IN DOUBT . . .
GET OUT!

ACTIVATE THE ALARM ON THE WAY

OUT TO ALERT OTHERS
 Parts of a Fire Extinguisher

Handle & Operating Lever

Locking Pin
Pressure Gauge
Discharge Nozzle, or Horn
Label
 Classes of Fire

KNOW WHICH FIRE

EXTINGUISHER TO USE
FIRST,
CHECK THE LABEL
 Classes of Fire:
“A” Common Combustibles

• WOOD
• PAPER
• MANY PLASTICS
• CLOTH
• RUBBER
 Classes of Fire:
“B” Flammable Liquids

• LIQUIDS
• OILS
• GREASES
• GASES
• TARS
• OIL-BASE PAINTS
 Classes of Fire:
“C” Electrical Fires
Fires Involving
Energized Electrical
Equipment
Using a Fire Extinguisher:
P.A.S.S.
Using a Fire Extinguisher:
P.A.S.S.

“P”
Pull the Pin
 Using a Fire Extinguisher:
P.A.S.S.

“A”
Aim Extinguisher
at Base of Fire
Using a Fire Extinguisher:
P.A.S.S.

“S”
Squeeze Handle
 Using a Fire Extinguisher:
P.A.S.S.

“S”
Sweep
from side to side
When to Use a Fire Extinguisher
• First, activate fire alarm to evacuate the
building, and to notify fire department.
• Select the proper extinguisher.
• Use only if you know how, and are
confident about using the extinguisher.
• Use only if fire is small and contained.
• Always keep a clear exit to your back.
• Stay low to avoid breathing in smoke.
 WHEN IN DOUBT . . .
GET OUT!

ACTIVATE THE ALARM ON THE WAY

OUT TO ALERT OTHERS
 “Hands On” Fire Extinguishers
• Fire behavior can be UNPREDICTABLE.
• Growth and behavior patterns can differ greatly
from one fire to the next.
• 100 trained and experienced firefighters are killed
annually fighting fires.
• Interior fires generate heat, smoke and toxins in an
enclosed space which can quickly affect persons in
that space.
• WHEN IN DOUBT . . . GET OUT!
“Hands On” Fire Extinguishers
Will be done SAFELY.

You will be assisted by EH&S Staff

 Questions?

University at Albany
Department of Environmental
Health & Safety
Chemistry Bldg., Room B73
(518) 442-3495
Answer: True

Ignition temperature of paper

between 425° and 475ºF.
S.H. Graf study, 1949.
University at Albany
Department of Environmental Health & Safety
© 2003
Karl G. Kilts
Fire Protection Specialist/Code Coordinator
University at Albany
Department of Environmental Health & Safety
Tel. (518) 442-3495
Kkilts@uamail.albany.edu

University at Albany
Department of Environmental Health & Safety
© 2003