Don’t Lose Your Cool… High Volume Low Speed (HVLS) Fans and Sprinklers

In the late 1990’s, dairy farmers were looking for a way to reduce heat stress on their cows, but providing air conditioning in a barn was not economically feasible, and small box fans did not provide the coverage needed. The…

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ESFR Obstructions…The Achilles Heel!

In a recent post, we discussed the history of sprinkler technology. This week, we’ll look at ESFR restrictions and obstructions. Because of the operating principles around which ESFR technology is based, any delay in sprinkler…

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Early Sprinklers

The History of Sprinkler Technology

Early Fire SprinklersPhoto credit: Kathryn and Shelby…

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Eglin Incident: Weather, Water, and What We Learned

Following the incident at Eglin Air Force Base’s Hangar 130, an investigation produced recommendations regarding High Expansion Foam (HEF) suppression systems in three major areas: “changes to HEF suppression system…

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Hangar 130: Crucial Lessons in Safety and Prevention

The high expansion foam (HEF) system incident in Hangar 130 at Eglin Air Force Base that occurred early in 2014 left a tragic impression on everyone involved. There were questions to answer: What caused the system to trigger?…

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Foam discharge

High Expansion Foam: Risks and Rewards

On January 8, 2014, a High Expansion Foam…

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NAHB vs NFSA

The Fire Sprinkler Debate: Controversy and Dissent in a Curious Place

It seems pretty straightforward; fire sprinkler systems save…

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Solar Photovoltaic Panels: California’s Move Toward Safe Installation

We recently exchanged insights with an industry friend on the subject of solar panels. In increasing numbers, companies are further monetizing their real estate assets by leasing warehouse roofs for the installation of solar…

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The Residential Component: Are Fire Sprinklers Moving into Our Homes?

Over the past several years, sprinkler systems have been a hot topic in the residential real estate scene. While many local jurisdictions already require sprinklers to be installed in multifamily structures, the same is not…

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Installation of sprinkler systems

Fire Sprinkler Design and Building Code: What You Need to Know

The most effective fire prevention technique is the one…

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Sprinkler Systems – An Introduction to Fire Safety’s Most Effective Ally

If you hold a cigarette lighter underneath a sprinkler, every sprinkler in the building will suddenly activate and spew water, right? Wrong. The heat from the lighter will cause only one sprinkler to operate, the one that feels…

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Fire Safety Design Considerations of Road Tunnels

We recently published a guest post about emergency evacuations from our colleagues at Graphic Packaging that mentioned the Mont Blanc tragic tunnel fire. Shortly after we published the blog, I had the opportunity to attend an…

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