Duluth, GA—July 30, 2007. Jeff Harrington, P.E. provided insight on the importance of fire safety solutions in warehouses in an article which appeared in the Warehousing Education and Research Council’s (WERC) July/August 2007 newsletter, WERCSheet. The article titled,Dousing the Flames explored potential fire hazards warehouses may encounter, such as the use of solid shelving storage racks, the change in the commodities being stored, and chemical reactions that may occur between incompatible chemicals. Mr. Harrington further discussed major causes of fires in warehouses, which included performing hot work, arson, and the use of lift trucks. He also provided suggestions on how to manage each cause.
In addition, the article addressed the use of fire sprinkler systems in warehouses. While fire sprinkler technology has come a long way in the last ten years in the suppression and extinguishing of fires, Mr. Harrington stressed the importance of the education of those who manage warehouses on how easily the systems can become defeated unknowingly. He also offered advice on maintenance and inspection of sprinkler systems to better ensure that they are working properly.
Mr. Harrington cautioned that those who manage warehouses “should have a basic awareness of fire behavior, fire protection systems and how they work, their importance, and most critically, a basic understanding of their specific warehouse fire hazards.” Knowing this type of information for a facility could alter the outcome of a devastating fire significantly.
Mr. Harrington is the President and founder of Harrington Group, Inc., one of the Southeast region’s largest and most experienced consulting firms dedicated to fire protection engineering.
The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) is the only professional organization that is focused solely on the management of warehouses and the role they play in the supply chain. For more information on WERC, please visit: www.werc.org.
By Jeff Harrington, CEO and Founder of Harrington Group, Inc.