Fire Prevention Notes, 12-21-04

Centerstone Apartments - Final phase of project complete, probably occupied as you read this. The security gates are complete and functional. Three ways to operate these gates. As you approach with the Opticon on the truck flashing, a sensor installed on the gate should operate and open. Not as responsive as the traffic sensors so you may be upon it when it operates. Should that fail, or the vehicles opticon is not operating, a numeric touch pad is at the gate. This is intended for visitors and residents, they have programmed the number 9-1-1 for emergency vehicles as a back up. Finally, in the event of a power outage there is a 3' swinging gate in the fence that should be unlocked. On the inside of the gate the operating arms are visible. Four pins can be pulled with no special tools and the armature is free from the power unit, gate can be opened. As a reminder two apartment buildings and one community building, all sprinklered and alarmed, B200 on each building, one Master Box as you enter on a pedestal.

100 Airport Road - Banks Chevrolet has renovated this building for body work, truck modifications, service, and antique auto storage. It is being transferred to the owner this week by Hutter Construction. Fully sprinklered, wet system, one riser, FDC to the left of main entrance. Fully alarmed, FACP in vestibule at front entrance, MB at front entrance. B200 on the way (B100 for this week). Wide open Industrial occupancy, fire alarm system has one smoke detector, 4 AHU's, water flow and low pressure reporting to it along with some manual pull stations at exits. Some unique paint spray booths (fully contained) and quite a collection of antique cars....worth a walk through. This building can be accessed form Airport Rd and Terrill Park Dr, the back parking lot will also have their auto and truck inventory from Old Suncook Rd shortly.

DMV Addition - job is complete and occupied. They built off of existing fire alarm and sprinkler riser. Fire alarm devices are distinguished as north and south, south is older section, north is the new section.

Tae Kwan Do Studio, 79 Fisherville Rd. - Small open martial arts studio, wood frame w/truss roof on slab. No sprinkler system, does have a fire alarm system.

6 Foundry Street - New 2 story office building at Exit 16. Main entrance is the southern entrance, B200, Masterbox (9231) and remote annunciator at that entrance. The FDC is on the western facing wall, riser room on other side of FDC. Initiating devices are water flow, low pressure, pulls at the exits, 3 or 4 smokes, and 6 duct detectors. The FACP is in the building electrical room, enter main entrance than walk to your right.

29 School Street - Sulloway Hollis law firm is having some renovations taking place. This work involves modifications to the sprinkler system. Last week a sprinkler company was draining the system and was reminded that the Concord Christian School, 20 N State Street, has a sprinkler zone supplied by the riser at 29 School Street. The fire alarm system at the School activates when the riser on School St is drained. Not something we normally see, even in the older section of the City...

Branch Block, 136-148 North Main Street - Some recent training by Group 2 revealed significant damage to the brick outer wall on the Main Street side of the building. Several significant cracks running vertically and diagonally through courses of bricks are evident. It also looks like the granite sills and headers of the windows are experiencing a crushing or shearing force. A few years ago a similar condition was repaired by Hutter Construction..the brick wall which made up the backside was pulling away from the building. This is an Ordinary Construction building (Type III), it's load bearing walls are the north and south walls. The floor joists run parallell to Main Street. A letter to the property owner has been sent, I will keep you updated.

2004 - As we wrap up another year of construction in the City I would like to pass on one closing thought... sort of like Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes. When I attend any class on building construction or fire alarms or sprinklers, I am taught there are five basic reasons we protect a property; occupant life safety, property protection, historic preservation, mission continuity (of the business or building), and environmental protection. Very little, if any, protection is afforded to responding firefighters who must enter these structures when they are on fire. I have heard from several members recently about their observations on buildings like Taco Ball, Smoky Bones and Autozone, new buildings that may not stand long in a fire. These buildings are compliant to modern day building and life safety codes. Even in modern, non-sprinklered, residential apartments, the thought is to get the occupants of the fire unit out, and seperate that unit from everything else, and let it burn until we get there (16 Eastern Ave.) So keep getting out there when these buildings are being built or renovated, our opportunity to see important construction features can be short before they are covered up.

Thanks again for any input and observations you've offered throughout the year. Without them these conditions would go unnoticed.

I hope you all have a good holiday and a safe New Year.....