Monthly Technical Articles
Explore our collection of articles written by engineers, for engineers. Categorized based on the COPE approach to assessing risk within a facility, the archives below contain essential information for the development of engineers in our field.
Flooding
We've all heard the word, and we all think it won't happen to us. Not to our buildings, our buildings are too well protected. Are they really? For some of you, your plant may be well elevated above...
Viking Introduces Industry's First Upright ESFR
The Viking Corporation, global manufacturer of fire protection systems, has introduced the industry's first 14K Early Suppression Fast Response (ESFR) Upright Sprinkler, company officials...
Earthquake Protection for Sprinkler Systems
It is important to remember that the building causes the strains on sprinkler piping during earthquakes. If sprinkler piping could be isolated from the building, earthquake strains could only enter...
Why Should You Test Your Fire Alarms?
The simple answer is "to make sure the alarms will work." How does anyone know whether the fire alarms will work when the emergency comes? They don’t, but with frequent testing of the alarms, there...
NFPA to Develop a Building Code
This past march, the NFPA's Board of Directors approved a plan to develop a consensus building code as part of a full set of consensus codes and standards. This decision resulted due to a directive...
Performance Based Design vs. Prescriptive Design
Performance Based Design (PBD) and performance based codes are buzz words in fire protection engineering today…but what exactly is PBD and how does it differ from Prescriptive Design? The idea...
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC)
In 1996 the NFPA began receiving inquiries about MIC. What is MIC? It is a corrosion problem characterized by pinhole leaks in metallic piping systems often after only a few years of service. MIC is...
Possible Sprinkler "O-Ring" Problems
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is currently investigating field reports that certain Central Sprinkler Co. Model GB automatic sprinklers may leak or even worse, not operate during a fire because...
Preventing Roof Collapse - Metal Roofing Systems
Roof Collapse- Did you ever hear the famous saying, "It meets the code." More and more we hear this in the design of metal buildings. In most cases buildings are designed to meet the local building...
Changes to NFPA 13 (2000)
The 1999 Edition of NFPA 13 the "Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems" has gone through a major revision. The intent of the changes in this edition was to make NFPA 13 a more thorough...
Last Minute Y2K Precautions
Everywhere you look these days, the "Y2K bug" is being written about or some "expert" is making predictions about the end of the world. Mass hysteria? Probably, but if we've learned anything over the...
Recent Fire Protection Equipment Recalls
Star Sprinkler Recall The Mealane Corporation of Philadelphia, PA in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is voluntarily recalling up to 1 million "STAR" brand...