- Author
- Nelson, H. E.
- Title
- Performance of Fire Protection Systems.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Department of the Interior, Reston, VA
- Report
- NIST SP 778; ICCSSC TR11, January 1990, 201 p.
- Distribution
- Available from Government Printing Office
- Book or Conf
- Performance of Structures During the Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17, 1990, Lew, H. S., Editors, 6/1-3 p., 1990
- Keywords
- earthquakes | building codes | fire safety | damage | bridges (structures) | highways | structural engineering | housing | geology | lifelines | seismic | specifications | viaducts
- Abstract
- In general, private fire protection facilities survived the earthquake without interruption while public fire protection systems were severely interrupted. Private fire protection systems are limited to a single facility and mostly within buildings while public fire protection systems are external, community wide, and ofter underground. Several affected communities, including San Francisco, were left in a condition where it is doubtful that they could have halted a serious spreading fire. The absence of a serious spreading fire (other than the one in the Marina District of San Francisco) is believed to be a combination of factors including: [*] Prompt shut down of electric power (by the utilities); [*] Modern safeguards on burners and pilots on water heaters and other gas fired appliances in service at the time; [*] Warm weather (i.e. lack of use of heating equipment); [*] Absence of wind (a major fire spread factor if present); [*] High moisture content in ground and wild lands (relates to lack of significant wild fire problems); [*] The occurrence of modern earthquake with a short duration of strong ground shaking which caused limited damage on buildings and utility structures in the affected communities; [*] Good fortune.