It's Risky to be without a SpeedSwivel
1. PIONEER HOTEL FIRE TUCSON ARIZONA. Dec. 1970
Click Here for Full Documentry video: https://youtu.be/0uQhkcLo3Ks
Partial video: Begins at 10:02 sec. "Regarding Incompatible threads"
2. "Incompatible hose threads on the Pioneer Hotel standpipes (FDC)"
Tucson Firefighters report that the threads on their fire hose were not-compatible with the threads on the hotel standpipe system.
Retired Fire Captain Mike Cornelius says, it is not uncommon in many cities to find Fire Department Connections (FDC) either stolen by brass thieves or installed (in error) with incompatible hose threads.
There is NO good excuse for finding incompatible fire hose threads installed (in error) on any fire protection system or any fire jurisdiction.
3. SpeedSwivel FDC Adapter (aka) the “Missing Swivel Adapter”
Standpipe systems make large and tall buildings safer by allowing firefighters to connect fire hoses to a water supply at convenient access points throughout a building. But it’s fire department connections (FDCs) — brass metal fixtures located on a building’s exterior — that first responders often use to pump water into standpipes & sprinkler systems.
Without that water supply, manual standpipe systems are little more than empty pipes. And even other automatic standpipe systems or fire sprinkler systems may need supplemental water.
Unfortunately, theft, vandalism, and neglect leave many fire department connection swivels — a key component — temporarily inoperable. The SpeedSwivel is the missing link and a solution for firefighters who encounter missing FDC swivels at fire emergencies.
In an article published at FireRescue1, inventor and retired fire captain Mike Cornelius recalled the incident that led him to develope the SpeedSwivel. As fire command, Cornelius and first arriving Phoenix Fire crews incountered a high-rise fire on the 15th floor of a downtown business structure with missing/stolen brass FDC swivel’s. Supply line was stretched (stairwell) 15 floors to extinguish the fire. Cornelius realized that the frequency of stolen swivels — “as many as six missing swivels from a single building” — meant that the problem wasn’t going away.
Many fire departments now carry a SpeedSwivel FDC adapter on every engine company, as an emergency replacement swivel.
Still, theft isn’t the only threat to FDC swivels. In an article for Fire Engineering Magazine, Todd Connors of Clearwater Fire Rescue says It doesn’t matter whether swivels are stolen, missing, covered in concrete, or rusting outdoors; any problem can significantly delay firefighting efforts and force firefighters to make use of exhausting workarounds.
Standpipe systems that fail to deliver water can have serious consequences for first responders and the high-rise structures where many blazes are battled. In a featured article and documentary film (linked) found at www.StandpipeOperations.com firefighters discuss incompatible (FDC) standpipe threads that (in-part) contributed to the death of 29 hotel guests at the Pioneer hotel in Arizona.
In May 2017, The New Zealand Herald reported that a malfunctioning standpipe system in Auckland turned a skyscraper fire that should’ve lasted only seconds into a 40-minute effort — one that required firefighters to run the hose up 27 stories.
Even worse was the tragic series of events at the Deutsche Bank building in New York City, where a 2007 fire on the 15th floor — prolonged by a disabled standpipe system — killed two firefighters and injured more than 100. Many planning and safety failures by contractors and fire officials placed those on the scene in the impossible situation of fighting a fire with empty hoses. But incidents like these illustrate why NFPA 13-E 4.2 #6 recommends an alternate plan for a water supply and a pre-plan for damaged, missing or stolen brass FDC’s.
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REFERENCES for Featured article by Mike Cornelius
Firefighters still seeking justice 10 years after Deutsche Bank fire - ABC7 New York (abc7ny.com)
Deutsche Bank Fire Probe: Many Failures (washingtonpost.com)
PIONEER Hotel documentary: https://youtu.be/0uQhkcLo3Ks
Visit: StandpipeOperations.com
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