Life safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Life safety - Essay Example The rapid spread of fire was caused by the presence of computers and other equipments in the open spaces. There were plastic cabinets that increased the intensity of fire while the building staff took a long time to realize the cause of fire alarms, and this resulted in delayed reporting to the fire department. The building was constructed in accordance with the 1960 edition of the Los Angeles City Building Code which required automatic sprinkler system in basement areas and standpipes for high-rise buildings. Incidentally, the owners had already installed an automatic sprinkler system which was part of an extra precaution against fire although this was not required during that time by fire codes. However, since work was still in progress the system was not activated. For this reason, at the time of the fire the valves controlling the sprinklers were closed. The fire spread in the entire 12th floor including open areas and office enclosures, and then spread to the upper floors up to the 16th floor mainly through broken windows. The fire reached such a state of magnitude because of the building staff’s delayed notification to the fire department. Therefore, one recommendation was that fire needs to be detected at its incipient stage. Second, the presence of all precautions like automatic sprinklers, alarm system and emergency procedures can be effective only if there are trained personnel (First Interstate Bank Building Fire, 1988). This 2009 incident occurred on February 9 in Bejing. The fire broke out in a modern architectural 34-story building which was located in the CCTV complex. The fire was caused by high-explosive pyrotechnic devices which were set off by surrounding residents including the chief of construction hired by CCTV as part of their New Year program. According to Chinese officials, there were leftover firecrackers in the southern roof of the burning building. The fire spread over an area of 100,000