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> buildings, ships, etc. that are either under construction or undergoing maintenance are more "at risk" because alarm systems, automatic fire suppression syste

by jefftk 6y ago

> buildings, ships, etc. that are either under construction or undergoing maintenance are more "at risk" because alarm systems, automatic fire suppression systems (eg, sprinklers), etc. are often times not in place yet, or disabled, while work is going on Reminds me of the loss of the Normandie / Lafayette: "At 14:30 on 9 February 1942, sparks from a welding torch used by Clement Derrick ignited a stack of life vests filled with flammable kapok that had been stored in the first-class lounge. The flammable varnished woodwork had not yet been removed, and the fire spread rapidly. The ship had a very efficient fire protection system, but it had been disconnected during the conversion and its internal pumping system was deactivated." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Normandie#Fire_and_Capsizing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Normandie#Fire_and_Capsizin...

ZanyProgrammer 6y ago
Or the very recent fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard.
mindcrime 6y ago
This kind of thing is surprisingly common. The recent fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard had a similar issue. Since the ship was in maintenance, on-board fire-suppression systems had been disabled, delaying the onset of firefighting efforts, according to Admiral Sobeck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonhomme_Richard_(LHD-6)#July_2020_fire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonhomme_Richard_(LHD-6)#J... Another one that didn't get as much national attention was the fire on the SSG Edward A. Carter, Jr at the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal back in 2001. According to a subsequent Coast Guard report, the ship’s second assistant engineer started a transfer of about 20 tons of heavy fuel oil from the port and starboard overflow tanks to a central settling tank. The transfer was left unsupervised other than by automatic equipment. “Their electronic system measured the tank levels and sounded an alarm if the preset levels were exceeded,” Sledge said. “If you are starting to overfill the tanks, it sounds a warning tone.” Unfortunately, because cables to several tanks had become contaminated with fuel oil, false alarms had become a repeated nuisance. The easiest solution was to simply turn off the alarms. https://web.archive.org/web/20120723160038/http://www.fireworld.com/ifw_articles/silent_alarm-0908.php https://web.archive.org/web/20120723160038/http://www.firewo...
- jacquesm 6y ago
  The one time you need them...
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
  > easiest solution was to simply turn off the alarms This is so common... it's like the holy trinity of "Seconds from Disaster"

by jefftk 6y ago

ZanyProgrammer 6y ago

Or the very recent fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard.

mindcrime 6y ago

This kind of thing is surprisingly common. The recent fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard had a similar issue. Since the ship was in maintenance, on-board fire-suppression systems had been disabled, delaying the onset of firefighting efforts, according to Admiral Sobeck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonhomme_Richard_(LHD-6)#July_2020_fire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bonhomme_Richard_(LHD-6)#J... Another one that didn't get as much national attention was the fire on the SSG Edward A. Carter, Jr at the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal back in 2001. According to a subsequent Coast Guard report, the ship’s second assistant engineer started a transfer of about 20 tons of heavy fuel oil from the port and starboard overflow tanks to a central settling tank. The transfer was left unsupervised other than by automatic equipment. “Their electronic system measured the tank levels and sounded an alarm if the preset levels were exceeded,” Sledge said. “If you are starting to overfill the tanks, it sounds a warning tone.” Unfortunately, because cables to several tanks had become contaminated with fuel oil, false alarms had become a repeated nuisance. The easiest solution was to simply turn off the alarms. https://web.archive.org/web/20120723160038/http://www.fireworld.com/ifw_articles/silent_alarm-0908.php https://web.archive.org/web/20120723160038/http://www.firewo...

jacquesm 6y ago
The one time you need them...
WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago
> easiest solution was to simply turn off the alarms This is so common... it's like the holy trinity of "Seconds from Disaster"