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1、A New fire hydrant criterion 1 A New Fire Hydrant Criterion for the City of St. Paul, Minnesota Leading Community Risk Reduction Stanley J. Jadwinski St. Paul Fire Department, St. Paul, MN January 2005 A New fire hydrant criterion 2 Abstract This was an applied research project written for the Saint
2、 Paul Fire and Safety Services because Saint Paul has special threaded fire hydrants that render the hydrants useless to mutual aid fire departments who respond to a large general response type event. Saint Pauls special threads exposed the community to a risk that is low in frequency, but high in i
3、mpact. The purpose of this research project was to identify fire hydrant criteria that would allow the Saint Paul Fire Department to improve the use of mutual aid, and reduce the potential for a high life and property loss. This action research project included a literature review to explain past tr
4、ends. The report included published studies from referenced sources with input from the City of Saint Pauls Water Department. The following questions were examined: 1. What are the industry criteria for fire hydrants? 2. What are the criteria for fire hydrants, for mutual aid events, in cities of si
5、milar size to Saint Paul? 3. What are the criteria for fire hydrants for mutual aid events in Saint Paul? The procedures involved administering a fire hydrant criteria questionnaire to Minneapolis and Saint Paul Regional Water Services. To determine any common fire hydrant criteria use by the Twin C
6、ities The results indicated that Saint Paul has a common fire hydrant water supply vulnerability hazard which is found in other like sized cities around the country. The recommendation base on this study is that the Saint Paul Fire and Safety Services should lead a community risk reduction program t
7、o improve the fire hydrant criteria by matching the fire hydrant connections found in Saint Paul with the commonly used water supply criteria in the surrounding cities, counties, and states. A New fire hydrant criterion 3 Table of Contents Abstract.2 Table of Contents.3 Introduction.4 Background and
8、 Significance.5 Literature Review.9 Procedures.13 Results.15 Discussion.22 Recommendations.24 References.26 Appendix A National standard fire hose coupling screw thread.29 Appendix B Fire hydrant criteria questionnaire cover letter.30 Appendix C Fire hydrant criteria questionnaire.31 Appendix D Cost
9、/benefit analysis.33 Appendix E Implementation strategy, form a fire hydrant criteria Task Force .34 Appendix F Implementation strategy, personnel install.36 A New fire hydrant criterion 4 Introduction The City of Saint Paul has fire hydrants with special threads. These special threads render the hy
10、drants useless to mutual aid fire departments who may respond to a large general response type event occurring in the City of Saint Paul. Saint Pauls special threads expose the community to a risk that is low in frequency, but high in impact. Upgrading the City of Saint Pauls fire hydrant criteria w
11、ill increase the water pumping capabilities and improve fire fighter safety of the responding mutual aid companies who may be required to engage in structural fire fighting emergencies. Upgrading the criteria will improve water supply access, fire department interoperability and increase the total g
12、allons per minute pumping capability during mutual aid assistance from the City of Minneapolis, the surrounding west metro, and five state regions. The improved water supply could substantially decrease burn time and thereby lower the socioeconomic impact that a large general emergency response inci
13、dent would have on the citizens of Saint Paul. Therefore, improving the fire hydrant criteria could raise the Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating of the city and possibly lower the Saint Paul home owners insurance costs (Stowell, 2004. p266). The purpose of this research project is to identify fir
14、e hydrant criteria that would allow the Saint Paul Fire Department to improve the use of mutual aid during a generalized large response event, reducing the potential for a high life or high property loss. This action research project includes a literature review of appropriate topics to explain past
15、 trends. The report includes published studies from referenced sources with input from the City of Saint Pauls Water Department. In addition, local water service departments were surveyed to ascertain the A New fire hydrant criterion 5 type of fire hydrants utilized by each department. The author wi
16、ll be using A.P.A. 5th Ed. Style (American Psychological Association, 2002). The following questions are examined: 1. What are the industry criteria for fire hydrants? 2. What are the criteria for fire hydrants, for mutual aid events, in cities of similar size to Saint Paul? 3. What are the criteria
17、 for fire hydrants for mutual aid events in Saint Paul? Background and Significance When early man first discovered fire, he realized the need to control fires ability to destroy. Fire fighting cauldrons were placed strategically around ancient Chinese cities and were kept filled with water to be re
18、ady in the case of a fire (Fire Hydrant Org., 2004). In the American colonies, water for fire fighting was stored in cisterns. Even as late as 1861, Louisville Kentucky had no city fire hydrants. Louisville relied on 124 cisterns to store water for fire fighting operations. The City of Louisville ha
19、s since improved their fire hydrant criteria, but those original cisterns are still in use today (Fire Hydrant Org., 2004.). By the 1800s, the first American water mains found in cities were created out of hallowed out charred logs. Fire fighters would excavate a trench and bore a hole in the logs w
20、hich allowed water to fill up in the trench so fire fighters could draft using their pumpers (St. Paul Regional, 2004; Minneapolis, 2004). After the fire fighting operations were complete, a fire fighter would seal the hole with a fire plug, and bury the main with a fire plug indictor post. The next
21、 time there was a fire in the neighborhood, the fire department would dig up the existing fire plug so they would not have re-cut into the main (Fire Hydrant, Org. 2004). A New fire hydrant criterion 6 The fire hydrant was invented by Birdsill Holly of Lockport, New York and first demonstrated in 18
22、63 (Birdsill, 1982). R.C. Mathews formed a partnership with Birdsill Holly and formed the Race the problems with the out dated water supply have rendered them ineffective or obsolete Bradshaw, 2003. pg 1).” The lack of funding for maintenance and upgrading has created a water supply vulnerability ha
23、zard. According to the Scranton Times Tribune news article dated February 20, 1999, Emmitsburg is not the only city dealing with a water supply hazard. In Pennsylvania, the City of Scranton has a population of 76,415 (Covelskie, 1999). The Scranton Fire Chief Harvey Applegate experienced public outr
24、age after a fatal fire occurred in an area where 17 percent of the cities fire hydrants were inoperable. Scranton neighborhood group leader and former police A New fire hydrant criterion 10 officer, Mr. Sheridan stated “its like going into a gun battle without bullets (Covelskie, 1999. pg 1).” The S
25、cranton Fire Department Union claimed “200 of the 1,200 fire hydrants may be dead and called it fire hydrant roulette (Covelskie, 1999. pg 2).” The low fire hydrant maintenance issue is not a new one for the City of Scranton, in September 7th 1994, a lawsuit was filed because no operable fire hydran
26、t water supply could be found for over 45 minutes at a west side building fire. The City of Scranton and the Pennsylvania Gas and Water Company denied responsibility for making sure that the hydrants were working. The Scranton City Council demanded new fire hydrants be installed and held the Fire Ch
27、ief responsible (Covelskie, 1999). The kind of public outrage experienced in Scranton occurs when civic leaders ignore the need to be proactive in regards to public safety. If a large generalized mutual aid incident occurred in Scranton, the devastation to the community, the socioeconomic impact, an
28、d outrage would be even greater because the city failed to upgrade their fire hydrant water supply criteria. Fortunately, some communities have recognized their fire hydrant interoperability hazard and have moved to resolve the issue. According to Upper Saucon Township 2004 annual report, the townsh
29、ip (population 11, 939) on May 4th, 2004 approved a bid to improve their fire hydrant criteria at the request of their Fire Chief Chuck Castetter. The townships Water Department was ordered to permanently install 210 Storz fire hydrant adapters for the amount of $25,200.00 to the L/B Water Service C
30、ompany. Fire Chief Castetter explained the need for a common fire hydrant connection to be in place in the event that mutual aid was requested from the local surrounding fire departments. Fire Chief Castetters leadership and vision improved the townships fire hydrant water supply criteria before a d
31、isaster occurred. A New fire hydrant criterion 11 Unlike Upper Saucon Township, Saint Paul has not been proactive. Saint Paul like other communities has followed the American National Standards Institute and the American Water Works Association (ANSI/AWWA). On June 24, 1913, the first Standard Speci
32、fications for Hydrants and Valves (American National Standards Institute, 1985) was created. In January 1985, the standard was revised and approved. This standard C502-85 (1985) used by Saint Paul covers post-type, dry barrel hydrants with compression (opening against or with pressure) or gate shut
33、off for use in public water supply systems in all climates, including those where freezing occurs. These hydrants have a working pressure of 150 pounds per square inch and are designed so no excavation is required to remove the main valve, the operating mechanism, or the movable parts of the drain v
34、alve. The barrel and operating mechanism is designed so in the event of an accident, damage, or breaking of the hydrant above or near the grade level, the main valve will remain closed and will not leak. The standard states that unless otherwise required by the purchaser the hydrant shall be opened
35、by turning the operating nut counterclockwise. A clearly visible arrow and the word “OPEN” is cast in relief on the top of the hydrant to designate the direction of opening. These standards have been important in maintaining a public water supply system. ANSI/AWWA has also created a standard for ope
36、rating nuts in order to safely open a fire hydrant. Unless otherwise required by the purchaser the operating nut shall be a pentagonal shape. The pentagon shall measure 1 in. from point to flat at the base of the nut and 1 7/16 in. at the top: shall be tapered uniformly, and the height of the nut sh
37、all not be less than 1 in. The standard goes on to state the hydrants are to be opened and closed by one person using a 15-in hydrant wrench with 200lbf-ft torque. And a hydrant with only a single 21/2 opening would not provide adequate gallons per minute water flow for a fire-protection service (Am
38、erican National A New fire hydrant criterion 12 Standards Institute, 1985). These standard measurements are needed to assure proper intra- operability of all fire hydrants in a single community. According to AWWA C502-85, (1985) when hydrants are purchased under this standard, the type of outlet-noz
39、zle threads should conform to those found in the service area of the system where the hydrant is to be installed. If the threads do not conform to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1963 for National American Standard Fire Hose Coupling Screw Threads (Appendix A), this fact should be sp
40、ecified. If the threads are not of this type, then the following thread detailed dimensions should be specified (or a suitable sample supplied): major diameter, minor diameter, pitch diameter, thread form, and number of threads per inch. This standard allows for proper nozzle thread uniformity throu
41、gh out a water supply system. Instead of using special threaded adapters to connect large diameter hose (LDH) to an old style threaded fire hydrant, in 1998 the Hydra-Shield Manufacturing Company is testing a new large four inch diameter quick connect, front hydrant connection known as a Storz Conne
42、ction (Hydra-Shield Manufacturing, Inc., 2003). The suggested manufactures retail price for special threaded four inch Storz adapter is $113.96 each and allows quick connect LDH commonly found on fire department apparatus around the country to be connected directly to the fire hydrant without the us
43、e of an adapter. In 1998 over a five year time period, the Storz hydrant adaptor was tested with fire departments located in Erie County Michigan. This became known as the Storz project. The departments in the area had complained of needing four different types of fire hydrant adapter thread sizes.
44、When a number of fire departments were called to assist for fire fighting duties at a single large incident, the different types of fire hydrant adapters caused major water supply interoperability problems. Hydra-Storz patented Quick Connect Hydrant A New fire hydrant criterion 13 System which allows fire department to hook up the LDH without removing hydrant caps, u