Not to re-open an old thread, but........
> Sprinkler Nay-sayers read on...
>
Enjoy,
Scott
Scott G. Nacheman
LZA Technology
A Division of the Thornton-Tomasetti Group
14 East Jackson Blvd., Suite 1100
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Tel. 312-596-2000
Fax. 312-596-2001
Direct Tel 312.596.2408
Direct Fax 312.596.2409
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History is saved from a disaster
A smoky transformer fire next to Independence Hall Monday drew quick action.
The damage was minimal.
By Jennifer Lin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER [editorial note: The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER!!]
The call came from firebox 1776, which could only mean one thing:
Independence Hall.
Fire officials said Monday's smoky electrical fire in a utility tunnel
connecting Old City Hall with Independence Hall was small in scale.
But flaring up as it did at the nation's most historic address, the 44
firefighters - including Fire Commissioner Harold Hairston - who responded
to the alarm were acutely aware that this was anything but routine.
"In a situation like this, we know the historical value not only to
Philadelphia but the United States," Fire Chief Bill Schweizer said. "We
thought about what would happen if we lost such a structure."
Hearing the words fire and Independence Hall in the same sentence was enough
to unnerve neighbors at other historic buildings in what is proudly
described as "America's most historic square mile."
"All we need is one spark, and we're up in flames," said Eileen F. Young
Vignola, executive director of the Betsy Ross Memorial, which upgraded the
fire-alarm system in its 240-year-old building six months ago.
Phil Sheridan, a spokesman for Independence National Historical Park,
described the damage in the basement tunnel as minimal.
"We didn't lose any of the historic fabric of the building," Sheridan said.
"Nothing burned through any walls or anything like that."
Built in 1791, the two-story Old City Hall is on the east side of
Independence Hall. The fire broke out in an eight-by-eight-foot room housing
a large, metal transformer box, fire officials said.
Sheridan said that a decade ago, the National Park Service spent $17 million
to upgrade, among other things, the fire-alarm system inside Independence
Hall and adjacent Old City Hall and Congress Hall.
Sheridan said Monday's fire was the first test of the system. He said the
previous fire-control system was a patchwork of old equipment, some dating
to the 1920s. The upgraded system has new heat- and smoke detectors, as well
as sprinklers.
"No one wants fire, but the system really did respond the way it should,"
Sheridan said.
The two-story Old City Hall, at Fifth and Chestnut Streets, functioned as
the city's main government building until 1854. After its completion in
1791, the building also was used by the U.S. Supreme Court four times a
year.
Yesterday, the smell of smoke lingered in the halls of Old City Hall, which
was closed to visitors. Independence Hall and Congress Hall remained open.
Sheridan said the cost of the cleanup and repairing the transformer would be
less than $100,000.
He said the Park Service had begun investigating the source of the fire.
"We don't want to have to do this ever again," he said. "Everyone who works
here takes the preservation of these buildings very seriously."
Several tourists said they were alarmed by news of a fire but were relieved
to see that there was very little outward damage to any of the buildings.
"The thought is pretty scary," said Preston Peterson, a 25-year-old medical
student from Houston who was visiting Independence Hall.
Fire officials said smoke from the faulty transformer set off sprinklers and
triggered the alarm system, which automatically notified the Fire Department
of the problem.
Schweizer, a department spokesman, said the call from firebox 1776 was
received at 11:29 p.m. Monday. Four engine and two ladder companies were
dispatched to the scene, arriving at 11:31 p.m.
Schweizer said firefighters found the basement filled with "a haze of
smoke." They set up huge fans to clear smoke from the tunnel and used hoses
to remove water left by sprinklers.
Schweizer said firefighters could not extinguish the fire inside the
transformer until Peco Energy Co. turned off power to the buildings. Peco
arrived on the scene at 12:48 a.m. yesterday, and the fire was controlled by
12:55 a.m.
The first firefighters on the scene were members of Engine 8 and Ladder 2
companies at Fourth and Arch Streets, the prime firehouse for protecting the
crown jewels of Philadelphia's historic district.
A block from the Betsy Ross Memorial, the engine and ladder companies cover
a neighborhood that includes dozens of historic relics, from the
18th-century homes of Elfreth's Alley to Carpenters Hall. While each
historic site is responsible for developing its own fire-alarm and sprinkler
system, Independence National Historical Park works closely with the
firehouse to make sure firefighters are familiar with its buildings.
Before Thanksgiving, firefighters made their annual inspection of
Independence Hall and adjacent buildings. They reviewed the layout of all
buildings, top to bottom, in order to be able to locate exits and entrances,
sprinklers, gas lines, transformers, and water connections.
"It's like a maze down there," said Bob Kenney, a 30-year veteran of the
Fire Department.
Firefighters said this was their first close call at Independence Hall.
Capt. Richard Lewandowski of Engine 8 said he was more concerned Monday
night with the safety of his firefighters than the historic significance of
the buildings.
He said firefighters stood in a foot of water from the building's sprinklers
as they waited for Peco technicians to arrive on the scene to shut off
electricity.
"We treat it as any fire," he said. "After the fact, you may say, 'It's a
good stop. The building is still there. We did our job.' "
Jennifer Lin's e-mail address is [log in to unmask]
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