Knowledge Through Life Experience home page  FSD Home Fire Safety Equipment Photos

Photos of Fire Safety Equipment in Service 

Revised 01 December 2005 Disclaimer

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 All photos are thumbnails of larger images; click on them to see full-size views, then use your browser's 'back' button to return to this page.  All photos were taken in class E buildings.

 

 

Sprinklers and Standpipes

Two OS&Y valves Two OS&Y valves. Which of the following is true?

A. Both valves are open
B. Both valves are closed
C. Right valve is open, left valve is closed.
D. Right valve is closed, left valve is open.
E. Cannot determine if valves are open or closed.  See the next photos for answer.

 

Open OS&Y valve This valve is open. The stem is clearly visible extending out of the valve.
OS&Y closed. This valve is closed. The stem does not extend from the valve. Also notice the red blocks above the valves. They are tamper switches, which means that these valves aren't required to be chained open.
Four OS&Y valves. Four OS&Y valves, all closed. All have tamper switches. This system has not been inspected, and is not yet in service.
Outside of a building. What you might see on the outside of a building. Note the yellow caps to indicate a combination standpipe and sprinkler system (which happen to be a wet and dry system.) I've labeled the Siamese and water gong; they're not actually labeled on the building.
Inside the building The inside of the same building, showing what's 'behind the scenes'. Note that the pipes coming out of the bottom of the water motor (which rings the gong) and the lower check valve lead directly to a drain. If the ball drip valve were to drip (indicating a defective lower check valve), you'd never know it because of this.
Shutoff valve chained shut. (11006 bytes)
Another shutoff valve chained shut (19701 bytes)
Shutoff valves for sprinklers and standpipes.  None of these have tamper switches, thus they're chained open.
More shutoff valve chained shut (23708 bytes) More shutoff valves.  These have tamper switches (the rectangular boxes), so no chains are needed.
Fire hose in cabinet (11445 bytes)Fire hose without cabinet (12144 bytes)
Another fire hose in cabinet (15889 bytes)
Fire hoses.  There's no requirement that the hoses be enclosed in cabinets.
Sprinkler head on ceiling (5390 bytes) Sprinkler head mounted on a ceiling.
Spare sprinkler heads Spare sprinkler heads, with wrenches.
Roof manifoldAnother roof manifold.
Roof manifold similar to that illustrated in study material
Roof manifolds. Note that they're not really on the exterior of the roof, but at the roof level at the top of fire stairs.  That way they're protected from the weather.
Upper check valve with shutoff valves on each side. Pipe from the bottom of the water tank.  The upper check valve is between two OS&Y valves, which (when shut) allow the check valve to be serviced without draining the tank.  Because the system is disabled if they're shut, they are required to be chained open (which they are).
Roof tank
Another view of the same tank
Roof water tank.  It's exposed to the weather, and must be heated.

 

Stairways

Return stair from fire doorReturn stair from intermediate landing

Return fire stairs, taken from fire door (on the left) and from landing. Note that the floor landings are directly above one another, hence the term "return" stair, meaning that it returns to the same place (one floor above or below.)

Access stairs from topAccess stairs from bottom

Access stairs, from top and bottom. Note that there are no walls surrounding them to prevent smoke or flames from spreading from lower floor to upper.

Question: if these two stairs were moved and placed next to each other, and were enclosed as fire stairs, what kind would they be called?

Answer

Fire door from stairway

Fire stairway door, taken from the stairway side.  The sign at the top of the door reads "8"; on the door signage reads "re-entry on this floor.  No re-entry on floors 9-13" and "smoking prohibited in stairways and corridors."

There are at least three things wrong here.  What are they?

Answer

Fire stair door from corridorAnother fire stair door from corridor

Two fire stairway doors, taken from the corridor side.  Above the left door is "stairway 1B", on the right is "stairway 1C".

One more time: what's wrong?

Answer

 

Misc.

Fire alarm panel

Fire alarm control panel.

Faded floor plan

A floor plan that wouldn't pass inspection.  Why?  Because it's a blueprint which has faded so much that it's unreadable.

Fire phone (door closed)Fire phone with door open.

Fire fighters' emergency telephone. This one happens to be in a mechanical room. The second photo shows the same phone with the door open. Note there's no dial.

Elevator control panel (inside elevator)

Elevator control panel, showing fire department key switch and instructions.

There are many other kinds of fire safety equipment which I don't have photos.  If you can supply any such images, please email them to me as attachments (sorry, no payments made; I'm not paid for these either).  
If I publish them here, I'll give you the credit.

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