741.00 Fire Prev Post Incident Analysis

LAS VEGAS FIRE & RESCUE

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

1. INTRODUCTION

A.Purpose:To provide Fire Prevention personnel direction on analyzingthe performance of fire protection systems during a fire or related incident; and any code enforcement issues with respect to the Building and Fire Codes.

B.Scope:This policy shall apply to the Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Marshals, and the Engineering section of Fire Prevention.

C.Author:The Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention (Fire Marshal), or designee, shall be responsible for the content, revision, and review of this procedure.

1. RESPONSIBILITY

A.It is the responsibility of the assigned members of Fire Prevention to be familiar with and follow this policy and procedure.

1. POLICY

A.It is the policy of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue to ensure the appropriate level of analysisinto the effectiveness of the Building and Fire Codes by evaluating performance of passive and active fire protection systems.

B.It is the policy of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue that the following categories of incidents be investigated and documented, with respect to the performance of fire protection systems, by members of Fire Preventiononly when requested by the IC or Fire Investigator. Such incidents may include but are not limited to:

1. Any fire sprinkler activation within a commercial or multifamily residential building caused by a fire.

1. Any high-rise fire.

1. Any incident where the Incident Commander requires technical assistance from the Fire Prevention division.

1. Any incident where the Fire Investigations requires technical assistance from the Fire Prevention division.

C.Observations of the fire incident shall start as soon as possible, even while fire-fighting effortsare ongoing.

D.The actual response to the fire incident shall be in accordance with LVFR SOP 740.00.

1. PROCEDURES

A.Focus of Analysis: When an Engineering Analysis is requested by the Incident Commander or Fire Investigator, the observations and analysis should focus on the system(s) requested.

B.On Scene – Observations during incident: On scene observations should be made utilizing visual observations and audible cues from monitoring radio traffic and listening to the Incident Command. Observations should include but not be limited to the following:

1. Access and Fire Lanes: Observe for any issues relating to fire department access to the site/scene and building access.

1. Water Supply: Observe for any issues relating to water supply.

1. Fire Protection Systems: Observe for any issues relating to performance to the fire protection systems; note the performance (timeline) of the fire protection system(s) activation.

1. Fire Behavior: Observe the growth, and or decline of the fire size throughout the incident; watch for sudden changes in fire behavior; the progression of the fire with respect to firewalls and/or movement to upper floor(s) on multi-story buildings.

C.On Scene – After An Incident Has Been Stabilized: When requested by either the Incident Commander or Fire Investigator, make entry into the structure for a close up review and analysis. Documentation (photos, measurements, field notes) should be made of the performance of the active and passive fire protection systems that were applicable to the incident. Analysis should also include discussion with responding crews, particularly the first arriving crew, or fire investigators to obtain their observations.

1. Coordinate with Fire Investigations: Coordinate efforts with the Fire Investigators. To prevent scene or evidence contamination, only enter the structure when requested by the Incident Commander or Fire Investigator. No physical items or evidence shall be removed from the structure or incident without the explicit permission from the Fire Investigator, in accordance with LVFR SOP 600.85.

1. Performance of Passive Fire Systems: Examine for successful performance or failure in the passive building construction (firewalls, fire doors, penetrations, floor/ceiling assemblies, etc.).

1. Performance of Active Fire Systems: The close-up examination of the active fire protection systems may require coordination with the sprinkler contractor (ladders, man-lifts) for the removal of the activated (or failed to activate) sprinklers etc; or working with the fire alarm contractor to retrieve the fire alarm system’s history and programming.

1. Suppression System(s): Examinethe suppression system’s performance or failures.

1)Document the number of sprinklers activated; proximity of sprinklers to fire plume; ceiling height and sprinkler spacing; installed sprinkler(s) temp and K-factor; system pressure, etc.

2)Document any problems with water supplyor fire sprinkler system: Valves closed, pump failure to start, obstructed/clogged piping, etc.

3)For fixed/engineered systems (kitchen hood or clean agent system): Document the system’s performance with respect to the system’s success, or failure to perform as designed.

1. Fire Alarm System and Central Station Monitoring:

1)Review the Fire Alarm and Central Station systems’ event history just prior to, and during the incident. Document any system trouble or supervisory alarms. Document the time line for fire alarm device(s) activation.

2)Review if the Fire Alarm and Central Station systems’ programming responded appropriately and if the alarms sounded as required. This may require the interviewing of fire crews and possibly building occupants to determine if the initial alarm signals sounded within the structure as required.

1. Performance of Smoke Control:

1)Determineif the Smoke Control system performed as designed. During the initial incident (first 20 minutes), did the smoke spread beyond the zone of origin? This may require the interviewing of fire crews and possibly building occupants to determine if smoke was observed outside of the zone of origin.

2)Determine if the Fire Fighter Smoke Control Panel performed as designed. Did suppression crews have any problems with the panel? This may require interviewing of fire crews to determine if there were problems.

D.Engineering Analysis:

1. The Engineering Analysis should be performed after investigating the incident and researching all available documents and evidence, to possibly include:

1. Any notes / reports made available from the Fire Investigation (arson) division.

1. Any photographs and videos taken during the incident.

1. Fire Protection design drawings on record at the City.

1. Notes taken from your interviews / observations at the incident.

1. Equipment Testing: System components that failed to perform may be sent to the equipment manufacture or an independent lab for testing / analysis to determine the reason for failure. Their findings should be documented.

1. The Engineering Analysis report should be started as soon as possible while all information is still fresh in your mind. However, the finalization of Engineering Analysis report should not be rushed and only finished when all data and information have been made available for a thorough review.

1. Failures: The Engineering Analysis shall describe in as much detail as possible any system(s) failure(s) that occurred.

1. Successes: The Engineering Analysis shall describe successful system(s) performance that occurred. Note that although a system may have successfully performed, there still might have been issues or problems that should be documented.

E.Engineering Analysis - Reporting:

1. For each incident responded to, an entry shall be made into the designated database system.

1. All applicable fields shall be filled in. Information that is not initially obtained shall be updated as the information becomes available throughout the evaluation and analysis process.

1. Formal written reports for specific incidents maybe required at the direction of a supervisor or other internal divisionssuch Fire Investigations. The depth and detail of the written report will be determinant on the particular incident and the associated issues concerning the findings of the Engineering Analysis.

F.Document Retention:

1.All documentation, including photos and scanned docs, notes, field sketches, etc., shall be stored within the fire department’s network drive under “depot” in the designated Engineering Analysis folder.

2.A separate subfolder shall be created for each incident in which documents are generated and need to be stored. The folder name shall be in the format of the incident run number (from FireRMS) followed by the property’s street address.

Example: 9149767 3040 E Charleston.