06-14-2008, 03:13 AM
From about a week's exchanges of e-mails with Dick Wilson, here's the resulting summary of my (generic) recommendations as a fire professional to any homeowner in Puna or any other rural area:
I think we’ve pretty much covered all the bases. Active and diligent fire prevention in and around the home as the first line of defense. 2A10BC or larger extinguishers in the kitchen and garage. Quality home sprinkler system, with adequate pressure (check the manufacturers, I think 50-60 psi minimum) with at least a 3,000 gallon water supply. Quality detector system, 110v AC and battery backup, hooked to an alarm company, and based on max temp. and heat-rate-of-rise, primarily, with a mix of other types for redundancy. Plumbed F.D. connection (plan on at least 4” pipe strong enough to withstand perhaps 20 mm Hg suction and maybe a 2-1/2” N.S. male fitting on the end, but for sure this is one thing to talk with the local boys about, exactly what kind of fitting they’d like to hook up to). And unless you’re really, really committed, no active fire suppression (hose, nozzles) beyond the portable extinguishers.
These are top-drawer, high-end items, recommended for a gentleman engaging in new construction, and will result in thousands of dollars in expenses. If you take any of these ideas, you can prune them down to fit your own budget. For example, the $10 battery-powered stick-up smoke detectors are very effective, as long as the battery is fresh. And fire prevention (cleaning combustibles away from the gas-fired water heater, paying attention to your smoking materials if you smoke, preventing children-and-matches, defensible space outside if you live near flammable vegetation, etc.) are all very, very effective, and cost nothing except your labor.
Aloha! ;-)
I think we’ve pretty much covered all the bases. Active and diligent fire prevention in and around the home as the first line of defense. 2A10BC or larger extinguishers in the kitchen and garage. Quality home sprinkler system, with adequate pressure (check the manufacturers, I think 50-60 psi minimum) with at least a 3,000 gallon water supply. Quality detector system, 110v AC and battery backup, hooked to an alarm company, and based on max temp. and heat-rate-of-rise, primarily, with a mix of other types for redundancy. Plumbed F.D. connection (plan on at least 4” pipe strong enough to withstand perhaps 20 mm Hg suction and maybe a 2-1/2” N.S. male fitting on the end, but for sure this is one thing to talk with the local boys about, exactly what kind of fitting they’d like to hook up to). And unless you’re really, really committed, no active fire suppression (hose, nozzles) beyond the portable extinguishers.
These are top-drawer, high-end items, recommended for a gentleman engaging in new construction, and will result in thousands of dollars in expenses. If you take any of these ideas, you can prune them down to fit your own budget. For example, the $10 battery-powered stick-up smoke detectors are very effective, as long as the battery is fresh. And fire prevention (cleaning combustibles away from the gas-fired water heater, paying attention to your smoking materials if you smoke, preventing children-and-matches, defensible space outside if you live near flammable vegetation, etc.) are all very, very effective, and cost nothing except your labor.
Aloha! ;-)
Aloha! ;-)