Why do we use facilities with EPO's?

Thu Jul 26 19:39:21 UTC 2007

On July 25, 2007 at 14:49 gherbert at retro.com (George William Herbert) wrote:
 > 
 > 
 > >Seems like the EPO should be a logical AND with the fire alarm system - 
 > >it only works AFTER you have an existing fire alarm in the building.
 > 
 > 
 > No, no.  If the fire alarm system fails, the fire responders need
 > to be able to hit the EPO and be sure that it works anyways.
 > It has to be an absolute - firefighters have to know that the
 > thing they hit was the only, and right, thing, and that they
 > aren't going to die because they sprayed water on an energized
 > but on fire electrical system backed by a 120 KVA UPS or some
 > such.

I worked three years with the boston fire dept, albeit quite a few
years ago, and rode into many fires and don't generally remember them
being much concerned about hitting *anything* with a high-pressure
stream of water if it's on fire.

Remember all those rules you know about not using water on electrical
or chemical fires? Doesn't really count if you have charged fire hoses
and know what you're doing except in some special circumstances (they
did foam things occasionally, very occasionally, foam costs money!)

If they needed the power out, perhaps due to a gas hazard, they
generally go for the power out in the street, calling in the power co
if there's time or, well, one of the firefighters usually knows how to
cut a building's power, between them they usually know just about
everything they need to know about stuff like that.

I have no doubt if they saw an EPO and the room on fire they'd hit it
immediately, why not, as you say it can only make things safer (plus
or minus emergency lighting working but they should have their own.)

But unless there was an explosion hazard I don't remember there being
much concern. Water pressure and getting the equipment positioned and
working was a concern (after life and limb of course.)

Put another way: Between a 120KVA UPS and a gang of experienced
firefighters with charged hoses I'd put my money on the firefighters
every time.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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