high-piled stock fires, arrangement or types of high piled stock
High-piled stock refers to any indoor storage of combustible commodities in well-arranged packed piles, on pallets, on shelves, or in racks where the storage top height is much greater than 12 feet (Magnone et al.,2017). It is a requirement when stocking materials whose height exceeds 12 feet in more than 500 square feet area. In some instances, hazardous materials, for instance, Group A plastics, rubber tires, idle pallets, and flammable liquids when stored at a height greater than 6 feet qualify as high piled-stock. High-piled stock necessitates fire protection and life safety guidelines as well as operational permit (Magnone et al.,2017). The detailed plans of a High-piled stock are submitted to the fire district before an operational permit is issued. This paper aims at covering a review of recent high-piled stock fires, arrangement or types of high piled stock, commodity classification, types of fire protection system in use, and appropriate NFPA standards and codes.
The recent high-piled stock fire happened in 2016 at approximately 11:20 pm in a warehouse, which was known as a Ghost ship in Oakland, California, USA. It was during a live concert featuring house music artists. It was a warehouse that was only permitted for industrial use as entertainment use was not allowed. It caused the death of 36 people out of approximately 80 to 100 people who had attended the concert. The fire tragedy was the worst and deadliest in the history of Oakland. The arrangement of the high-piled stock is based on operational requirements permission. Besides, the arrangement also depends on the type of commodities to be stored in the high-piled stock. The solid piles which are not enclosed in a capsule are stored at a maximum height of 30 feet (Santos-Reyes, J., & Beard, A. N. 2001). Enclosed solid pile, palletized, bin box stored in a maximum height of 15 feet. The high-piled storage arrangement is designed in such a way that there is a water supply system for class I, II, III, and IV commodities whose storage height is more than 12 feet (Santos-Reyes, J., & Beard, A. N. 2001). Besides, the high-piled stock is designed by the installation of Early Suppression Fast-Response (ESFR) sprinklers for class I to IV solid piled stock. The least design area for wet and dry systems is 2000 and 2600 square feet, respectively.
When storing combustible inventories in the facility, there are classified according to the risk fire the commodities can cause. Class I materials include those products which are inflammable and cannot ignite themselves. This class does not require a sprinkler system when stored on its own. Class II commodities are those products which are incombustible but are stored on flammable wrappings such as paper made cartons. There are more vulnerable to fire risks due to storage materials. Class III commodities include items that are made of flammable items such as fibers, wood, paper, or class C plastics. By the general rule, class C should not contain 5 % by volume and weight of plastic. Class IV commodities are those products which are class I, II and III but are stored in materials made of plastics. Also, plastics are classified based on their heat of combustion into groups A, B, and C. with group A being the most combustible, while group C the least combustible.
The fire protection system involves the design, installation, inspection, operation, testing, and maintenance (Datta, M. 2017). The fire protection system is comprised of an audible alarm, which in case of a risk, it provides notification by a sense of earing. Besides, the protection system is made of an automatic extinguisher, which in the absence of human intervention, discharges an effective agent in the area of the fire (Datta, M. 2017). Also, it is has a smoke detecting device that gives out notification in case of smoke in an area. Furthermore, the system employs the use of well-integrated piping, which in case of a fire outbreak, automatically discharge water over the fire area. The NFPA provides codes and standards which must be adhered to minimize injuries, deaths, economic loss due to fire risks. (Ryder, N. et al., 2019). The standards and codes include the installation of portable fire extinguishers, the adoption of standard carbon dioxide systems, and the standard installation of automatic sprinkler systems. The NFPA’s codes and standards also call for a working water supply system and a good electrical system to minimize fire risk. In conclusion, appropriate measures must be taken to safeguard stock against fire, which might result in death or injuries as well as economic loss.