INSTRUCT-O-GRAMTHE HANDS-ON TRAINING GUIDE

FOR THE FIRE INSTRUCTOR

VOLUME XIII, ISSUE 11 SPRINKLERS NOVEMBER 1992

SPRINKLERS

TASK

To review the value of sprinkler systems to citizensand firefighters and to understand the function andproper ope ration of various sprinkler system devicesand conditions detrimental to proper sprinkler opera-tion.

ESTIMATED TIME 3 hours

INTRODUCTION

It is important that firefighters know various parts ofa sprinkler system, how they operate and contributeto proper sprinkler performance. This includes vari-ous valves, gauges and sprinkler heads.

OUTLINE

1. To identify specific valves found on sprinklersystems.

2. To define types and temperature ratings of sprin-kler heads.

3. To understand the function and readings onsprinkler systems.

-̂i 4. To define reasons for improper performance ofsprinkler systems.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

I. NFPA Standard 1001, Firefighter III

A. 5-16.1 The firefighter, given an alarm valveof an automatic sprinkler system, shall iden-tify the operation of the valve.

B. 5-16.2 The firefighter, given twelve varioussprinkler heads shall identify each of themcorrectly as to:1. Temperature rating2. Pendant or upright3. Special types

C. 5-16.3 The firefighter shall identify the alarmtest valve on an automatic sprinkler system.

D. 5-16.4 The firefighter, given an automaticsprinkler system, shall operate the alarm testvalve.

E. 5-15.5 The firefighter, given a velocity drainvalve or ball drip valve on the fire departmentconnection of an automatic sprinklersystem,shall demonstrate that the valve is operatingand the system drained.

F. 5-16.6 The firefighter, given a check valve onthe fire department connection to an auto-

ISSN: 0739-4551

LOG '92 — NOVEMBER

matic sprinkler system, shall identify the di-rection of flow of water through the valve.

G. 5-16.7 The firefighter shall read and recordthe indicated pressure on all gauges pro-vided on a standard wet automatic sprinklersystem and identify each gauge.

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H. 5-16.8 The firefighter shall read and recordthe indicated pressures on all gauges pro-vided on a standard d ry pipe automatic sprin-kler system and identify each gauge.

I. 5-16.9 The firefightershall define the reliabil-ity of automatic sprinkler systems and giveeight reasons for unsatisfactory performance.

J. 5-16.10 The firefighter, by inspection of anautomatic sprinkler system in a building,shall identify obstructions to sprinkler headsand the required clearance.

STUDENT STUDY GUIDE

1. Review sprinkler systems. Source: Company/department area

2. Review SOP's and orders related to sprinklersystems. Source: Fire Department material

ADDITIONAL STUDENT REFERENCES:

IFSTA, Essentials of Firefighting, Chap. 16

IFSTA 210, Fire Sprinkler Systems

NFPA, Fire Protection Handbook

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. LESSON DEFINED

It is the purpose of this lesson to cover certain partsand devices which are part of sprinkler systems.They include valves, gauges and the sprinkler heads,the latter in regard to the type and temperaturerating. It is not intended to cover the overall design ofsprinkler systems as has been done in previouslOG's.

2. OUTLINE AND PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

A review of the outline and performance objectives 'indicates a good number of objectives but they aredevoted to four valves and gauges and a review ofsprinkler heads and items which may cause unsat-isfactory performance of a sprinkler system. If theinstructor has access to these valves or to a sprinklersystem in the area the lesson may well be enhanced.If not, an effective classroom session may be con-ducted through the use of proper visual aids.

3. GENERAL PROCEDURES

As stated above, this lesson is devoted to certainunits found on sprinkler systems and the instructorshould concentrate on these items. It is easy to getoff into left field getting into the details of sprinklersystems not related to the performance objectivesfor this lesson.

The session may be divided into three sections;valves and gauges, sprinkler heads and causes ofimproper performance. The time alloted for eachneed not be the same because of the material to be ̂covered in each section.

A quick review of the performance of these systemsand their relation to the firefighter may be a goodstart. That is, they are 96% effective in controllingfire, there has never been a multiple death (3 ormore) fire in a fully sprinklered building, these sys-tems are the best ally firefighters have in the field andthey must be supported by proper water supplyoperations.

INSTRUCTOR REFERENCES:

IFSTA 210, Fire Sprinkler Systems

NFPA, Fire Protection Handbook

NFPA, Automatic Sprinkler and Standpipe Systems

IFSTA, "Sprinkler Systems," 35mm slides

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NOVEMBER — IOG '92

SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN

INSTRUCTOR NOTES

1

I VALVES

A. Alarm Valve (Alarm Check Valve)

1. Operated by flow of water from main control valve (wet pipe, drypipe, deluge) of system when valve opens

2. Water enters intermediate chamber, pressurizes alarm line andfills retard chamber if there is one on the system

3. After retard chamber is full or if none exists, water activates alarmswitch; either pressure type or vane type

4. Switch sends electrical alarm signal and water flows to activatean electrically operated gong or mechanical water motor gong

5. Alarm may be transmitted to remote station, central station orproprietary station, preferably monitored 24 hours

6. To shut off alarm, close the alarm valve

B. Alarm Test Valve

1. To determine that alarm valve line is open and will actuate alarm

2. Located in alarm test line from below main valve

3. Operation simulates that of alarm valve

4. Should be an indicating valve; OS & Y or similar to gas shutoff

5. Opening valve should cause electric alarm and water gong tosound; may take one or two minutes of water flow to actuate

6. Upon hearing alarm close valve

7. Only test alarm test line not sprinkler system

(Note: prior to operation, any supervising station on or off of thepremises must be notified prior to and at the conclusion of the test.Occupants must be similarly notified.)

C. Drip (drain) Valves

1. To automatically drain different parts of the sprinkler system suchas alarm lines and the fire department connection

D

IOG '92 — NOVEMBER

INSTRUCTOR NOTES 2. May be called:automatic drip, drip, drain, ball drip or velocity drain valve

3. In the ball drip valve it must be determined that the ball movesfreely and allows trapped water to seep out. This may be deter-mined by use of finger, pencil or something similar

4. The velocity drip valve or restricted orifice on the retard chambermust also be free of obstruction to allow for drainage

5. Some valves may be equipped with a spring loaded push rod thatallows the inner clapper to be moved. This may be operated bylifting or pushing in depending on the design of the valve.

D. Check Valves

1. Similar to clapper valves; allow water to flow in one direction

2. Located in fire department connection line and main supply line

3. May be installed in other locations according to the design of thesystem

4. Arrow on casing indicates direction of flow

5. Fire department Siamese usually has either single or doubleclapper valves

V

II. GAUGES

A. Wet System

1. Two gauges; one indicating pressure on the service (house) side,the other on the supply (street) side

2. Most often identical readings or close to identical

3. Fluctuations in the water su pply may show on the service side witha higher reading than the supply side by indicating the highestpressure that the system has been subjected to. Supply side willindicate the actual static pressure at the time of the reading.

B. Dry Systems (including pre-action & deluge)

1. Two gauges; one indicating water pressure below control valve,the other indicating air pressure above the control valve (clapper).

2. Different readings due to design of system; air pressure holdingback water pressure at three or four to one ratio.

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NOVEMBER — IOG '92

INSTRUCTOR NOTES

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3. Dry pipe valve is a differential valve with six to one ratio of squareinches of surface so that air pressure requirement to hold clapperclosed against supply side pressure is about 1/5 or 1/6 of theincoming water pressure. Three or four to one ratio used, how-ever, to make positive seal and hold against pressure surges.

HI. SPRINKLER HEADS

A. A fixed spray nozzle activated by a thermal sensing device.

B. Numerous types and designs of operating element; fusible links,quartzoid bulbs, solder pellet.

C. Must be marked to indicate:temperature rating, date of manufacture, name of manufacturer,position for installation.

D. Types of Sprinkler Heads

1. Upright - discharges a proper spray pattern of water downwardwhen upright

2. Pendant - discharges water downward when facing downward

3. Sidewall - mounted close to wall directs spray in conical patternaway from wall. Use to protect small rooms, vertical openings,atriums etc.

4. Directional - as name implies is used to direct spray in specificdirection and/or pattern for special applications.

5. Flush/decor heads - used where appearance is major concernsuch as restaurants, lobbies, offices, etc. Most are flush mounted,chrome with fusible covers set at temperature less than that ofhead behind cover. Cover drops free before head fuses.

6. Quick response - used where response time is critical. Hasspecial heat collector (quick response actuator) which gathersand directs heat to special solder in fusible link.

7. Open - as used in a deluge system. Heads similar to standardheads but without fusible components.

8. Coated - used where the normal atmosphere might affect anddeter proper operation. Lead or wax may be used as coating.Usually in manufacturing locations over acid baths, plating tanksand similar areas.

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IOG '92 —NOVEMBER

INSTRUCTOR NOTES

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^9. Waterspray projectors - have various orifice and deflector sizes for

special installations.

10. On-off head/opens when heated, closes down when cooledstopping water flow.

11. Foam head - used to discharge mechanical foam, usually in adeluge type system.

Note: Standard sprinkler head orifice is 1/2" and pipe thread sizeis the same.

IV. SPRINKLER TEMPERATURE RATINGS

A. Based on the maximum temperature normal at the level of thesprinkler and the expected rate of heat produced by a fire in the area.

B. Temperature rating indicated by color coding of frame arms or otherauthorized method.

C. Coated sprinklers may have color on arms or a colored dot on top ofthe deflector.

D. Decorative heads are not required to be coded but a colored dot maybe found on deflector.

E. Color Coding - in degrees Fahrenheit

1. Unpainted, partly black or chrome = 135-170

2. White = 175-225

3. Blue = 250-300

4. Red = 325-375

5. Green = 400 - 475

6. Orange = 500 - 575

V. SPRINKLER SYSTEM RELIABILITY

A. About 96% effective; of remaining 4% not controlled by the sprinklersystem, 35% were due to:

1. System valves closed prior to fire

INSTRUCTOR NOTES

NOVEMBER — IOG '92

2. Main control valve closed prematurely during the fire (HumanError)

B. Balance caused by several reasons usually not the fault of thesystem:

Improper maintenance - lack of water supply - change of occupancy- partial protection - freezing - explosion or large flash fire damagingor overwhelming system - large fire spreading from exposure -blocking of sprinkler spray

VL SPRINKLER DISCHARGE OBSTRUCTION

A. Partitions, stock and shelving should not be allowed to obstruct thedischarge distribution pattern of water from sprinklers.

B. A clearance of 18" shall be maintained to the side and below thesprinkler as measured from the deflector.

C. Heads must be free of hanging equipment or displays, completelyclear, not used for ladder braces, not painted or allowed to be coveredwith material or foreign matter.

D. It is the owner's responsibility to see that sprinkler heads are notpainted, covered, allowed to deteriorate or be coated with any foreignmatter which will destroy their reaction or effectiveness.

for permission to usetors Dave McFaddenwith the program.

The lOG's which you havereceived and will be forth-coming are edited versionsof lessons developed by HalRichman for WisconsinState Fire Training. Hal is apast president of the Soci-ety and a retired Fire Chiefwith some 30 years in thefire service. Our thanks toMr. Si Hertzler, WisconsinState Fire Service Director

the material and to Fire Coordina-and Bruce Erickson for their help

Methods and techniques provided in the Instruct-O-Gram are suggested by the author. There aremany other methods and techniques which areequally successful and used in many municipali-ties throughout the world. The new Instruct-O-Gram is aimed at developing sound training pro-cedures for the recruit level. These proceduresmay differ from policy which is established by thechief of the department and commonly posted asthe "standard operating procedure" (SOP). It issuggested that any difference in procedures bebrought to the attention of the chief of the depart-ment.

©ISFSI

TRAINING NOTICETIME: .

DATE:

LOCATION:

NOTES:

TASK

To review the value of sprinkler systems to citizensand firefighters and to understand the function andproper operation of various sprinkler system devicesand conditions detrimental to propersprinkler opera-tion.

ESTIMATED TIME 3 hours

INTRODUCTION

It is important that firefighters know various parts ofa sprinkler system, how they operate and contributeto propersprinkler performance. This includes vari-ous valves, gauges and sprinkler heads.

OUTLINE

1. To identify specific valves found on sprinklersystems.

2. To define types and temperature ratings of sprin-kler heads.

3. To understand the function and readings onsprinkler systems.

4. To define reasons for improper performance ofsprinkler systems.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

I. NFPA Standard 1001, Firefighter III

A. 5-16.1 The firefighter, given an alarm valveof an automatic sprinkler system, shall iden-tify the operation of the valve.

B. 5-16.2 The firefighter, given twelve varioussprinkler heads shall identify each of themcorrectly as to:1. Temperature rating2. Pendant or upright3. Special types

C. 5-16.3 The firefighter shall identify the alarmtest valve on an automatic sprinkler system.

D. 5-16.4 The firefighter, given an automaticsprinklersystem, shall operate the alarm testvalve.

E. 5-15.5 The firefighter, given a velocity drainvalve or ball drip valve on the fire departmentconnection of an automatic sprinkler system,shall demonstrate that the valve is operatingand the system drained.

F. 5-16.6 The firefighter, given acheckvalveonthe fire department connection to an auto-matic sprinkler system, shall identify the di-rection of flow of water through the valve.

G. 5-16.7 The firefighter shall read and recordthe indicated pressure on all gauges pro-vided on a standard wet automatic sprinklersystem and identify each gauge.

H. 5-16.8 The firefighter shall read and recordthe indicated pressures on all gauges pro-vided on a standard dry pipe automatic sprin-kler system and identify each gauge.

I. 5-16.9 The firefightershall define the reliabil-ity of automatic sprinkler systems and giveeight reasons for unsatisfactory performance.

J. 5-16.10 The firefighter, by inspection of anautomatic sprinkler system in a building,shall identify obstructions to sprinkler headsand the required clearance.

STUDENT STUDY GUIDE

1. Review sprinkler systems. Source: Company/department area

2. Review SOP's and orders related to sprinklersystems. Source: Fire Department material

ADDITIONAL STUDENT REFERENCES:

IFSTA, Essentials of Firefighting, Chap. 16

IFSTA 210, Fire Sprinkler Systems

NFPA, Fire Protection Handbook

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