NFPA Journal - May/June 2017 - 54

International by Donald P. Bliss

THE NFPA VIEW ON
GLOBAL FIRE AND LIFE
SAFETY ISSUES

Safety Vacuum
THE ABSENCE OF FIRE PROTECTION FEATURES IN BUILDINGS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
MEANS A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF EVENTS LIKE THE PLASCO FIRE AND COLLAPSE IN TEHRAN

ast January, in Tehran,
be retrofitted with fire protection features
Iran, a 17-story multi-ocin accordance with NFPA 101®, Life Safety
cupancy tower called the
Code®. Architects, engineers, and authoriPlasco Building collapsed
ties having jurisdiction need to be better
during a fire, killing 16
trained on fire protection concepts and
firefighters. The tragedy, recorded live
code requirements for high-rise buildings.
and broadcast on news outlets around
To this end, NFPA is currently working
the world, was eerily reminiscent of
with the Bangladesh University of Engithe collapse of the World Trade Center
neering and Technology to introduce a
towers on 9/11.
fire safety curriculum that could be a
Fortunately, the sudden and catamodel for other regions.
strophic collapse of a high-rise building
The reality is that improving building
Construction of
in a fire is rare. That is in part because
safety
won't happen overnight-it will
substandard
high-rises designed in accordance with
take time, and it will also take money.
high-rise buildings
the requirements of a model building
In the meantime, it is critical for the fire
in
the
developing world
®
code, such as NFPA 5000 , Building Conservice everywhere to take note of what
will continue in great
struction and Safety Code®, are required
happened in Tehran and prepare. It's
numbers for the
to have active and passive fire protection
imperative that fire officials take stock
foreseeable future.
features, including automatic fire sprinof their cities and identify buildings that
kler systems, protected vertical openings,
have the greatest potential for collapse.
emergency communication systems, and
Training is also critical, since high-rise
fire resistance-rated protection of strucfirefighting tactics are complex even in
tural components. The evidence is pretty
the most code-compliant building. Fireclear, based on what we know about high-rise fires in the United fighters must be knowledgeable about fire behavior and building
States, that these requirements have been effective in reducing performance, and incident commanders and safety officers must
the likelihood of a high-rise collapse due to a fire.
be alert to the warning signs of an imminent collapse. ProceHowever, this is not the standard used in high-rise buildings dures should be put in place to limit the amount of time spent
that I've seen being built in countries like Bangladesh, India, on interior firefighting before withdrawing all firefighters.
and Ethiopia. Very few fire protection features, if any, are in
The Iranian government hasn't publicly released the results
evidence, from stairwell enclosures and detection systems to of its investigation into the Plasco collapse so we don't yet know
sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, and protection of the what went wrong, but I am anxious to find out. Those insights
structural support components. These conditions are common- could arm firefighters with more knowledge of critical imporplace throughout the developing world. The demand for housing tance to their safety when fighting fires in similar buildings.
in these low- and middle-income nations is expected to exceed
Over the years, I've had the fortune to meet members of the
one billion new dwelling units in the next 30 years, according Tehran Fire Brigade at international conferences. They are knowlto estimates by the World Bank, which leaves little doubt that edgeable, highly dedicated to their profession, and have worked
construction of substandard high-rise buildings will continue diligently to attain recognition as a proficient, modern-day fire
in great numbers for the foreseeable future. The potential for service. They are devastated by the loss of so many colleagues.
more tragedies like the Plasco fire is very real unless proactive The fire service everywhere feels their loss. Buildings can be
measures are taken.
replaced, but the loss of even one firefighter is unacceptable.
More needs to be done to encourage governments to adopt
and enforce modern building codes. Existing buildings should DONALD P. BLISS is vice president of field operations for NFPA.

54 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 7

MICHAEL HOEWELER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - May/June 2017