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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Fire Safety => Topic started by: kurnal on November 17, 2006, 11:43:43 PM

Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: kurnal on November 17, 2006, 11:43:43 PM: Enjoyed a visit to the British Library the other day.

Can anybody tell me how on earth the basement smoke vents are opened? There are loads of them, all marked up with brass plaques but they all appear to have block paving on top and be very securely grouted in place.
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: Peter Wilkinson on November 19, 2006, 06:06:20 PM: I think a special multi-purpose tool is used by the fire service, known as the axe.
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: kurnal on November 19, 2006, 09:33:16 PM: I thought axes had been given the chop as part of the recent cuts.

These looked they were covered by solid block paving comprising 8x4x3 solid bricks. More than a match for any axe I reckon.
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: AnthonyB on November 19, 2006, 10:25:17 PM: I know the type you mean - I always wondered the same, especially as they have to be strong enough to take someones weight.

A more common example is the ones full of little glass windows that can be smashed in - these are often vandelised however and simply filled in or left as a flooding or ignition risk by being open to the elements and cigarette ends!
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: wee brian on November 20, 2006, 11:42:41 AM: Its called a "frangible panel" In the past we used to get firefighters to test non-standard ones. This involved them hitting them with a big hammer/axe. Whilst they don't carry hand axes anymore they still have tools on the waggon.
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: jokar on November 20, 2006, 12:15:03 PM: Are they ever opened or tested? Mind you that takes us into maintenance issues but they are there for the safety of firefighters, so they would be looked after.
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: wee brian on November 20, 2006, 04:34:47 PM: You dont need to test them they are just holes.

You could smash them in once a year to see if they are still frangible but that's a bit like testing matches!!!
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: kurnal on November 20, 2006, 07:55:13 PM: Thats the point Wee B- these looked anything but frangible. Imagine a whole area of block paving and every few feet in one area a little brass plaque indicating it was a smoke vent. But it looked rock solid to me. Hence the question. It looked more like pneumatic drill and JCB material.
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: ian gough on November 21, 2006, 10:03:57 AM: Having wanted to take a photo of one recently (for lecture purposes) I took my digital camera off to a City I used to work in - and where I remembered there were lots of 'stallboard & pavement lights'.

Surprise surprise I couldn't find any!

The buildings were all the same though.

Maybe yet another example of old lessons being forgotten by the 'modernised' fire & rescue services?
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: wee brian on November 21, 2006, 01:43:35 PM: Ian - Maybe they went for something more sophisticated.

The old pavement light used in London were of an approved type. I dontknow if you can still get them. I think the firm was called luxcrete.

Evbery now and then white van man parks on the pavement and finds his wheel going through a smoke vent. They do break but you need to hit them hard.
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: wee brian on November 21, 2006, 01:47:16 PM: seek and ye shall find

http://www.luxcrete.co.uk/main/pavesmokelight_intro.htm
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: kurnal on November 21, 2006, 02:32:20 PM: Thanks Wee Brian
I reckon these were the SG150/ 165 series designed to have block paving laid on top. It seems the block paving needs to be broken out to reveal the key slots in order to open the vent. So it has been thought about. You live and learn!
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: ian gough on November 21, 2006, 02:57:31 PM: We B - I bet anything 'they' didn't!
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: wee brian on November 21, 2006, 07:04:09 PM: The big question here is whether firefighters are tought how and when to use these things
Title: Basement Smoke Vents- British Library Kings Cross
Post by: jokar on November 22, 2006, 10:32:05 AM: Most IO's do not know what they are so the chances of firefighters knowing may be limited.