Municipal Risk Reduction
Municipal and legislative representatives must keep pace with development, to reduce risk, and maintain the highest level of public safety. One area of municipal risk exists in fire and or building codes. Municipal risk reduction in today's building environment of sprawling distribution centers, high-rise and mid-rise, manufacturing campuses and multi-use developments is more than a challenge.
Municipal Risk Reduction
Municipal and legislative representatives around the country are often challenged by community risk reduction especially in light of the building landscape capturing the US. Understanding your fire and EMS response is critical to reducing community liabilities.
From high-rise to large distribution centers with millions of square feet, thousand acre parcels housing manufacturing plants, and multi-use (office/housing/commerical) buildings are changing. Chaos could easily arise in a fire or EMS situation when codes and standards are not passed or enforced to protect the citizens in your community.
Firefighters respond to nearly every emergency imaginable. Have you ever wondered, what if they don’t have the resources they need?
Municipalities can be held liable for negligence if they fail to adequately implement fire prevention measures. This includes enforcing local fire codes and adopting updated codes to address contemporary challenges in emergency response, ensuring the safety of individuals and property within large buildings.
Forward-thinking cities acknowledge the escalating height, size, and intricacy of modern structures. Nashville, Tennessee is one of those cities. The Nashville Fire Department could see the landscape changing in their city – becoming a vertical monument.
The City Council in Nashville, Tennessee is a municipal model for managing dynamic growth. It has adopted fire codes that mandate air standpipes in certain structures, including high risers and other large buildings. “This allows firefighters to get the air they need to survive and help other people survive,” said Ginny Welsch, Nashville city council member.
Chief of Training, Captain Brian Jones, Nashville Fire Department discusses their process of code adoption and the technology changes that became necessary.
Nashville Fire Department Engaged City Leaders for Municipal Change
City Budget Impact
Installation of the air standpipe (FARS) does not impact city budgets because it becomes a construction cost if required by the fire code. Many fire chiefs will share that the system is a force multiplier because it replaces manpower that would be hand-carrying air cylinders to the fire for firefighters on the front line to have air resupply. And, those personnel that would be mandated to carrying bottles, are now extra resources for the fire – providing a continous fire attack and continuity in operations, which is critical to outcomes.
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Municipal Risk Reduction
The Firefighter Air Coalition can help you understand the challenges firefighters and fire departments are facing in the protection of citizens and property in todays mega sprawl and mega tall structures. Any firefight requires three things: firefighters, water and air.
Without air, there can be no interior attack for search, rescue, extinguishment, overhaul and salvage. With an air standpipe system, air tanks can be refilled in minutes providing continuity in fireground operations.
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Nashville, TN FARS Code Adoption
In 2022, Nashville became the first city in Tennessee to adopt a code requiring Firefighter Air Replenishment Systems (FARS) in certain mid-rise and high-ruse structures where the delivery of air resupply to firefighters presents significant logistical challenges. The fire department and city leaders had the foresight to grasp what this system could mean for municipal risk reduction for their firefighters and the citizens they are sworn to protect.