Fire alarm at a Walmart

I stumbled across this video of a small fire in a Walmart. My question is, should the fire alarm have tripped in this situation?

In the Walmarts I’ve been to, there are only duct detectors, and only one or two pull stations. Considering the lack of normal smoke detectors and the scarcity of pull stations, shouldn’t they be configured to cause an alarm rather than a supervisory?

Duct detectors generally only activate a supervisory signal - especially in newer buildings. Sometimes you will come across a system that was installed in the 90’s were the duct detectors will trip an alarm signal. But I’ve even come across duct detectors that weren’t even connected to the fire alarm system - their sole purpose was AHU shutdown.

Also, this is (probably) a fully sprinklered commercial building. Minus an elevator, the only initiating devices you will have is a smoke detector above the FACP and pull stations located at each exit. If distances are long enough, you should have some pull stations in-between. But eventually it’s the sprinkler waterflow switch that would provide the building a sort of “automatic” fire alarm activation.

Now to address the stupidity of the people in this video…

First, the Wally World empolyee should be fired immediately. You are in a fully sprinklered building with at fire alarm system - activate the fire alarm and get the customers out. Let the sprinkler system deal with the fire. By wasting time with the fire extinguisher, he has delayed FD response, placed people at risk, and not to mention the powder from the extinguisher goes everywhere and they will be cleaning that up 10 isles away. Fire extinguishers should really only be used if someone is in immediate danger.

Second, this video just goes to show the stupidity of people in general. The building is on fire, so what do we do? Pull out out iphones, film the thing vertically (don’t get me started on that), and stand around and make jokes about what’s going on. Nevermind we should get the heck out of the building! And oh, let’s bring our 5-year-old close by so she can appreciate the smell of burning plastics! And as a bonus, let’s move these boxes away from the fire, give it a little more breathing room - I hear oxygen is bad for a fire?

Why did you let me start my work week with this video? Now I have to go out there in the world and deal with these people!

Sorry, dude.

And yeah, if this had been me, I’d be running to the customer service booth, pointing out the fire, and pulling the alarm.

It’s funny because when I have to tag extinguishers I usually get concerned building owners who will ask me “how do I use this thing”. My response is to tell them “pull the fire alarm and get out”. Some of the guys I work with are volunteer firefighters and they cannot count how many times they pull up to a scene and see a half-dozen empty extinguishers outside because some people decided to play around. Usually the dispatch is delayed because of this.

Ah, not your fault, I just don’t like people! Ask my wife, about 10 minutes into a store dealing with people in their almost zombie state, I’m ready to leave!

I’m surprised they aren’t required to take mandatory training classes on how to use a fire extinguisher.

i know we do. :roll:

sprinkler system had to be close to popping there, which would’ve set off the fire alarm via the water flow.

I’m glad you touched on this.I know the “how” (pull the pin, aim at the base of the fire, spray side-to-side), but I never realized that I wasn’t sure “when” to use one.

Essentially, only use an extinguisher if it’s necessary to clear a path for escape, or if someone’s at immediate risk. The caveat is that if a fire were to break out in a hospital or nursing home, patients usually can’t just get up and leave. So patients in the vicinity of the fire are at immediate risk, and a fire extinguisher would play a bigger role in keeping people safe in this situation.

Is that a good summary?

Pretty much. Especially in a fully sprinklered building. You could make the argument in a building not protected by sprinklers, but be sure to pull the fire alarm first. All you need to do is have someone get hurt and they will look at every detail of the event to find something that was done out of the ordinary and jump on that for a lawsuit.

Hospitals are a whole different can of worms. You don’t evacuate a hospital during a fire - it’s defend in place. If you’ve ever been in a hospital during a fire drill it’s quite interesting. First thing you will notice is that the staff will walk around and close every door, and any patients not inside their rooms will be escorted back into their rooms. They will also announce over the PA the location of the fire. If there is a real fire, they will evacuate that particular section. Hospital buildings are designed with smoke and fire partitions in that the building is compartmentalized. Plus they are required to be fully sprinklered and usually have compete smoke detection throughout. Hospitals utilize what’s called “horizontal evacuation” in that you simply more people out of the area with the fire into another area not effected by the fire. Simply move the people to the other side of the fire door. Hospital staff are also trained on proper fire extinguisher use (unlike our Wal Mart employee who probably read a one page handout during his orientation - if that) and some larger hospitals may even have a fire brigade.

What’s quite ironic, the fire alarm was going off when I was born in the hospital my mom went to. I’m guessing that alarm means two things… FIRE! and a fire alarm enthusiast is born! I do think it was a drill though, although my mom remembers a nurse saying something about burnt popcorn.

Was it irony, or a coincidence?