Fire Investigation and Junk Science

Why you could find yourself a criminal suspect or civilly liable if you’re involved with a fire.

by Nick Markowitz, Jr.

Everyday there are people who are charged with arson when a fire has taken place in their home or place of business.  How many times charges are warranted is a subject being hotly debated in the fire community today.

The problem is a general lack of training for some investigators. There's even an on going debate among trained investigators as to the cause of these fires. All of this has unfortunately lead to people being arrested and eventually convicted of arson. Many are found civilly liable for causing a fire that they may not have had anything to do with. In one case a Texas man may have even been executed for the crime of arson when he may not have done it.

Now you say to yourself, “WOW! How can this happen in a modern world with DNA and advanced investigative techniques?” Well, it does, and it happens easier than you think. The worst part is trying to right a wrong in court after you've been convicted. It can take decades to be exonerated.

At any one time in this country there are various innocence-type organizations that are fighting for wrongly-convicted people. This includes not only rapists and murderers, but arsonists, too. There are excellent organizations like the IAAI (International Association of Arson Investigators) that provides standards for the training and certification of fire investigators. This includes the prestigious CFI certification. While it is not mandatory in some states to have this or any other type of certification in order to investigate fires, many states, including my own, does not even require that you be certified as  private investigator.

While fire investigators are required to follow the Guidelines of NFPA 921 on fire and explosion investigations, which bases its standards on the Scientific Method, this manual is often looked at as a guide, sometimes even scoffed at. And yet many investigators don't even own a copy.

While it is true that public sector investigators, such as fire marshals, arson investigators, etc., must be certified to do their jobs under the rules of ICC (International Code Commission), in states which follow ICC Codes many don't even know they are required to carry this certification. This includes lawyers as well.

An entire case brought by a fire marshal against an individual for arson could be thrown out of court

if he is not certified by ICC. This is due to a rule generally referred to as as “Fruit of the poison tree” where if one thing is wrong, everything is wrong. Think tree fruit and roots... yet it is allowed to go on.

Then, when it comes down to the court case, it becomes a battle of the experts and who has more initials behind his or her name as well as bravado.

Even learned experts disagree. And when you're a little guy trying to claim something happened a certain way, you can forget it. Since you are an unimportant person, you are nothing even if you are right. Because 921 or an expert says it happened this way and this way only, it's over before it begins.

A General Lack of Open Minds

There are very few open minds in learned professionals because the science tells them otherwise.

Experts as I have found do not want to listen to technical people like myself who are out in the field everyday. I have 30+ years as an electrician, a troubleshooting electrician at that. In addition I also have heavy electronics experience and I often see and observe things before they entirely burn up completely  whereas experts in many cases only know what happened afterwards.

When they investigate a claim they do not have the day-to-day dealings that a troubleshooter or someone of a lower caliber in their opinion has. So they take it off to the lab and if it can not be duplicated, then it could not have happened that way--period.

As anyone of a low caliber, as I have been called in court and fire  blogs, can tell you, when you work in the field and see something that can not be 100% duplicated in the lab, it needs recorded as it is happening in the field. This is what I have been trying to introduce into fire investigation, that sometimes statistics and instruments are not enough. Sometimes they are not accurate because of who is doing the work.

In actuality, only a relatively small percentage of fires are ever investigated. Many times if a fire is small enough, no one ever comes to investigate. The home or building owner, knowing they have a deductible, just handles it and that's the end of the story. Sometimes that damage is negligible or it's easily explained and so it's determined that an investigation is not warranted. But yet because so many of these so-called small change fires are not investigated, patterns and trends can be completely missed. Even potential serial arsonists could be at work and no one knows.

The fact is, small fires can teach us big lessons, but hardly anyone looks at them--they're written up and maybe reported on the state statistical site and that's it. This is why I have, for several years now, worked with and submitted new and different findings to investigators, engineers, and CPSC agents when I go to do my job as a troubleshooter.

Using the Scientific method along with Forensic Techniques, I carefully and thoroughly document a situation, Where I can carefully remove a burned up item I do so and I provide it to others who might be interested in examining it. How many times I have brought in a burned up electrical items and you hear an expert say, “Well, that shouldn’t have happened.”   Well, it did happen and we need to carefully document it and add hat we learn to the collective storehouse of knowledge.

I have found working as an electrician and/or fire photographer that the story I get when I go and repair something and the story an investigator gets is often two different things. When I have been at fires taking photos and I afterwords hand the disc to the fire marshal at his office the next morning and I compare notes with him, the story I get as to what someone saw and what the fire marshal was told is often times totally different. When people talk to me, they’re talking to Nick the photographer, not Nick the official who they may or may not be in trouble with.

I see this all the time as a troubleshooter. People are careful when they talk to an investigator about fires and accidents because they feel they may be blamed and their insurance will not cover it.

Case in Point

A typical matter is the one I had earlier in the spring at a customers fabricating business. The client has several 5-ton, overhead cranes they use in the facility. A couple times now I have had to go down and reset the overload system. Well this time the crane stopped for good. The owner, someone official in people’s eyes who can get them fired, walks in and wants to know whatin the sam hill caused the crane to stop working. The workers tell him, “Well boss, the cranes are old and cranky and probably just died from old age.” 

When I walk in and start working on the cranes and ask questions as Nick the electrician—a working guy just like them--I get the real story. The shop foreman mentioned to me that one of the new guys used the crane to pull a piece of steel out of the rack. I asked him whether anyone told him not to do that and the reply I got was, “No, I was not here when it took place.” I walked over to the employee and explained to him what I found, that the crane motor control blew up from abuse, not old age. I also told him that someone should have used the tow motor instead of the crane to do what they did. He told me that no one showed him how to use one and he was too embarrassed to admit it.

Well that afternoon The foreman had everyone qualify for there tow motor license and things were smoothed out because the new guy did not feel like he was being singled out for training. The boss also was happy because the problem was solved and he did not have to fire anyone as the workers handled it internally. He figured all along they where lying to him but he likes them and their good workers. So as you can see there are often two different story's and this is especially true when horseplay on a job site is involved. When this occurs, things can go very bad, very quickly.

Reflecting on Lessons Learned

My dad, a retired electrician/steel worker, and. one of his buddies from where they retired stopped by my home one day. We talked about a bad accident at a plant down river from us. His friend told us a story about something that had taken place down at the Coke Facility where he worked.

As a joke on the boss’ birthday, they took a prophylactic and blew it up to a huge size with flammable Coke Gas  and then they placed it under his office, which was couple feet off the ground on stilts. They then took a long stick with a hot poker on the end and set the prophylactic off. It naturally shook his office and when he came out all mad and ready to fire everyone, they had this huge birthday cake setup for him. It was then that he realized they where just playing a game with him.

Now lets face it, had this joke gone terribly bad, do you think any of these grown men when questioned by OSHA or a fire investigator would ever admit to what had actually taken place?  It’s for sure there would not be a trace of a prophylactic.

The fact is, poor training is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many fire investigators out there using testimony and methods which have been proven as junk science. Like spaling concrete or gator-looking marks on wood are a sure sign of a poured accelerant. But courts except it. Why? Because attorneys do not know to challenge it with a Daubert hearing to prove the theory. Once something is excepted in court, that’s it for ever. It becomes allowable testimony for a long time unless it happens to be challenged.

This is what got the gentleman in Texas executed, and now, after numerous court reviews, it has brought a rebuke of the courts for allowing bad investigation methods to be used as fact. Well, you can see what the issues are and why cases both criminal and civil can go bad.

Once I was accused of stealing from a school where I worked. Now, the detective should have done his job and found out that I am an Eagle Scout and a general stand-up kind of guy. Instead, he was a hard guy detective who was bound and determined to try and convict me for something I did not do--all because he didn’t like my answers. He  ended up tying up valuable taxpayer money, he got egg on his face, and the real criminal, a temporary cleaner, was finally caught and fired--after three months of stealing things.

Conclusion

Unfortunately too many investigators get it in their minds “this is how something went down” and “this is how it has to be.” They refuse to take two seconds to sit back and say to themselves, “Well, maybe the guy is right after all.”

Luckily the bell has gone off and some have now taken a second look. Some of them have learned that things where wrong with what they thought and they consequently stop cases in progress. Sadly, others. Continue to follow blindly and do whatever they do badly.

Everyday in this world new and completely different results are found. But when it comes to the fire investigation community, unfortunately, if you have a new look at something, it’s like the Spanish Inquisition or the questioning of Galileo concerning whether the Earth is actually flat. Now, I am sure we’ll hear from a few of these learned professionals on the subject.

This is my blog, so speak and make your point and let the readers decide. Who is believable--the guy with 30 + years to the grind stone or a “learned opinion”?

Dealing With Antique Fire Panel Power Issues

Due care must be taken when replacing old AC-type fire systems,
including the use of OSHA lock-out, tag-out procedures

Before there was a fire alarm manufacturing company by the name of FireLite, Silent Knight, etc., with panels which incorporated electronic components in them, there where companies known as Faraday, Auth, Autocall, Standard Time, Edwards, etc. These companies produced panels which ran strictly on 120/240 volts AC and used relays and big wire-wound resistors.

These panels made use of two separate power phases to the panel. If the primary phase would go out, the secondary phase would take over and sound a trouble bell or gong. Big, large AC series wired bells or horns were used in the system to sound the alarm. Some where steady while others pulsed a defined code.

These systems, while primitive next to modern panels, where the Cadillac of their day, however. They where built in big, heavy red or silver steel enclosures which contained large pieces of ½ inch or thicker slate, which the components where mounted to. Yes, they are now dinosaurs, but they where built to run forever. However, as technology has changed, so has the fire alarm industry.

These old panels, which used pull stations and heat detectors to activate them and had no smoke detectors or battery back up, have long past there usefulness. And yet there are still many of them out there in apartment buildings and town halls, even some schools.

As codes evolve in coming years these panels will need to be pulled out and replaced. The replacement of these panels carry with it a high risk of danger to technicians who are not familiar with how power was supplied. The problem starts at how they where wired into the 120/230 volt circuit in the building. This is because the small 30 or 60 Amp knife switch boxes that are wired to provide power to the panels are not fused or breaker protected, like normal knife switch boxes.

Fire alarm systems in those days where required to be wired ahead of the main switch gear so that even if the buildings main breaker was pulled, power was always maintained to the fire system. So when a technician pulls the 120 AC wiring out or they go to install 120 AC wiring in the knife switch box they’re dealing with danger should they make contact with the knife switch’s upper lug assembly.

If you will recall, these knife switches are not typically over current protected. Should a technician slip with a screwdriver, it will physically melt and explode instead of tripping the building’s main breaker. This is why only a qualified electrician should remove and remake the 120 volt connection to these knife switch boxes. The alternative is to plug off and abandon them and bring in a new circuit feed that is properly breaker protected.

OSHA lock-out, tag-out procedures must be utilized when working with these old switches because there is always the potential for the switch assembly to not move properly. There’s also the potential that it will not break, which means that 120 volts will continue to be maintained at the panel.

Technicians should carry and know how to properly use UL-Listed Category I or II, 120-volt AC testers, such as a properly used proximity tester or multi-meter to make sure power is fully off when operating one of these old knife switches. In fact, even when electricians and technicians work on modern breaker-controlled panels, they are by law required to follow OSHA Lock-Out, Tag-Out procedures.

If your technicians are not properly trained in the utilization of this procedure, the fines can be substantial should an accident occur. One single violation of OSHA Lock-Out, Tag-Out can result in a fine of $15,000.00!

Alarm companies may think they are exempt from OSHA, but they are just as responsible as a company with a hundred employees. Not even a one-man shop is exempt from these rules. They must understand and be able to fully implement the safety rules and regulations of OSHA or they operate at their own peril.

Yes, these old AC fire systems bring a lot of laughs and nostalgia and the old slate control boards make neat discussion pieces in the den or office, but they can also kill when not properly handled, so follow the rules and you’ll live to laugh another day.

Don't Forget That Little Green Wire

That simple Green Bonding wire on Fire and Burglar Alarm Cabinets,
it really does nothing and doesn't need
hooked up, right?
WRONG!

by Nick Markowitz, Jr.

A fire alarm system is sounding its trouble signal in a commercial building and the maintenance man has summoned me to check it. He pulls out his ring of keys, inserts them into the lock, then quite suddenly he's unable to move--he is frozen in place.

What exactly has happened here do you suppose?

Well, it's my guess that he's received an electrical shock. Luckily, this time he manages to pull away, but a few seconds more and he could have been toast. So what happened?

It appears the people who installed the fire alarm panel did not do their job properly as they forgot or simply failed to install a small green bonding jumper from the removable panel lid to the back box. This allowed electrical current to flow through the lid when the hot 120 volt wire supplying power to the panel pulled loose, coming in contact with the lid.

Now, had this jumper been bonded from lid to back box, and if the panel had been grounded properly, this event would not have taken place. The breaker would have tripped out and just the trouble signal would have sounded. The problem would have been spotted as soon as the lid was opened. Instead, because the jumper was not used, the maintenance man got a severe jolt.

Grounding and bonding of electrical equipment is critical to assuring that it operates properly. It also assures that any type of overload is cleared. It also assures that if a wire or component disintegrates and touches the metal enclosure in the system, nothing bad will happen to someone working on it.

Now, here's the kicker, not all lids need to be grounded. This is especially true if it is permanently attached to the panel box by means of a full-length piano-type hinge. In this case, code considers the lid properly bonded due to the continual path of metal touching. This is not something you have with a removable lid where only 2 small areas of the lid touch the panel box.

You say "bonding and grounding, what's the difference?"

Bonding is used to eliminate a possible hazard, like with the removable lid. The back box has a ground wire which runs the entire way back to the main service entrance for power. I know it's confusing, but follow the manufacture's guide lines and you'll do just fine. But if you fail to follow them, sooner or later something will fail and there will either be a fire or someone will get shocked.

With electricity it's just like a chain... the weakest link is where the problem will develop.

West Coast manufactuers learn hard lessons

You would expect a machine from Europe to not work the same and require modification To be able to be used in the USA But would you expect the same thing when a West Coast machine is installed on the East Coast? As a trouble shooting electrician I often get called upon to hook up and commission machinery a customer may have bought either 2nd hand or from a country other then the USA and of course you would expect issues when it comes to making everything compatible and working as foreign countries often use different power systems than we do here in America. For example our traditional power system to a home is 120/230 60 Hz while in Europe it is 230 50Hz they supply to homes and business. This can be overcome several different ways and as long as all the rules of electricity is followed different machines from different countries can run with no problems. With this thought in mine you would think that when you buy a machine or system here in the USA it would work just as well in California as it would in Florida or Pennsylvania but this is not always the case. Take the gate system one of my clients bought to use with his mini storage facility. It was installed in may and ran fine all summer long but when it started getting cold in October and then temperatures plunged in November the gate started acting up. After some investigation it was determined that the gate manufacturer was using a active IR beam system that was designed to make the gate stop and reverse should a child or object be under the gate when it closes an excellent safety control but however fatally flawed. The active IR beam was only meant to be used in climates where it is above 32 F And in November in Pittsburgh it often goes well below 32F at night. Thus the problem, when the gate manufacturer was contacted about the problem and it gets so cold here they seemed surprised. Supposedly they tested the gate to 0 F and had no problems. But then again that was in a lab not Pittsburgh with wild temperature swings daily some times the end result the beam needed changed to a beefed up unit. which could handle the cold. Now a manufacturer that makes a product that is supposed to be able to be used any where in the USA you think would do the research and field testing before sending out a product but this is apparently not the case as I hit this problem all the time. Take the Burglar Alarm panel a manufacturer from Oregon was selling in the Pittsburgh area in early 80's These panels had all kinds of great new features but had continual problems of causing false alarms and arming and disarming by themselves. The problem was ultimately found to be that while the panels worked fine on the West Coast where they have good clean electrical power where when they say an outlet is providing 120 volts it actually is . But on the east coast the power is not as clean and as solid some times only 108 might be coming out of an outlet the result the panels advanced microprocessors could not withstand the imbalance and problems developed. To make the panels work properly you needed a filtered /regulated power supply transformer and the panel worked great only problem these transformers at the time cost as much or more than the panel cost. End result they stopped selling product on the east coast where bought and sold several times and are out of business. So then you have to ask your self where was the research and development at with these products? Well apparently there was none. What they should have done is send units out to various parts of the country for what is known as Beta Testing . This is where Alarm dealers like myself test the equipment in the filed to discover if there are problems. Honeywell Security does this and I participate as one of there testers and often times we find problems not encountered in the lab and it provides positive feedback To Honeywell so that they do provide a superior tested out product before releasing it for general sale. Sure these programs cost money and can be a pain to run but in the long run it saves money and face. So why are more companies not doing it? It comes down to the same old thing everything comes down to Money and incompetence. This is just one of many reasons why when companies try to expand and go national or world wide they often fail .Because they do not put enough money into research and development and it comes back to bite them. It's the old story" Plan your work- work your Plan " " or fail to plan –plan to fail.

Home Sprinkler Advocate Voices Opposite Opinion

My piece on home sprinklers, published on 15 May, caused a bit of a stir among those who endorse the mandatory use of sprinklers in the home. A fire marshal based in Oregon wrote me a note and I'd like to feature it here at this time. Be sure to read my reply at the end.

--Nick Markowitz

---- by Eric T. McMullen ----
Monday, May 24, 2010, 11:05 AM

Mr. Markowitz,

I was reading your Blog titled “Things they do not tell you about home fire sprinkler systems” http://nickmarkowitz.blogspot.com/2010/04/things-they-do-not-tell-you-about-home.html and felt compelled to contact you to challenge some of your assertions about fire sprinklers. My computer system at work does not allow me to post a comment directly to your blog, so I thought I’d send you an email.

I will attempt to address your comments in the order you made them;

You mentioned needed a “good” city water pressure, and while good may be a relative term, a residential fire sprinkler system can be designed for pressures as low as 7 psi. I don’t know of many, if any, municipal water supplies that can’t provided 7 psi.

Your point about connection to the water main is valid in many areas. In Oregon, multipurpose systems are allowed to be connected directly to the potable water system. In the case of multipurpose systems, there are no stagnant water issues and no backflow preventer or vacuum breaker requirements. The additional cost of systems development charges and standby fees is a problem, we are attempting to alleviate this problem in Oregon through legislation that will prevent the additional charges and fees on fire sprinkler systems in one- and two-family dwellings.

Your comments about homeowners insurance are just flat wrong and have been for some time now. Many years ago, there were some insurance companies that actually charged more when fire sprinklers were installed, but that Neanderthal way of thinking has long since passed. Every major insurance carrier in the Oregon currently offers discounts for fire sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings. Insurance companies came to the realization that the amount of damage done by fire sprinkler systems pales in comparison to the damage done by fire, smoke and heat. Scottsdale, AZ has had a fire sprinkler ordinance in place since 1986 and their data indicates losses dues to fire in sprinklered homes averaged $1,945 compared to $17,067 in non-sprinklered homes.

Your estimates on using a well as a water source are quite a bit high, Talco offers a pump and tank package for NFPA 13D systems at a cost of $2,200. The size of the home will not double or triple the cost of the pump and tank, it may increase the size of the tank by 40 or 50 gallons, but that won’t increase the cost much. In many cases, if the well has the capacity, the system can be designed to use the well pump to supply the fire sprinklers and the well casing and recovery rate to satisfy the stored water requirements. I can design a system with flow demands as low as 16 gpm at 7 psi, which many wells can supply.

As far as cold weather and freeze mitigation goes, dry and antifreeze systems are not practical for one- and two-family dwellings for many of the reasons you state, however the standard does allow them. There are practical approaches outlined in the standard to deal with freeze problems in wet systems. While the insulation can be moved, one can make the same case for any water pipes in your home. A fire sprinkler system, installed correctly, has no higher chance of freezing than any other domestic water pipe.

With regard to maintenance, there are practically no maintenance requirements for NFPA 13D systems, and certainly no mandate in the standard to pay a fee or have a third-party inspector do an annual service on the system. Multipurpose systems that are connected to the potable water system need the same maintenance as the other water pipes in your home, which for most folks, is none.

Accidental discharge of a fire sprinkler head is around 1 in 16 million and accidental leaks of the piping are no more common than potable water piping. The story you relayed about the accidental discharge due to a microwave oven is highly suspect. The lowest temperature sprinkler head is 135 degrees Fahrenheit and I find it very hard to believe that kind of heat could escape from a microwave and make it to the ceiling level without dissipating, unless the contents inside the microwave were actually on fire. If you can provide me the actual fire report showing otherwise, I will stand corrected.

Yes, residential sprinkler heads have been recalled, so have coffee makers, laptop batteries, Toyota vehicles…….product issue arise from time to time, it doesn’t mean we abandon a sensible idea because of one recall.

The fire service has never advocated for fire sprinklers only, we have always educated people on the need for both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers as a package together, your chance of survival with both rises exponentially.

In closing, I must say that I am surprised that your blog professes to be about fire and electrical safety, yet you attempt to derail one of the most effective tools we have to guard against dying in a fire in our homes. I have to wonder if, as a master electrician, you feel the same way about GFCIs or Arc Fault protection in our homes?

Regards, Eric T. McMullen

Assistant Chief ~ Fire Marshal
McMinnville Fire Department
McMinnville, OR

---- And my reply ----

Date: Monday, May 24, 2010, 8:21 PM

Thanks for the comments.

Working [water] pressures here in my community are very low where on the tops of hills and people who have opted for systems have had to install tanks per the sprinkler installers. Maybe the installers are wrong or just selling more than needed. Part of the problem is you must be a licensed master plumber to install them in Allegheny County. That's why the [high] cost. This is also a big union area, again [it's] why the costs are so high.

The insurance thing is for real here. [I] had a customer install sprinklers 3 years ago and his premiums went up when he notified his carrier he installed them. Maybe in your part of [the] country, since you have codes in place, they behave themselves, but not here, yet. Maybe once it is state wide they will level out.

As far as microwave going off and causing the damage, I have the pictures. Remember again this was in college housing.

As far as leaks, 6 - 10 residential systems I know customers have in their homes have leaked or frozen up. It is the nature of the weather cycle around here. We're up [and] down all winter and it affects things in ways you would not believe, unless you saw it with your own eyes. We can be 3 degree in morning and 38 by lunch, then back down to zero overnight.

[Regarding] installation issues, I am constantly responding to sprinkler system issues both commercial and residential, even in the summer. I just had a big fight with Penn Hills, Pa fire depts who refused to properly respond to a sprinkler call [where] $10,000 in damage happened.

Some areas over pressure is also a big problem. Just try and find an emergency restoration clean up crew or even a sprinkler crew available here during the winter when temps drop down below zero. I have had to wait 2-3 weeks to get [a] sprinkler company rep on site because of all the damage.

You should talk to Jack Mason, CFI Fire Marshal For Penn Hills and hear all his worries over this.

I have responded to 3 systems so far this year, commercial, where single heads went off for no reason at all.

I am not derailing sprinklers, I am just stating what I know can and does go wrong with them. If we are going to promote things, let's give both sides of the issue. All I hear from sprinkler advocates are rose colored glasses. What kind of backlash do you think is going to happen around here after the sprinklers are in and start popping because of installation issues. People are going to shut them off and ignore them just like the smoke detectors they take the battery's out of because they always false.

Take Anti-lock brakes, [the] greatest thing to come out, however they have killed hundreds who did not use them right, [those who] lifted their foot off [the] pedal when they applied them because they thought something was wrong.

I am glad things are working out over there in Oregon, but your dealing with issues there which are different here. I am not saying "do not put them in," but I am saying, "let's think things through before we mandate something that's going to come back and get us."

When the first person dies in a home with a sprinkler system because we have not explained exactly why and how something works, start expecting lawsuits and TV investigations.

-30-

Things they do not tell you about home fire sprinkler systems

The dirty little secrets the sprinkler
industry does not want to talk about--the
down side to residential fire protection sprinklers.

By Nick Markowitz Jr.

Ok, we have all heard the hype about just how effective sprinkler systems are in stopping dangerous Residential Fires and why they are needed in new home construction because of how light-weight the construction is0--and yes, this is all true. Sprinklers are one of the best ways to protect your family and loved ones, but they come with a lot of conditions that no one wants to talk about. So let's take a good look at sprinklers, things that can go wrong, and the true cost of implementation.

First problem is the water supply. Where you have good city water pressure you can do a house for around $2500.00, even less if you use standard PVC pipe instead of fire rated  PVC, like Blaze Master. But this is where the problem begins.

Are you going to be allowed to take the sprinkler water off the house water main or will you have to put in a separate water main at the commercial water rate  at an install cost of $5000.00? Also, will you have to install a special back flow preventer at $500.00, which requires annual inspections of $65.00, or perhaps a standard vacuum breaker at $20.00?

What about if you're not home and the system starts to discharge by accident? Will neighbors hear the bell or horn and call 911? Or will you need to have it monitored at $30.00 a month plus $1500.00 for the fire alarm monitoring panel.

Also, what about your homeowners insurance. Will it go down because you're making things safer? Nope! In fact, people who have installed sprinklers voluntarily in their homes have seen insurance rates double or more because of the potential for water damage!

But what if you do not have good water pressure, or let's say you have a well. All I can say is "Get ready to shell out another $5000.00!" This $5K will buy you a pressurized water tank in the ground. And if you have a really big home, the price can be double or even triple that!

We're just getting started here folks.

How about the cold winters some of us experience across the country. There are several ways to deal with this issue and each one has its good and bad points, just as we've found with commercial building sprinkler systems.

One system is known as a dry system where the pipes are filled with air, which holds a valve closed until a sprinkler head activates. When this occurs, the air leaves the piping which allows water to flow through the pipes. A small oil-less compressor is required to keep pressure constant in a dry-type system. This is because of the expansion and contraction of the pipes. You also need to keep the drip drum at the end of the piping emptied of condensate to prevent the drum from freezing and blowing off.

As we have found in commercial buildings, these compressors lose power, drums do not get emptied, and the first hard freeze sends water everywhere. While dry systems work excellently when maintained properly, when they're not, they can cause a good bit of misery.

Then there is the option to add additional insulation in and around pipes to prevent freezing, and though this also works, any movement of the insulation by repair people, kids in the attic, etc., can leave the pipes vulnerable if not properly replaced. Again this works well but maintenance is the key.

Still another option is to use special antifreeze in the pipes. This works well but as they found out in one California residential community where a sprinkler company mixed its own antifreeze, it came out of the pipes during a kitchen fire and when it mixed with the hot cooking oil it exploded. This resulted in the death of a middle aged woman, which brings us to another subject. The sprinkler Industry says "There has never been a multiple fatality in a fully-sprinkled structure where a sprinkler system has been properly installed and maintained."

Well, guess what. Properly maintained means another fee... so expect to pay $150.00 annually for a sprinkler system test and hope you get a company that will actually do a proper test. For that matter, hope you get a contractor who properly installs your sprinkler system in the first place because overnight every Tom, Dick, and Harry will suddenly be in the sprinkler business.

Then, of course, what about when the sprinkler head does go off. Proponents of home sprinkler systems claim it will not be like the ones you see in movies... but they're not telling the whole truth either. Although residential heads are slower than commercial grade, they still put out a considerable amount of water.

I can personally attest to this where a Class R-13 residential sprinkler system was installed in college housing in California Pa., where there was not even a fire. All it was that triggered the incident was a blast of heat from a microwave oven when a student heated food wrong. A single sprinkler head destroyed the kitchen where all the drywall needed replaced. In addition, water leaked through to the room under it, destroying a ceiling. The total bill for this was approximately $8,000.00.

And yes, a sprinkler head and sprinkler piping can and will leak if pressure in the piping is accidentally increased by a faulty pressure regulator. This can also happen due to age as these systems deteriorate. It happens in commercial systems so why would it not in residential?

There has even been a massive sprinkler head recall by several manufacturers because of sprinkler heads that did not trip when there was a fire... and yes you can get false sprinkler alarms when pressure in piping changes. It happens in commercial buildings any time there's a major water break near by and water is turned back on later.

Something to also consider is why just not shut the system off after every one inspects and leaves? Yes you could do this but then again will the insurance company still be required to pay your claim because you shut the system off?
Also keep this in mind, when the first sprinkler systems where installed, it was done for property protection, not for human safety.

Sprinkler systems are by no means the 100% perfect answer. You could well have a properly maintained sprinkler system and still die in a fire in your home from smoke inhalation if the fire develops in the same room where you are located. A classic example would be a person who smokes in bed. A fire which starts in a bed will set off the sprinklers, but well after flames and or smoke have killed you. This is why it is important to still have and use smoke detectors.

So as you can see, all the hype about sprinklers you're hearing does not tell the downside. Over the next few years, you and the community you live in will have to deal with the politics associated with today's huge push for sprinklers in the home.

Fires of an Industrial Nature

Industrial Machine Fires
A look at what a troubleshooter finds.
When he repairs them and what he finds that causes them

By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Qualified Electrical Contractor

When I'm not involved with fire investigation and research work, I work as a master-level electrical and electronic troubleshooter. I do this for different companies as well as contractors. When they have a problem that their normal maintenance people or electricians can not find, I'm the guy they call.

In the 34+ years of doing this work I've enough stories to fill several books over. However, there are several recurring issues I see on an almost daily basis that causes the vast majority of machinery and equipment related fires. Many of these come back to:

1. the wrong fuse or circuit breaker for over-current protection
2. and the wrong application of parts being used and for the voltages used

Take the machine shop which called me couple weeks back. They had an Italian-made auto-feed radial drill which kept blowing fuses. When they could no longer get the special 25 Amp beer-bottle-shaped German fuses, someone got the bright idea of replacing the fuse with a standard 25-Amp, Class-R American fuse.

So the machine operator fiddled around and got one to fit in the socket, started the machine up and it ran fine, until the end of the shift when there was a noise in the gear head. He immediately shut down the machine and looked everything over. Then when he went to restart the machine, there was a loud buzz then a pop and lots of smoke. There had been a single phasing power condition in the plant and one phase was out, which he did not realize. When he went to start the machine, instead of the fuse blowing like it should, the fuse held and a $3,500.00 gear motor was toast from the single phasing condition.

So what went wrong... a 25-Amp fuse is a 25-Amp fuse, right? Answer: wrong!

The German-made fuses where a class J fuse, which blows very quickly compared to the Class R fuse that the machinist used. The problem is equipment made in the USA follows the NEMA (National Electric manufacturers Association) Standard for Electrical Equipment, which allows for a small amount of damage before a fuse blows. Compare this to overseas' equipment which is made to the IEC (International Electrical Commission) Standard, which allows no damage at all, and that is accomplished by fast-acting fuses. This is why when you compare a motor starter relay for a USA machine to a IEC machine, the USA fuses are three times the size of the IEC built machines.

This is also where many problems get started. When you go into a Industrial supply house and order a Type 00 NEMA starter USA made, they're in the $400-900 range while a comparable Type 00 in IEC is in the $200-300 range. So you know what happens, you get a mix of NEMA and IEC components and wiring and you have a disaster in the making.

Not only are components manufactured to different standards, so is the wiring in the machine. IEC involves wire sizes using metric measurement. USA machines use the AWG or American Wire Gauge standard. So the question is, can IEC and NEMA exist in the same machine? The answer to this is "yes they can, if proper design is followed, which means proper sized and type fuses and wiring as well as withstand ratings, which brings us to another problem, wrong components on wrong voltages.

I received a call from a large institutional facility with an Olympic-sized pool which used several of the same motors. They kept having problems with motors 3 and 4 always burning out. And this last time it caught the pump room on fire, which was put out with a hand extinguisher. I saw the problem on first view--the wrong motors where being installed.

The pump house has a 120/208 VAC, 3-phase, 4-wire service and 2 of the 4 motors where rated for 230 volts only . They where not dual rated 208/230 volts like the other 2 motors. These 230 volt motors will run on 208 but on hot summer days when the voltage can dip they will overheat and stall.

So you have 2 options, buy a proper 208/230 volt-rated motor or install what are known as Buck/Boost transformers in line with the motor. This allows a 230-only motor to operate on 208 Boost mode or a 208 only motor on a 230 volt line or Buck mode. They put the proper dual-rated motors in and have not had a problem since. **

I ran into a similar but different problem in a Fabricating shop where they kept blowing Relay's and motor starters out in a large metal shear.
This is a big boy it can handle a 18' foot piece of high carbon steel up to ¾ " thick and they where running it on 480 Volts 3 phase but when I opened the lid to the controls it was marked 230 volts ac only? What was this machine doing on 480 volts? Well it seems the electrician who came and installed the machine convinced the owner that the machine would run much more efficient on 480vs 230 which is usually the case but not this time.

He should have installed a step down transformer from 480 to 230 but what he did was just change the motor leads which let them run on 480 volts. Which you can do the motors are rated 230/480 volt but the problem was the relays and other components were all rated to handle 300 volts maximum and while the machine would run on 480 it was overwhelming and burning up parts. This also presented a danger to the operators because at least once the lid on the control box blew open from the violent reaction from parts shorting out.

In this case because the transformer was going to run over $2500.00 it was cheaper to just replace all the 300 volt undersized parts with parts rated to 600 volts. Which is what the previous electrician should have done but did not.

He then showed me a machine called a Iron Piranha it nibbles and punches steel plates and was always blowing out and burning up the control relay here the proper voltage relay was installed but not the proper amperage withstand rated one. The relay was designed to handle 600 volts at 15 amps but the machine draws 25 amps and while the relay could handle an occasional cycle of 25 amps thru it when the machine was being constantly used it could not and the relay would catch fire so a 30 amp rated relay was installed which handled the load plus gave the machine a safety factor when it was in constant use .While working at this facility one of his customers who was picking up an order, asked me to come over to his oil blending facility seems the lights always blinked in back work area of the plant and electronic items were getting damaged from surges. Now this was a long run but the wiring seemed sized right and terminated right but when I put my meter at main service it was 120/230 but when I got to the shop side it was 20 volts low on one side and 30 volts high on the other phase. I suspected a loose Neutral wire which can cause this condition but they seemed tight it was when I started following the neutral wire out thru the shop I was horrified to find the neutral wire
was not going back to the main service but to a steel beam which was being used as ground and was causing the voltage imbalance. They arranged to have a proper sized neutral line run from the shop to main service and all the problems disappeared.

This could have been disastrous if the neutral wire had fallen off the steel beam all the items in the shop would have produced 230 volts at there receptacles causing a fire due to the imbalance. This is why electrical services have a ground rod and ground to metal water pipe should the neutral be lost coming in off the pole, besides the other safety issues they handle.

As you can see there is a lot more to know about machines than the typical text book or training class provides. The other problem with machines and equipment is that until the 2007 NEC code there was no set standard to be followed with the designing of machines

Only a couple paragraphs and good common sense. But wait are not all machines suppose to be UL or other 3rd party rated what about OSHA .Well the answer comes down to who was enforcing what code in what area and when it comes to industrial machines it is anything goes. Yes you will find UL listed components but the whole control most likely is not unless it is for special applications like Elevators or hazardous locations like Petro Chemical plants.

NEC now has guide lines which are supposed to be followed but go into any maintenance
Shop or for that matter many electrical contractors' shops and see if you can find a NEC or any other code book. Unfortunately there are many electrical contractors who never get there work inspected or permitted and maintenance people only know what the other guy taught them. And since Heavy Commercial and Industrial sites rarely get inspected for anything other than OSHA coming by if a complaint has been filed there is several generations of wiring and machinery which has been installed any way any one cares to.

This is why these types of fires are difficult to investigate and determine a cause unless an investigator has strong engineering skills in this particular area.
Because when it comes time to pointing fingers, who do you point them at?
And unless it is a considerable loss to an insurer or there's death or serious injury most claims are just paid or never even turned in they just have some one come and fix it, and hopefully they know what there doing.

Why we Have the FCC and Other Alphabet Agencies

There would not be a need for the FCC if businesses behaved themselves?

By Nick Markowitz Jr

Believe it or not we would not need an Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and many other government agencies if people and businesses would learn to behave themselves. But since we can not, we allow government to get out of hand and grow bigger everyday.

So how did the FCC come into being? It was because in the early days of AM Radio Stations individuals would put up their own radio stations where ever they wanted on the radio band and they'd run them at whatever power they felt like. In particular with the night time atmosphere issues, which allow the signal to travel many miles, cites on the west coast were unable to listen to their local stations because east coast stations would not reduce their power and vise versa.

There was even a daytime problem where two stations on same band were over powering each other. So instead of the people who owned the stations sitting down and working out a way everyone could be happy  instead they kept fighting and arguing because of the almighty buck and no one wanted to give an inch because of greed. This is what allowed the FCC to be established--and now no one has been happy since.

It is the same old story you see it all the time. Someone opens up a business and starts making great money then others get into the same business until the market saturates and then no one makes money. Be it Laundromats, mini storage facilities etc.

And of course since the first ones in want to be the only ones doing what they do so they can charge whatever they want, they try every dirty trick they can use to stop the others from fairly competing. And then the government and the courts are the only ones you can call on to keep big business in line. There is no one else to call.

Time and time again business has proven it can not behave it self and another regulatory agency comes about. OSHA, EPA, MSHA, USDA, FDA, NIOSH, CPSC, NIST have all come about because big business can not behave it self.

A small handful of individuals are responsible for all the rules and regulations we now follow. It is  not getting any better as corporations continue to turn out products no one wants and corporations keep doing what they well please. This same problem is now playing out over in India with an electric car manufacturer who will not recall their vehicles for repairs even though a number of them have experienced ignition problems which have caught the cars on fire.

And the same thing has happened here in the USA with the big 3 until CPSC with court order stepped in and forced a recall. A responsible company would have realized they had a problem and recalled the cars and fixed the problems and come out of it smelling like a rose. Instead they sat there and denied it and smugly ignored everyone until the courts ordered it. Then they sit there and wonder why their stock price has bottomed out.

Until Big Business gets its act together and starts acting responsibly just get use to more and more regulations and bigger and bigger government. It is what we deserve when we can not behave ourselves. When we do not complain, when we do not hold individuals accountable for their actions.

When we reward bad behavior we leave the door open for over regulation and bigger government and eventually a Nanny State because we can do nothing for ourselves and this leads to Socialism and then Communism, which is exactly what we have allowed to happen.

We now have a government that tells us what to do, when to do it, and where to do it. Because we could not take a stand as citizens and do the right things.
Think I am wrong? Then name me 10 things you can do which there is not some type of government regulation.

Counterfeit Dangers

The Fire just waiting to start in your home Counterfeit and Knock off Electrical Items By Nick Markowitz Jr. Fire Investigator You find yourself on a nice sunny spring day deciding to go for a walk what better way to enjoy it than a stop at a local Flea Market. All the great smells from food vendor's carts and the busy activity everywhere make this a special time. Unfortunately you do not realize that the choices you make this day may well result in the destruction of your home and possibly your family. You see a vendor selling all kinds of new, cheap dollar stuff from many different boxes he has laying on plastic sheeting on the ground. You find he has some plug strips you have been needing for your computer system and kitchen, very cheaply priced at $3.00 each. Anywhere else they would cost you $12.99. And so you buy a couple of them, totally unaware that what you think is a good deal on a legitimate item is actually a dangerously-built counterfeit or look alike, also known as a Knock Off. You go home, plug one of these power strips in your computer system and start working with your new laser printer. You get everything set up and ready to go. It's getting late and it's nearing your bedtime. You leave your computer and printer on because it also works as a fax machine. You go to bed to later awaken to the sound of your smoke detector. Your house is filling up with smoke and you instinctively get everyone up and out, just in time as flames come out of the family room where the computer is located. Luckily tonight everyone is safe and firefighters arrive in time to stop the fire in the family room, but there's water and smoke damage everywhere. The Fire Marshal arrives after the fire is out and he begins his investigation. He traces the fire's origin to just about where the plug strip was, but it's almost totally destroyed. Luckily, you have the duplicate strip from the kitchen to give him. On closer examination, he finds that it's not what it appears, it's counterfeit, a knockoff, made to look like a good product. Instead, it is made very cheaply. For example, instead of a #14 gauge wire cord, it's only #16. This means that it can only carry half of the 15-Amps that the packaging says it can carry. To make matters worse, the on/off switch is also inferior because it's undersized. The unit also has no UL, FM, or any other testing agency's approval and no manufacturer's name is on it, other than "made in China." This plug strip never should have been imported and sold in this country because it is absolutely illegal under Federal Import rules. Yet everyday illegal and dangerous items made cheaply and dangerously make it into this country. They are being sold at flea markets; dollar stores; and 2nd-hand, variety-type stores. This is a serious problem. Just a survey of local flea markets here in the Pittsburgh area revealed 10 out of 12 vendors had illegal items for sale. All of them having been imported illegally through an importer in New York City. But when it comes to electrical items, it not just the small stuff being made, its large frame breakers and switch gear as well. Cutler Hammer, a division of Eaton Corp., has started a campaign to make electricians aware of knockoffs. Can you imagine that the apartment or office building you may be in has illegal, copycat electrical switch gear items in it? But it happens. It even happens in the airline and automotive industries and it has caused numerous accidents and deaths. In a word, it is a growing problem. Sometimes manufacturers will also illegally copy the UL  testing label just to make an item look legit, but it's not. The Consumer Products Safety Commission, also known as CPSC, is in charge of protecting consumers from dangerous products and they have field agents in every state. But with the rapid proliferation of illegal items coming into this country, agents are often overwhelmed and in need input from average citizens when it comes to reporting dangerous items. When these agents come across them, which is almost weekly, the CPSC issues bulletins about all kinds of dangerous items being recalled--from children toys with lead paint issues to exploding candles, to lawnmowers with blades that break. A recent effort by the CPSC is a down-loadable booklet which is being issued to every  2nd-hand and variety-type store in order to help them identify dangerous products that they may otherwise sell to an unsuspecting public. This helps in the removal and destruction of of illegal goods that should not be on the U.S. market. Merchants and vendors who continue to sell these dangerous items face fines well in excess of $10,000.00. In additional these illegal items can be seized and destroyed. The only way to stop this scourge going across America is for consumers to become educated so they can avoid these problems in the first place. As a general rule, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. For more information on how to identify and report a dangerous product, go to www.cpsc.gov.

Temporary Wiring Dangers

This temporary wiring setup by registered electricians could have gotten someone killed!

By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Fire Investigator

I was listening on my scanner the other day when I heard the local Fire Marshal (FM) call dispatch and request a Police Officer on scene to deal with a worker who refused to identify himself. The FM was checking out a citizen complaint over how a large tent was set up in a shopping center.

After requesting PD response, the worker all of a sudden found his wallet and identified himself as working for an electrical contractor. The FM canceled the Police response right away. Just another interesting day in the life of a Fire Marshal, or so it seemed.

The next day I received a call from the FM who said he had some electrical questions, plus a story to go with it. It seems that one of the local merchants was getting ready for a 3-day tent sale and got permission and permits to put up the tent in the shopping center's large parking lot. They had hired a registered electrical contractor (EC) to provide 120 volt outlets and data lines for cash registers out to the tent. The tent was a properly erected, fire resistant tent, however the electricians who came on site decided to run the temporary wiring out through the store lobby by clipping it to the wall and then drilling a hole in an outside Fire emergency exit door. They then ran the wire across the sidewalk and roadway by means of a small conduit pipe with a wooden 2x4 on each side to protect it from cars that would run over it.

Needless to say the FM got on site, saw the way the wire was run and had them remove it immediately. So then the next day they ran the wire from the roof along with the low voltage wires over top a temporary pole which was not fastened properly as the low and high voltage wires were tied to each other, which is not right.

The FM asked the electrician about it. They told him that this is the way they always do it. So needless to say he called me and a couple other electrical experts on what should be done to make things safe. Each of us visited the site and gave our suggestions. An electrical inspector is due the morning of the sale to make sure things are right. If not, the sale will be canceled or they will run it with no power.

This brings up the issue, these are registered, insured electricians doing work they knew was improper. They did it any way they wanted without regard to safety and code simply because they were not in the City of Pittsburgh. They figured they could get away with it because it's out in the suburbs.

So once again we prove even though laws, licensing and registration, and everything else under the sun is in place, a contractor can, and often does ignore the law, except this time around the EC did not get away with it. In reaponse, this particular EC does nothing more than squeal like a stuck pig saying he is losing all kinds of money.

My response to his response is this: "You would not be losing money if you were properly designing and installing your jobs correctly, according to the principle of doing it right the first time."

Because this contractor thought he had a bunch of suckers on the line, he tried to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. He slopped the wiring and has been caught in the act. Needless to say, any time in the future his company's name comes up in this community, they'll be taking extra time to look at his work because he has proven that he cannot be trusted.

Now, I'm sure the other excuse he will try to use to the FM is "everyone else is doing it this way so he could not put the system in properly because the store in question would not pay the price for a properly installed job."

In this case, I would have declined to do the work, even to give a bid. I would have then called the code-enforcement office to advise them to keep an eye on things, which is what appears to have happened. The store manager did everything right and followed what she was told to do. In the final analysis, it's the electrician's fault for what happened, not the store's fault.

What have we really learned about fire prevention?

"Heads must roll for this travesty unbelievable it was allowed to happen. " Fire prevention in the year 2010 Have we really learned anything? The above statement was not made in 2010. In fact it wasn't even made this century. The year was 1903 and people were infuriated over the 602 deaths of men, women, and children in a fire that occurred at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago Illinois. With 602 dead there was not one red penny given in compensation. Numerous fire and building officials were on the take and fire-proof features that were boasted about when the theater was built were never really implemented or completed allowing for the huge death toll. Worse yet, not a single official spent one minute of time in jail for the incident. This Could Just as Easily Happen Today It was only a decade ago when 101 people died in the tragic Station Night Club Fire in Rhode Island. Since 2000, this same type of fire has killed hundreds more in clubs around the world where pyrotechnic displays started fires. So have we really learned anything? Apparently not. We continue to construct homes and buildings using such light weight material that sprinklers are required. Fine and dandy, but that's assuming the system is properly working and maintained. As we have found out, this is not always the case. In fact, a sprinkler system was responsible for taking a woman's life after it caused an explosion due to improper installation. We have not learned in Pennsylvania either. When PA's new UCC building code went into effect in 2003, it opened the door to legal consumer-grade fireworks to be sold everywhere and they are being sold everywhere, around memorial day and July 4th especially. The number of accidental fires and injuries from fireworks has quadrupled since that time. Is there any doubt that sometimes we're our own worst enemy here in PA? Fires During Severe Winter Weather With the terrible winter we just experienced, as many as 25 individual structure fires took place everyday in western PA, from December 1st through late February. Many of them were due to improper use of space heaters and overloaded and faulty wiring, not counting how many people died from CO poisoning. How about New York City? Look at all the fire and building officials found on the take in 2009 who were responsible for allowing cranes to collapse. Again, have we gotten anywhere? Have we really learned anything? The answer to that is no, and the very words which were shouted in anger in 1903 will be heard again sometime this decade. Why call it human nature because as long as there is someone willing to put someone else at risk, and as long as people refuse to educate themselves, the cycle will never be broken.

Heavy Snow Brought Downed Power Lines, Injuries, and Deaths

by Nick Markowitz Jr.

Here in western Pennsylvania heavy, wet snows--as much as 36 inches deep in some places--have brought down trees and electrical wires, This adverse weather brought with it the question “Who is it that owns this power line?”

Typically, during storms the fire department will respond and clear the trees and the wires if they are cable TV or telephone as these are considered safe to move, at least most of the time. The local utility is then notified so they can do a follow-up repair.
This can often bring with it trouble when the cable or Telco provider arrives. Many times it's found that someone has strung a cable, security, data, or telephone wire across a roadway to get to another structure they own. Unless permission has been previously granted by the utilities that own these poles as well as the State Department of Transportation (DOT) which regulates the roadway, these wires have been put up illegally. This brings with it a considerable amount of legislation and costs, including fines and the cost of damages that may have occurred when the line pulled free.

Many times because the act was illegal, there is no insurance coverage and the persons responsible for it become 100% responsible for the bill(s), which can be in the thousands of dollars. And if vehicles and/or telephone or power poles, even structures are damaged, then in addition the utility companies that own the poles involved can collect a monthly rent--all because someone didn't want to go through the correct process to legally cross a roadway. This can include engineering studies, permits, and having the proper insurance rider.

In addition to the lines being illegal, they are often installed improperly. Such cables must be insatlled to National Electrical Code (NEC), Article 900. NEC sets the standards by which wires must be set, such as 20 feet over a roadway. Another must is proper surge/lightning protection where the wire enters a building. So all in all, when illegal wires are finally discovered by either a survey crew or utilities as they respond to calls concerning downed wires during adverse weather or accidents, someone will pay.

All of this could have been avoided in the first place if wireless technologies where deployed to get the signal across. But since the cost of a wire is a lot cheaper, and since most people would rather deal with later, things can get really sticky. The problems of lines suspended in midair in general can be cause for concern, even when they're on privately-owned poles on private property, and this is because codes are not always followed.

I responded to an electrical emergency at a car dealership several years ago where wiring and shiny streamers where strung from pole to pole to pole to building. An employee backing up with a car struck a light post and brought down all 8 of them simply because these poles weren't properly installed. Frankly, it looked like the three stooges when I got there. Luckily no one was hurt, although some of the cars and the building where damaged to the tune of $50,000—no small sum for any business.

In this case, if NEC had been followed, damage would have been minimal. Needless to say, the insurance representative was not happy over the situation and the contractor who put up the poles is now facing litigation.

Light poles and power poles falling over from deterioration has always been a problem in this end of the State where it's often difficult and expensive to bury wires. So when traveling through western Pennsylvania during a storm, it's always a good idea to keep a close eye ahead when driving so you don't become the next victim of falling trees and wires.

And lastly, if you should ever have a wire drop on top of your vehicle during a storm, never ever get out of your vehicle. Stay put until emergency services arrive. Stepping out could get you electrocuted, but if you must exit, do so by jumping clear of the vehicle with both feet. Never do so by planting one foot on the car and the other one on the ground. This could be enough to seriously injure or kill you. Consider any wire found on the ground as energized, even if it looks like a low-voltage wire. This is because low-voltage wires can be hot with power from a high-voltage lilne comes into contact with it by falling across it.

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When Fire Service instructors Give bad advice

When Fire Service Instructors get it wrong, Firefighters will become their own victims by Nick Markowitz Jr. Having been an active firefighter I attended many different classes over the years to hone my skills. Too many times certified Pennsylvania fire service instructors have given bad and dangerous information. Many have also omitted necessary information to firefighters. These men and women should have known better than to make certain statements during training sessions. Take a friend of mine who recently took several courses on rope rescue and additional high plus angle and tower rescue courses. He told me he was now qualified to climb towers and asked me to use his new climbing rig on my 2- 185 ft. directional radio towers I maintain for WAVL Praise, 910 KHz on the AM dial, located in Apollo Pa. I agreed as there had been a bad wind storm and appreciated the inspection. Upon getting to the site and discussing the mandatory safety and lockout briefing before he started climbing, he asked me where on the tower to avoid high energy radio frequency (RF) fields. Looking at him, I ask what antennas, this is an AM broadcast facility. The entire tower is the antenna as the entire structure is hot with RF power feeding at 5,000 Watts. That's 10 Amps of electrical power going through it. If you step over and touch it, you will get a powerful zap as it knocks you to the ground. His eyes went wild with amazement, then he said that the tower instructor never told us this could happen. Well at this point I had to go through the whole lesson in how AM is broadcast and describe the different types of setups on them including towers which switch power levels and directional arrays. We covered how signals are sent, in what pattern, and I explained Duplex AM towers where two AM radio stations run through the same tower structure. We have two such arrangements here in Pittsburgh: 1550 AM and 770AM. Both run on a single stick set up in the Braddock area. We also have 1320 and 1360 on a directional in the Swisshelm section of Pittsburgh. So then we also had to go through the various precautions you must take before even grabbing onto and starting up an AM Tower. This includes making sure that power to the transmitter is totally turned off. When contract tower climbers come to the site to change beacon bulbs they want them off totally. The power must be locked out so no timer etc can start the transmitter by accident. We followed all the protocols and he was able to inspect the towers for me. Luckily no visible damage was found, but then I have to wonder who is teaching this class. Is this individual a professional tower climber that knows about these radio broadcasting towers, or is this someone who only works on a particular type of tower or someone who works on them for a cellular carrier. Obviously I made a phone call to local fire academy and of course no one ever answered my questions on this course. I have since made the Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner aware of this incident. Then take the incident where I am sitting in class and the topic is Sprinkler Fire Suppression Systems. The Instructor makes the erroneous statement that stand pipe connections for Fire hoses are a separate piping system from the building's sprinkler system. As a matter of fact, they are not. The 2 ½ inch hose fittings on each floor level that firefighters tap into in order to fight fires are on the same piping system as the sprinklers. If firefighters are not properly told this they could easily over pressure the FDC or Fire Department Connection on the outside of a building and blow the sprinkler pipes apart when providing an assist from a fire engine pump because they think they're supplying just the stand pipes. There are dry stand pipes, but these are found mostly in non sprinkled buildings. Then this same instructor, when it came to safety around electrical items in a building, made the very dangerous statement that all electrical capacitor banks have shorting bars which safely discharge them. Wrong again! Many, but not all, capacitor banks have resistors which slowly discharge the power to the bank after power is turned off, but it takes 15 to 20 minutes, and personally, I do not touch them until one hour has passed as an added precaution. I do this just in case something goes wrong inside. Then I attended an Elevator Rescue Course where the instructor never worked in the elevator industry, and again bad information was being given out and OSHA rules and regulations where not being followed. When I brought up about OSHA regulations, you get this entire lie from instructors that fire departments are exempt from OSHA as Pennsylvania is an EPA-enforced State. Wrong again! It is OSHA that comes in and enforces laws. In fact, the Charleston, S.C., fire department was cited by OSHA after several firefighters died in a furniture warehouse fire, and they're an EPA state. Now the worst part of these instructors giving bad information is one of them now actually was promoted to be the director at one of the Fire Academys. So now any questions or concerns go into file 13--the circular trash can. As the saying goes here in Pennsylvania for the fire service, "Everyone goes home." However, this is not going to be the case as more than one may not because of fire service instructors that give out bad advice.

Winter Travelers Who Fail to Follow Common Sense

Winter Travelers failed to follow the rules when it came to travel during the great winter storm of 2010. Instead they relied on 911 to help them.

by Nick Markowitz Jr.

One of the most reliable roads one can travel in the Mid Atlantic area when winter weather is bad is the Pennsylvania Turnpike, especially when you need to get from Ohio to Philadelphia or Washington, D.C. It's well known for its famous snowplow trains--multiple plow trucks lined up like a train. These trucks are able to bust through the toughest of snow storms when winter weather gets worse than bad. However, like all roads, one must still take precautions because you're still traveling through the infamous Allegheny Mountains. With names like Tuscarawas and Blue Knob, part of the famous Appalachians Mountain chain has as many as three tunnels.

This weekend once again proved that even with the best road maintenance available things can go wrong, and they certainly did when two tractor trailers wrecked between the Donegal and Somerset exits. This brought west-bound traffic to a stop for 12 hours. The accident was bad enough that local Fire departments had to bring water and food to travelers who where unprepared. Most of them didn't bring even the most simplest of precautions, such as filling their gas tank up before they left, or a simple blanket, water, snacks, or small food items.

After all, you're traveling through mountains in the 2000 foot range and the snow and ice can be heavy in this region. Many travelers didn't even have proper winter clothing with them either, such as a heavy parka and gloves.

Today, too many people don't plan or think ahead for one minute. They automatically assume by dialing 911 that all their troubles will be taken care of. Luckily for them the first responders in the area are equipped and trained to handle the terrain, but while the turnpike travelers took up the first responders time, they had to leave their own towns unprotected while they dealt with the mess on the turnpike.

Once again a hand full of idiots put thousands at risk because they couldn't be bothered to take the simplest of precautions. There's an Old saying "Fail to Prepare, then Prepare to Fail," and everyday it's proven out by those who will not use their god-given brains to think even one step ahead.

To further illustrate my point, there where people in the turnpike mess who wore their shorts with a thin hoodie. Many of them didn't have long pants with them because, like the rest of these ill-prepared people, they thought they where only going the distance of one or two exits. They figured that the car heater would aptly keep them warm and safe. Never once did they think they could be trapped in a wreck or behind one.

As long as people keep relying on our Nanny State and they continue to think it will not happen to them, 911 will be busier than ever as idiots call whose very actions place others at risk. With things not getting any better in our society, as more and more people rely on the Nanny State, you can expect to see more and more idiotic and dumb things done by people on TV this winter.

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