Curious, smoke detectors, fire sprinklers in buildings ?

[:::rain:::]

I was having a discussion with my neighbour the other day. When I told her my father used to install fire sprinkler systems in huge office buildings she was facinated, never heard of such a thing. Turns out shes not the only one.

So just curious to know if any apartment buildings that anyone is living in, or office building have any sort of fire safetly equipement. I'm guessing embassies do. I'm not livin in BA yet so havnt had the opportunity to observe.

 

[steveinbsas]

Fires in buildings here are so rare that all of the firemen are volunteers.
If you watch construction you can see why. It's all brick and concrete here as opposed to wood studs and particle board in the USA.

All structures are required to have fire extinguishers (offices and apartment buildings have them in every floor), and the law is faithfully observed in the city as far as I have noticed.

I haven't been in any restaurant kitchens here. They may not have the same sophisticated fire extinguishing systems as in the US.

 

[rihornos]

Many years ago I was a secretary in a factory paint and there were sprinklers not in the offices but in the factory where paint was produced I was working in Engineering Plant and people there was in charge of having these sprinkers working properly but never saw sprinkers in private houses/flats instead they all have fire extinguishers (this is by law)

 

[:::rain:::]

Thanks for the useful/ informative replies. In my apartment in Canada I could never burn a toast because of the sensitive smoke detectors and the fire alarm was so terrible people would be out of that big building in minutes. In regards to BA I guess accidents do happen, read below:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4136625.stm
But its good to know fires are rare.

 

[expatson]

Rain, about that article of BBC, let me tell you that this "accident", was the first in 200 years of argentinean history. As Steve said, here, brick and mortar makes more dificult to have a big fire, like in many cities across America builded with wood(for example, Pulte homes are forbidden in urban areas of argentina, only allowed in country houses).

 

[tangobob]

Thanks for the useful/ informative replies. In my apartment in Canada I could never burn a toast because of the sensitive smoke detectors and the fire alarm was so terrible people would be out of that big building in minutes. In regards to BA I guess accidents do happen, read below:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4136625.stm
But its good to know fires are rare.

There was a massive reaction to this event: the poor fire escapes and overcrowding. Many of the Milongas and dance halls were shut for twelve months. Now the heat has died down (no pun intended) I suspect things will drift back, but if it only happens every 200 years, I guess we should all be OK.

 

[Stanexpat]

Fire safety in most Latin American countries is very poor including
Argentina. Where regulations exist they are often either ignored or laxly enforced. Fires like the one that occurred at the nightclub in Argentina has recurred many times.

It's true fire departments are mainly volunteers, but many are poorly trained and equipped . People living in high rises there should be concerned. Smoke not flames is the big killer. Without smoke detectors you will have no warning.

When I lived there I installed my own smoke detectors. I lived in one high rise in Peru that had smoke detectors and an alarm system. I discovered that the system had been disconnected because because the administrator of the building didn't want to pay for the required twice annual maintenance. I informed them that I would not pay the monthly fees and would advise others in the building to do the same until the system was back on line. They quickly had the system repaired.

People need to recognize the problem and take appropriate steps to protect themselves. Don't assume there isn't a problem as some of these posts seem to suggest.

http://www.fireengineering.com/disp...Fire-Safety-Legislation:-An-Overview?dcmp=rss

 

[Stanexpat]

Rain, about that article of BBC, let me tell you that this "accident", was the first in 200 years of argentinean history. As Steve said, here, brick and mortar makes more dificult to have a big fire, like in many cities across America builded with wood(for example, Pulte homes are forbidden in urban areas of argentina, only allowed in country houses).

The prior fatal nightclub fire in Argentina was in 1993, 17 were killed.
Not quite 200 years.

 

[Stanexpat]

Fire safety in most Latin American countries is very poor including
Argentina. Where regulations exist they are often either ignored or laxly enforced. Fires like the one most recent one that occurred at the nightclub in Argentina where 175 people lost their lives has recurred many times.

It's true fire departments are mainly volunteers, but many are poorly trained and equipped . People living there should be concerned. Smoke not flames is the big killer. Without smoke detectors you have no warning.

When I lived there I installed my own smoke detectors. I lived in one high rise in Peru that had smoke detectors and an alarm system. I discovered that the system had been disconnected because because the manager of the building didn't want to pay for the required twice annual inspections. I informed them that I would not pay the monthly fees and would advise others in the building to do the same until the system was back on line. They quickly had the system repaired.

People need to recognize the problem and take appropriate steps to protect themselves. Don't assume there isn't a problem as some of these posts seem to suggest.

http://www.fireengineering.com/disp...Fire-Safety-Legislation:-An-Overview?dcmp=rss

 

[sergio]

Sprinkler systems in residential buildings are unheard of here, as far as I know. Maybe they exist in a few of the most recent and deluxe buildings. I have my doubts. Fire extinguishers are visible in better buildings but they are often not looked after, so they may not work. One of the worst violations of fire safety regulations is the locking of stairwells. This is sometimes done for security reasons and you can imagine the potential for disaster. I know of one major office building in which this is done because there have been so many robberies. A serious hazard involves the design of many upscale buildings. You go up the elevator and arrive at a “pallier”. This is a small entrance space leading to one or two apartments. There are NO stairs. Should the elevator fail at the same time that a fire occurs you will die. I have been told that this claustrophobic and dangerous design is no longer permitted. Maybe a local architect familiar with the law can clarify this. It’s true that there are relatively few fires given the huge size of the city however it is not accurate to say that conditions are satisfactory. The fire drill, in residential buildings or schools, does not seem to exist here. Safety regulations may exist on paper but seldom in practice. Former President Alfonsin’s granddaughter died a few years ago due to the lax safety standards at a leading private school in the city. The girl was running through one of the halls and went right through a glass door. That there was a glass door in a school was unthinkable. The poor girl died of blood loss when the glass cut an artery.