[Animals also fire] Animals also use "fire sprinkler" system?

June 2012, the National Fire Protection Association annual meeting in Las Vegas, as usual, to develop new, revised standard to a vote.

Of the 38 standards reviewed , NFPA 150 "Fighting Safety Standards for Animal Facilities" was particularly noticeable. Since 1800 , when Britain passed the “Bullard Bill”, which aims to protect animals from abuse, the concept of “animal welfare” in the modern sense has become more and more popular. Its basic concept is that animals – especially those controlled by humans for food, Tools, friends or animals studied should not be subject to unnecessary suffering such as abuse.

Therefore, it is not surprising that there are specialized animal fire safety standards in more than 300 standard regulations of the American Fire Protection Association . However, during this year's deliberation, the contents of whether or not an automatic sprinkler system was fully installed at all animal facilities were quite interesting. Automatic sprinkler technology, referred to as automatic sprinkler for more than 100 years, has the outstanding advantages of safety, reliability, economy and practicality, and high fire extinguishing success rate. It is the most recognized and most effective automatic fire extinguishing technology in the world. It was mainly used in industrial and commercial facilities. In the past 30 years, it began to promote residential buildings. In 1987 , Scottsdale, Arizona, USA passed a decree that all new houses must be equipped with a sprinkler system.

However, automatic sprinkler technology has not yet been widely promoted due to concerns such as increased investment. Under such circumstances, it is inevitable that the animals will be “in one step” and fully “enjoy” the protection of the spray system.

In fact, the previous version of "Fighting Safety Standards for Animal Facilities" has always had application of spray technology. In 1975 , after a series of serious racehorse fires, the American Fire Protection Association established the "Horse Racing Safety Committee" and in 1979 introduced the "Horse Racing Safety Standards", which were followed in 1985 , 1991 , and 1995 respectively. It was revised in 2000 .

When it was amended in 2004 , it will be changed to its current name and will extend the scope of application to rest, breeding, work, activities and breeding facilities for all animals, including livestock sheds, stables, kennels, animal shelters, animal hospitals, animal playgrounds, and animals. Laboratory and animal-related other agricultural and commercial facilities have also been clearly protected for the safety of animals and workers.

In the early 1979 editions, NFPA 150 put forward requirements for the installation of sprinkler systems for stables of different types of buildings, floor areas and horses.

After 2004 , the scope for setting up spray protection was extended to all "animals" - NFPA 150 divided animals into two categories. "An animal" includes animals that may cause harm to the health and safety of rescue workers or the general public. Animals that may be harmed during the transfer and relocation, as well as animals that are difficult or even impossible to move, such as tigers, elephants, bears, and dangerous amphibians.

In addition, they all belong to "second class animals." The scope of the spraying technology can be extended from horse racing to all types of animals. It must be mentioned that a primate fire occurred in the Philadelphia Zoo in the United States.

Established in 1859 , the Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest zoo in the United States. It has Victorian gardens and received over 1.2 million tourists in 2011 . On the eve of Christmas Eve in 1995 , the primate hall suddenly caught fire. Although the fire was controlled within the ceiling of less than 100 square meters , there were still 6 West African lowland gorillas, 3 Sumatran orangutans, 4 Only southeast Asian gibbons and 10 lemurs died of smoke poisoning during sleep, and another 10 animals were injured.

Dead or injured orangutans and apes are endangered and endangered species. Some have lived in the garden for nearly 30 years. They have formed families and passed on from generation to generation. They have already become friends of Fei City people. Any news about them may become the headline news of the local community. A young orangutan who died in the fire was only 11 months old. At the time of its birth, the zoo excitedly put a sign saying "have a girl!". After the fire, urban residents were deeply affected by this tragedy and donated money to repair their houses.

The fire primate museum was built in 1985 and is a single-storey brick-concrete structure with only three smoke detectors installed .

Firefighting experts and animal managers believe that if there is a spray system protection, these rare animals will be able to survive. The animal protection staff emphasized that animals and humans instinctively escape from danger in a fire, but it is precisely because human-made cages hinder the animal's escape route. Therefore, humans are more responsible for providing animals with safe protection instead of allowing them to do so. They needlessly die in the fire. Just as the fire at the New York Triangle Shirt Factory in the early 20th century raised concerns about the fire safety of the working environment, which in turn promoted the overall improvement of working conditions for American workers, the Philadelphia Zoo Fire also caused concern for animal safety issues.

It is in this context that NFPA 150 extends the scope of spray protection to all types of animals. In the 30 years after the formulation of the standard, the United States animal facilities fires decreased significantly, from 14 000 in 1980 from 740 to 2010, direct property loss also dropped to about $ 30 million, but major fires still occur, especially It is the livestock farms and poultry farms that often cause serious fire damage.

According to the US (firesafetyinbarns.com) "barn fire safety website", and only recently in the United States since 80 such fires has caused 200 horses, 850 head of cattle, 1.5 million sheep, 461,000 chickens and 18,500 Only other birds died. In fact, for those who advocate the full installation of sprinkler systems in animal facilities, reducing economic losses is just as important or even more important than “humane handling of animals raised for commercial purposes”.

However, should the scope of spray protection be extended to all animals? Supporters and opponents have debated this.

Supporters believe that animals and humans enjoy the same rights to life, especially for animals that are unable to move freely because of human factors. Humans have a duty to provide security for them. Unlike proponents who are full of "animal ethics" theory and perfectionism, opponents' voices are more pragmatic and more grounded.

Their reasons are mainly concentrated in four aspects:

First of all, spraying is not a panacea. The main cause of fire in animal facilities, especially livestock sheds and poultry farms, is the failure of electrical lines. This is precisely the weak link in fire prevention. If more energy and expenditure are spent on Daily fire inspections, inspections of potential safety hazards, and the implementation of those fire protection measures that have been proven effective can be effective.

Secondly, it is very difficult to install sprinklers for animal facilities. Fire-fighting water storage facilities and pressurized facilities should be constructed in rural areas where water is insufficient, and dry systems must be installed in cold regions where the minimum temperature is lower than zero. These may be further. Increased investment, and the daily maintenance of the system is also a thorny issue.

Thirdly, as a recommended standard set by non-governmental organizations, NFPA 150 will only become an enforceable law if it is cited by government agencies. If spraying is required in all animal husbandry facilities, it will seriously affect the standard. The adoption of this system was thus put on the shelf and could not play any role.

Fourth, it is also the most contradictory to the farmers and poultry farming industry, which is to increase the cost of the spray system.

With the global economy continuing to slump, feed and fuel costs soaring, and prices of agricultural and livestock products in the doldrums, if sprinkler systems are fully installed in animal husbandry buildings and farms, the increased expenditure will inevitably cause large numbers of US farmers to go bankrupt!

It is worth noting that the opponents even included long-term proponents of multiple sprinkler technologies. The opinion of Laurie Loveman, an expert in automatic sprinkler systems, is quite representative: "After careful consideration of the complex and unpredictable consequences of expanding the range of spray installations, I decided to change my opinion from approval to objection.

The reason is that we are 'too strong.' The leap of this step is indeed a bit too big. At present, there is an atmosphere of confrontation rather than cooperation.

We need time to listen to opinions from stakeholders. In short, in the eyes of opponents, those who propose to universalize the sprinkler system only know how to sit and talk about it. They do not consider the complicated realities at all, and they do not care about the livelihoods of American farmers.

In the end, opponents voice prevailed, the 2013 edition of NFPA in 2012 entered into force on 29 August 150, the scope of protection sprinkler system is still limited to a class of animals.

Experts believe that the scope of the "second-class animal" is too broad. If the sprinkler system is fully installed, it will inevitably increase the cost of related industries, and it will be technically very difficult. Therefore, a more in-depth study must be conducted before expanding the scope of spray installation, especially considering the opinions from animal husbandry and aquaculture.

If you want to speed up, if you promote it for promotion, no matter how good the technology is, it will inevitably be rejected. Before the humanity's housing has been fully sprayed, it is increasingly inappropriate for the animals to "walk first," and there is a suspicion that they are too rash to consider the current severe economic situation. Moreover, "one size fits all." "The requirements are too mechanical and simplistic, and it is reasonable to be rejected.

A good standard requires not only advanced technology, but also adapts to the needs of social development. It can be moderately advanced, but it can not surpass the times. It is this truth that comes into being as a matter of fact. Otherwise, it can only become a dead letter. "Fashion Village of Willow Blossom", 2013 version of NFPA 150 has achieved a breakthrough in performance design, although it has not expanded the installation scope of the spray. The new standard has a special chapter. It refers to NFPA 101 "Life Safety Standards" and NFPA 5000 "Building Structure and Safety Regulations" to determine the principles of fire safety performance design for animal facilities to guide designers in addressing specific fire safety requirements for animal facilities. Comprehensive use of fire detection, alarm, shower, smoke control and other modern fire-fighting techniques, formulate a comprehensive fire safety design plan, and give designers more flexibility in their choice.

The Smithsonian National Zoo, located in the Washington, DC, United States, has successfully applied performance-based design methods to tailor-made "personalized" fire safety design solutions for more than 400 species of animals.

In the Amazon exhibition hall that simulates the rainforest environment completely, a large-scale aquarium containing more than 200 tons of water holds various fishes from the Amazon. They are very sensitive to environmental changes such as pH and water temperature. If the sprinkler system is to come from the city, Fire water in the water supply system is sprayed into the aquarium, and changes in water quality may completely cause the fish to die.

For this reason, engineers took special preventive measures. In the "House of the Orangutan", the keeper found that the sound of a fire sirens caused frightening primates and that they might even hurt themselves in order to escape the harsh sound.

For this reason, the fire alarm system replaces the alarm sound with a flashing red light, prompting the breeder in time without disturbing the animals in the museum.

While protecting animals from fire damage, they must also prevent animals from damaging fire-fighting facilities. In the elephant pavilion, in order to prevent dexterous and curious elephant trunks from damaging fire fighting facilities, the spray pipes were covered with metal shields, and the smoke detectors were “covered” with strong metal cages.

The attitude of humans to animals reflects the human attitude towards the natural environment. Protecting and caring for animals is a symbol of progress in civilization. Although "animal welfare" is still a relatively unfamiliar concept in China, it has also entered our vision.

The revision draft of the Draft Livestock Law submitted for consideration at the 19th session of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People's Congress in December 2006 contained the contents of “National Advocacy for Animal Welfare”. However, given that the meaning of “animal welfare” is still not clear enough, the National People’s Congress’s Legal Committee is The research proposal of the National People's Congress Agricultural and Rural Committee was amended. The final adoption of Article 8 of the Livestock Husbandry Law of the People's Republic of China is as follows: “The administrative department of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine under the State Council shall guide animal husbandry and production operators to improve the breeding and breeding of livestock and poultry. Transport conditions and environment."

It is believed that in the future when conditions are met, the issue of fire safety for animals will also attract the attention of the Chinese society.

Links: National, Internal and External Zoo Fires

1. Germany Karlsruhe Zoo Fire. 2010 Nian November 13 night, the southern German city of Karlsruhe Zoo, fire, animal barn wood structures were burned, including ponies, alpacas, goats, donkeys, camels, including 26 animals were burned to death , four elephants, hippos and a two flamingos were rescued, 100 firefighters from 4:00 to noon, has been fire. The damage caused by the fire exceeded 1 million euros.

2. Japan Sakai Zoo Fire. February 25, 2011, Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan Horii zoo cage suddenly caught fire, 620 square meters of steel structure houses all burned, once the pillar of fire up to tens of meters, the fire burned nearly three hours before being extinguished, including Bengal tigers, llamas, monkeys and other small animals totaling about 100 to about 300 animals killed in the fire.

3. China Sanya Love World Zoo in Hainan, China. March 15, 2007 8:00 pm, Sanya love World Zoo elephant droppings dry internal fire in case of fire, the precious wild animals and plants threatened zoo, area fire squadron sent two fire engines, 16 fire brigade, after two hours fighting to protect the zoo.

4. China Tianjin Zoo Fire. October 21, 2009, in the Tianjin Zoo for visitors to buy feed feed the animals just three garden a wooden bungalow fire, burned area of over 10 square meters, due to the fire department put out in time, fortunately without casualties and animals.