Introduction

Industrial and manufacturing plants include factories, power plants, foundries, mines, mills, automotive factories, agricultural facilities, and many more. Between 2003 and 2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 10,500 fires in industrial and manufacturing structures per year. These fires caused an annual average of 12 civilian deaths, 300 civilian fire-related injuries, and $509 million in direct property damage.

Characteristics:

These properties usually employ machinery, have operations which run non-stop, and often contain highly flammable materials. Workrooms or processing / manufacturing areas saw the most industrial and manufacturing property fires occurring (15%), followed by machinery rooms or areas with 6%. 29% of the reported structure fires involved shop tools and industrial equipment, which caused 54% of the civilian fire-related injuries.

Hazards Identified:

Leading items which are often found to have ignited fires in industrial and manufacturing structures include trash or waste, dust, fiber, lint, sawdust, flammable or combustible liquids or gas, filters or piping, and electrical wires / cable insulation.

Risk and Potential Losses:

These type of hazards cause direct property damage, and put the lives of those working in the plants in danger.

VFDS Advantages with this Type of Structure:

VFDS™ allows quick notification and verification in case of alarm
With VFDS™, rescue efforts are more efficient as rescue personnel can immediately identify the location of the fire.