Before the Greenwich firefighters arrive at the scene of an emergency, they are well prepared for any circumstance, thanks to a method of high-tech “pre-planning” designed to educate them about the specific features of office buildings, apartment buildings, and “high-hazard” buildings in Greenwich.
Through a questionnaire featuring more than 100 questions about a given building’s dimensions, occupants and safety precautions, the fire department outlines the most efficient way to tackle a fire before it ever takes place.
“There’s about 116 questions depending on the type of facility,” Lt. Tom Lenart said while inputting information into a tablet computer. “If a building stores hazardous materials, there will be more questions than for a building that doesn’t.”
High-hazard buildings, like factories that hold flammable or toxic materials, are explored in greater depth than regular office buildings, but each serves as an opportunity for both sides to get familiar with what to do in case of an emergency.
Information such as fire alarm locations, fire hydrant locations, and hazardous settings are all noted and put into a tablet that firefighters use when called to an emergency scene.
“We look for the water, gas and electrical systems, so if we need to, we can shut them off immediately. If we saw something serious in terms of a fire code violation, we’ll take note of it, but that’s not the purpose of us doing this. We don’t want people to be afraid to let us in because they think that’s why we’re there. We’re there in case there is an emergency, so we can handle it quickly while doing the least amount of damage possible.”
Assistant Fire Chief Bob Kick says the pre-plans provide a great chance for the firefighters to get more familiar with the buildings in town, as well as the people inside them.
“It’s an opportunity for our personnel to get a look at the building under normal conditions and learn where the exits are, where the panels are, where the sprinkler connections are, so we can document that into our system,” Lt. Kick said following a pre-plan of the Greenwich Sentinel building.
The Android-based tablets pull up crucial information for firefighters, such as where the closest fire hydrants are from any location and the details of important utility specifications for the buildings.
“We just transitioned to a new software program, and it’s not only a great opportunity for the firefighters but also for the business owners too.”
Even though business owners in Greenwich don’t have to comply with pre-plans, Lt. Kick urges people to take advantage of a pre-plan visit from the Greenwich Fire Department.
“We want our people interacting with the business owners and building those relationships,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity, and it only benefits them.”
Businesses can contact the fire department to schedule a pre-plan at their convenience.
The Greenwich Sentinel building received a pre-plan from the fire department just last week.
