Store blaze shows risk of in-house fire hoses

The fire chief says hoses in cabinets can give a false sense of security.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- No water gushed forth when Dominic Paolone grabbed the fire hose from the cabinet at the Legal Arts Centre to put out a fire in his jewelry repair store.
Then, after pulling the fire alarm -- which also didn't work -- Paolone stepped outside to call 911 on his cell phone. Paolone, burned in the fire, was taken to the Akron Burn Unit.
Fire Chief John J. O'Neill said he noticed the hose out of the cabinet when he arrived at the fire scene on Market Street on June 4. The fire likely started from a static charge to acetylene tanks, the chief said.
"He thought he'd have water, but the line was dry," O'Neill said. "Those hoses were meant for us, but we don't use them; we use our own."
The chief explained that many buildings in town have dry pipe lines that require hookup to a hydrant by firefighters. He said there's no water until the fire department makes the connection.
Because of that, he's told fire department inspectors to suggest that building owners remove the hoses, which can give a false sense of security.
"People should never depend on [in-house hoses]. They should call us," O'Neill said. "Even if they have a 'wet' line, we still hook up to fire hydrants."
The chief said hose cabinets should be clearly marked, saying for firefighters' use or some other designation. The Vindicator building on Front Street, for example, has a wet system on the second floor, and the hose cabinet is marked for use by building occupants.
In the past
Years ago, fire hoses were installed in buildings for firefighters and for use by employees trained for "fire brigades," said fire Inspector Marcia Harris. Now the fire code states that in-house pipe connections to a water source can still be maintained for firefighters, but the hoses can go; it's up to the building owner, she said.
Building maintenance workers typically express relief to learn they don't have to maintain hoses, which can dry rot and leak, Harris said.
She said dry pipes are used now in buildings that don't have heat, such as parking decks and warehouses where water in the line could freeze. A dry pipe is air under pressure; a wet pipe is water under pressure, she said.
Harris said what she finds is that most building occupants don't know if they have a wet or dry system. Paolone, she said, grabbed the hose thinking he'd get water, but it was for fire department use only.
O'Neill encourages those who aren't sure which type of fire system they have in their building to call the fire department. He said it's important that everyone have a fire plan.
Damage to Paolone's Youngstown Jewelry Repair shop was estimated at $30,000 to the property and $50,000 to the contents. Fire engulfed the first-floor shop, and upper floors suffered heavy smoke damage.
"We could have lost the whole building," O'Neill said, praising the efforts of firefighters.
meade@vindy.com