Big Trouble in Little Fire Safety Checks

Pitfalls and Problem Points: Fire Safety

Tim Ballard | FM Insights Series | ConnexFM

It's 1990, and it's wintertime in Big Flats, New York. Christmas has come and gone, and the holiday retail rush is beginning to wind down as stores inside Arnot Mall settle back into the new year. Even with the seasonal chaos behind them, it's business as usual... until somebody smells smoke.

Where's it coming from, though?

A small fire has started in an out-of-the-way storeroom at the back of a shoe store. But why isn't the sprinkler system putting it out? The fire is getting bigger, and fast. Smoke is spreading, the danger is mounting, and the building is evacuated. Over the next several minutes, firefighters from 11 different departments arrive and struggle through the smoke to reach the blaze, which is spreading beyond the store and into the concealed space above it.

They battle the flames, working to contain a fire that could have been much worse if it had spread further. But the damage is already done. The flames have reached the space above the store, and then, with a monstrous crash, the roof caves in.

So where did it all go wrong?

The investigation revealed a critical flaw in the building's fire protection, and it came down to something easy to overlook: a capped pipe. Although the mall had sprinkler protection, the piping in the storeroom where the fire started had never been connected to the water supply. A small, seemingly inconsequential detail in the installation had left the room without functioning sprinkler protection. So when a defective hair dryer ignited a fire among shoes and cardboard boxes, the one thing that was there for that very situation was out of commission. Such a minor oversight, so simple and easy to miss that it could almost be forgivable... But this is fire safety, and even the smallest oversights can lead to millions in damage and put lives at risk. Let's focus on the pitfalls and problem points within the small oversights that one might encounter in facility fire safety systems.

Material Mindset

Incidents like the one at the Arnot Mall are a reminder of how preventable oversights can lead to serious consequences. We had the opportunity to speak with Bruce Falke, Enterprise Account Director, and Chad Miller, Director of Repair & Deficiencies at Commercial Fire, LLC, who both offered unique perspectives on fire safety protocols.

Chad provided the perspective of someone who works with the preventive maintenance and longevity of physical fire protection systems. He explained that some of the biggest challenges involve trade-offs in equipment and material durability, as well as the inspections needed to keep these systems in working order.

One example is the difference between Schedule 10 and Schedule 40 steel pipe, two types of piping that may be used in fire sprinkler systems when permitted by the applicable standards and system design. The distinction comes down in part to wall thickness:

• Schedule 10: Has a thinner pipe wall, generally making it lighter and less expensive.

• Schedule 40: Has a thicker pipe wall, which can provide a greater allowance for corrosion before the pipe's structural integrity is compromised.

Neither option is automatically right or wrong for every installation. However, pipe material, wall thickness, corrosion, installation methods, and system conditions can all affect long-term reliability. The important thing is understanding what a system is made of and where it may be more vulnerable to deterioration, such as at joints and where it bears most of its load.

As Chad put it, one of the best ways to get ahead of small but potentially devastating malfunctions is to "know what your fire safety system is made of." That knowledge can help maintenance teams and inspectors pay closer attention to vulnerable components, catching minor issues before they develop into major failures.

Inspect the Uninspected

So, you know that materials wear out or can get damaged, and certain fire suppression agents and other consumable materials can expire or lose effectiveness. That brings us to our next point, in which both Chad and Bruce talk about the gap between the expectations for inspections and the reality of carrying out preventive maintenance. Chad stated that, in his experience, five-year internal inspections of sprinkler piping are among the biggest challenges. He has encountered facilities where these inspections have been delayed, leaving potential deficiencies undiscovered. Certain smaller aspects, like the silent system killers we have discussed, can be easily overlooked when inspections and maintenance fall behind. He also mentioned that for many fire safety servicers that inspect these systems, the unique challenge of bandwidth becomes an issue.

"When COVID hit, a lot of technicians who are certified to inspect and maintain these systems walked away from the industry, and when the pandemic calmed down, they didn't come back." He explains. This meant that the ones who stayed were more hard-pressed to continue keeping up with safety inspection standards and maintenance that were expected when they had significantly greater manpower. When technicians are busy putting out bigger fires with system maintenance, it becomes a daunting task to catch the little safety checks that could easily be overlooked.

One Standard, Every Site

Bruce highlights this on a much wider scale. When handling the reality of fire safety standards across what might be a large portfolio of facilities, data tracking becomes an even more crucial component to maintaining operational fire safety systems than it did on just a location-by-location basis. Because fire safety is such a specialty in facility maintenance, often including specialties within the specialty such as monitoring systems or deterrent distribution networks, the viability of understanding a massive array of data can become a proposition of "Who's this and what exactly did they do?", especially when deficiencies are actually identified. Bruce declared that not only is data tracking useful for efficiency in any kind of maintenance, but it is absolutely critical to be able to fill in the gaps on what has been serviced and inspected and remove the guesswork on whether it has been done properly.

The only way to catch the little warning signs is to follow your procedures to the regulated standards at minimum, and be able to rely on the data of the people who are a part of that standard. Bruce explains, following with, "The biggest point is: You, as a provider or facility operator, must follow manufacturer guidelines, NFPA guidelines on all equipment, and meet the mandates of the local authority (AKA Fire Marshal). You can do more, but nothing less."

Complacency Kills

As a parting thought for people who engage with fire safety systems, procedures, or are just interested in the topic: There are plenty of aspects that keep a facility alive and operational, but fire safety might just be one of the most important because it keeps the people inside the facility alive. Whether you're the main inspection technician for a facility, or just a working stiff grabbing a cup of coffee, keep an eye open for things that seem off about your facility fire safety systems, and then don't keep it to yourself. Report it. Who knows, it could save your life.

Want to get on top of modern fire safety? ConnexFM Members can join our upcoming Virtual Learning Experience with Ryan McKay, taking place on 10/15/2026. Check it out here!