From: stephen@sprunk.org   
      
   On 21-May-14 01:10, Glen Labah wrote:   
   > In article ,   
   > "conklin"  wrote:   
   >> would make more sense to encourage people to avoid such situations.   
   >> As for your comment about dental records, I also wonder bout these   
   >> 4-story apartment complexes they are putting up now entirely made   
   >> of wood!!!  They look like bonfires ready to burn to me.   
   >   
   > It's getting worse too.  There was an article in our local paper   
   > recently about new construction methods allowing for taller buildings   
   > made entirely from wood.   
      
   Yuck.  At least around here, I see wood for 1-3 story buildings and   
   concrete for 4+ story buildings.  Building codes also require elevators   
   for 4+ story residential buildings, so apartment buildings rarely go   
   past 3.  (Elevators are required for even 2-story commercial/retail   
   buildings, so you tend to see either 1-story strip malls or 5+ story   
   towers.)   
      
   > At least around here they are now required to have sprinkler systems,   
   > but that doesn't help a fire fueled from an outside source too much,   
      
   I've never heard of sprinklers actually stopping a fire, but I lived in   
   a few such places and had to evacuate several times per year because   
   some idiot used their sprinkler for a coat hanger and broke it open,   
   which triggered the building fire alarm.   
      
   > and water isn't really good at putting out oil train fires anyway.   
   > They need massive foam sprayers, but those are generally only   
   > available at large airports.  It's been one of the discussions in our   
   > local paper: no fire department has the equipment needed to put out a   
   > fire from this stuff, except the Port of Portland Airport Fire   
   > Department, and they aren't really that close to the line with the   
   > most oil traffic except in one small area.   
      
   Same problem with oil traveling by truck.  Heck, it's probably easier to   
   get foam from the airport to a rail fire than to a truck fire because a   
   truck fire will cause severe traffic congestion.   
      
   Arguably the same problem for oil traveling by pipeline, but pipeline   
   spills rarely seem to result in fires, just a lot of ground/water pollution.   
      
   I know diesel is close to non-flammable (you can actually use it to put   
   _out_ a fire), but gasoline and kerosene are highly flammable; since   
   crude oil contains all of those, though, what is the resulting risk level?   
      
   S   
      
   --   
   Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein   
   CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the   
   K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking   
      
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