Standpipe (firefighting)

Fire standpipes have two broad types: "Wet" and "Dry". The terms describe their state during normal, non-firefighting situations.

File:Minnesota dry standpipe.jpg

Dry standpipe systems do not contain water in the piping during normal, non-firefighting situations. Water is only introduced when needed for firefighting purposes.

Manual Dry Standpipe System - A standpipe system that is not connected to a water supply and requires water to be pumped into the system via a fire department connection (FDC), often by a fire truck.

Semiautomatic Dry Standpipe System - A standpipe system that is connected to a water supply and capable of supplying the water at any time, but requires the manual activation of a valve or other control to introduce the water into the system.

Automatic Dry Standpipe System - A standpipe system that is connected to a water supply and capable of supplying the water at any time, that is kept under air pressure, so that upon the opening of a hose supply connection valve, water is drawn into the system via a dry pipe valve.{{efn|A special valve that is held closed by air pressure, but water will force open when the air pressure is removed.}}

Wet standpipe systems contain water at all times.

Manual Wet Standpipe System - A standpipe system that contains water, but requires additional water to be pumped into the system via a fire department connection (FDC), often by a fire truck.

Automatic Wet Standpipe System - A standpipe system that is connected to a water supply and capable of supplying the water without any action except opening a hose supply connection valve.

Wet standpipe systems are often more complex and expensive to both install and maintain due to the presence of water always being in the system, and the need to supply water a specific pressures which may require the use of pumps.

Under NFPA 14, standpipes designs are classified as Class I, II, or III based on intended user, size of hose connections and design pressure.{{cite book |last1=Fortney |first1=Jeff |last2=Clausing |first2=Clint |last3=Burnside |first3=Elkie Burnside |last4=Powell |first4=Pam |title=Fire And Emergency Services Orientation and Terminology |date=February 2011 |publisher=International Fire Service Training Association |isbn=9780879394035 |pages=245-248 |edition=5th |chapter=7 - Fire Detection, Alarm, and Suppression Systems}}{{cite web |last1=National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) |author1-link=National Fire Protection Association |title=NFPA 14 (2024) - Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems |url=https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/nfpa-14-standard-development/14 |website=nfpa.org |publisher=National Fire Protection Association |access-date=23 April 2025 |date=2024|url-access=registration}}

Class I standpipe systems are intended for use by firefighters, and consists of {{convert|2.5|in|mm}} hose connections to accommodate the fire hoses used by fire departments.

Class I systems must be constructed with {{convert|4|in|mm}} pipe, and at least {{convert|6|in|mm}} in buildings with fire sprinkler systems to ensure adequate water supply during usage, and water pressure at the hose connection must be between {{convert|100|-|175|psi|bar|abbr=on}}.

Class II systems are intended for use by building occupants, such as employees, residents or members of the public, and include a hose station containing a {{convert|1.5|in|mm}} fire hose and nozzle pre-connected to the standpipe. Class II systems have become less common in recent years, but are still found in buildings.

{{convert|1.5|in|mm}} hose no longer than {{convert|100|ft|m}} must be installed and ready for firefighting usage in Class II systems.

Class II systems are required to be 'wet', except in regions subject to freezing temperatures and on-site personnel, such as an industrial fire brigade, are trained how to activate the system without assistance from the local fire department. Pipes supplying hose stations on Class II systems do not have a specified size, and must be calculated based on the needs of the specific system. Water pressure at hose connections must be between {{convert|65|-|100|psi|bar|abbr=on}}.

Class III systems are designed to include both Class I and Class II: An occupant operated {{convert|1.5|in|mm}} fire hose and {{convert|2.5|in|mm}} hose connections for firefighters. The system must be able to operate both the occupant hose and a firefighter's hose simultaneously, and comply with the design standards for both systems.

File:Standpipe_in_stairwell_of_texas_hotel.png

NFPA 14 requires that Class I and III standpipe hose connections be found at the main floor landing of exit stairways{{efn|Landings that occur at actual floors, where an occupant can enter/exit the stairway}}, along exit routes, both sides of fire doors.

Hose connections on standpipes also cannot be blocked by stairway doors, when open or closed positions.

Class II systems must be located on each floor, with hose stations distributed so an occupant is always within {{convert|120|-|130|ft|m}} of a hose station.

Standpipe systems are required by the International Building Code (IBC) in the following situations:{{cite web |last1=International Code Council |title=2021 International Building Code |url=https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IBC2021P2/chapter-9-fire-protection-and-life-safety-systems |publisher=International Code Council |access-date=23 April 2025 |date=2021}} - Chapter 9 - Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems - Section 905.3 - Required Installations

• Structures that are 4 or more floors above ground level, or over {{convert|30|ft|m}} above or below ground level.
• Structures allowed to contain more than 1,000 people.
• Shopping malls, both open and enclosed.
• Structures with stages larger than {{convert|1,000|sqft|m2}}
• Underground structures
• Structures with rooftop heliports
• Marinas and boatyards
• Structures with landscaped roofs

Laying a firehose up a stairwell takes time, and this time is saved by having fixed hose outlets already in place. There is also a tendency for heavy wet hoses to slide downward when placed on an incline (such as the incline seen in a stairwell), whereas standpipes do not move. The use of standpipes keeps stairwells clear and is safer for exiting occupants.

Standpipes go in a direct up and down direction rather than looping around the stairwell, greatly reducing the length and thus the loss of water pressure due to friction loss. Additionally, standpipes are rigid and do not kink, which can occur when a firehose is improperly laid on a stairwell.

Standpipe systems also provide a level of redundancy, should the main water distribution system within a building fail or be otherwise compromised by a fire or explosion.

Standpipes are not fail-safe systems and there have been many instances where fire operations have been compromised by standpipe systems which were damaged or otherwise not working properly. During the One Meridian Plaza fire, firefighters were incapable of fighting the fire due to pressure reduction valves being improperly set too low, preventing fire hoses from operating correctly for the duration of the fire. The fire's upward spread ultimately stopped when it reached a floor with working fire sprinklers, and burned itself out. Three Philadelphia firefighters died in the fire and the structure was a total loss and demolished years later.{{cite web | last=Chubb | first=Mark |author2=Charles Jennings |author3=J. Gordon Routley | title=High-rise Office Building Fire One Meridian Plaza Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | work=United States Fire Administration Fire Investigations Program | publisher=Federal Emergency Management Agency and United States Fire Administration | date=December 18, 1991 | url=http://www.interfire.org/res_file/pdf/Tr-049.pdf | format=PDF | access-date=2008-12-16 }}

Two New York City firefighters died in the 2007 Deutsche Bank Building fire during its demolition. A factor that hampered extinguishing the fire was the standpipe system had been rendered inoperable during demolition and incorrect information from demolition workers regarding the status of the standpipe.{{cite web |last1=NIOSH - Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program |title=Two Career Fire Fighters Die Following a Seven-Alarm Fire in a High-Rise Building Undergoing Simultaneous Deconstruction and Asbestos Abatement — New York |url=http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face200737.pdf |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=24 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514132221/http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face200737.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2016 |date=5 August 2010}} Firefighters must take precautions to flush the standpipe before use to clear out debris that could obstruct nozzles and hoses and ensure that water is available.{{cite web |title=2015-02-25 - Flushing the Standpipe |url=https://firenotes.ca/2015-02-25_Flushing_the_Standpipe |website=firenotes.ca |access-date=24 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212916/https://firenotes.ca/2015-02-25_Flushing_the_Standpipe |archive-date=3 March 2016 |date=2015-05-29 |url-status=dead}}

The One Meridian Plaza fire also highlighted a flaw in standpipe systems which are fed water via a fire department connection; falling debris can damage or completely sever hoses supplying standpipes.

{{commons category|Standpipes (firefighting)}}

• Fire sprinkler

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{{Reflist}}

1. Essentials of Fire Fighting, Fourth Edition, copyright 1998 by the Board of Regents, Oklahoma State University

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Category:Firefighting equipment

Category:Fire suppression

Category:Piping