Hawthorne & The Home Depot: New Challenges?

[x635 4,066]

I'm aware that Hawthorne has many different unique and significant occupancies within their jurisdiction, such as the IBM R&D Center, Grassland Reservation (Jail, Hospital), several churches, schools, and live-in schoos, corporate parks, and your typical stores and homes.

However, last night as part of my PT, I decided to do some of my walker walking and excercises in the new Home Depot in Hawthorne. I didn't get to see the whole store as just walking in was exhausting and painful, but as I passed the 5 Gallon metal buckets of Kerosene near the entrance, the high stock shelves, and the confusing layout filled with all kinds of combustibles and things to hurt and trap firefighters, I wondered if Hawthorne FD has done any special planning, training, or SOP for this occupany?

I feel that the Home Depot (and it's blue counterpart, Lowes) present probaly the most dangerous of the big box stores. With Home Depot's in Port Chester, New Rochelle, Lake Mohegan, Brewster, Danbury, Norwalk, Fishkill, Palisades Mall, Nanuet, etc, etc, how have these departments handled the preplanning and response to these stores? Also, has any department had an incident in a Home Depot?

I can only imagine if a Home Depot became "smoked out" at 2PM on a Saturday afternoon, when the store is filled with shoppers. Or at 2AM, when the store is closed and blacked out from smoke. I know HFD219 has broached this subject just as construction begun on the Home Depot in Hawthorne, but I'm interested in discussing it again.

[Guest]

I would like to think they have a good fire suppression system in place, hopefully eliminating the need for an aggressive int. attack.

Edited March 24, 2007 by Alpha 14

[Guest]

These stores are generally occupied 24 hours a day with the exception of Saturday night and Sunday night in the winter seasons. Sh*t happens at these store all the time...namely Haz-Mat spills that are handled internally. What happens when there is a spill on Saturday afternoon and there are 300 people in the store...are you ready?

Remember within the store, they sell welding equipment that includes small oxygen, propane and MAP gas containers. There is the spray paint, lumber, cleaning chemicals and lawn/garden chemicals. Are you ready?

The better question is how many fans do you have and how big are they? If you need to vent a box store (HD, Lowes, Target, Wal-Mart, etc) can you? Who in you mutual aid assignments has a BFF? (Big F'n Fan) Are you ready?

On a lighter note...HD and Lowes scraps a lot of lumber (2x4, 2x6) and is a great place to get a lot of cribbing. Go visit the manager. Ask for culled lumber or "Kickers" that are being discarded. When to see the store is being reset for the upcoming season (Like now) it is the best time to ask. Send a thank you letter...they love that.

Think safe. Act safe. Be safe.

Edited March 25, 2007 by FFD55

[JetPhoto 626]

A few years ago my department was on stand by in the Village of Wappingers while they were at a 5 alarm fire during the day. We got an AFA at the Home Depot and we responded with an engine along with an engine and ladder from Arlington. We had 1 Wappingers member at the scene and 2 departments that because of distance just don't work together. We went in with the knowledge that we may have shopped there but to determine exit doors, hydrant locations, stand pipe locations, annunciator panels etc... in a few minutes can be a challenge.

We did have smoke in the bathrooms, fortunately it was only an air handler. This is an example why you should train with departments other than your immediate neighbors because you don't know when you will work with them and more importantly why the home district should have pre plans drawn up that anyone could follow when faced with a situation like this. (the HD staff did a very good job of evacuating the building too)

[ex-commish 490]

I was involved in the planning process as a chief officer when Hope Depot was being planned and built. We made sure all supression and exhuast systems were going to be in place and also conform to town building codes and plenty if hydrants and easy access for the rigs. I have been on leave for quite some time from the FD ( returning 5/1/01) but I do know the dept did a couple of walk throughs, pre-planning, etc. When it was being built myself and another officer went there and took pictures of the interior so our members know exactly what the building is made of. Like any other box store it poses some dangers but I consider it a cream puff compared to some of the other buildings we have reponded to and have had fires in.

And FYI, the jail and most of the reservation belongs to Valhalla. We cover Taylor Care and also the Pshyche Hospital.

Good topic not just for Home Depot but for any other high hazard building.

I was there last night also...must of just missed you....the store has become my new hangout

[antiquefirelt 994]

We have a Home Depot in our first due area. I reviewed and oversaw the construction as our depts Life Safety Code person. We too, were concerned with high-rack storage, multiple places where flammable and combustible liquids are tored and the overall size. I can say that they do have a full sprinkler system that extends down into each level of each rack where paints solvents and other flammable/combustible liquids are stored. They have an active safety program that mandates they quickly evacuate the store if the alarms activates (try getting a local lumber supply house to do that). It seems that they understand that they have deep pockets and a lot to lose if someone is hurt in their stores, way beyond the cost of the bricks and mortar, so they are fairly amenable to any proactive safety issues you bring up. We got them to install 2 extra hydrants and pre-ordinance Knox Boxes by just mentioning themat one meeting. They also understand that we see evacuating and ensuring the building is clear is our primary and really only concern. We explained that with the wide open high ceiling, exposed bar rack trusses and fireload that if the sprinkler doesn't have it controlled, its gone! If the place is truly blacked out to the floor with smoke, forget it. Something is very wrong to get that condition given the total cubic footage!

In fact three shifts ago we responded to the Home Depot at 0200 hrs for a report of strong odor of gas outside. We found the 8 underground LPG tanks went into a sigle line underground to the building. The pipe was compromised underground during the snow/ice rain storm due to heavy erosion. Thankfully a single quarter turn ball valve shuts down all the gas at the source. Immediate alleviation of the issue with no gas inside. Luckinly the gas was never in a high concentration according to our CGI's (one 4 gas meter, 1 cruiser parked within 20 ft. of the problem!) Anyway Home Dept personel were tehre very quickly and were very easy to work with. They we on the problem by sun up.