Feature Story:
ISO Staff Trains in the Line of Fire
Delaware Tech exposes field representatives to the wet world of sprinklers
Over the years, engineers have continually improved the sprinkler to become an essential fire-suppression aid. But sprinklers don't always work as they should. That's where ISO's in-depth automatic sprinkler training comes into the picture.
The Automatic Sprinkler Training class, held for ISO field representatives at Delaware Technical & Community College, is unique both in its hands-on nature and in its main attraction: the burn lab. Delaware Tech is one of only a few colleges with an on-site burn lab. And ISO is the only survey vendor that uses its training facilities.
“Sprinklers offer a great benefit in protecting both life and property,” says Richard Harris of ISO's Technical Training Department, who teaches ISO's Automatic Sprinkler Training class. “An ISO field representative's role in working with an insurance company is to evaluate the effectiveness of a building's sprinkler system and verify that the system is going to operate when it's called upon in a fire. We need to alert our customers that the system needs to be upgraded and attended to.”
“Different sprinkler systems serve different applications,” Harris explains. “If you're trying to protect storage piled high in a warehouse, a standard sprinkler head may not do the job. You may have to use a special head, and you have to know how it operates. That's what we teach in the seminar — all the different types of sprinkler systems and sprinkler heads a field rep will encounter.”
Hands-on teaching — and burning
ISO technical trainers have been teaching the class at Delaware Tech for six years. The facility offers our field representatives the opportunity to participate in hydrant-flow tests, main drain tests, alarm tests, burn-lab observations, dry-pipe valve trip tests, and fire-pump test demonstrations. Representatives can also observe the different sprinkler spray patterns produced by specific heads. The burn lab has various types of sprinkler systems and a fully operational fire pump. Numerous sprinkler heads, valves, sprinkler piping, and alarm devices are available for field representatives to inspect.
The burn lab allows field representatives to study a Class A fire of wood and paper and a Class B fire of flammable liquids in a controlled environment. The Class A burn involves ordinary combustible material — teaching field representatives how the majority of sprinkler systems will control a fire. Most sprinkler systems keep a fire from spreading — but aren't intended to put it out. The flammable-liquid burn shows field representatives that there are special sprinkler heads or nozzles that can extinguish a flammable-liquid fire.
Bringing the text to life
“The Delaware Tech facility lets representatives put their hands on the equipment and test it. Reading a standard or a code on a sprinkler system is one thing, but to see it actually work brings to life the material that a representative is learning,” says Bill Foster, ISO's assistant vice president of Risk Decision Services.
After completing the class, field representatives begin the next step in preparing to evaluate sprinklered properties. For several weeks after the class, representatives work with mentors to get even more familiar with the process. Then they go out in the field and apply what they've learned in the class.
ISO field representatives speak out
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“The burn lab was the most interesting part of the class,” says Dave Williams of the RDS Atlanta Region. “I learned how a fire can build up without being noticed.
I also felt that having the different types of sprinkler systems in the lab was essential to learning the subject matter.” |
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“It was fascinating to learn about the mechanics of sprinkler systems,” says Clay Swain of the RDS Chicago Region. “My favorite part of class was definitely the burn lab. It was amazing to see how long it takes for a head to actually operate. Also, seeing and touching the various systems we will encounter in the field gave me more confidence to do my job than if we had been in a classroom just looking at textbooks,” adds Swain. |
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“I found the class extremely beneficial,” says Larry Fisher of the RDS Boston Region. “I have more than 20 years of experience with insurance companies and agents in risk control, but this class pointed out the rating implications of nonstandard sprinkler conditions we were previously trained to identify. After attending the class, it became easier to identify conditions that could affect a sprinkler grading. Another benefit of the training was the expertise it provided to develop meaningful recommendations on sprinklered properties for commercial risk surveys.” |
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