By Curtis Massey
Most cities' high-rise standard operating procedures/guidelines (SOPs/SOGs) were written decades ago when these buildings were much different than they are today and the understanding of the involved firefighting dynamics was limited. Departments occasionally reedit or tweak these documents, but they do not keep up with the mystifying, rapidly evolving advancements continually occurring with both base building and tenant proprietary systems, such as Gen-2 and panelless/smart elevators; pressure reducing valves (PRVs); smoke purge and "smoke management" systems; raised floors; redundant power/uninterruptable power supplies (UPS); exposed slab ceilings; fuel cells, gen-packs, and micro-turbine generators; and so on.
Also, the demand for mixed-use facilities where people can live, work, play, and shop-all under the same roof- presents its own unique challenges to first responders. Combination office, hotel, residential, retail, and cultural venue high-rise assets can be very difficult for fire commanders to get their heads around at serious incidents. Independent fire protection zones, elevator banks, heating/ventilating/air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, security/alarm systems, and even access points can prove tough to deal with if a fire affects more than one component.
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