The high-rise standpipe kit: What fire departments should include in the bag
15 tools to incorporate into a high-rise standpipe kit to ensure effective operations at these high-risk incidents
Most communities have at least one, if not many, high-rise structures, defined by the NFPA as “buildings greater than 75 feet in height where the building height is measured from the lowest level of fire department vehicle access to the floor of the highest occupiable story.” As such, it is vital for firefighters and fire officers to be familiar with the tools necessary to tackle the challenges presented by high-rise fires.
The central tool: the high-rise standpipe kit. While most jurisdictions have added specific tools to these kits for the structures in their jurisdictions, there are key components of any standpipe kit, its “bones,” which we’ll review here. But first, some background.