View source for Standpipe (firefighting)

{{refimprove|date=March 2023}}
{{short description|Firefighting water supply}}
[[File:SprinkleranschluesseSF.jpg|thumb|right|External access point for [[fire sprinkler]] and dry standpipe at a building in [[San Francisco]], US]]
[[File:Standpipe at EFWE.png|thumb|upright|Antique wet standpipe preserved at [[Edison and Ford Winter Estates]]]]
A '''standpipe''' or '''riser''' is a type of rigid [[water]] [[piping]] which is built into multi-story buildings in a vertical position, or into bridges in a horizontal position, to which [[fire hose]]s can be connected, allowing manual application of water to the fire. Within the context of a building or bridge, a standpipe serves the same purpose as a [[fire hydrant]].
==Dry standpipe==
[[File:Minnesota dry standpipe.jpg|thumb|upright|Labeled dry standpipe outlet in a university building]]
When standpipes are fixed into buildings, the pipe is in place permanently with an intake usually located near a road or driveway, so that a [[fire apparatus|fire engine]] can supply water to the system. The standpipe extends into the building to supply [[fire fighting]] water to the interior of the structure via hose outlets, often located between each pair of floors in stairwells in high rise buildings. Dry standpipes are not filled with water until needed in fire fighting. [[Fire fighter]]s often bring [[fire hose|hoses]] in with them and attach them to standpipe outlets located along the pipe throughout the structure. This type of standpipe may also be installed horizontally on bridges.
==Wet standpipe==
A "wet" standpipe is filled with water and is pressurized at all times. In contrast to dry standpipes, which can be used only by firefighters, wet standpipes can be used by building occupants. Wet standpipes generally already come with hoses so that building occupants may fight fires quickly. This type of standpipe may also be installed horizontally on bridges.
==Advantages==
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 (engineering)|redundancy]], should the main water distribution system within a building fail or be otherwise compromised by a fire or explosion.
==Disadvantages==
[[File:Standpipe_in_stairwell_of_texas_hotel.png|thumb|upright|Standpipe equipped with pressure gauge in the stairwell of a Texas hotel]]
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.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face200737.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/pdfs/face200737.pdf]</ref> Firefighters must take precautions to flush the standpipe before use to clear out debris and ensure that water is available.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://firenotes.ca/2015-02-25_Flushing_the_Standpipe | title=2015-02-25 Flushing the Standpipe - Fire Notes }}</ref>
==See also==
{{commons category|Standpipes (firefighting)}}
*[[Fire Equipment Manufacturers' Association]]
*[[Fire sprinkler]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
#[[Essentials of Fire Fighting]], Fourth Edition, copyright 1998 by the Board of Regents, [[Oklahoma State University]]
{{Firefighting}}
{{Fire protection}}
[[Category:Firefighting equipment]]
[[Category:Fire suppression]]
[[Category:Piping]]