Introduction
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a fire department is dispatched to a call every 24 seconds in the United States. Even though the toll of fires has steadily declined over the past 20 years, significant losses have continued. The NFPA has reported that departments responded to 1.39 million fires with roughly 3,670 civilian deaths and 13,350 injuries in 2023.
While many people think of fires occurring in homes and offices, they also happen in public places such as subways. The City analyzed figures from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which showed that there were “1,006 subway fires on tracks, in stations and on trains in 2021 — up 12% from the previous year and a 40% increase from 2019, even as daily ridership remains about half of what it was prior to the pandemic.”
This rise in subway fires highlights the urgent need for improved Fire Safety measures. By addressing these risks quickly, we can create safer environments for all subway passengers.
Importance of Fire Safety in Subways
Fires occur more frequently in areas with high population density due to increased human activity. In cramped spaces, they’re often hotter and spread faster, making the risk of loss of life and property more severe. Since subways are tight spaces with high population densities, Fire Safety should always be a priority.
Subway systems are considered part of day-to-day life in big cities. This doesn’t mean, though, that fire hazards are non-existent. Science Direct attributes the occurrences and developments of subway fire incidents to several factors:
- Equipment issues: Faulty fire prevention materials in the carriages and monitoring systems that don’t work well.
- Human factors: People engaging in illegal activities and lacking awareness about fire prevention.
- Environmental factors: The presence of poisonous smoke and high temperatures.
- Emergency management problems: Inadequate safety supervision and inspection measures.
Bowery Boys History says the first reported New York subway fire was on Jan. 6, 1915. Two electrical cables shorted out that morning, blacking out the subway tunnels. The non-fireproof insulation released dense, acrid smoke that filled the tunnels. Three subway tunnels were affected at the start of rush hour, trapping over 2,500 people in subway cars or dark stations. While nothing but the wires was on fire, the toxic smoke in the darkened tunnels caused passengers to panic and trample each other.
As noted above, electrical issues aren’t the only source of these fires. On Dec. 22, 2024, a homeless woman in Brooklyn, NY, sleeping on a vacant subway car overnight, was set ablaze by an attacker in the subway system. An MTA worker used an extinguisher, but the victim didn’t survive.
The article claims fire extinguishers are only available to MTA personnel, making them inaccessible to passengers in a fire emergency. Fire extinguishers installed for public use at every platform would ensure a possible quick response in a fire emergency.
Fire Extinguishers: A Critical Safety Tool
Fire extinguishers are essential in putting out fires. Therefore, they must be made accessible to the public in subway stations and cars. Their absence in these areas increases fire risk for life and property.
It’s no secret that loss of life and property is minimal when fires are extinguished in the early stages. The Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association has found that 93 percent of fire-related deaths and 95 percent of direct property damage occur once the fire has progressed beyond the early stages. Better public access to extinguishers means fires in subways will cause less harm to people and property. Before requiring public access to fire extinguishers in subways, ensuring the right ones are installed is essential. The NFPA defines the classes of fire as follows:
| Fire Class | Description |
| A | Fires involving wood, cloth, paper, rubber, and plastics. |
| B | Fires involving flammable liquids, combustible liquids, petroleum greases, tars, oils, oil-based paints, solvents, lacquers, alcohols, and flammable gases. |
| C | Fires involving energized electrical equipment. |
| D | Fires involving combustible metals, including magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, lithium, and potassium. |
| K | Fires involving oils and fats in cooking appliances. |
There are many types of extinguishers on the market. Still, those with an ABC rating are the most suitable as they’re effective on common combustibles and flammable liquids and are compatible with energized electrical equipment.
NFPA 130
While public access to fire extinguishers is prohibited, per the MTA, there are NFPA standards written to maximize protection. But the standards need to be adopted. A standard can only protect if it’s adopted, and governing bodies don’t make exceptions. The current relevant standard, NFPA 130, “specifies fire protection and life safety requirements for underground, surface, and elevated fixed guideway transit and passenger rail systems.”
A blog article by NFPA staff outlines the requirements in the standard for the appropriate design and protection of stations, trainways, vehicles, and the passengers within those vehicles. NFPA 130 applies to new construction, extensions of existing systems, and newly developed rolling stock. According to the article, the main requirements and recommendations include:
- Noncombustible rail ties and walking surfaces
- Fire alarm systems and portable fire extinguishers
- Recommendation for sprinklers in combustible escalators
- Illumination of means of egress, including emergency lighting
- Standpipe and hose systems and emergency ventilation systems
- Extensive fire safety testing for interior and exterior surfaces of passenger vehicles
- Exits every 2,500 feet and cross passageways every 800 feet in enclosed trainways
- Sprinklers in storage areas, trash rooms, concession areas, and other areas with combustible loading
NFPA standards are updated every 3-5 years. Currently, NFPA 130 doesn’t require sprinklers to be installed in the paths of railway tracks. It also doesn’t require ventilation for trainways shorter than 200 feet but does specify natural or mechanical ventilation for longer trainways. As time goes on and more incidents occur, the standard can be updated to address findings from those incidents. Regardless of what standards are written, they still have to be adopted by jurisdictions. And when exceptions are made to equipment, like fire extinguishers, public safety is jeopardized.
Conclusion
Increasing extinguisher availability is crucial as fires in subway stations continue to rise. By making them accessible to the public, fires can be extinguished during their earliest stages, potentially reducing fire loss, including injuries and fatalities. Additionally, complying with and enhancing standards such as NFPA 130 ensures a safer environment for all subway passengers. All in all, it emphasizes the importance of proactive Fire Safety measures in public rail transportation systems.
Image via Shutterstock.
