MOS 5301-14I-1, Fire Protection Technology

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 25 is the baseline for inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems, but it doesn’t address the proper flow requirements, in other words NFPA addresses that water would flow through the system but not how much.  Compliance helps maximize system integrity to avoid failure and ensure fast, effective response in a fire emergency. For that reason we look outside NFPA 25 to get proper guidance in addressing this particular situation that is crucial in assure that we have the proper water flow requirements to guarantee the integrity and effectiveness of the fire protection system.

A great source of information is ISO (Insurance Services Office). ISO is the premier source of information, products, and services related to property and liability risk.  ISO published in 2008 the Guide for Determination of Needed Fire Flow. According to their guide in order to evaluate the fire suppression delivery systems and the need of proper flow requirement in this case an auditorium you must consider certain factors, but first let’s define what an auditorium is; according to the NFPA website an assembly or auditorium occupancy is generally defined as “an occupancy (1) used for a gathering of 50 or more persons for deliberation, worship, entertainment, eating, drinking, amusement, awaiting transportation, or similar uses; or (2) used as a special amusement building, regardless of occupant load.” Assembly occupancies might include the following:  Armories, assembly halls, auditoriums, club rooms, dance halls, drinking establishments and exhibition halls among others. Fires in assembly occupancies have shown to be some of the most deadly when the proper features, systems and construction materials were not present cite NFPA in their website. That is why it is so crucial to have the proper water flow when we use a sprinkler system. In addition to saving lives, there are unrecognized benefits in protecting buildings with fire sprinklers, such as the conservation of water and the potential reduction of water infrastructure demands in communities. Water usage by fire services is expected to be significantly less for buildings protected by a fire sprinkler system. A typical fire sprinkler system will discharge 22 to 38 gpm. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standard number 1910.159 (Automatic sprinkler systems) “The employer shall assure that every automatic sprinkler system is provided with at least one automatic water supply capable of providing design water flow for at least 30 minutes. An auxiliary water supply or equivalent protection shall be provided when the automatic water supply is out of service, except for systems of 20 or fewer sprinklers”. ISO developed the Needed Fire Flow (NFF) through a review of actual large-loss fires. ISO recorded the average fire flow and other important factors, including construction type, occupancy type, area of the building, and exposures. Those factors are the foundation of the needed fire flow formula.

The required fire flow for buildings other than one- and two-family dwellings and one and two-family dwellings greater than 5,000 square feet (NFPA 1) or 3,600 square feet (IFC) are tabulated in tables B105.1 and 18.4.5.1.2 for the IFC and NFPA 1, respectively. But that information is not accessible free of charge, the person inquiring for that information throughout the IFC and NFPA websites need to actually pay for the publications.

References

Benfer, M., & Scheffey, J. (2014). Evaluation of Fire Flow Methodologies. Springer Briefs in Fire

GUIDE FOR DETERMINATION OF NEEDED FIRE FLOW. (2008).

Klaus, M. (2013). Water-based fire protection systems handbook (4th ed.). Quincy, Mass.: National Fire Protection Assoc.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. (n.d.).

Unit 4 Discussion Topic 1

Discussion Topic

Teamwork

Hiring and Evaluating Your Team (Practice)

First make sure you have done the unit reading to understand team building; you might also like to review the part of Chapter 2 that introduced human resources ideas. This discussion does not require research, but if you use any source material, avoid quoting and make sure you properly credit the source for ideas through APA in-text citation and full reference entry.

Scenario: There is a new company that needs quite a bit of technology help as they set up business selling tractor parts. For this discussion, which will assist you in completing part of this week’s written Assignment, choose the option below that suits your expertise best:

Web: You have been hired to build their website. So far, the team consists of the following people in addition to you (as consultant): an HTML-CSS design expert, a database and PHP expert, and a content expert.

Network: You have been hired to develop their office network. So far, the team consists of the following people in addition to you (as consultant): an infrastructure architect, an installation expert, and a software expert.

Software: You have been hired to create a program that tracks deliveries. So far, the team consists of the following people in addition to you (as consultant): a programming expert, an interface design expert, and a database administrator.

Database: You have been hired to create the company database. So far, the team consists of the following people in addition to you (as consultant): an SQL expert, an interface design expert, and a migration expert.

You need to hire at least one more person for your team.

For your initial post:

In your first paragraph, explain what expertise and specific skills this person (or people) should have in order to complete the team. What other resume items are important to you in developing the best team?

In your second paragraph, explain how you would evaluate your team members once a project was completed. Include the method(s) you would use and what criteria you would deem most important.

Specific subject line instructions: Write Web, Networking, Software, or Database for your initial post subject line in this Discussion to clearly identify the focus of your team. Do not label it with your name, the unit number, or the unit name.

Unit 4 Discussion Topic 2

Discussion Topic

Conflict and Resistance (Practice)

Resistance often creates conflict. Make sure you have read the section about “Understanding Resistance” in the textbook this week and checked both the website and the journal article given to you in the reading section before posting. This discussion does not require additional research, but if you use any source material, avoid quoting and make sure you properly credit the source for ideas through APA in-text citation and full reference entry.

Scenario: You were working in another building when an argument erupted between two team members regarding the design of your IT consulting project. After the yelling subsided, one of the people left work for the day and the other person is not getting much done while still feeling angry. As consultant you are in control of final decisions, but you realize that bad feelings among team members have the potential to cost your project and the client in terms of schedule and quality. You are not able to fire anyone, so you must use your skills in conflict management to regain control of the situation.

For your initial post:

In your first paragraph, explain what measures you might take to get your team to work better together. Consider changes in responsibilities, sharing responsibilities, or compromise; group exercises, outside opinions, or other actions that can lead to positive team building. Explain why you chose these specific resolutions.

In your second paragraph, briefly describe a real-life event you witnessed in which a boss, client, or coworker resisted technology change. If you do not have an experience from the workplace, choose an appropriate event from other experiences. Explain why you think the person resisted change and how that situation might have been handled better.

Subject line instruction: Write a descriptive subject line for your initial post in this Discussion. Do not label it with your name, the unit number, or the unit name; it should be unique and identify the content.

In your responses to others, consider circumstances in which emotions other than anger can cause conflict, and what could be done to mitigate the situation.

Personal Philosophy of Teaching, Part I

I believe that a truly devoted teacher must have a clear understanding of the ways people learn, perceive and process information, and apply their knowledge in everyday life. My personal philosophy of teaching is based on the conviction that this process is directly related to the learners’ intellectual, social, and cultural context, as well as their physical abilities. Also, the primary goal of an excellent educator is to promote the ideas of equality, self-determination, and respect among learners. Thinking about various educational theories and practices that appear to be in line with my philosophy, I realize that the concept of democratic education is the most suitable one. This framework is grounded in the cognitive theory of learning. Therefore, I feel the need to study these topics in order to transform my beliefs, goals, and strategies into a coherent approach to teaching.

Democratic education is the approach that promotes respect for the fundamental social values and human rights, rather than the need for extensive control and strict rules. According to the Institute for Democratic Education in America, all the learners should be considered as “active co-creators” of knowledge instead of being viewed as “passive recipients” of information (Bennis, 2018). Personally, I am going to implement this idea in all possible teaching practices, making my students engaged and intrinsically motivated. With that said, it is necessary to define intrinsic motivation. Throughout the history, students of all ages were either terrified by the possibility to be punished or inspired by the opportunity of being rewarded. This is how extrinsic motivation works. On the contrary, people’s natural desires, feelings, and beliefs are primary drivers of intrinsic motivation. When experiencing mutual respect and overall importance, the students should be able to develop their moral and intellectual potential. This issue is of primary importance for me since it forms the foundation for the further development of one’s personality. One of the strongest features of democratic educations is the premise that everyone is unique, having some individual processes related to learning. As stated by Bennis (2018), the democratic teacher who supports the learning of each person individually, helps these people to understand themselves, engage with the surrounding world, “and become positive and contributing members of society.” I have experienced the benefits of this approach myself, being the child of the patient and devoted parents. All the members of my family respect individuality and free will, paying much attention to young children’s personalities and the ways of expression. As a result, I have developed the sense of people’s value and uniqueness since early childhood. Professional educators tend to build their own instruments and strategies based on the students’ age and cultural background. Still, only those teachers who have a clear understanding of specific theoretical approaches can be genuinely successful.

Most educators have their own favorite theories and ideas, and I have chosen the cognitive theory of learning to be my North Star. To my mind, the process of learning is directly linked with specific behavioral patterns which, in turn, stimulate the development of specific cognitive, social, and even language skills. According to Ertmer and Newby (2013), the cognitive theory of education aims to establish a direct correlation between the students’ learning skills and their personal experience and history. These scholars believe that people usually build their own reality based on the information acquired from the external environment (Ertmer and Newby, 2013, p. 55). I agree that personal and environmental issues must be taken into account when it comes to sharing of knowledge with students. People’s behavior is situational, which means that teachers are supposed to create the environment that would be beneficial for students’ motivation and engagement. The cognitive theory of learning attracts teachers’ attention to such complicated processes as thinking, communication, problem-solving, or working with a wide range of information. At the same time, this theoretical approach insists on the need to consider the peculiarities of the students’ mental work as one of the most significant aspects of teaching and learning. I believe that this idea can have practical implications. For example, I am going to focus on the ways to establish an equitable dialogue with my students. The power of communication is the phenomenon that should not be underestimated either in people’s everyday life or the process of learning. Teacher’s primary task, therefore, is to make sure that their students can interpret information and use it for their own purposes.

I realize that it would be impossible to teach someone against their will. Consequently, it is necessary to develop specific methods that are going to facilitate student learning. I believe that I will be able to employ the instruments of play-based learning. Being based on cognitive theory, this strategy is related to motivation and engagement. People’s behavior is determined by thinking. If my students enjoy their classes, they will work productively and will be more successful in general. It would be wrong to claim that only young children are fond of games and playing. I often deal with new information through play myself, as long as this method appears to be effective and useful. For example, there are several applications in my tablet that help me learn foreign languages and to develop logical reasoning and visual memory. There is no doubt that such an approach is much more engaging than cramming. The significant aspect of playing is that this activity promotes learning without infringing upon students’ cultural and social environment, which makes it universally applicable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think that my philosophy of teaching benefits from its flexibility and inclusiveness. Democratic education contributes to students’ motivation, engagement, activeness, creativity, and cognitive skills. I consider myself to be a dedicated supporter of this approach. I believe that even if my personal teaching philosophy changes over the time, the elements of democratic education and the cognitive theory of learning will remain as a strong foundation to build on.

References

Bennis, Dana. (2018). What is democratic education? Institute for Democratic Education in   America.

Ertmer, P.A., & Newby, T.J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism:

Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance   Improvement Quarterly, 26 (2), pp. 43-71.