Wicks LifeLine Air System
The Patented Air System for Survival in Fire Emergencies.
"New Protection from Toxic Smoke in Fire Resistant Buildings."
- What is the Wicks LifeLine Air System?
- Wicks LifeLine Air System Basics.
- Where is the Wicks LifeLine Air System most useful?
- Has the System been endorsed or tested?
The Wicks LifeLine Air System is a patented method for modifying common plumbing systems within buildings so that lifesaving air is supplied to people trapped in fire-threatened areas. The air that it delivers serves the added purpose of preventing smoke from entering the area of refuge (such as a bathroom or restroom) that protects the occupants. back to top
Wicks LifeLine Air System Basics.
Designed for use in buildings of fire-resistant, compartmented construction built
to fire codes, the System delivers air through the plumbing to fauceted
fixtures in conveniently accessible rooms that can serve as areas of refuge.
When a building's existing fire alarm system is actuated, the Wicks LifeLine Air system becomes operable. Independent of sprinklers and other fire detection or suppression components, water is drained from the hot water pipes. Air enters the room through open faucets, or through relief valves in the piping near the faucets. Positive pressure of 5 SCFM is developed in each room, and prevents smoke and toxic fumes from entering. The occupants are assured of a supply of clean air until rescuers arrive. back to top
Where is the Wicks LifeLine Air System most useful?
Edward A. Wicks, designer of the System, was motivated to create it when he saw
the television reports of the tragic MGM Grand Hotel fire in Las Vegas
in 1980. Smoke was the killer in that incident, as it is in most other
fires. Thus, the System has application in fire-resistant high-rise buildings.
These include hotels, apartment houses, and especially hospitals, nursing
homes, and elder care/assisted living facilities—places where the mobility of the occupants
is impaired. back to top
Has the System been endorsed or tested?
An extensive study and laboratory evaluation of the System at the Stevens
Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey established the feasibility
of its design. It is currently installed there in a student dormitory.
The System is listed in the BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators
International, Chicago, Illinois) National Codes, Research Report #85-96,
and is endorsed by past fire chiefs and fire marshals in Danbury, Bethel
and Brookfield, Connecticut.
back to top