Fire protection failures during the Whittier, California and New Zealand earthquakes

This report examines two instances of seismically induced failures in fire protection systems, one during the March 1987 New Zealand earthquake and the other during the October 1987 Whittier, California earthquake. While the majority of fire protection systems affected by these two events performed well, the failures discussed in this paper emphasize the need for properly designed and detailed fire protection systems. Both facilities where these failures occurred were relatively fortunate in that few electromechanical equipment items were located in areas where the fire protection system failed; however, water damage was extensive and the cleanup costly