BY FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN,SFPE (FELLOW)
Editor’s note: For further reference, consult Building Construction for the Fire Service (BCFS3), Third Edition. Page numbers, where applicable, are included after the caption.
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It is becoming stylish to expose the building’s wooden structure. The wood now has no protection from fire in the contents. Any fire is immediately a structural fire, and collapse is a serious threat. Watch real estate ads for “attractive new features.” Look closely at buildings under construction. Enter hazards in your files for future generations of firefighters. (BCFS3, 2-3)
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Firestopping is often advanced as a means of controlling fire spread in voids. There are no real standards, and execution is often imperfect. This old balloon-frame building is being rehabilitated. The building industry considers the crosspiece in the left of the two voids to be firestopping. In fact, its purpose is to cross-brace the two studs, which increases their load-carrying capacity. Note the void to the right. Probably because of the tight fit, there is no firestopping in this void. Heated gases would be concentrated in this channel; thus, the fire would spread more quickly. (BCFS3, 106-108).
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Unprotected steel studs and beams are becoming more common. A piece of gypsum board provides little or no protection from destructive heat. Anticipate early collapse. (BCFS3, 271)
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Sometimes you might think that all fire collapse problems started with lightweight trusses. Not so. Many sawn joists have collapsed early in the fire. Look carefully here. The dark area in the upper right quadrant is the underside of the carpeting. An unwary firefighter stepping on the intact carpeting would fall one story into the basement, which probably would be heavily involved at this point. (BCFS3, 556)
FRANCIS L. (FRANK) BRANNIGAN, SFPE, recipient of Fire Engineering’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, has devoted more than half of his 57-year career to the safety of firefighters in building fires. He is well known for his lectures and videotapes and as the author of Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition, published by the National Fire Protection Association. Brannigan is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering.
