What is wrong? Twenty-eight years ago I wrote, “You have been warned: BEWARE THE TRUSS.” I have received many honors for “saving firefighters’ lives,” but there seems no end of truss deaths, and I’m fed up. It is time for straight talk.
Two firefighters died in a collapse of a typical truss roof in a McDonald’s restaurant in the middle of the night. Firefighters in Maryland had a skin-of-the-teeth escape from a Jiffy Lube truss roof collapse while Worcester, Massachusetts, victims were being mourned.
How many more firefighters must die to get all fire departments to adopt the following policy?
- On a crash program, survey your area day in and day out to determine every building that has wooden I-beams; unprotected steel; or wood truss floors, roofs, or both. Use aerial apparatus to look down on roofs, and record those roofs that are loaded with air conditioners and other equipment or objects.
- Enter these “disposable” buildings in a system that will immediately notify responding units of the hazard.
- Surveys take time. Train firefighters immediately on how to recognize the types of buildings in your area that are likely to have the hazards listed here.
- Require the use of thermal imaging cameras to determine the extent of fire in roof and floor voids before entry. In at least two published cases, firefighters fortunately did not enter buildings that collapsed almost immediately.
- Issue the order “No firefighters are to be under or on burning truss or wooden I-beam structures.” Incredibly, in one two-fatality collapse, the roof was deemed unsafe for operations, but firefighters continued to work under it. Under such conditions, there is no “good experience,” only good luck. It is like playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun. A small fire can grow ferociously when the ceiling is pulled for examination.
- Spend as much time training firefighters in the hazards of buildings as you spend in live fire training in miniature fires in a completely safe building.
- Let’s make 2001 the year NO firefighters die as a result of this manageable hazard.
- Become aware of the truss floor/stairway hazard that may cause a huge loss of life in residential buildings. (Consult Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition, page 544.) We cannot wait for “experience.” If this deadly practice is permitted in your area, do whatever it takes to stop it.
- Don’t ignore lightweight steel trusses in attics of churches and other public buildings. Thirteen firefighters died in Brockton, Massachusetts, in a theater roof collapse. Firefighters in Wakefield, Massachusetts, escaped injury and death because preplanning had disclosed the hazard and the building was evacuated when fire reached the attic. When the roof went in, a ball of fire rose 60 feet in the air. Two-in/two-out would not have helped.
Don’t put your faith in getting legislation to mark truss buildings. The powerful truss industry will fight you tooth and nail and quote my arguments for adequate training against any such proposition.
Not moved to action yet? Ask your local prosecutor about the possibility of a “reckless endangerment of human life” charge in an inexcusable firefighter death, and pass this answer down to your subordinates, some of whom may feel, as one FDIC seminar attendee did, that “This safety stuff is a bunch of bull put out by headquarters to cover their a___.”
A CODE OFFICIAL WRITES
I received the following letter:
“I have been a student of yours for more than 25 years, ever since I read your book (first edition) and attended your seminar sponsored by the Gloucester County (NJ) Fire School in the mid-’70s.
“I would like to make several comments, basically to reinforce everything you write and speak about. My comments are based on my experience and education as a New Jersey-licensed building and fire protection subcode inspector, a New Jersey certified fire official, and more than 20 years of field experience in new construction inspection and fire prevention inspections.
“Firefighters must be aware that wood trusses may not even be installed properly. I have experienced trusses installed backward and upside down. Trusses need to be properly braced. At one job site, the superintendent was questioned by his regional manager as to “Why does it cost an extra $300 to $400 to frame his houses than identical houses in other towns?” The superintendent stated that the “extra cost” covered the expense (material and labor) of installing the ‘required truss bracing’ as shown on the truss drawings.
“I always wondered what kind of framing inspections (required by law in New Jersey) were being done in other towns. The inspector must pay strict attention to all details and notes on the truss drawings, including all loads and uplift loads. Some girder trusses have uplift loads of more than 1,000 pounds. These loads (tension loads) are transferred down to the foundation by the use of heavy-duty builder’s hardware. This metal hardware can cause the truss to rotate up, not down, like a seesaw. Also, be aware of trusses with lots of plywood nailed to the joints (panel points). This is a field fix. That truss was either damaged (in transit, fell off the truck, or was cut), installed wrong, or underdesigned (loading).
“Firestopping must be done by using approved material. Aerosol-type foam insulation is not an approved firestop material. Inspectors must read the label on the can.
“A number of building inspectors, who were at one time in the construction business, still think like a contractor, not as an inspector. Most of these people are knowledgeable in the construction business but must be disciplined in the inspection business (the building code). They must be taught to think like an inspector, not as a contractor.
“A large number of contractors and mechanics in the fire protection business (alarm installers, sprinkler fitters, hood suppression system installers, designers, and so on) do not know the code or the manufacturer’s specs for the equipment they are installing. Unless the inspector is diligent in his inspection duties, a system will be installed ‘just good enough to get by’ a visual (it’s physically there) type of inspection. Beware of the company willing to ‘certify the system’ without an actual inspection or a test witnessed by the inspector. That piece of ‘certified paper’ is worthless in court, especially in the hands of a good defense attorney. I have found that a vast majority of mechanics and designers, once they know that you, as the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), know and enforce the code, will install the system correctly. The system will pass all tests and inspections and will perform as intended in a fire situation. The fitters take pride in their work when they know the AHJ does its job.
“Finally, I listen to the ‘old timers.’ First, they were around when all the old stuff was relatively new. Second, since they are still around [it indicates] they were smart enough to keep from getting maimed or killed in the line of duty.
“Thank you for your support of and leadership in the fire service.”
A WARNING ABOUT THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS AND DENSE SMOKE
Assistant Chief Lenny Fitch, a shift commander in the Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue Service, was practicing in dense training smoke with a thermal imaging camera. He noted how easy it was to get disoriented. It appears that it is easy for the searcher to get into trouble. Personnel should be drilled thoroughly in using the camera before they attempt to use it in a fire. In searching large, open areas, perhaps one searcher should be tethered to the other (the holder), who remains in a fixed, known position. The searcher then returns to the holder, and they exchange functions. If you have any ideas or proven procedures, please share them. Let’s not allow the enthusiasm for the “firefighter’s radar” cause a loss of life. No tool is foolproof. The ocean liners Andrea Doria and Stockholm both had functioning radar and managed to collide in clear weather.
“IMPROVED” LAMINATED WOOD BEAMS: UPDATE
Peter McBride, incident safety officer of the Ottawa (Can.) Fire Department, is gathering data on a dangerous development in wood construction for an article in Fire Engineering. It is a method of increasing the load capacity of laminated wood beams and wooden I-beams. It consists of adding sheets of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) to the sides of laminated beams. The fibers are carbon and have enormous strength. This will increase the load-carrying capacity of the beam well beyond its normal strength. Even without the reinforcement, these beams are the darlings of the wood industry. Every now and then, you see a promotional picture of a laminated beam charred to a minor depth with a steel I-beam melted down over it. Of course, it is forgotten that most laminated beams are supported on unprotected steel columns. Never forget that all loads must be delivered to the ground. Don’t be deceived by the “advantages” of one or another construction material. Study the path to ground, and identify the weakest element when the assembly is attacked by fire.
The fibers in FRP may be noncombustible, as they are in fiberglass, but the plastic is not. When the FRP burns away, the beam reverts to its normal strength, which will not be adequate for the increased load.
Look at wooden I-beams. In many cases, the top and bottom chords are made up of laminated thin sections. Substitute the same carbon fiber FRP for one of the laminates, and you have an incredibly stronger I-beam with the same fire characteristics as an ordinary wooden I-beam. In fact, it would fail more rapidly because the weight of the load is one factor in fire-caused failure. I suggest you find out if these dangerous “improvements” are planned for your area. Send any information to McBride at
WOOD BLOCK STUDS
A reader who does not wish to be identified provided information on studs, manufactured in Canada, that consist of short wood blocks stapled together with metal connectors. The manufacturer claimed that such a wall attained one-hour fire resistance by adding up minutes of each element such as gypsum board. This is not acceptable. Underwriters Laboratories warns that fire resistance ratings can apply only to structures identical to structures that have undergone the standard fire test.
THE HORSE HOLDERS
A British Artillery unit was showing its stuff to the Prince of Wales. He asked what was the assignment of the two men who stood at attention to the rear. “They are the horse holders,” he was told. The horses had been gone for many years!
When I was seven, I was buffing at New York’s Engine 82. A lad a few years older told me, “An alarm will come in a minute or so.” Shortly, the bell struck 11-11, the traditional test signal on the telegraph system, now carried over to the radio at exactly 8 p.m. It was the signal to bed down the horses, but the horses were long gone.
After I put the crew of the light cruiser USS Trenton through fire school in Panama, Captain Norton invited me to go on a week’s shakedown after an overhaul period. The first morning, I was walking on deck with the executive officer. The loudspeaker announced, “We are fueling planes (two catapult seaplanes names Luft and Waffe). No smoking abaft the number four stack. Fourth Division post fire guards.” This caused sailors to step into every access point past the #4 stack with signs saying “NO SMOKING.” We went aft to watch the fueling. Very close to the planes was the incinerator. The attendant opened the door to throw in another load of trash, and flames rolled out. The executive officer recognized the incongruity and said: “That’s been happening since I joined the ship!”
A major chemical company operated a uranium extraction plant for the Atomic Energy Commission. Diethyl ether was a solvent piped through the plant. There were strict procedures for operations involving opening a line. A mechanic was opening the “brine line” (brine is usually a saltwater line) with no precautions. The smell of alcohol was overpowering. We took a sample back to the office, where it proved to be ignitable. Originally, the line had had a very slight addition of alcohol. Over the years, the percentage of alcohol had risen in increments to satisfy production needs until finally a flammable mixture was reached. No reevaluation of the hazard had been made.
What’s my point? Do you have an organized process or procedure for reviewing all customs, traditions, and uses to determine if any are out of date or even hazardous? If you don’t, you should have.
A FRIGHTENING CLOSE CALL
While the fire service was mourning the Worcester tragedy, a wood truss roof collapse almost claimed several Maryland firefighters who got out just as the roof was falling. The fire involved automatic mutual aid and an unusual circumstance, but unusual circumstances are common in our work and, unfortunately, common in disasters. The fire was in a service station specializing in oil changes located in County A and on the boundary of County B.
County B received the alarm first and notified County A. County B dispatched its own units to the alarm. When the first County A command officer arrived on the scene, units from County B were already inside and operating on the roof. At that time, it looked like a routine incident. A line was operating inside the building, and the smoke was moderate.
When the ceiling was pulled, however, the situation changed. Fire heavily involved the parallel chord wood truss roof that provided a clear span the width of the building. It sounds almost like a repeat of the Chesapeake, Virginia, disaster in which two firefighters died in a truss roof collapse.
Personnel were ordered out but were reluctant to leave. The command officer of the first County A unit made three trips into the building to get firefighters out; he actually dragged out the nozzleman. As the firefighters exited, the parallel chord wood truss roof collapsed.
- Know your buildings. The truss industry fights any attempt to adopt in other states the New Jersey law that requires buildings with wood truss roofs and floors to be placarded. We must get out block by block and learn about the buildings.
- There is no safe time under a burning wood truss. You can have raging fire over your head and not know it.
- Pulling the ceiling under a truss roof has proven fatal to firefighters, because it supplies air to the fire that often is sufficient to finish off the flimsy structure. Use a thermal imaging camera to determine overhead fire conditions.
- Conditions can go from “a piece of cake” to “how do we get out of here?” in seconds.
CHIEFS’ AIDES
 Chief’s Aide John DiNuzzo of the Edison (NJ) Fire Department relays Chief Walter Boychick’s orders to Engine 5 at a recent drill. (Photo by Walter Boychick) |
In September 1999, I commented on a Los Angeles fatal fire. I expressed the opinion that a serious problem is created on the fireground when information overload hits the fireground commander. I deplored the loss of chiefs’ aides to “economy.” I understand that Los Angeles is restoring them. Washington, D.C., has restored them. Note that New York now designates them as “battalion firefighter,” a term less likely to catch the eye of a bean counter. I noted that the position seems to be lacking in volunteer departments. Chief Walter Boychick of Edison (NJ) Volunteer Fire Co. #1 wrote me that they have successfully had volunteer chiefs’ aides for several years. They are hand-picked and specially trained. They relieve the chief of many important duties, freeing him to concentrate on the overall situation. Over time, members have come to accept that they are “speaking for the chief.”
WHAT IS
 The church and one-story wall on the left are painted on the wall of the red building in the background. (Photo by author) |
“Trompe l’oeil” is an artistic expression that means “deceive the eye.” In the photo, the church and the one-story wall on the left are not real. They are painted on the wall of the red building in the background. Many building features are deceptive by intention or accident and may be fatally so. For instance, I often see a building described as a “brick” building in a preliminary report when in fact it is a wooden building with a nonstructural brick veneer facing.
NIOSH: UPDATE
I have been told by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health that I will be asked to assist in its investigation of firefighter fatalities in cases where the building is a factor in the tragedy.
The building is your enemy. Know your enemy.
FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN, SFPE (Fellow), the 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.
