BY FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN,SFPE (FELLOW)
Editor’s note: For further reference, consult Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition (BCFS3). Page numbers, where applicable, are included after the caption.
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This church was pictured on page 72 of the first edition of BCFS to illustrate the hazard shingle roofs present to the neighborhood. It was raining heavily during the fire, and only a few homes were ignited.
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A shingle roof fire in this Dallas, Texas, apartment complex ignited other buildings when burning shingles fell on dry bushes and ignited shingle siding. [Photo courtesy of the Dallas (TX) Fire Department.] See BCFS3, pages 124-126.
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The siding fire engulfed this building. Some believe that side shingles are not as dangerous as roof shingles. [Photo courtesy of the Dallas (TX) Fire Department.]
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Wooden buildings have many interconnected void spaces in which hidden fire can spread. Use the thermal imaging camera (the firefighter’s radar) to find hidden fire. Consider using a piercing nozzle instead of opening the void and admitting oxygen.
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This sketch shows the short pieces fitted between studs, which in effect makes the stud two four-foot lengths atop one another. This makes it possible for the stud to carry a heavier load (see BCFS3, pages 65-66, for an explanation). Builders sometimes call this “fire stopping.” Fire stopping should be fitted where the floor void joins the wall void. Fire stopping is generally installed so poorly that it is very unreliable.
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This balloon frame building was being modernized. The crosspiece just above the wallboard was installed as “fire stopping.” Note the wide open vertical void to the left. Operate as if fire stopping is imperfect—if it actually fulfils its function, it’s a pleasant surprise.
Additional information on the hazards of wood construction can be found in Chapter 3, pages 89-142, and Chapter 12, pages 518-563, of BCFS3 and are updated in Ol’ Professor (Fire Engineering) and available on FireEngineering.com.
FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN, SFPE (Fellow), the recipient of Fire Engineering’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, has devoted more than half of his 60-year career to the safety of firefighters in building fires. He is well known as the author of Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition (National Fire Protection Association, 1992) and for his lectures and videotapes. Brannigan is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering.
