I’LL TAKE THE HIT
EDITOR’S OPINION
Repetition is the mother of safety and efficiency, at least in our fire service. Communicated repetition breeds knowledge and awareness.
I got an advisory complaint from our managing editor the other day as he was working on the fire report from Michigan on page 32. “With Brannigan, Dunn, Corbett, Mittendorf and others writing articles about the dangers of lightweight wood truss construction, do you think we should run another so soon?” he asked.
To answer him, I quickly reviewed some facts that have motivated me on the subject.
In 1978, we lost six firefighters at the Waldbaum’s Fire in Brooklyn, New York; 16 others on that same roof were luckier. We knew Brannigan’s book, Building Construction For the Fire Service, by heart—for the promotion exam! We were unable to take the lesson from Cliffside Park, New Jersey—where 5 brothers from the Ridgefield Fire Department were killed by collapsing wood truss construction in 1967—and the “memorized” book knowledge and put it on the asphalt in front of our fire building.
In the time that passed, fires in Valley Stream, New York; Irving, Texas; Hackensack, New Jersey; San Antonio, Texas; and Farmington Hills, Michigan have cost the lives of 19 firefighters and narrow escapes of many others. These buildings probably would not have collapsed had it not been for one common firefighterkilling denominator—the truss.
We’ve received letters (theses) of admonishment for our attack on this construction practice from an institute/foundation representing the interests of the wood products industry. I watched as articles in other magazines appeared, praising the virtues and strengths of wood truss construction. Bull!
Just recently, a lawmaker from the State of New Jersey introduced legislation that would require owners of truss occupancies to make that fact known to responding firefighters by placing a reflective sign on the front of the structure. Bravo!
Then came my answer. “No, Bill, we’re going to run stories and print facts of the dangers of this construction to our firefighters until ail one million of us are able to take the book knowledge and influence our fireground decisions on every piece of asphalt—anywhere!
“We will try to gain our lessons with words this time. No more bodies.”
