PREPLANNING BUILDING HAZARDS
BY FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN, SFPE
Editor`s note: For further reference, consult Building Construction for the Fire Service (BCFS3), Third Edition. Page numbers are included after each caption for your convenience.
(Top left) It is almost worse than murder these days to tear down an old dump. Many older buildings have marble stairways. Check to see if the marble is supported on steel. If it is self-supporting, beware! Heated marble looks okay but changes to chalk and has collapsed under a firefighter`s weight. (BCFS3, p. 152)
(Top right) Wall collapse is not just a “big city” hazard. This sign in a little bayside town is trying to pull the wall down. It is restrained by two steel angles lag-bolted to the roof. If the connection burns away, the sign will be released and gravity will take over. (BCFS3, P. 163)
(Bottom left) This wall collapsed in a fire. The remaining portion was salvaged, and a new wall was attached. Because of the differences in the brick and mortar, such patches often do not bond well. In one incident, two such walls collapsed in the same place in a subsequent fire. (BCFS3, p. 155)
(Bottom right) “Fifteen minutes to flashover” is dead! This was a typical living room fire test, ignited by a match to the Sunday paper. This shot was taken 3.75 minutes after ignition. Another “dead” expression is “It spread so fast, it must be arson.” (BCFS3, p. 225)
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FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN, SFPE, recipient of Fire Engineering`s first Lifetime Achievement Award, has devoted more than half of his 56-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. He may be reached at (301) 855-1982.
