All Entries in the "Anatomy of Buildings" Category
The Strand Theatre Fire Brockton (MA) 1941; 13 Firefighter LODD
The Strand Theatre Fire Brockton (MA) 1941; 13 Firefighter LODD The Strand Theater, Brockton, MA Strand Theatre Background The Strand Theatre was first erected in 1915 on the site of a previous theatre which was destroyed by fire on April 7, 1915. The Strand Theatre opened in March, 1916 on School Street […]
Lightweight Residential Construction: Collaboration Adds to Firefighter Safety
Lightweight Residential Construction: Collaboration Adds to Firefighter Safety From Fireengineering.com Aug 9, 2010 By Sean DeCrane Successful Passage During the recent International Code Council’s (ICC) Final Action Hearings in Dallas, Texas, a code change proposal requiring the protection of lightweight construction was successfully adopted into the International Residential Code (IRC). The code proposal will provide […]
World Trade Center Bombing-1993 Remembered
At 18 minutes after noon on February 26, 1993, a huge bomb went off beneath the two towers of the World Trade Center. This was not a suicide attack. The terrorists parked a truck bomb with a timing device on Level B-2 of the underground garage, then departed. The ensuing explosion opened a hole seven […]
Engineered Floor I-Joists and Firefigher Safety: Basic Insights
The following videos provide some Basic insights on Engineered Floor I-Joists and Firefigher Safety. The first two video reports are a few years old, but provide some good visual and narrative insights into the current building construction trends, operational limitations and fireground tactical safety considerations. Take the time to review these video clips and gain […]
ENGINE COMPANY STANDPIPE OPERATIONS:PRESSURE-REGULATING DEVICES
ENGINE COMPANY STANDPIPE OPERATIONS:PRESSURE-REGULATING DEVICES FireEngineering.com Feb 1, 2005 BY DAVID M. McGRAIL For most in the American fire service, pressure-regulating devices and specifically pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) were virtually unknown prior to 1991. It was only after the tragic One Meridian Plaza high-rise fire, which occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 23, 1991, that PRVs […]
One Meridian Plaza High Rise Fire: Twenty Years Ago
Fire Operations One Meridian Plaza On what began as an uneventful Saturday night twenty years ago, a fire on the 22nd floor of the 38-story Meridian Bank Building, also known as One Meridian Plaza, was reported to the Philadelphia Fire Department on February 23, 1991 at approximately 2040 hours and went on to burned for […]
Multiple Alarm Operations with Wind Driven Fire
The five alarm fire that ran through a seven story multiple occupancy (MO) apartment building in the Flatbush Section in the Borough of Brooklyn (NYC) this weekend considerably challenged operating companies of the FDNY as the fire was fueled and spread in rapid success due to significant wind conditions compounded by news reports that a […]
The Station Nightclub February 20, 2003 Revisted
A fire occurred on the night of February 20, 2003, at The Station Nightclub located in West Warwick, Rhode Island. A band that was performing that night, during its performance, used pyrotechnics that ignited foam insulation lining the walls and part of the ceiling of the platform being used as a stage. Based on a […]
Maintaining Situational Awareness
Maintaining focused situational awareness during all phases of fireground operation is mission critical for operational integrity and firefigher safety. Don’t forget value added task assignments and ensuring you always maintain effective and appropriate collapse zones.
Gypsum Board Ceiling Systems and Firefigher Safety
The recent events in Los Angeles and the line of duty death of veteran LAFD Firefighter Glenn Allen who died Friday from injuries he sustained when a ceiling collapsed on him in a house fire late Wednesday night in the Hollywood Hills again gives us pause to reflect on the demands and hazards present at […]
Los Angeles firefighter dies of injuries
Los Angeles firefighter dies of injuries Glenn Allen, a veteran of more than 36 years with the LAFD, was to have retired in less than two years. ( Associated Press / February 18, 2011 ) Glenn Allen died Friday of injuries suffered Wednesday in a Hollywood Hills blaze. When rescuers found him beneath debris, he was […]
NIST Wind Driven Fire Simulation Video
NIST Wind Driven Fire Simulation Video Wind Driven Fires Smoke and heat spreading through the corridors and the stairs of a building during a fire can limit building occupants’ ability to escape and can limit fire fighters’ ability to rescue them. Changes in the building’s ventilation or presence of an external wind can increase the […]
Townhouse Flashover (VA)
An adult female suffered life-threatening injuries and 3 firefighters were transported with minor injuries as a result of a 2-alarm fire at a townhouse located on the 6800 block of Clowser Court in Springfield, VA. A Fairfax County Fire official says it took aggressive action by 85 firefighters to contain the fire and prevent extension […]
Truss and Engineered Systems Placards
The Aldridge-Benge Firefighter Safety Act of 2008 became law on December 13, 2009 after unanimously passing the Florida House and Senate in 2008. The new law is named in honor of two Orange County, Florida Firefighters, Todd Aldridge and Mark Benge, who died in 1989 after the roof of a gift shop collapsed; the bill […]
Safety rule sparked by Acushnet (MA) Fire takes effect
Exactly three years after an Acushnet modular home burned to the ground, a new safety rule that was sparked by the blaze is now in effect. On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards voted unanimously to require that builders use mechanical fasteners (such as nails, screws and staples) rather than just adhesive […]
