All Entries Tagged With: "Anatomy of Buildings"
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 […]
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 […]
Modular Construction and Operational Impacts
Modular homes are built using an engineered approach to produce buildings in a more efficient and cost effect method that can deliver lower home prices per square foot. Instead of the traditional stick-built, on-site construction methods, most of the work is pre-fabricated at an off-site climate controlled factory. As each sub-section is finished it […]
Shoddy Construction in a Modular Home?
Shoddy construction in a modular home? Fewer inspections for modular homes questioned Mike Beaudet(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) Ron Chasse’s modular home in West Boylston looks great from the outside, but Chasse says he was shocked to find out what lay hidden inside the walls. “I’ve seen storage sheds that are built better than this. Honestly,” […]
Modular Home Construction to Change
Modular Home Construction to Change BOSTON (FOX25 / MyFoxBoston.com) Updated: Saturday, 22 May 2010, 5:05 PM EDT Published : Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010, 10:56 PM EDT Acting weeks after a FOX Undercover investigation raising questions about fire safety and modular homes, the board that sets the Massachusetts building code voted today to change the way […]
Modular Homes: Built to Burn?
Modular Homes: Built to Burn? Mike Beaudet MyFoxBOSTON.com After six people barely escaped from a fast-moving fire that destroyed their modular home, the fire chief who fought that fire wants changes in the way modular homes are built, saying the construction methods used for these pre-fabricated homes can make fires burn much bigger and faster […]
Modular home fire investigation may lead to building code changes
Modular home fire investigation may lead to building code changes Mike Beaudet(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) State officials are considering significant changes to the state building code in the wake of a Fox Undercover investigation into fast-moving fires in modular homes. Our report last week highlighted concerns that large empty areas called “void spaces” between floors […]
Structural Collapse: The Hidden Dangers of Residential Fires
Structural Collapse: The Hidden Dangers of Residential Fires Oct 1, 2009 Originally Published in FireEngineering.com, All Rights Reserved By James M. Dalton, Robert G. Backstrom, and Steve Kerber Educational Objectives 1 Gain an understanding of the behavioral differences between solid wood joist and lightweight wood structural members under fire attack. 2 Gain an understanding of […]
Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction
Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction Under the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program, Underwriters Laboratories examined fire service ventilation practices as well as the impact of changes in modern house […]
Wind Driven Fires
A million dollar Baltimore County, Maryland home was destroyed Sunday December 13, 2009 by a fire that tore through the 4,700-square-foot structure with such intensity that firefighters were forced to battle the flames from the exterior. Shortly after 21:00 hours, Baltimore County Fire Dispatch alerted crews for Fire Box 50-2 at 12607 Nancy Lee Court […]
Attic Fires in Residential Buildings Report
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has recently issued a special report examining the characteristics of Attic Fires in Residential Buildings (PDF, 884 Kb). Developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center, the report is based on 2006 to 2008 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). According to the report: […]
VES:Flashover, Bailout and Close-call
N.J. Firefighter bailout from Second-Story Window as a result of room fashover An Asbury Park (NJ) firefighter was seriously burned while fighting an apartment fire in the seaside community. 41-year-old firefighter Jason Fazio was in listed in critical condition at St. Barnabas Burn Center in Livingston following Monday’s afternoon fire. Officials indicated that Firefighter Fazio was […]
