RSSAll Entries Tagged With: "Anatomy of Buildings"

Structural Collapse Type III Vacant

Structural Collapse Type III Vacant

Something exploded in this vacant building as firefighters battled a fire Monday night in Cairo, Illinois. A photographer for television station KFVS was rolling when the blast occurred and also caught the collapse a short time later.. The local fire chief says the fire started when four men were inside the building, looking for things to steal. […]

Underwriters Laboratories  Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber in Fire Conditions

Underwriters Laboratories Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber in Fire Conditions

  Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber in Fire Conditions Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber in Fire Conditions Under a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistance to Firefighter Grant, Underwriters Laboratories in collaboration with the Chicago Fire Department, Michigan State University, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs completed a fire research study to enhance […]

It's not Lightweight Construction

It’s not Lightweight Construction

It’s not lightweight construction NFPA Journal, Jul/Aug 2009 by Earls, Alan R It’s what happens when lightweight construction meets fire. Two recent studies detail the relationship between fire and engineered wood construction assemblies-notably, that they burn quicker and fail faster than their dimensional lumber counterparts. What do the findings mean for the fire service, builders, […]

The New Lexicon and Challenges

The New Lexicon and Challenges

Of the many issues affecting the Fire Service, the prevailing challenge that has a pronounced impact on operational safety is the assimilation of engineered structural systems (ESS) into mainstream building design and construction. The presence of engineered structural systems (ESS) are no longer considered to be an innocuous feature in a given building or occupancy; […]

Fire Department Officers Liable in Double Firefighter LODD

Fire Department Officers Liable in Double Firefighter LODD

  Lawsuit revived against fire departments in firefighter’s death in 2002 house fire A New York State appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit against the Manlius (NY) and Pompey Hill (NY) fire departments in the death of a volunteer firefighter battling a Pompey house fire in 2002. The state Supreme Court Appellate Division in Rochester – […]

Theater Undergoing Deconstruction Collapses in Millville, New Jersey

Theater Undergoing Deconstruction Collapses in Millville, New Jersey

 There was great promise in the 102-year-old Levoy Theater. Just last week there were numerous articles about the gutting of the building with its facade left in place and new steel trusses for the roof. The new Levoy was supposed to be a centerpiece for downtown Millville with a scheduled reopening in July. The Levoy is now a […]

Three Firefighters were injured when they fell through the floor of a Vacant House

Three Firefighters were injured when they fell through the floor of a Vacant House

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Three Buffalo firefighters are lucky to be alive Wednesday night. The three firefighters were injured when they fell through the floor of a burning home on Mohican Avenue on the city’s east side.  Two of the firefighters were taken to the hospital for treatment. Officials say their injuries are not serious. […]

Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse-PDF Download

Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse-PDF Download

Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse PDF Training Aid The recent post titled: Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse has been receiving a considerable amount of attention as the post makes its way throughout the fire service eMedia sites, links, likes, shares and commentary circles, with over 6,000 views in the past […]

Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse

Chicago: Anatomy of a Building and its Collapse

  The tragic events in the City of Chicago on Wednesday December 22, 2010, when Chicago Firefighter Edward J. Stringer – Engine Co.63 and Firefighter/EMT Corey D. Ankum, Truck Co.34 were killed in the line of duty while operating at a structure fire in an abandoned one-story brick building in the 1700 block of East […]

Block and Brick Warehouse Construction Live Fire Testing

Block and Brick Warehouse Construction Live Fire Testing

Another series of experiments were conducted in Phoenix, Arizona using a brick and block warehouse structure with a “traditional” wood frame roof assembly. This set of two experiments included measurement of temperatures and carbon monoxide inside the structure. The building was approximately 150 feet long by 50 feet wide. Infra-red (IR) cameras were used on […]

Wood Frame Structures Live Fire Testing

Wood Frame Structures Live Fire Testing

Four wood frame residential-like structures with different roof constructions were used in a series of fire tests conducted in cooperation with the Phoenix, AZ Fire Department. The roof construction was the primary difference between each structure: asphalt shingles and plywood, asphalt shingles and oriented strand board, cement tiles and plywood, or cement tiles and oriented […]

NIST Study on Charleston Furniture Store Fire Calls for National Safety Improvements

NIST Study on Charleston Furniture Store Fire Calls for National Safety Improvements

Major factors contributing to a rapid spread of fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C., on June 18, 2007, included large open spaces with furniture providing high fuel loads, the inward rush of air following the breaking of windows and a lack of sprinklers, according to a draft report released for public comment […]

Prevention of Disproportionate Structural Collapse

Prevention of Disproportionate Structural Collapse

NIST Modeling Many U.S. buildings are vulnerable to extreme loads that may cause partial or total collapse. Modern structures have a limited reserve capacity to accommodate abnormal loads. There is no accepted science-base or design practice to maintain overall structural robustness within a multi-hazard context that considers both design loads and abnormal loads. The National […]

FIREFIGHTER EXPOSURE TO SMOKE PARTICULATES

FIREFIGHTER EXPOSURE TO SMOKE PARTICULATES

Firefighter Exposure to Smoke Particulates Under a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistance to Firefighter Grant, Underwriters Laboratories in collaboration with the Chicago Fire Department and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, recently completed a sixteen month study on the smoke and gas exposure firefighters confront during firefighting operations and subsequent contact exposure […]

Fire Modeling Information at NIST

Fire Modeling Information at NIST

Fire Modeling Information at NIST (the links below are a compilation of programs and projects, news/events, and other pages tagged with this term) Building Occupant Evacuation (12/21/2010) Characterization of Internal Flow of Firefighter Respirator Project (10/05/2010) Cigarette Ignition Metrology Project (10/05/2010) Computer Based Fire Fighter Trainer Project (10/05/2010) Fires in the Wildland-Urban Interface – Development […]