How does the history of building construction help in understanding different types of building construction?

Chapter 1 discuss the history of building construction and it pertains to the fire service. 

“Firefighting is conducted in, under, on top of, and around buildings. It is a fire fighter’s place of business” (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015, p.2). Learning, knowing, and understanding building construction is a crucial component to being a successful firefighter. “It is essential that you have a working knowledge of how buildings are designed, constructed, renovated, maintained, altered, and fall into disrepair” (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015, p.2). Knowing the principles of building construction will help with understanding how to better extinguish a fire along with where fire could have spread and may be hiding from you. It will also help you and your crew stay safe from the inherent dangers hidden in some types of building construction. “In short, you must understand how buildings are built” (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015, p.2).

Building construction is broken into different types based on materials used to construct them and methods that they are constructed. “Buildings are broken down into five categories (Types 1–5), ranging from the stoutest of construction to that which will most likely fail rapidly when under fire conditions” (Frassetto, 2012). Being able to identify each type of building construction is a key component to understanding building construction. Type one building construction is called fire-resistive construction. These structures are typically high rise structures and provide the greatest amount of fire protection that a building can provide in its building construction. “Type 1 structures are constructed of concrete and protected steel (steel coated with a fire-resistant material, most often a concrete mixture), and are designed to hold fire for an extended amount of time in order to keep the fire at bay in the room and/or floor of origin” (Frassetto, 2012). “From a fire protection perspective, fire-resistive construction is considered to be the best. It is the type of construction most resistant to collapse and does not contribute fuel to a fire” (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015, p.316). A fire that takes place in a type one building would most likely be a room and contents fire and would not involve the building itself.

Type two building construction is called non-combustible construction. Non-combustible construction is typically found in new buildings or buildings that have been remodeled recently and is typically constructed using steel and concrete amongst other non-combustible building materials. “The walls and roofs are constructed of non-combustible materials. Specifically, walls are usually reinforced masonry or tilt slab, while roofs have metal structural members and decking” (Frassetto, 2012). These buildings are similar to type one buildings in the materials and type of construction used to construct them, the key difference is that type one buildings have some type of fire-resistive component added to its structural members while type two construction does not. A fire in a type two building would also most likely be a room and contents fire. However because a type two does not have fire-resistive protection on its structural members its steel could be weakened by excessive heat and the concrete could be damaged either by steel elongating or by spalling.  

Type three building construction is called ordinary construction. Type three buildings can be new buildings and they can also be old buildings. “It can be described as ‘Main Street, USA’” (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015, p.244). This type of construction typically is a combination of masonry construction and wood construction. “Older construction buildings may consist of unreinforced masonry and have a conventionally framed roof, while newer buildings will have lightweight roof systems supported by reinforced masonry or tilt slab” (Frassetto, 2012). Type three buildings can have dangerous circumstances such as lack of fire breaks and separation. Type 3 buildings can be relatively safe provided that building codes, which we will discuss later are followed and that buildings are well maintained.  A fire in a type three building could involve the structure itself and not just a room and contents.

 Type four building construction is called heavy timber construction. There is also a sub-category to this type of construction called mill construction. “Type 4 construction is found in older buildings and utilizes large dimensional lumber for structural members and interior elements” (Frassetto, 2012). Due to the large diameter wooden structural supports this type of building traditionally does well in a fire. That is because the large structural supporting beams will burn very slowly due to their size and density. This type of building construction has a series of features that must be present in order for this type of building to remain safe. Improper maintenance, poor upkeep, and environmental concerns can cause this buildings structural integrity to weaken and may result in early collapse. A fire in a type four building would most likely involve the structure itself and not just a room and contents. Although these buildings are said to be “slow burning” it is important to note that they will burn much longer and hotter for the same reasons that they are said to be slow burning. They also have a lot of combustible materials used in their construction which will result in involvement of the structure.

The final type of building construction, type five construction, is called wood framed construction.  This type of construction is the type of construction most used in modern homes. “The walls and roofs are made of combustible materials—most commonly wood. If the walls are wood-framed, the roof usually is as well. Rooftops are ceramic tile or asphalt shingles placed over lightweight trusses and OSB” (Frassetto, 2012). In a fire in a wood framed building the structure will most likely become involved and is readily at risk of collapse. The science in wood framed houses has improved as time has gone on. Originally balloon framed houses were constructed but allowed large amounts of fire spread due to long walls that were open from floor to attic with no fire breaks. Now platform frame houses are the trend which are safer despite items such as gusset plates and laminate reinforced boards.

When discussing the design of structures we will take a broad view at all different types of buildings. Design of a building is thought to be largely and solely based on aesthetics and type of occupancy. Despite that thought a lot goes into design of structures including fire protection and emergency response. “Fire protection engineers must be involved in all aspects of the design in order to ensure a reasonable degree of protection of human life from fire and the products of combustion as well as to reduce the potential loss from fire” (WBDG Secure/Safe Committee, 2015). Some recommendations to help with fire department access in design of structures include the following. “Design buildings with uncomplicated layouts that enable firefighters to locate an area quickly. Provide rapid access to various features such as fire department connections (FDCs), hose valves, elevators and stairs, annunciators, key boxes. Accommodate the access of fire apparatus into and around the building site” (WBDG Secure/Safe Committee, 2015). Design is an important part of building construction and should involve fire and emergency services interfacing to ensure that buildings are being built as safely as possible.

Building codes have been around since the 1600s (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015). Building codes and fire codes serve together to protect the general public and firefighters in buildings. “Generally speaking, building codes regulate the construction of a building, whereas fire codes regulate the use of the building after it is built” (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015, p.93). Building codes unfortunately tend to follow fire events that result in large loss of property or worse large incidents of death. An example of this would be the 1 Meridian Plaza fire which is more famously known for its display of how effective fire sprinklers are in combatting a fire as compared to firefighters. On February 23, 1991 a pile of linseed-soaked rags ignited on the twenty-second floor of the 1 Meridian Plaza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Patten, 2013). The fire would spread for nineteen hours until it was extinguished on the thirtieth floor (Patten, 2013). Three firefighters from engine eleven were killed when they became disoriented while trying to make it to the roof to vent the smoke and heat (Parkin, 2011). The Meridian Plaza at the time it was built in 1972, fire codes did not require sprinklers on each floor (Patten, 2013). The building had no sprinklers with the exception of approximately ten sprinkler heads on the thirtieth floor that were installed because the tenants had asked the landlord to install them (Parkin, 2011). Chief George Yaeger stated in Parkin’s (2011) video, “Three hundred of the best trained, best equipped, highly motivated firefighters in the United States could not successfully extinguish what approximately ten sprinkler heads put out.” This is an excellent example of why building codes and fire codes are so crucial.

Collapse of a structure is possibly the most dangerous event that could take place on the fire ground. The largest single loss of life in the fire service is 343 firefighters that were killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. Understanding building construction and applying tactical decision making armed with the knowledge of building construction can help firefighters avoid this danger. There are many different types of collapse each determinant on the forces encountered along with the type of building construction. There are several different indicators of potential collapse including visual, audible, and physical indicators of collapse. Some of examples of these are: pitched or sagging floors, leaning walls, moaning/groaning sounds, cracking noises, any type of movement, and vibrations (Corbett & Brannigan, 2015).  It is important that while on the fireground firefighters possess situational awareness and be alert for these indicators so that they may evacuate should a building begin to collapse. In order to protect firefighters a collapse zone should be established in any structure that could collapse. No firefighters, equipment, or apparatus should be permitted to stay in these collapse areas as they would be at a significant level of risk there.

In closing it is important that a firefighter knows and understands building construction as if his life and life of his crew depends on it because it does. Building construction is not something you learn when you are a young firefighter and never revisit. As time passes technology improves, as technology improves so does building construction. It is important to keep up with the times and study the building construction in your first due area. It is part of the job

How does the history of building construction help in understanding different types of building construction?

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