Posted: October 13th, 2022

Building Construction For Fire Protection

Building Construction For Fire Protection
You are a firefighter assigned to protect the exteriors of two old wood frame apartment buildings located on both sides of an alley way. Both of the apartment structures have exterior sidewall asphalt siding shingles. What are your concerns? Please discuss.

Your response should be at least 200 words in length.

textbook:
Corbett, G. P., & Brannigan, F. L. (2015). Brannigan’s building construction for the fire service (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284088670
Building Construction For Fire Protection
The top concern in the protection of the two old apartments is the material of the two buildings. Also, the space to operate from is very tight, because the alleyway between the two old wood-frame buildings used to protect the location specified is very small. It could be challenging to protect the location from the fire because one can be squeezed, and stuck in the middle of the alleyway, especially if one building collapses (Corbett, and Brannigan, 2015). Collapsing is a possibility after the wood burns, which is a consideration when protecting the two buildings. Additionally, due to gravity, wood-frame buildings form combustion void spaces where free hides, and can burst unsuspectedly. On the other hand, in efforts to protect the sides from catching fire, the method may fail, where if it fails it would be dangerous because the rest of the side may catch fire. The asphalt siding materials as one of the most economical types of roofing consist of fiberglass. The fiber-glass can easily catch fire, especially when not fitted with a fire-resistant underlayment. Asphalt materials can burn easily if the fire is closer (Corbett, and Brannigan, 2015).
According to research, asphalt siding shingles are made up of a material, known as the asphalt flux made from petroleum. The flammable material however is used together with the glass fiber for stability (Corbett, and Brannigan, 2015). The two main concerns however involve how close the fire is to the walls how close the two walls are to each other. In case the fire is closer to the wall, an engine team should be prepared with a hosepipe, where the engine should have its water source. In case the fire is way too close and can ignite the asphalt siding shingles, water can be used on the asphalt shingles to reduce the temperature, which is not supposed to rise to prevent the material from catching fire.
Reference
Corbett, G. P., & Brannigan, F. L. (2015). Brannigan’s building construction for the fire service (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781284088670

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