BUILDING CONSTRUCTION IFSTA : Chapter 3

1
BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONIFSTA Chapter 3
2
BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONIFSTA Chapter 3

• Additional reading
• IFSTA Essentials 4 chapter 8 9 10
• Only for the information relating to building
  construction
• Some quiz midterm and final questions will be
  from this material

3
Learning Objectives

• List and define five types of building
  construction.
• Identify the effects fire has on common building
  materials to enable firefighters to effectively
  attack the fire.
• Identify the different occupancies and their
  effects at a structure fire.

4
Learning Objectives

• Identify the hazards of building construction
  during fire suppression operations.
• Identify construction features during size up.
• Identify indicators of structural failure or
  collapse during fire suppression operations

5
Types of Building Construction

• Most building codes have 5 types of building
  construction.
• Many buildings include several types of
  construction.

6
Type I Fire Resistive Construction

• Structural members made of noncombustible /
  limited combustible materials.
• Construction intended to confine fire and its
  byproducts to a given location.
• Primary fire hazard is contents of structure.

7
Type II Noncombustible Construction

• Lower degree of fire resistance than type I.
• Fire resistance rating on all exterior and
  interior load bearing walls.
• May have combustible features as materials with
  no fire resistance rating may be used.
• Generally have flat roofs with combustible felt
  insulation and roofing tar.

8
Why is Size-up Important
9
Type III Ordinary Construction

• Exterior walls structural members of
  noncombustible / limited combustible materials.
• Interior members (walls beams floors roof) are
  made of wood.
• Hazards smoke and fire spread through concealed
  spaces.
• Fire stops to limit spread.

10
Type IV Heavy Timber

• Exterior / interior walls noncombustible
  material.
• Interior structural members (beams columns
  arches floors etc.) made of solid or laminated
  wood with no concealed spaces.
• Found in old factories warehouses churches.

11
Type V Frame Construction
12
Type V Frame Construction

• Exterior and interior structural members made of
  wood.
• Fire Hazards unlimited potential for fire
  extension fire extension to nearby structures.
• Typical residential home

13


14
Platform Frame

15
Silent Flooring
16
Poor Construction Methods
17
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials
Wood

• May be used in load bearing and non-load bearing
  walls.
• Reaction of wood to fire conditions is based on
  the size of the wood and its moisture content.
• Water does not have a negative effect on woods
  structural strength.
• Plywood particle board paneling may be highly
  combustible produce toxic gases and rapidly
  deteriorate under fire conditions.

18
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials -
Masonry

• Brick concrete and stonework.
• Commonly used for firewalls to separate connected
  structures and prevent fire spread.
• May be used as load bearing or veneer.
• Minimally affected by fire high temperatures.
• Mortar joints between bricks blocks may
  deteriorate. (mortar mix is weakest part of wall)
• Rapid cooling of masonry by water may cause
  cracking or spalling.

19
(No Transcript)
20
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials -
Concrete

• Concrete is a mixture of portland cement sand
  gravel and water.
• Often used as a fire resistive protection for
  structural steel (reinforced concrete).
• May crack or spall if heated indication of
  damage reduced strength.
• Heating may cause bond between steel and concrete
  to fail.
• Concrete tends to absorb and retain heat.

21
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials
Reinforced Concrete
22
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials -
Steel

• Primary use of steel is for structural members.
• Steel is an excellent conductor of heat.
• Steel loses strength as temperature increases
• Steel structural members will elongate when
  heated.
• Water can cool steel structural members and
  reduce risk of failure or collapse.

23
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials -
Steel
24
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials -
Plastic

• Becoming integrated to replace/improve common
  building materials
• Plastics are oil-based (hydrocarbons)
• Two general types
• Thermoplastics (melt deform vapourize burns!)
• Thermosets (decomposes only burns with extreme
  temps)

25
Fire Effects on Common Construction Materials -
Plastic

• General Rule of Thumb when fighting fires
  involving plastics
• Burn fast
• Very intense heat
• Dense black smoke
• Extremely toxic
• Can resemble a Class B Fire (flammable liquids)

26
(No Transcript)
27
BREAK TIME
28
Roof TypesThree Main Types(a) Flat(b)
Pitched(c) Arched
29
Occupancy Versus Type of Construction

• Occupancy creates the fire load.
• Building codes specify building type based on
  occupancy classification.
• Fire code determines fire protection based on
  building and occupancy use.
• Occupancies are residential commercial
  business industrial and educational.
• Each type has a number of hazards.

30
Occupancy Hazards
31
Building Uses

• Ontario Fire Code and Ontario Building Code
  separate buildings in groups A-F as related to
  their major use (or major occupancy)
• With each type of building comes various
  requirements/restrictions on building
  construction
• Private dwelling residences are exempt (with some
  exceptions)

32
Building Uses

• A Assembly
• Theatres libraries schools large bars pubs
  and restaurants
• B Institutional (compelled to sleep over)
• Jails hospitals orphanages nursing homes
• C Residential
• Apartment buildings (common area) group homes
  houses motels
• D Business and Personal Services
• Banks barber shops offices (medico legal)
  laundromat
• E Mercantile
• Markets stores shops supermarkets
  restaurants bars and pubs
• F Industrial
• Flammable liquid plant television studio
  freight depot

33
Firefighter HazardsStructure Fires

• Change in occupancy creating an unusually heavy
  fire load.
• Dangerous stockpiling and excessive stock
  creating access problems.
• Unknown design errors renovations contractor
  short cuts.
• Arsonists traps or tampering with fire protection
  systems.
• Occupancy may not be what it appears.
• (drug lab boarding house group home etc.)

34
Construction Features Assessed During Size Up

• What constructions features are important during
  size-up

35
Construction Features Assessed During Size Up
36
Firefighter HazardsStructure Fires

• Combustible furnishings finishes.
• Wooden floors / ceilings.
• Large open spaces.
• Synthetic materials.
• Lightweight truss construction.

37
Lightweight Wood or Steel Truss
ConstructionVery Dangerous Firefighting
Conditions
38
Truss Roofs

39
(No Transcript)
40
(No Transcript)
41
Bowstring Truss!
42
Beware of the Truss!
43
Structural Collapse

• Every structure fire has the potential for
  collapse.
• Firefighters must be aware and look for
  indicators to collapse.

44
Signs of Potential Collapse

• Prolonged exposure.(time)
• Distorted structural members.
• Fire on floors below heavy machinery and heavy
  loads.

45
Signs of Potential Collapse
46
Building Collapse Zone
47
(No Transcript)
48
Size Up What do you see
49
The Back
50
The Side
51
Summary

• Firefighters must know understand building
  construction.
• There are five common types of construction.
• Firefighters need to be aware of the hazards
  associated with structure fires.
• Effects of fire on building materials.
• Signs of structural collapse.