November 2016
FireNuggets, Inc
larger spans and the “open concept” of homes (started being widely
used in the mid 1980s). Performing the traditional left/right hand
wall search for orientation in “open concept” homes will leave large
areas not searched and potentially increase fire fatalities, compared
to the legacy compartmentalized homes.
Number of Floors and Footprint: The structure assists in
understanding the building layout, deciding a search pattern, how
or if the crew will split, search priority, and can indicate the
structures’ fire walls, fire doors and stairwell locations. The greater
the footprint and number of floors, the greater the manpower need
for primary search. Firefighters staying oriented during search is
dependent on understanding the layout of the structure you are
searching.
Pre-1933: Unreinforced Masonry (URM) To search aggressively, you
must be aware and recognize the structures dangers. URM has the
potential for early collapse, due to no rebar, no lime in the mortar
and fire cut beams. These structures are recognizable by King Rows
(Both interior & exterior) every seventh brick stack, tie plates (Pic,
above - Star Shaped), deeply recessed windows, arched and flat
spandrels as shown in pictures and lintels both wood as shown in
the picture or metal.
Post 1945: Post war construction. During this period interior wall
coverings transitioned from lathe and plaster to drywall. Lathe and
plaster increases the time required for both wall tunneling (refuge)
and wall anchoring (axe handle or halligan) for bailouts or victim
belays.
Late 1950s: Hollow core doors (Pic, right) were introduced in the
late 1950’s. This eased interior forcible entry but also affected
interior isolation for VES and search. UL analysis of changing
residential fire dynamics study showed approximately 5 minutes of
a well vented fire, before a hollow door will burn through.
Mid-1980s: The introduction of engineered trusses has allowed for
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