Transcript What’s In Your Area?

What’s In Your Area?
Local Omaha Building
Construction Features and
Hazards to Firefighters
Local Building Construction,
WHY?
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Since it’s beginning, fifty-five (55) Omaha firefighters have been killed in
the line of duty. Twenty-four (24) of them were due to some type of
building collapse. That’s 44% of all Omaha firefighter LODD’s!
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Building construction, collapse, and associated hazards are the #1 killer of
Omaha Firefighters.
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Frank Brannigan always said, “The building is your enemy, KNOW YOUR
ENEMY”.
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A building fire becomes a “structural fire”, once the fire moves from
consuming only the contents to attacking the structure itself.
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After a fire begins to attack the structural components of the building, it
WILL, sooner or later, collapse! The deciding factor will be whether or not
we are in them or on top of them when they do collapse.
What’s In Your Area?
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The only way to keep the buildings we
operate in from killing another Omaha
firefighter is to, “KNOW, BEFORE YOU GO”
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The following are a series of pictures of
buildings taken around the Omaha area.
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Along with the pictures, are a few basic
hazards that accompany these buildings.
Cantilevered Canopy
4230 UNMC Building (42nd St. between Leavenworth & Emile)
These stressed steel cables will
lose their strength once any part
of the cable is heated to 800
deg. F.
In addition, the cable supports
could fail at the point they are
connected to the building. The
weakest area of any structural
component is it’s connectors.
Once the cable supports begin
to fail, the canopy becomes an
unsupported cantilever, in
danger of collapsing onto
firefighters operating under it. If
the canopy falls, it could also
pull the wall down with it.
Additional Roof Loads
42nd & Leavenworth
The original structural
design of this building
probably didn’t count on
the roof supporting a
billboard.
The roof structure might
not have a problem
supporting the additional
weight right now, but
once it starts to become
weakened by fire, the
roof may collapse sooner
than expected.
Hidden Bowstring Truss Roofs
11th and Mason Street
Bowstring “curve”
Parapet walls
From all sides at ground
level, the parapet walls of
this building conceal the
type of roof it has . Only
after stepping back a
considerable distance and
standing on a 4 ft. wall
could I see the very top
of the “curve” that
characterizes the
bowstring truss roof.
Hidden Bowstring Truss Roofs
11th and Mason Street
A view from inside
reveals the
characteristic
bowstring truss with
no ceiling.
However, heavy
interior smoke
conditions could
conceal the
presence of the
bowstring to initial
arriving firefighters.
Bowstring Truss Roofs
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Trusses are made to hold the roof up under normal conditions. Fire
attacking any part of the truss is NOT a normal condition.
Once one part of the truss fails, the entire truss will fail quickly.
A truss (any truss, not just a bowstring) will be subject to failure
after anywhere from 5-10 min. of exposure to fire. Once you find
out that the truss is involved in fire, do not use the time limit,
immediately evacuate all firefighters operating under and on top of
a truss roof.
If there is a ceiling below the truss, heavy fire conditions can exist,
and be attacking the truss, in this concealed space, and not be
evident in the space below.
In 1988, five Hackensack, NJ firefighters were killed in a sudden
bowstring truss roof collapse.
ALL TRUSSES ARE DANGEROUS, NOT JUST BOWSTRING TRUSSES!
Additional Hazards
11th and Mason Street
At this building,
interior firefighters
needing a quick
emergency exit due
to increasing fire
conditions, sudden
collapse of the truss
roof, or any other
emergency situation
will be hampered by
the fact that all
windows are barred
by metal security
cages.
RIT teams on scene can ensure that these windows are opened and accessible in
case of a firefighter emergency.
Structural Stability Before the Fire
10th Street- Between Pacific and Mason
The building may not be in
the best of shape even
before the fire occurs, thus
contributing to early
collapse during a fire.
The weight of firefighters
operating on this balcony,
in addition to the fire
destroying the building,
and the already unstable
conditions of the wall could
collapse the balcony and
the firefighters on it, as
well as collapsing portions
of the brick veneer wall
onto firefighters operating
on the ground below.
In addition, the balcony rail is not even attached to the building.
Structural Stability Before the Fire
1009 William Street
This wood frame balcony appears extremely
unstable. Weakening by fire, along with the
weight of firefighters could probably cause it
to easily collapse.
Existing Structural Hazards
1009 William Street
These exterior doors
apparently once exited out
onto balconies that no longer
exist. I am not sure how they
are secured from the inside or
if they even appear as doors
on the inside.
However, if they are doors
from the inside, it might be
possible that a firefighter, at
night and in zero visibility,
could mistakenly try to pass
through them or use them as
an emergency exit during a
MAYDAY situation. This would
result in obviously dangerous
consequences.
Haunted Houses
716 N. 18th Street (Mystery Manor)
During the Halloween season, many
groups convert old buildings into
“Haunted Houses” and charge admission
to raise funds. During the rest of the
year, these buildings sit closed and idle.
The old Mystery Manor house is simply a
bad day waiting to happen. Structural
stability is probably not at it’s best to
begin with.
All of the windows and exterior doors are
barred and locked, making an
emergency exit for interior firefighters
extremely difficult.
These haunted houses are a different
breed of building altogether. The
interiors of these buildings have been
altered in such a way that hallways,
corridors, and rooms are a maze. They
are made this way on purpose. It would
not be hard for interior firefighters to get
hopelessly lost. Unless it is during
Halloween, and the building is occupied,
an interior attack here would be a loser.
Remember: Risk vs. Benefit
“Fake Mansard” Overhangs
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In order to “dress up” the appearance of many
commercial buildings, “Cornices, fake mansards,
overhangs (sometimes called eyebrows), and other
projections are being installed on many new buildings
and added to old buildings to improve their appearance.
They are usually of wood and sometimes poorly attached
to the structure. They present a collapse hazard.”*
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These “fake mansards” can be found on all types of
buildings all over Omaha.
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*Brannigan- Building Construction for the Fire Service, Ch. 4, Page 194
14545 Industrial Road
These “fake mansards” are usually not a part of the actual roof assembly, rather
they are simply attached, or hung, on the exterior wall of the building.
If the points
where they are
attached to the
building are
weakened by
fire, they can
present a
collapse hazard.
This is an
additional
reason why the
front of a
building is one
of the most
dangerous
places for
firefighters to
stand.
Doubletree Guest Suites
7270 Cedar Street
These decorative
attachments can be
found on many
different types of
occupancies and at
many different
levels.
602 S. 72nd Street
In addition to a collapse hazard, these attachments, which are usually hollow, also
present a concealed space that fire can use to spread across the front and sides of
the building. Fire which started in one business in a strip mall can spread inside the
overhang across the front and re-enter the building in a previously uninvolved
business.
This building has
three different
overhangs.
One original small
overhang which
can’t be seen here.
A second overhang
that was added on
top of the first,
and two new
cornices that were
recently built on
top of the second
overhang.
Phoenix Fire Dept. Motel
Fire
August 4th, 2006
The next few slides were taken at a motel fire where Phoenix firefighters
were caught in the collapse of one of these “fake mansards”.
Thanks for watching!
The End