A string of recent fires have destroyed multi-family housing construction projects across the U.S. and raised serious questions about the safety of buildings. In conjunction with Building Safety Week, the Portland Cement Association (PCA), fire safety groups, and national industry associations have proposed improved building codes to protect multi-family dwellings from conflagrations and surrounding communities from fire storms.

“The importance of regulating and enforcing building codes is unfortunately often overlooked until a catastrophic tragedy occurs,” said Steve Szoke, PCA director of codes and standards. “Incorporating noncombustible concrete floors and roof, and masonry walls can help prevent fire spread and confine fires to the area of origin."

Learning From Recent Fires
At each of these construction sites, the property was destroyed by fire before the sprinkler system was operable.

• A March 26 fire destroyed a four-story building that was to be leased to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., for student housing and destroyed or severely damaging most of the adjacent structures.
• Last September, a construction blaze gutted a complex of 350 luxury units near Las Vegas.
• In August 2002, acres of town homes under construction in San Jose, Calif., were destroyed by fire.
• A carelessly disregarded cigarette caused a fire at a low-rise condominium in the final stages of construction in Rockville, Md., in October 2001.

These disasters point to an over-reliance on wood framing and insufficient attention to the use of firewalls in construction.

The concrete and masonry industries recommend and encourage the adoption of balanced design for fire safety – automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers) and automatic detection systems (smoke alarms) combined with passive fire protection (non-combustible concrete construction) that contains fire while not contributing to it.

Balanced Design Limits Vulnerability
Robert Zobel, executive director for the Mid Atlantic Fire Safety Construction Advisory Council explained "Although the Richmond building was incomplete, this fire highlights the vulnerability of this method of construction. With a sprinkler system that is not yet in place, the wood frame burned readily.”

Other types of noncombustible construction using concrete and masonry not only complement sprinklers to provide better protection after the structure is complete, but also provide improved protection for the building and adjacent structures during construction. Sprinklers are critical for fire protection, but they do not protect buildings under construction, nor do they come with a guarantee to function properly in the event of a tragic fire after construction is complete.

"Unfortunately the construction practices used for these student apartments in Richmond have become common practice for both student and senior citizen housing across the United States," added Szoke. "The safety of our children and the elderly must not be compromised."

About Building Safety Week
First observed in 1980, Building Safety Week is April 4-10 and sponsored by the International Code Council Foundation. The campaign promotes the use, enforcement, and upstanding of the importance of building safety and fire prevention codes. Click here for more information.