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.
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