ecently I took a road trip with two safety officers to the National Fire Academy for a meeting. During the trip, we had a discussion about new construction materials that pose serious threats to firefighter safety — threats that are increasing rather than decreasing.

Dave Murphy, the health and safety officer for the Harrisburg (N.C.) Fire Department and an assistant professor at Eastern Kentucky University, and Dan Paulsen, assistant chief of staff development and safety for Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services in Saskatchewan, Canada, explained to me that the new lightweight materials and construction techniques being used in new buildings pose a serious threat to firefighters. They pointed out and described the variations of building trusses and the hidden dangers of glue-laminated beams or composite lumbers. Wooden trusses are used in more than 60% of buildings in the United States.

They explained how the heat from a fire would quickly melt the glue and metal, resulting in the quick collapse of roofs and floors. They also discussed the increase in great rooms or open spaces in new and larger homes along with the threats that these designs pose to fighting a fire.

This then leads to concerns about the contents of these buildings — the synthetic materials and the poisons they expel as they burn. Both men agreed that residential sprinkler systems aren't a luxury; the issue needs to be introduced to local code councils and local governments, and the public, need to be educated.

The U.S. Fire Administration has recognized the serious threats of lightweight construction. It teamed with the American Forest & Paper Association and launched a comprehensive Web-based education program for firefighters on the problems of lightweight construction and its components.

The Web site reveals that I-joists made of composite materials have a much higher flame-spread rate. A firefighter who steps onto a floor made of engineered wood products could fall through quickly. The site also has a link to FireFrame, an interactive tool that explains building construction methods.

The Web site features the NIOSH Alert, Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters Due to Truss System Failures, which goes into even more details about construction problems and includes case studies.

All in all, this was a very educational road trip!

Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
janet@firechief.com