For this portion of our study of fighting fire in the 1-story frame dwelling, we upgrade to a class that will have more size, more value, additional hazards and a good deal of firefighting if a fire gets out of hand. We will add a garage area to the conventional 1-story frame dwelling with a broad front, that was built after World War II. Because these very eye-appealing and functional homes can have as much space in the garage area to house as many as three automobiles, they require a category of their own.

You may have heard this kind of dwelling referred to as a ranch house. I asked a friend who is an architect where that term came from, and his answer was rather vague: “They came out of the West and they had to call them something.” On another inquiry I was told it was a common type in the West and in certain areas where high winds were common; a 1-story house was more comfortable.

I also asked my pal why the garage was incorporated into the dwelling. My own thought was that it was possibly a matter of economics. He thought otherwise and gave me a one-word answer: “Convenience.” So be it — it just seems that it's accepting a good deal of hazard just to save a few steps to an unattached garage.

When looking at the development of the extended 1-story frame dwelling over the years, I see a reflection of a rising American economy or standard of living. As the years have increased, so has the frontage of these structures. Once I paced off a house that measured close to 100 feet — that's a heap of house.

Designers' clever use of space also can be seen. In the early models the blind attic space was simply that. Later came the pull-down stairway, that gave access to the area, turning it into a place of storage. These pull-down stairways often are located in the garage or in an interior hallway. Another variation to notice is that a family room sometimes can be found in the basement. The extended 1-story frame dwelling has many variations, that translate into challenges once the fire kindles and the alarm is given.

Common hazards

Like all classes of dwellings, the extended 1-story frame dwelling has living space, concealed space and storage space. When we add an attached garage this translates into a lot of area in the longest of these houses. Not only that, look at what might be stored there: a couple of motor vehicles, a lawn mower, a snow blower, a yard tractor, all-terrain vehicles and possibly a snowmobile. Add to that a boat or a chain saw and there are a lot of gasoline-powered machines, plus the contents of the collective fuel tanks and a spare can or two for refuel. Even if each tank is only half full, it can translate to a large explosion. Once in blossom do you think that fire is going to stay put in the garage space? I doubt it with that kind of Class B fuel, to say nothing of the Class A fuel.

Lest you give up the ship at this point, here's some good news to pacify you partially. My architect friend says the garage ceiling is supposed to have a certain fire-resistive component, as is the wall that borders the kitchen. I won't mention the amount of fire resistance required in those components for I doubt if this regulation is national. Further protection for that inside wall includes a solid-core door with a window not to exceed 100 square inches.

I have noticed non-compliance in some of these situations. I must admit that those I saw were early versions of this type of dwelling, close to 30 years old. Even if the fire protection is there, the fuel load is so volatile and has the possibility of being so massive that I see serious fire potential once the f|re reaches even a moderate stage.

Structural components

Let's look at what would happen in the case of fire in the attached garage space. The portion of the structure that will endure the greatest stress due to heat is going to be the garage ceiling. If this process goes on unchallenged and that fire gets into the attic space, which also can be a storage space, look at the chance for grand extension.

I have long advocated that the attic space should be bulkheaded or partitioned at the point of the wall that borders the kitchen, with a divider running up to the underside of the roof. That could isolate the combustion somewhat. Bear in mind that the attic space, even without household storage, constitutes a vast amount of fuel. Even more so if pre-built roof trusses are used because, they have considerable bracing in the assembly.

When I mentioned my attic bulkhead idea to my architect friend, his whole demeanor changed and he said, “Never.” My idea was to attempt to hold a garage fire, that rose through the ceiling into the attic in a partitioned space with a ventilation hole in the roof. That would not only help keep the fire in place, but encourage it to burn straight up rather than spread outward to consume the entire attic.

Let's now look at the basement, provided there is one. I asked the architect if he had any idea of how the percentage broke down of how many of the extended 1-story frame dwellings had a basement, a crawl space or sit on a slab. He said that it broke down to one-third for each category, coast to coast.

That leaves us to consider those that have a basement, for that's a lot of dwellings with square footage devoted to this space. As previously mentioned, many houses have a recreation or family room in that location. You can go even further: What about an office or a beauty salon for self-employment? In fact, my own family room once contained a beauty parlor operated by the original owner in an area that amounts to 40% of the basement footage.

Look for a lot of personal storage in the basement along with the standard laundry appliances. That translates to many potential dryer fires over time. Remember, you have to have a way to get down there. So where is the stairway located? As a rule it's usually off the kitchen and not too far away from the door leading from the garage. If there's no basement included in the arrangement, then the laundry appliances will be on the main floor. A favorite place to situate these is often in a partitioned area known as the utility room at the rear of the garage.

You may note that some extended 1-story frame dwellings have what might look like an oversized chimney. That's a pretty good giveaway that the premises contain a fireplace. No one needs to be reminded that this feature involves open flame, hot ashes and a few flying brands. There's no question that fireplaces, which add a bit of coziness on a cold night, can produce domestic contentment at a very high price if things go wrong.

In my research I learned something I was unaware of in regard to the amount of fuel these dwellings can present. Because of environmental concerns, each house must have sufficient insulation quality so fuel consumption can be kept at a minimal level. In some climates the wood 2- by 4-inch wall studs with the accompanying fiberglass insulation stuffed in between the channels don't meet the standard. An additional layer of insulation has to be supplied. There are several ways to do this; one is to use 2- by 6-inch wall studs and a thicker bat of fiberglass. That cuts it, but let's consider that two inches of wood at each stud all around the outer walls of one of these homes is a good deal of extra fuel for someone to put out.

Sometimes when more living space is required, owners gut the garage and convert it into a bedroom or den. You can spot these easily because the driveway ends with a front wall with ordinary domestic windows in it. More than a few of these have been converted this way, and as the building changes ownership the next occupants often use the reworked space for an office or small business of some sort.

The frequency of the extended 1-story frame dwelling differs community by community in many respects. Where I reside in New York state, our city boundary has been set for more than 100 years. This line mostly has been built right up to, so as the style became popular there were very few places to build them. Beyond our limits they became frequent, but that put them out of our fire district. Now our population is declining, so it's doubtful we will ever do much firefighting in them.

On the other hand, communities that grew as the flight from urban areas became so prevalent have scores of them. Then again, I suppose other sections of the country began building them early in their popularity and this variety still is going strong today. Perhaps that means that fire departments in this position get most of their work in such structures.

My own observation shows, and I can't determine why, that the extended 1-story frame dwelling is less in favor now than it was 10 years ago. I have noticed a swing back to the multi-storied house once again. Convenience still seems to reign, as the garage is attached to these as well.

As we close out this segment of our study on the extended 1-story frame dwelling, let's be aware. Who can guess how many of these lovely abodes sit upon the land we call the U.S.A.? Who knows how many of our citizens are housed within that unknown number? Millions, I suspect. If you look into what may have contributed most to the damage and destruction of these homes over the decades, my guess would be fire. So who then is charged with the responsibility of preserving what is now a traditional portion of America? We the fire service.

Have you done this responsibility justice? I seem to be guilty of some indifference here. As a fire service writer I put out data on just about every other class of frame dwelling years ago while leaving this one unwritten. Together we strive to catch up. We have one mere mile to march in our boots as next time we fight fire in the extended 1-story frame dwelling.

---

Prior to his retirement, Donald L. Loeb served the Dunkirk (N.Y.) Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter, assistant chief and chief. His experience spans six decades of military and civilian firefighting, teaching, and writing.