BY FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN, SFPE (FELLOW)
Editor's note: For further reference, consult Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition (BCFS3). Page numbers, where applicable, are included after the caption.
This new window has been cut into an existing wall. No steel lintel was installed. The window frame is now a structural element supporting the brick wall. If the frame burns out, the bricks are hanging upside-down held only by mortar, which is a bedding agent without the necessary tensile strength. Once one brick falls, a major collapse may result. (BCFS3, 158)
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