BY P.J. NORWOOD AND SEAN M. GRAY
建筑行业总是希望减少costs and offer the homeowner a higher level of product satisfaction. Some define this as reduced cost or the use of materials that increase the home's R-value or thermal resistance. Some materials are engineered to allow for greater unsupported spans to meet the desire of today's consumers for an open floor plan. We have seen this trend in roof and floor structures, in exterior sheathing, and in windows. You name it, and a developer has looked into and designed a "better" product for today's builders and consumers. One of the current buzzwords in the housing industry is "green"-i.e., offering increased energy efficiency/savings, decreased environmental impact by using natural resources (sunlight, rainwater, and wind), or new and improved building materials. Green design and materials also raise the price and value of the homes.
We all know that many of these products are not firefighter friendly. We can sit around the firehouse kitchen table and bash the industry, the developers, and the designers. However, we, too, are end users and want to decrease our home's monthly operating costs. It is our responsibility to learn and understand these "new" materials and construction practices to both develop and apply the appropriate tactics. Some will say, "It's lightweight construction; we are not going in." Statements like this are damaging to the fire service as a whole and, quite frankly, not appropriate. We are called professional firefighters because the public depends on us to arrive and solve its problems. Of course, every scenario is different, and you should not base any tactical decision solely on the construction or materials used. Using our training, education, experience, and observation of the current situation while performing a good size-up is the only way to make solid fireground decisions.
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