Building Construction for the Fire Officer

Building Construction for the Fire Officer

This is the first of a series of articles on the subject of “Building Construction for the Fire Officer.” The point of view is that of the fire officer who must lead the fire suppression effort in the building as it exists. This is a different point of view from that of the underwriter, the building (construction) inspector, the building code writer, the inspector enforcing the misnamed “fire prevention” code, the owner, the occupant or the architect. All of these have an interest in the building. Sometimes their various interests coincide with that of the fire combat officer. Sometimes the interests diverge or are in opposition.

Our discussion must cover building materials and methods which would bring only quizzical stares from today’s builder, such as cast iron columns, wrought iron beams, brick arch floors, wood lath and brick nogging. We must examine the mistakes of the past, for many of them are still with us, having escaped the fire demon and the wrecker’s ball. Some have been blessed with the cachet, “historic landmark.” From a knowledge of die mistakes of the past, we may diagnose the mistakes of the present. We may conclude that the electrical conduit artfully concealed in the terra cotta fireproofing of the Parker Building columns is the ancestor of the heat duct concealed above today’s membrane fireproofing.