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.
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▲ The “wooden” beam is actually cast polyurethane, which is readily ignitable. When combined with a plywood ceiling, it is a recipe for flashover.
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▲ How is this deadly suspended load attached overhead? Probably by wire or plumber’s pipe strapping. A flash fire overhead could bring it down-it would be invisible in smoke. Arrange for the alarm office to report this hazard on the first alarm. Notify building management that until this useless interior decorator’s “widow maker” is removed, the fire department will not perform interior firefighting, since command would be liable for criminal prosecution if fatalities occur.
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▲ An alert photographer caught this cornice in mid-flight. Overhangs, eyebrows, signs, balconies, and bay windows all present the hazard of detachment and collapse.
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▲ The black coloring indicates rot. Note that several improvised patches are visible. Such a building should be designated DOA (defensive on arrival).
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Note that the wood has rotted away where the column is connected, a common failure point.
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■ FRANCIS L. BRANNIGAN, SFPE (Fellow), the recipient of Fire Engineering’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, has devoted more than half of his 63-year career to the safety of firefighters in building fires. He is well known as the author of Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition (National Fire Protection Association, 1992) and for his lectures and videotapes. Brannigan is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering.
