commentary firegeezer on 28 Jun 2007 08:00 pm
This Week’s Guest Commentary
IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE CHARLESTON tragedy, there has been an active dialogue throughout the Fire & Rescue community about building construction and building codes. Firegeezer asked Jim Featherstone - code name LightRock - if he would pen something relevant for us.
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Where Are The Firewalls ?
Last week, there was another of what has become seemingly commonplace in Northern Virginia: A fire involving several townhouses. In this case, the fire occurred in Gainesville, VA, which is located in rapidly growing western Prince William County, about 30 miles west of Washington, DC. As the photo that accompanies this column clearly illustrates, at least 4 townhouses quickly became involved. Despite rapid and, from all reports, competent response from local fire department units, preliminary damage estimates approach $1.5 million.
In discussing this fire with some of my friends and business associates – many who have been members of the firefighting community in the DC metropolitan area for 20 to 30 (or even more) years, one recurring theme was that fires like this used to be rare but are now becoming a far more frequent occurrence.
Back in the prime of my firefighting and fire chiefing days during the 1980’s and into the early ‘90’s, we used to have lots of townhouse fires. Yet, in most all cases (unless the buildings were under construction) these fires typically involved a single unit or address, with the occasional and minor extension to an adjoining unit. I can remember many a townhouse that was reduced to the proverbial smoldering heap, but we typically were able – in the lingo of the day – “keep it between the walls.”
Today, there are more firefighters and fire trucks than there were 15-20 years ago. Training is more extensive. Tools and equipment are first rate. There is more emphasis than ever on incident command, organization and safety. Despite this, it seems that — at least in Northern Virginia and the DC area generally — the firefighting balance of power has shifted.
Why is this?
I’m putting my money on a combination of “modern” building codes and materials. First and foremost, the masonry firewalls separating each unit are gone, having been replaced by a couple pieces of gypsum board (a.k.a. “sheetrock”) sandwiched together. Then, of course, there are the exterior materials – especially in the rear or “C” side of the buildings. What was once brick veneers and aluminum siding have been replaced by vinyl siding or, as one of my astute friends calls it, “solidified petroleum siding.” Floor joist systems that used to be 2 x 6’s are now what are (erroneously) called plywood I-beams. Why erroneously? Because neither these floor joists nor, for that matter, any of the sheeting material is plywood as it is traditionally known. Today’s “plywood” is actually just chunks and chips of scrap wood that are fused together with glue. This is what makes up the floors, roofs and vertical portions of those I-beams.
With materials like this, when a fire gets started and spreads to the exterior or, better yet, starts on the exterior, everything seems to unravel quickly. And all of it is exactly “to code.” The vinyl siding quickly melts and ignites, quickly exposing the structural elements of the buildings to the fire. Roofs become quickly involved and the fire finds multiple avenues to spread from building to building. Before you know it – often before the fire department even arrives – 2, 3 or more buildings are involved in this odd combination of burning and, yes, melting. These materials also burn through quickly, leading to rapid structural failure and, often, collapses.
I’m not a building code or construction materials expert and have never been but, my observations and experience, along with conversations with a lot of very seasoned fire officers, tells me that a new dynamic has emerged in townhouse fires. From a firefighting perspective, bemoaning that this fact is great fodder for hours long discussions around the kitchen table at the fire station but, I’d suggest that the more practical question is what we need to do in response to this new and changed dynamic. As an experienced Battalion Chief recently said to me while we were discussing a similar fire, “I’m not sure what’s changed, but what we’ve always done just isn’t gettin’ it anymore.”
on 05 Jul 2007 at 2:27 pm 1.Joel Hendelman said …
“Lightrock” is correct in his observations. Having started out on the tailstep in this business back in 1976 and seen one or two of these spectacular townhouse fires….the math is simple.
Non-combustible buildings materials used as fire seperation assemblies slow down fire spread, minimize exposure damage and or stop the spread of fire into adjacent occupancies as designed. But alas, that was an expensive way to build our homes….now with the compromise (my opinion only of course) between building codes and the building industry; it is far cheaper to use combustible very light weight building materials which in some cases will ignite with such propensity as to increase fire spread (like vinyl siding) with such speed that even the compressed response time of emergency services leaves us scrambling to get the incident under control before it consumes not only the orignial occupany but adjacent occupancies as well.
Ok, burn down a couple of them, pay the insurance and rebuild…..well that sure does not sit well with me….why is it in the construction industry we accept that the old way of doing business was antiquated and the next new wiz kid has a better solution to build them faster, less expensive but yet “just as safe”.
I think it is time we go back to the basics in building construction with more non-combustible materials in the appropriate locations. Otherwise, this type of fire and the resulting destruction will continue to plague the fire service….even when proper size-up and the appropriate action plan has been executed.
Great commentary Jim…..
Joel Hendelman,
City of Fairfax Fire Department
on 23 Jul 2007 at 8:19 am 2.Firegeezer » Morning Lineup - July 23 said …
[...] methods that lead to rapid fire spread. Our own columnist LightRock covered this last month (HERE) and since then we have seen a lot of stories about these rapidly-spreading house fires. More and [...]
on 24 Jul 2007 at 12:28 pm 3.Michael Salata said …
The story about the Gainesville townhouse talks about the fire walls between the townhouses. Well since one of those townhouses was mine and I was one of the first persons to discover the fire I can say that the fire walls did little good because the fire started on the outside of the building. The fire walls were still intact except at the roof area when I went thru with the insurnce company. You are right the the siding added to the speed as within 10 minutes the backs of three townhouses were fully engulfed. If the fire had started inside it may not have caused as much damage or slowed enough to control it. The second issue was access to the back area of the townhouses. There is no way to get vehicles to the back area of the townhouses so fire fighters were forced to go thru the front of the townhouses and only single cherry picker type truck (sorry I don’t know what fire fighter call that type truck)was hosing down the roof area. When I begin to have the place rebuilt I plan on see what I can to make it more resistant but there are limits.