Wood-Chips-and-Glue Awareness Grows

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DESPITE THE RELUCTANCE OF CORRUPT POLITICIANS and bent code enforcement officials, the word is finally starting to seep out into the public about the fire hazards of today’s building materials.

Firegeezer would like to think that just perhaps someone connected with a local fire department got through to the staff at television station KTBC in Austin, Texas. They have just broadcast an excellent, informative piece on these very hazards and include showing a very dramatic laboratory burn done by the Underwriters Laboratory. Take a look:

Now ask yourself, wouldn’t it be great if hundreds thousands of fire departments started getting this information out to the uninformed public?

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Posted by firegeezer on March 31, 2009 • Filed under: commentary, public relations

WTH

It sounds like the UL needs to take that contractor that was interviewed and use him as a test dummy in their furnace. Maybe after falling through the floor he'll change his mind about making comments like, "there is no down side to using this material." I guess firefighters being injured and/or killed isn't a "downside" in his mind. Idiots! It's always about the money. Stay Safe brothers and sisters, these money hungry idiots are all over.

Hoseman

What the heck are those guys doing walking on a burning floor for in the first place??? Hellooo, wood burns, no matter what shape or thickness. Don't the utilize training in that area.

No one seems to worry about the "money" as long as it's not their money!

Codeman1

Strart with a mandatory 5/8 Type X gyp. board (minimum) on any ceiling attached to engineered joists. Obviously have UL test to ensure burn time (failure) is equal to or greater than traditional lumber using 1/2" conventional gyp. board.

BJY

The fire endurance of any floor joist system can be dramatically improved simply by applying a layer of gypsum wallboard. Fire tests conducted at independent test laboratories show it will very likely more than double the fire endurance time for all commonly used wood floor joist systems, including sawn-lumber, open web wood trusses and wood I-joists. Because firefighter and homeowner safety is paramount, the wood I-joist industry recommends the use of 1-/2-inch gypsum wallboard on the underside of all I-joists used in floor/ceiling assemblies over habitable spaces as a simple and economical way to dramatically improve residential fire safety. Detailed information can be found in http://www.apawood.org/pdfs/download_pdf.cfm?PD....

BJY

Just for clarification, the wood I-joist industry's recommendation is to use 1/2-inch gypsum wallboard on the underside of all I-joists used in floor/ceiling assemblies over habitable spaces, as published in the Technical Topics TT-015, Wood I-Joist Floors, Fire Fighters and Fire, by APA - The Engineered Wood Association.