WE HAVE RECEIVED A REQUEST for some information or experiences anyone may have had with a unique roof construction from one of our regular readers:

I just had a meeting with a contractor and the building official about putting up a GERARD roof.  The question I have is that the roof is built on battens that have horizontal ventilation on top of a cold roof.  When you have a self venting fire pop through, the fire would also be free to move horizontally. The contractor also stated that the roof feels  “spongy” when walking on it normally. Has anyone fought a fire on one of these roofs and felt unsafe due to the spongy effects, or experienced any unusual fire travel due to the battens?  Thanks, Reid B.

The Gerard roofs are generally made by laying 2 x 2 wood battens down over an existing roof and covering them with stone-coated steel panels that are designed to look like asphalt shingles, clay tiles, etc.  From the ground, you have no inkling that this type of construction was used.

Gerard Roofing WEBSITE.

Firegeezer adds:  How about it?  Does anybody have any experience with these roofs?  Does fire spread easily in the trapped airspace?  Do you have any special training programs or drills for this technique?  Let us know in the Comments.