NFPA Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 55)

building feature, proper installation and use is crucial,” Solomon said. “We just need to make sure our eyes are wide open with regard to what is in these products.” The research imperative Additional research is the key to understanding these kinds of hazards, as well as how they can be mitigated, and recent studies have already highlighted potential problems with some green construction elements. Last year, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) completed its second phase of testing on how fire impacts a single-family home constructed with lightweight, engineered assemblies, including wooden I-joists, a form of engineered lumber. Test results from Phase I indicate that the lightweight assemblies reached structural failure 35 to 60 percent faster than solid wood assemblies. Sprinkler advocates, including the fire service, have used findings like these as part of their call for home fire sprinklers, pointing out their obvious life-saving potential for both residents as well as for firefighters. The NRC’s follow-up report, Fire Performance of Protected Floor/Ceiling Assemblies and Impact on Tenability, published last year and available at nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/rr/rr307.pdf, highlights methods aimed at protecting lightweight construction assemblies. Researchers investigated the fire performance of those lightweight construction materials when they were protected with gypsum board, suspended ceilings, or home fire sprinklers. In all tests, sprinklers kept conditions tenable in the home and helped prevent structural failure or damage. Tompkins, of the Putnam County Fire Investigation Team in New York, said residential sprinklers would have impacted the fire that was responsible for killing four members of the Sullivan family. “Residential sprinklers make a difference,” he said. “In this case, something would have been better than nothing.” Among the organizations researching green building materials and techniques is Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which completed a landmark study of fire and lightweight construction in 2008. (For the 2009 NFPA Journal cover story on the UL project, visit nfpa.org/lightweight. Among the findings of the UL study was that a floor system built with lightweight wooden I-beams failed after about six minutes when subjected to a fire test; a similar floor system built with dimensional lumber lasted 18 minutes. UL also received funding from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to examine the electrical and casualty hazards associated with fire mitigation involving photovoltaic systems, work that quantified the hazards and laid the groundwork for developing operational practices for the fire service. Chris Hasbrook, vice president of UL’s Buildings, Fire, Life Safety, and Security Industries, said finding a balance between green building design and fire safety is key, but “not to the imbalance of eliminating one or the other.” Identifying future research needs and best practices was a component to the Fire Protection Research Foundation’s Fire Safety Design and Sustainable Buildings Symposium, an event tied to one of a series of future research recommendations listed in the Foundation’s new report. A noteworthy highlight of the symposium was a “best practices showcase” illustrating examples of how to marry fire safety with green building elements. Meacham views the symposium and Foundation report as preliminary steps to a larger push for green building safety, consideration of construction materials, and detection and suppression methods. “Designers of green buildings and standards development organizations should consider this information so they’re aware of the potential concerns,” he said, “and seek future research to better understand and quantify the problem.” Fred durso, Jr. is staff writer for NFPA Journal. Images 5 from a 2008 UL study of the effects of fire on lightweight construction, with two 300-pound mannequins to simulate a pair of firefighters in turnout gear. At left, a basement fire is weakening the supporting joists below, and the floor is beginning to bow. At right, the joists fail and the floor collapses. The study found that engineered wood components failed in a fraction of the time of similar systems built with dimensional lumber. Photographs courtesy of UL Laboratories NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 55 http://www.nfpa.org/lightweight http://nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/rr/rr307.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2012

NFPA Journal - November/December 2012
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Past + Present
Easy Being Green?
Pressure Points
2011 Large-Loss Fires
2011 Firefighter Injuries
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

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