Balloon Frame Construction!

Ballon frame construction started in 1833. It made it possible to raise up the entire wall at one time with out the skilled labor needed to the cutting and framing necessary in post-and-frame construction. It is called ballon frame because it is so light people say it was like a balloon. Balloon frame became the most common construction method for multi-story buildings until the middle of the 20th century. So it is safe to assume that most buildings built before 1940 and more than one story are ballon frame. In a balloon frame building, the studs run two or more stories high from the foundation to the eave line. At the floor line, a horizontal board called a ribbon board is nailed to the studs. The joists rest on the ribbon board. The channels between the studs may be open from the cellar to the attic, and the joist channels are open to the stud channels. (F. Brannigan) The lack of a barrier between floors in the stud channels is what creates the biggest problem in balloon frame construction. It allows fire that may get into the stud channel behind the wall to run all the way up to the attic space. This creates a major problem for two reasons. One being that the fire can be exposed and undetectable. There are many stories about fires in balloon frame construction where no fire is seen but one or two rooms of the house were untenable. The firefighters would pull the siding off the house and find large amounts of fire behind the walls. The other reason it is so dangerous is a fire could start on the first floor in a living room. If the fire were to get into the walls and run up to the attic it could catch the attic on fire which can greatly affect the stability of the building and the firefighters bellow would have no idea.

Balloon Frame Construction!

Some of the tactical considerations of fighting a fire in balloon frame construction are as follows. When a fire has entered the stud channels the whole house needs to be searched for fire extension as soon as possible. This is because once the fire enters the stud channels it can travel to any and every part of the structure. It is said that the most successful way to stop fire extension in balloon frame construction is to remove the exterior siding rather then the interior walls. The reason for this is fire moves up through many channels. If you are tearing down walls from the interior of the structure everything becomes obscured with smoke and it is easy to miss a stud channel and the fire might get away. Another major factor is that fire burning in the walls of structure destroys the structural integrity of the building. Building collapse is a very serious threat. It is often recommended that when fighting a fire in a ballon frame structure that an officer observers the exterior of the building for the specific purpose of identifying signs of building collapse and fire spread.

Brannigan, Francis L. "Francis Brannigan." Fire Nuggets. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.