Codes

In New York State, building construction, heating plants, HVAC, etc., are regulated by the following; The Building Code The Existing Building Code The Fire Code The Fuel and Gas Code The Mechanical Code The Plumbing Code The Residential Code The Energy Conservation Code

 also Reference Standards (NFPA, ANSI, ASME, etc..) Additionally, we also have to comply with;

NYS approved more restrictive local codes (i.e.,

county, town, city, village) These codes provide minimum requirements. As with all codes, there are exceptions, such as, the NYS Building Code does not apply to detached one-and two-family dwellings and multiple single-family dwelling (townhouses) not more than three stories in height with separate means of egress. These buildings fall under the Residential Code of New York State.

 To alert you to potential construction hazards, To enable a safe and effective fire attack,

By knowing basic building construction types, we can approximate how fire will spread and allow us to extinguish it quickly,
The building is your enemy know your enemy Francis L. Brannigan.

 There are TWO basic types of construction: It either

burns (combustible) or it does not burn (noncombustible)

All buildings in the US are constructed by one of the

five construction categories; Type 1 - Fire Resistive Least Combustible Type 2 - Non-Combustible Type 3 - Ordinary Type 4 - Heavy Timber Type 5 - Wood Frame Most Combustible Four of the five types have subgroups A & B.

 Means Protected; all structural members have an additional fire

rated coating or cover by means of sheetrock, spray on, or other approved method, the additional fire rated coating or cover extends the fire resistance of the structural members by at least 1 hour.

 Means Unprotected; all structural members have no additional fire

rated coating or cover, exposed members are only fire resistant according to their natural ability, characteristics, and fire rating.

STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HAZARDS

Type 3- (A) (protected) Ordinary

(ISO Class 2) (#211, NFPA 5000 Building & Safety Code)

structural frame, columns, etc. - 1 hour rating exterior bearing walls 2 hour rated interior bearing walls 1 hour rated floor construction, beams and joists 1 hour rated roof construction, beams and joists 1 hour rated

2010 New York State Building Code

Type 3- (B) (unprotected) Ordinary

(ISO Class 2) (#200, NFPA 5000 Building & Safety Code)

structural frame, columns, etc. - 0 hour rating exterior bearing walls 2 hour rated interior bearing walls 0 hour rated floor construction, beams and joists 0 hour rated roof construction, beams and joists 0 hour rated

2010 New York State Building Code

TYPE 3 - Ordinary
Characteristics; predominate and common construction type, also know as brick and joist structure, (common

terms Main Street, USA or Downtown, USA and Taxpayer exterior load bearing walls are of masonry and some or all other structural components are combustible (wood), masonry walls can be brick, stone, or concrete block and terra cotta block in some older buildings, interior structural members almost all wood, wood used has smaller dimensions than Type IV.

Type 3 Construction
normally used for larger, sometimes multi-story,

commercial or multi-family structures, has also been used for one and two family buildings, if floor and roof construction and their supports and all openings through floors (stairwells) are enclosed with one-hour fire resistive materials, the construction is classified as Protected, generally built no higher than 6 to 8 stories, most are 2 to 4 stories high, typically wall thickness range from 6 to 30,

TYPE 3 - Ordinary
rarely protected by a sprinkler system, many have been remodeled and altered, roof often similar to floor construction, hazards reduced by using fire-stops, unstable under fire conditions, highly damageable buildings, primary fire hazard - fire and smoke spread through

concealed spaces, fire load construction materials and contents,

Type 3 Construction
typically will have two load-bearing walls (long

walls) and two curtain walls (short walls).

One & Two Family

Residential Type 3 building

Type 3 Multiple Residence

Type 3 Commercial and Residential

Two story commercial Type 3 building

TYPE 3 - Ordinary
Type 3 buildings have been constructed in two

distinct types; Older late 19th and early 20th century and, Newer.
Older buildings; tongue and grove floor boards, solid lumber joists and rafters ( can be 3 x 10), columns could be added for additional support room size limited by span of supporting element,

TYPE 3 - Ordinary
floor joists commonly have a fire cut on each

end to keep floor joists from pushing the wall down,

1 to 1 wooden planks commonly used in

the roof assembly.

TYPE 3 - Ordinary
Newer buildings; flooring may consist of plywood, oriented

strand board (OSB), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and parallel strand lumber (PSL), supported by lightweight wooden trusses, and wooden Ibeams, these supports are more likely to collapse sooner than larger solid lumber joists, roof construction using lightweight materials.

 Stability of masonry walls, Stability of interior column, girder and beam system, Void spaces, Excessive fire loads, dead loads (HVAC, Solar Arrays) Bow string truss roof, Alterations can have an effect on the building, The largest concealed space is the Cockloft, an open space for fire and smoke spread, Braced Wall Spreaders- danger wall can be out of alignment.

Solar Arrays and HVAC Units

A basic sign that a wall is in distress

Braced Walls

Braces of unprotected steel or cable will fail at fire temperatures

Arrows mark locations where star-shaped anchor plates were located on the west-side of the theater building that was adjacent to the fire building. The anchor plates appear to have been attached to the ends of the heavy timber roof trusses supporting the roof and also to some of the second-floor joists.
NIOSH F2011-15

Photo shows star-shaped anchor plates located on the Dside wall in the area that collapsed. NIOSH F2011-15

Photo shows star-shaped anchor plate attached to end of floor joist.

Photo shows star-shaped anchor plate attached to end of heavy timber roof truss.

Type 3 Bowstring truss roof

Collapse scene as viewed from building rear facing building front. Note portion of bowstring truss leaning against wall at right side of photo.
(Photo courtesy of fire department)
NIOSH F2010-38

Photo shows the wall that supported western end of the bowstring truss roof. The two arrows indicate the truss-end pockets in the brick masonry wall at the top of the brick pilasters where the ends of the two bowstring trusses rested. The roof was supported in the middle by the two bowstring trusses while the north and south ends were supported by the front and rear non-load bearing walls. The line indicates the approximate curvature of the roof. (NIOSH
photo F2010-38)

NIOSH F2009-21 Photo

STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

AND HAZARDS

Type 4 - Heavy Timber

(ISO Class 2) (#2HH, NFPA 5000 Building & Safety Code)

structural frame, columns, etc. heavy timber exterior bearing walls 1 hour heavy timber interior bearing walls 2 hour rated floor construction, beams and joists heavy timber roof construction, beams and joists heavy timber

2010 New York State Building Code

 Characteristics; heavy timber construction is one of the oldest

types of buildings used in this country, heavy timber buildings were originally designed and used as multi-story industrial or storage occupancies, fire resistance is attained by placing limitations of minimum sizes on wood structural members and minimum thickness and composition of wood floors and roofs,

 will have four bearing exterior walls, construction includes columns not less than 8

thick in any dimension, beams and girders not less than 6 x 10, roof framing is not less than 6 wide x 8 depth, floors and roofs have thicker than normal construction consisting of varying layers of materials that build up to a deck of 3 thick to 4 wide, arches and trusses not less than 8 thick in any dimension.

TYPE 4 - Heavy Timber

usage of approved fastenings and adhesives, lumber may be sawn or laminated, usually found in very old mills, factories, and warehouse, and in older churches, exterior walls are noncombustible, interior structures made of solid or laminated wood with no concealed spaces, does not have plaster walls & ceilings covering interior framework,

TYPE 4 - Heavy Timber

wood has large dimensions, much heavier, more

difficult to ignite, can withstand fire for longer time frames, primary fire hazard - combustible contents of structural members, does not fail early in a fire, because of massive amount of combustible materials there will be serious heat given off and may pose exposure protection problems,

Heavy Timber Frame building

Heavy Timber columns, beams & girders

Masonry walls

Large open spaces, lack of hidden voids

Heavy fire loading, Combustible finishes and furnishings, Wooden floors/ceilings and coverings, Large open spaces, Unprotected openings

 Heavy content loading; combustibles stored in high piles next to each other, usually found in commercial and storage facilities, this may override sprinkler system and provide access problems, proper inspection and enforcement effective in these types of facilities.

 Combustible furnishings/finishes; contribute to fire spread and smoke production. Wooden floors and ceilings; contribute to fire loading, prolonged exposure may result in collapse,

 Large open spaces; contributes to spread, warehouses, churches, large atriums, common attics, and theaters. Unprotected openings; floor openings for stairwells, freight elevators or conveyor devices

Summary
SIZEUP read a building to identify important

factors; class of building construction, resistance to fire, heat to critical structural members, renovations that may have created void areas, movement of heat, smoke and fire within the building,

Summary
areas around utility services should be suspected

as areas where fire can spread, many older buildings have new plumbing and electrical systems installed, knowledge of potential building concerns can be attained by performing inspections during new construction or in existing buildings, Lastly, information my be available through your local fire inspector and/or building department.

Prepared by Thomas Bartsch Chief Fire Inspector (ret)

2/21/2013