By Gregory Havel
Many of today’s new and recently remodeled buildings have some features that make them appear similar to the extent that the outward appearance may not be a good indicator how a fire will behave in those buildings.
Most buildings of most construction types are finished on the inside with gypsum drywall board, which can be covered with paint, vinyl or fabric wall coverings, or wood materials.
These buildings can also clad on the outside with masonry (concrete masonry units, brick, stone, or a veneer of thin-cut or plastic brick that is glued to the underlying wall structure), concrete, exterior insulating foam system (EIFS), stucco, or decorative panels of metal or other materials.
尽管这些内部饰面和外部覆层的物理特性对于防止火灾从房间到房间以及建筑物的蔓延至关重其起源隔间已经超过了。
Photo 1 shows structural steel that will be enclosed by concrete masonry units and brick, which will help protect the structural steel from fire and heat.
Photo 2 shows fiberglass-faced gypsum-board sheathing over steel stud framing, which will be covered by brick or stone masonry or decorative metal panels.
Photo 3 shows the finished masonry, ready for the installation of decorative metal panels.
Photo 4 shows the interior side of a similar wall, ready for the installation of insulation and gypsum drywall board.
Photo 5 shows the interior of a similar wall after the installation of insulation and drywall board.
In the same building, the exterior claddings are separated from the interior finishes in different areas by concrete masonry, gypsum board sheathing on steel studs, and gypsum board sheathing on wood studs.
尽管这些系统中的任何一个都可以达到一个和两个小时的耐火等级，但是当火板通过干墙板破裂成钢和木螺柱框架提供的较大，相互联系的隐藏空间时，火灾的行为会有所不同。干墙进入大多数不可固定的砌体的空间。
With the reduced time to flashover provided by today’s furniture and furnishings as well as the higher rates of heat release from these same fuels, firefighters can no longer assume that they will have time after arriving on scene to extinguish a fire before it breaks through the compartment walls into the concealed spaces. In commercial buildings and in target hazards, this information must be available to us on preincident plans.
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Gregory Havelis a member of the Town of Burlington (WI) Fire Department; retired deputy chief and training officer; and a 35-year veteran of the fire service. He is a Wisconsin-certified fire instructor II, fire officer II, and fire inspector; an adjunct instructor in fire service programs at Gateway Technical College; and safety director for Scherrer Construction Co., Inc. Havel has a bachelor’s degree from St. Norbert College; has more than 35 years of experience in facilities management and building construction; and has presented classes at FDIC.
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