0. Building Construction Related to the Fire Service
Chapter 12 — Special Structures and Design Features

1. Building Construction
Learning Objective 1
Describe the characteristics of high-rise buildings and their impact on fire fighting tactics.
Building Construction

2. Famous High-Rise Fires
One Meridian Plaza
Philadelphia, PA 1991
Building Construction

3. Famous High-Rise Fires
First Interstate Bank
Los Angeles, CA 1988
Building Construction

4. Famous High-Rise Fires
MGM Grand Hotel
Las Vegas, NV 1980
Building Construction

5. Impact of High-Rise Buildings on Fire Fighting
Heights beyond reach of aerial equipment
Difficult access can result in fires burning for extended periods
Contain more occupants and activities
Point reached where special fire protection problems created by virtue of height
Building Construction

6. Definition of High-Rise Buildings
Fire protection – Any building that is beyond the effective reach of fire equipment at street level
Model building codes – Building more than 75 feet (25 m) in height measured from lowest level of emergency vehicle access to floor of highest occupied story
Varies by jurisdiction
Building Construction

7. Early High-Rise Buildings
Made possible by steel-frame construction and elevator
Rarely more than 10 or 12 stories
No HVAC systems
Open stairwells and elevator shafts
Fire protection usually provided by standpipe systems
Building Construction

8. Modern High-Rise Buildings
Buildings exceeding 60 stories commonplace
Multiple occupancies
Sophisticated HVAC systems
Fire department should meet with engineering staff for assistance with building operations
Courtesy of Ed Prendergast
Building Construction

9. High-Rise Construction
Fire-resistive construction
2- or 3-hour fire resistance required for structural frame depending on number of stories and occupancy, and 2-hour fire resistance for floor construction
Provides a high degree of structural integrity; significant structural failure extremely rare
Building Construction

10. Building Construction
Learning Objective 2
Describe the fire protection systems in high-rise buildings and their integration into fire fighting tactics.
Building Construction

11. Building Construction
Automatic Sprinklers
Sprinkler system and standpipe system supplied from same vertical riser
Supplied by one or more fire pumps located in basement
Secondary on-site water supply required in seismic zones
Sprinkler system provided with individual floor control valves
Building Construction

12. Building Construction
Standpipes
Standpipe risers and hose valves located within stairwells provide protected location from which to advance a hoseline
Variation of pressure in system with building height
(Continued)
Building Construction

13. Building Construction
Standpipes
Excessive pressure in lower portions of riser can make hoselines difficult or dangerous to handle
NFPA® 14 requires pressure-regulating devices be installed at hose connections
Pressure-regulating valves can be set according to jurisdiction’s standards
Building Construction

14. Building Construction
Fire Alarm Systems
May include several hundred devices
Provide alarm and emergency communication
Voice alarm systems
Smoke detection
Two-way fire department communication system
Building Construction

15. Building Construction
Smoke Control Systems
Model building codes no longer require special mechanical smoke removal provisions from the floor of origin
Based on requirements for shaft construction, sealing of floor penetrations and automatic sprinklers
(Continued)
Building Construction

16. Building Construction
Smoke Control Systems
Model codes require smokeproof exit enclosures in all stairs serving floors 75 feet (25 m) or higher either through open balcony or pressurized vestibule
Building Construction

17. Fire Command Center/ Central Control Station
Model codes require area to serve as fire command center
Typical features of fire command center
Verify regular maintenance and repair of all fire protection systems during pre-incident planning and inspections
Not all command centers are alike
(Continued)
Building Construction

18. Fire Command Center/ Central Control Station
Courtesy of Ed Prendergast
Building Construction

19. Fire Extension in High-Rise Buildings
Many high-rise buildings designed with a central core floor plan
Vertical shafts required to be enclosed but some upward migration of smoke is possible
HVAC systems designed to manage products of combustion
(Continued)
Building Construction

20. Fire Extension in High-Rise Buildings
Vertical extension of fire can occur by exterior communication
Horizontal extension of fire depends on number of partitions subdividing floor
Building Construction

21. Building Construction
Learning Objective 3
Explain the emergency use of elevators in high-rise buildings during a fire event.
Building Construction

22. Safety During Emergency Elevator Use
Do not use an elevator to travel to the fire floor – stay below the fire floor according to SOPs
Maintain communication by radio or other means at all times
Know the visual signal on the elevator control panel that indicates an impending elevator problem
(Continued)
Building Construction

23. Safety During Emergency Elevator Use
Be aware that power may fail at any time during a fire
Never use a fire- or heat-damaged elevator
Become familiar with the emergency procedures required to operate elevators by training on actual local systems
Building Construction

24. Building Construction
Phase I Operations
Mandated by codes for all passenger elevators with vertical travel greater than 25 feet (8.3 m) in event of fire
Recalls car to certain floor and opens doors
(Continued)
Building Construction

25. Building Construction
Phase I Operations
Can be caused by activation of smoke detectors or sprinkler waterflow alarms
May also be activated manually by keyed switch in terminal floor lobby
Designed to prevent deaths of civilians
Automatically stops all cars that serve the fire floor if they are moving away from their terminal floor
(Continued)
Building Construction

26. Building Construction
Phase I Operations
Causes cars to return nonstop to lobby or other designated level if alarm originated from lobby
Opens car doors and keeps them open when the car reaches the recall floor
Elevator car’s emergency stop and floor selection buttons are rendered inoperative
Building Construction

27. Building Construction
Phase II Operations
Designed to permit firefighters to use the elevators after they arrive on the scene by overriding the recall feature
All new elevators must be equipped
Activated by key inserted into three-position switch within a car to place that particular car in “fire service”
(Continued)
Building Construction

28. Building Construction
Phase II Operations
Elevator essentially becomes a manually operated elevator
Electric eye safety is disabled
Emergency stop button operable
Building Construction

29. Building Construction
Learning Objective 4
Discuss the unique aspects of underground buildings and how they affect fire fighting.
Building Construction

30. Characteristics of Underground Buildings
Belowgrade or portions that are deeper than ordinary basements
Defined as one where lowest level used for human occupancy is 30 feet (10 m) below main exit that serves that level
Examples
(Continued)
Building Construction

31. Characteristics of Underground Buildings
Building Construction

32. Characteristics of Underground Buildings
Advantages (security, temp, visibility)
Older underground buildings usually accessed vertically from grade level
Modern underground buildings built into side of hills with primary access being horizontal
Building Construction

33. Managing Emergencies in Underground Buildings
Specific difficulties
Venting heat and smoke probably greatest single challenge in controlling fires
Access to structure
Rescue and evacuation
Building Construction

34. Characteristics of Covered Mall Buildings
Building with numerous individual tenants that face common covered pedestrian way
Technically the covered pedestrian way is defined as the mall
Often contains restaurants, theaters, offices, and retail stores
Building Construction

35. Configuration and Construction of Covered Mall Buildings
Usually one to three levels
Must be minimum of 20 feet (6.1 m) in width
Usually designed with one or more well-known perimeter stores
Many constructed on noncombustible or wood-joisted construction
(Continued)
Building Construction

36. Configuration and Construction of Covered Mall Buildings
In recent years, developers preferred unprotected noncombustible protection
Current codes do not permit wood-joisted construction
May have mixed construction
Building Construction

37. Fire Protection of Covered Mall Buildings
Roseville Galleria Mall, Oct. 2010
Building Construction

38. Fire Protection of Covered Mall Buildings
Current codes require malls to be fully sprinklered
Individual stores must have 1-hour fire-resistive separations
Building Construction

39. Access Considerations for Covered Mall Buildings
Apparatus cannot drive directly up to front of involved store
May have a long hose lay
Codes require hose outlets in:
Stairs
Major entrances to mall
Entrances from mall to corridors and passageways
(Continued)
Building Construction

40. Characteristics of Detention/ Correctional Facilities
Detention – Smaller, temporary
Correctional – Larger, permanent
Occupants confined to cells
Where possible, may evacuate to outdoor exercise area
May have to defend-in-place
Building Construction

41. Fire Protection and Life Safety Codes
Vary depending on level of restraint
Components
Requirements for flammability for furnishings
Automatic sprinklers
Reluctance to install in past
Now have “break-away” sprinklers
Building Construction

42. Defend-in-Place Concept
Break-away sprinklers specifically address concept
Creation of one or more compartments on each floor, separated by a fire-rated smoke barrier
Fire department must work closely with facilities to develop comprehensive plan of action
Building Construction

43. Characteristics of Rack Storage
Multiple-tier racks increase efficiency and permit greater utilization of warehouse space
Varies from use of forklifts positioning pallets to automated systems
Can vary in height
(Continued)
Building Construction

44. Characteristics of Rack Storage
Normally structurally independent and bolted to floor, but may provide part of structural support of building
Consists of unprotected steel members
Results in very high density of storage
Building Construction

45. Characteristics of Rack Storage
Building Construction

46. Fire Protection Issues with Rack Storage
High fire load when stored materials are combustible
Difficult access since aisles are frequently narrow and racks are usually arranged back to back
(Continued)
Building Construction

47. Fire Protection Issues with Rack Storage
Automatic sprinklers
Code-mode and suppression-mode sprinklers
Building Construction