Building Construction Unit IV Case Study

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Unit IV Case Study Daniel McMahon Columbia Southern University Building Construction for Fire Protection Professor Jeff Faucett April 20, 2023

2 Unit IV Case Study In this case study we will be discussing an incident that occurred on June 15, 2003. On that day at approximately 1945, three engines and two aerial units were dispatched to a commercial building fire with possible entrapment. The first due engine arrived on the scene with light smoke showing and established command. Forced entry was made into the alpha side of the building by the first due engine and then on the charlie side of the building by the second due truck prior to a water supply being established or charged handlines entered the building. A tactical command approach was taken and the first due engine officer who established command, made entry into the building without a hose line. A fire was located in the bravo quadrant of the building and began to burn uncontrollably up through the ceiling tiles. The fire was able to burn freely in the void space between the drop ceiling and flat roof where unprotected steel bar joists. This free burning followed by the removal of ceiling tiles exposing the heated gases a rush of fresh oxygen, was reported to have caused a back draft which led to a partial collapse of the structure which entrapped two firefighters who lost their lives. When firefighters discovered the fire in the bravo quadrant, the introduction of oxygen caused a reignition of combustible materials inside the storage room. Later discovered to be an arson fire and the fire department not advancing a charged hose line during initial entry into the building allowed the fire to spread quickly. The NIOSH (2004) report stated that due to the quick flare up of the fire upon opening the door, firefighters were unable to close it again. This allowed the fire to be fed continuously with oxygen, building, and burning through the ceiling tiles. Gann, R (2014) explains that fire has a set of phenomenological stages. One of these stages being well ventilated flaming free burning. Gann, R (2014)

3 describes fire spread as, “A portion of the heat produced by a burning item is transferred, by radiation, conduction, or convection, to an unburned part of the item or to a nearby combustible that is not yet burning.” While the fire was free burning in the void space above the drop ceiling, unprotected steel joists were exposed to direct flame. Firefighters were eventually able to extinguish the fire in the storage room but were unaware of the gases and fire above them. Gann, R (2014) describes a backdraft the introduction of air through the opening of a door or space into a hot, fuel-rich environment, which causes ignited flames to spread violently out of the opening. When firefighters were ordered to hook the ceiling, they exposed the superheated gases to more air. The NIOSH (2004) reports that this is when the backdraft occurred, which ensued the partial collapse of the building. This collapse of the building caused the entrapment of two firefighters. Corbett, G. P., & Brannigan, F. L. (2019) states that void spaces can hide all sorts of combustible materials such as plastic piping and electrical insulation and that the hung ceiling is not part of the structural integrity of the building. The uncertainty of the ceiling hangers fire resistance capability could have played a factor into the partial collapse as the fire spread through the void space. Once the collapse occurred, firefighters were unable to gain access to the trapped firefighters or try to extinguish the fire any further. The collapse of the ceiling tiles for firefighters from the building, while also covering up the attack lines to which the trapped firefighters were using to try and exit the structure when they became low on-air NIOSH (2004). The walls of the structure were constructed of 12-inch masonry blocks with a four-hour rating as described in the NIOSH report. The building has two entrances, one on the alpha side and one on the charlie side. Once the ceiling tiles were pulled and the backdraft

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4 occurred, visibility went to zero. Due to the store layout of shelving and displays, navigating through the building became difficult for firefighters to maneuver through the structure. From the pictures associated with the NIOSH (2004) report, the ceiling tiles were pulled in front of the only entrance to the storeroom from the alpha side. The lack of communication between command and the units on the scene allowed for confusion on the maydays and who was actually trapped inside the structure. The NIOSH (2004) report states that the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) made three different entries into the building after initially thinking that they had rescued the down firefighter. Upon the third entry and the inability to extinguish the fire crews were unable to advance to search for the last firefighter.

5 References National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2004), Partial Roof Collapse in Commercial Structure Fire Claims the Lives of Two Career Fire Fighters - Tennessee https://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/ Corbett, G. P., & Brannigan, F. L. (2019). Brannigan's Building Construction for the Fire Service (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781284204834 Gann, R. (2014). Principles of Fire Behavior and Combustion (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781284081879