3/16/2016
Overview
Construction Fire Safety Practices
Construction Fire Safety Practices
1. Identify common causes of multifamily construction fires
construction fires
2. Identify codes and standards that regulate fire safety during construction
3. Define the role of various parties in reducing the risk of construction fires
4. List steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of construction fires in multifamily occupancies.
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• • The American Wood Council is a The American Wood Council is a Registered Provider with The American Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES), Provider # Education Systems (AIA/CES), Provider # yy
50111237.
50111237.
•
• • Credit(s) earned on completion of this Credit(s) earned on completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non‐AIA members both AIA members and non‐AIA members •
are available upon request.
are available upon request.
This course is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of
handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.
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What is your profession?
a) Architect/Engineer
b) Building Code Official
c) Fire Official/Firefighter
d) Builder/Developer
e) Other
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• Fire Loss Data
• Codes and Standards
• Fire Safety Practices
• In 2014, NFPA published
Fires in Residential Properties, Other Than One‐ or Two‐family Homes, Under Construction or Undergoing Major Renovation
—Multifamily dwellings
—Boarding and rooming houses
—Hotels and motels
—Residential board and care
—Other similar uses
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• Structures under construction represented one percent of fires and two percent of direct property damage
d
<1%
<1%
~3%
<1%
~3%
Multi Family Fires
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Average Loss Per Incident – Unconfined Fires
$160,000
$147,368
$140,000
$120,000
$100,000
$80,000
<1%
$60,000
<1%
$35,412
$35 412
$40 000
$40,000
$20,000
$0
<1%
All Multifamily
Multifamily Under Construction
~3%
~3%
Multi‐Family Fires Under Construction 2007‐2011
• No
No major trends major trends
with regard to when fires occur
—Month
Day of Week
—Day of Week
—Time of day
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Flame/Torch for Lighting Radiated/Condu
5%
Hot Ash/Ember
cted from 5%
Operating Smoking
Equipment
Unclassified 5%
12%
Heat from Power Equipment
12%
p ,
,
Spark, Ember, Other/Unknown
O h /U k
Flame from 29%
Operating Equipment
Unclassfied Hot 12%
Arcing
or Smouldering 12%
Object
8%
Flame/Torch for Lighting Radiated/Condu
Hot Ash/Ember
5%
cted from 5%
Operating Smoking
Equipment Unclassified 5%
Heat from 12%
Power Equipment
12%
O h /U k
Other/Unknown
29%
Arcing
12%
Spark, Ember, Flame from Operating Equipment
Unclassfied Hot 12%
or Smouldering Object
8%
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Other
14%
Cooking Equipment
22%
Sh T l
Shop Tools and Industrial Equipment
11%
Electrical Distribution/L
ighting
13%
Torch, Burner, Soldering Iron
13%
64% $Loss
7% $Loss
11% $Loss
Heating Equipment
27%
Number of Stories in Building vs. Number of Fires and $ Loss
Unconfined Fires
$ Loss (Millions)
Number of Fires
40 250
200
150
100
50
0
30 20 10 0 1‐2
3‐4
5‐6 7‐12 13+
# Stories
1‐2
3‐4 5‐6 7‐12 13+
# Stories
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Floor of Ignition vs. Number of Fires and $ Loss
Unconfined Fires
Number of Fires
$ Loss (Million)
40
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
30
20
10
0
# Stories
# Stories
Which of the following statements is true regarding fires in multi
family buildings under construction fires in multi‐family
buildings under construction
versus all multi‐family fires?
a) The number of fires is less than 1 percent
b) Civilian deaths is less than 1 percent
c) Civilian injuries is less than 1 percent
d) All of the above
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• Fire Loss Data
• Codes and Standards
• Fire Safety Practices
• NFPA 1 ‐ Chapter 16
• IFC ‐
IFC ‐ Chapter 33
Chapter 33
• NFPA 241
Standard for Safeguarding Construction, Alteration, and Demolition Operations
Referenced by both model fire codes
y
Originated in 1930
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• Essential code requirements relating to construction site fire prevention and p
mitigation include:
— Fire prevention program superintendent
— Pre‐fire plan (including fire reporting)
— Training
— Hot work/ignition control
Hot work/ignition control
— Access and water supply for firefighting
• Essential code requirements relating to p
construction site fire prevention and mitigation include:
— Standpipes
— Smoking and open flames
— Portable fire extinguishers
— Permits
— Use of temporary heating equipment
— Safe storage of chemicals
— Site security
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• NFPA 241, the IFC and OSHA all require a fire
OSHA all require a fire protection/safety /prevention program for construction sites
• A program manager is also required
also required
— FDNY has an excellent model for program manager training
• The “Program” will include a Fire Safety Plan
• AHJs can prepare a model plan to give developers a head start
• Developers must customize plans for each site and jurisdiction
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Elements of a fire safety plan will likely include











Designated superintendent
Designated
superintendent
Housekeeping
Hot work
Electrical equipment
Smoking
Food preparation
Open /waste fires
/
f
Temporary heating equipment Plant equipment and vehicles
Fire access and water supply
Standpipes and fire equipment
 Waste
Waste material management
material management
 Storage of combustibles and building materials
 Exposed combustible materials  Flammable liquids and gases
 Waste / garbage chutes
 Site security
Site security
 Portable fire extinguishers
 Fire reporting
 Training
• IFC 3308.2: Develop and maintain pre‐fire plan
• NFPA 241:
— Ensure training in the use of protection equipment
— Ensure presence and maintenance of protection equipment
— Supervise system for permitting hot work operations
— Perform self‐inspection program and maintain records
f
— Manage impairment program for protection equipment
— Supervise removal of protective coverings on protection equipment when work in the area has been completed
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• 28 participant stakeholders, including
stakeholders, including
— Local government code and fire officials
— Builders
— Architects
su e s
— Insurers
— Nonprofit industry organizations
— Model code developers
• Improve compliance with current construction site current construction site
requirements in model codes and standards through a joint effort of owners, contractors and code officials
— Most notably, ensure that required construction site fire safety plans are developed and implemented
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• The topic has been thoroughly studied for decades by governments, researchers and industry groups worldwide
• From Fire Data and Loss Reports
Loss Reports
—Many causes of construction fires and contributing factors are predictable
—Fire
Fire prevention prevention
methods are known
—Construction fires are typically preventable or controllable
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• The current body of technical knowledge g
is sufficient to address the problem
—No identified need for new research
for new research
—When’s the last time you saw that come out of a study?
NFPA and ICC codes and standards are mostly standards are mostly
sufficient to regulate the problem
Exceptions:
1. Cooking, which 241 currently h dl
l
handles only as temporary heating equipment
2. Temporary fire protection equipment (discussed later)
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If codes and standards are sufficient to regulate the g
problem…
Code compliance must be lacking
• One way to view the loss data is we re doing data is “we’re
doing
something right”
• For 2007‐2011, fire loss represents less than 0.27% of the total value of multifamily residential
multifamily residential construction
• Few injuries/ no fatalities
2007‐2011 Annual Averages
Annual Value of Construction
Construction value source
—
—
—
U.S. Census Bureau Building Permit Surveys
New Privately Owned Housing Units
Authorized Valuation for projects with 5 or More Units
Annual Fire Loss
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• Out of 830 reported fi
fires annually, only 380 ll
l 380
grew to unconfined
—Other 450 (54%) yielded <$1M in total losses
• If the 450 confined fires If the 450 confined fires
were not confined…
450 x $147,368 (avg. loss)
= $66M additional losses
2007‐2011
• Smoking represents a small percentage of fires and fire
percentage of fires and fire losses
Smoking
5% of Unconfined
Fires
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• Hot work fires are too frequent and t picall res lt in major losses
typically result in major losses
Torch, Burner, Soldering Iron
13% of Unconfined Fires
64% of Fire Loss
Which of the following was learned from fire data and loss reports?
data and loss reports?
a) Fire prevention methods are known
b) Construction fires are typically preventable or controllable
c) More research is needed
d) All of the above
e) Answers a) and b) only 18
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• Fire Loss Data
• Codes and Standards
• Fire Safety Practices
• Codes and standards already prescribe the solution to preventing prescribe the solution to preventing
or controlling most construction fires…we need to
—Get better at functioning as a team
—Develop end‐user resources
—Develop end‐user resources
—Distribute end‐user resources
—Embrace the use of quality fire safety plans
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• Improving construction site fire safety will i
j i t ff t f d l
require a joint effort of developers, contractors, fire and building code officials, firefighters, and insurers
• “All boats sink when the lake goes dry”
• When construction fires occur
When onstr tion fires o r
—Workers and firefighters are at risk
—Negative impact on community development
—Developers take a hit
p
—Insurers take a hit
—Workers take a hit
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•
•
•
•
Safe, affordable housing
“Everyone
goes home”
Everyone goes home
Robust economic development
Finish on‐time and on‐budget
Which of the following require a fire safety protection program for construction sites?
protection program for construction sites?
a)NFPA 241
b)International Fire Code
c)OSHA
d)All of the above
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• Develop materials to improve awareness of construction fires and to support fire prevention i
messaging
• Make materials informative and entertaining
— Codes aren’t written to be of interest or understood by developers or construction workers
— Better instructional materials are needed
• Bilingual+
• Use the permit process as a chance to provide information and arrange collaboration
— Convey permit information to firefighters
— Arrange for firefighters to visit the site and meet the fire prevention manager
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• Codes don’t currently do a good job of allowing or addressing temporary fire
allowing or addressing temporary fire protection for special hazard or interim protection
—Fire sprinkler systems
—Fire alarm systems
• Temporary pull stations
• Temporary detection
• Notification appliances?
• Change codes and standards to
Allow and address temporary fire protection —Allow
and address temporary fire protection
systems for special hazards
—Specifically regulate cooking, which 241 currently only
handles as
temporary heating
temporary heating
equipment
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 I see nothing
 I know nothing
 I say nothing
“Failure”
When enforcement is required to gain compliance
• Supplement enforcement by training and assigning building inspectors to enforce construction site fire safety
— IBC Chapter 33 provides p
p
requirements and authority
• They’re already onsite, but tend to focus on construction compliance inspections
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• Developers / contractors don’t tend to view code enforcement inspectors as “partners in safety”
• Compliance is temporary…until the inspector leaves
l
Training and education should include which of the following to be more effective?
following to be more effective?
a) Materials that improve awareness and support fire prevention messaging
b) Informative and entertaining materials
c) Bilingual material
d) All of the above
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www.Constructionfire safetyPractices.com
• Reducing the frequency of fires in buildings under construction will require buildings under construction will require
changes in human behavior to change these attitudes about fire safety
− “Didn’t know” (workers and management)
− “Didn’t care” (workers and management)
“ d ’
”(
k
)
− “Didn’t prioritize” (workers, management, AHJ) • Fire is no accident
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Ronny
Coleman
Ronny Coleman
Ron@Fireforceone.com
Questions
• This concludes The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems Course
American Wood Council
info@awc.org
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