DUTCHESS
DCC FIRE SCIENCE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FIRE SCIENCE
PROGRAM
SEMI-ANNUAL “TEST BURN”
12/15/10
SATURDAY, DEC. 11, 2010
Dutchess County Fire Training center,
Poughkeepsie, NY
• Test Burn Goal: to verify fire travel differences
in balloon frame construction vs. platform
frame construction
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Special Thanks To
• Williams Lumber
• Dutchess County Department of Emergency
Response
• Tom Murphy- PVFD MTO
• Roosevelt Fire District
• Mrs. Rivera
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STRUCTRURE INFO
• Both structures were constructed of 2x4’s,
5/8” sheetrock, joints taped, plastic electrical
boxes and plates were installed on walls and
ceilings.
• Fireload = hay and pallets, 1 mattress in each
compartment.
• Floors– 1st-ground
– 2nd floor = OSB
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Background Info
• Balloon frame construction- very prevalent in
the US up until mid 1930’s
• Used long boards for walls; created open
“chases” in walls and floors.
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v
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Balloon Frame Construction
• Looking horizontally under floor to the wall
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Indicators of Balloon Frame
Construction
• Structure’s Age (built prior to mid 1930’s)
• Multi story
• Windows line up vertically**
– (** sometimes renovations move windows so this clue may be not as obvious)
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1980’s structure- don’t let the
windows fool you (this is NOT balloon frame construction)
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Balloon Frame Construction
• Fire can travel up/down in stud chases and
horizontally in floor/ceiling assembly
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Platform
Balloon
Frame Construction
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Structure has vinyl siding which
hides its age and its balloon
frame construction
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Balloon Frame Construction
fire has free access through walls and
ceiling.
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Balloon Frame
Floor Joists
(open into walls)
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How To Verify Balloon Frame
Construction
• Interior: open an outside bearing** wall,
probe down – if your tool can go down below
floor level, it’s likely balloon frame. (picture 1)
• Exterior- open exterior wall between 1st and
2nd floor to expose wall studs. (picture 2)
Picture 1
Picture 2
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Load Bearing vs. Non-Load Bearing
Walls
• Normally two out of four exterior walls are
load bearing walls – this means they are
supporting the floors above and the roof
assembly.
• As the late/great Francis Brannigan so aptly
stated “they are part of the gravity resistance
system”.
• Generally speaking they will be the longer
walls (allows for shorter spans of the floor joists and roof rafters)
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Load Bearing Walls
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Balloon Frame Construction note
• If structure gets renovated, it is likely (but not
a guarantee) that fire stops were installed in
exterior walls.
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Platform Frame Construction
• Each floor is built separately (norm since late 1930’s)
– Floor is built first
– Wall added on top of floor,
– Next floor added on top of walls, etc.
• Walls had wood blocking installed to act as a
fire stop (not shown in this picture)
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Platform Frame With Fire Stopping
(short 2x4’s installed horizontally in stud chases)
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Platform construction
Fire stops “stopped” the fire spread
Fire traveled within floor but
did not extend out horizontally
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TEST BURN OBSERVATIONS
• Sheetrock, when installed properly and maintained
properly (no openings) does contain fire for a
reasonable time period.
• Any opening through the sheet rock can provide a fire
travel path (electrical boxes, lights, hole/crack, etc)
• Platform frame construction does provide “blocks” to
the advancement of fire in walls.
• Balloon frame construction does provide for fire travel
within walls; once the fires enters the stud chase or
ceiling assembly (holes, cracks, electrical boxes, lights,
etc) it can advance rapidly up/down/horizontally.
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PLATFORM FRAME TEST BURN
STRUCTURE
• Note- exterior of walls were not covered with
sheetrock to aid in visibility of test results. In a
“real” structure this exterior sheetrock (on
interior walls) or sheathing (exterior walls)
would have contained the fire for a little
while.
Before fire
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Platform
construction;
horizontal
wood stopped
fire spread
Plastic electrical boxes self extinguished once heat
source (fire) decreased. But their melting did quickly
provide path for fire travel to wood studs.
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Balloon Frame
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Platform Frame
In both types..
• Fire extended vertically via ceiling light fixture
and then up through combustible floor.
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Balloon Frame ConstructionStrategic and Tactical
Considerations
• Identify building construction “type” ASAP at every
incident
• Strategy must be appropriate for construction type
• Call for more well-trained help ASAP- this is a very
manpower intensive incident
• Anticipate fire travel – don’t wait for it to “pop out”,
get ahead of it
• Fire in walls will produce a lot of smoke
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• Fire - get above it, below it (yes fire can drop down) and
on all sides of it.
• Remember, the absence of char doesn’t mean
the fire hasn’t extended past that point.
• Once occupant’s life safety has been
determined, consider exterior attack
– Expose walls from exterior: safer, clearer
environment, less chance of being caught in a
rapid fire advancement. (Aerial platforms/tower
ladders are very useful for this)
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• Always expect the unexpected- all interior
personnel must be masked up at all times;
your mask isn’t just for this second, it’s for
whatever will happen the next second.
• Thermal Imaging Cameras are very useful in
these structures.
• Wetting agents (such as dish detergent) can be especially
helpful as it allows the water to “sink in”.
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Balloon Frame Construction – sites of
interest
• Balloon Frame Construction-Francis Brannigan
• http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/
105.html
• http://web.dcp.ufl.edu/stroh/WoodFraming.p
df
• Balloon frame- Strategies
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As the Late Frank Brannigan used
to say:
"THE BUILDING IS YOUR ENEMY..
KNOW YOUR ENEMY”
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SUMMARY
• Size up is critical at every incident
• Building construction is a key part of every
size-up
• Balloon frame construction can drastically
increase the fire spread potential.
• Absence of char doesn’t mean absence of fire
travel.
• Don’t wait for fire to pop out- get head of it;
get above it, below it and on all sides of it.
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• More well-trained manpower required;
• Manpower requires a strict Command and
Control system at all times.
• It must be a highly coordinated operation.
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the “team”
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