Hazards of Ordinary Construction - Paper Example

Introduction

They are buildings that possess an exterior masonry wall as well as combustible truss or beams in the interior. The buildings are also referred as the Type III - A or the protected combustible buildings (O'Connell, 2011). Ordinary constructions are not widely used in the building of contemporary buildings. However, ordinary constructions were used to build commercial buildings in the 19th century (Brannigan & Corbett, 2010). Additionally, the wooden roof and floors are ordinary constructions have a one-hour protection against fire. This essay provides specific hazards of ordinary construction and then defines the impact of age, materials, typical fire loads and location of the structure, in respect to the spread of fire in the buildings.

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Specific Hazards, Effects of Age, Materials, Typical Fire Loads and Location of the Structure

Wood is the primary fire hazard of ordinary construction (Dunn, 2010). Additionally, this is because wood catches fire easily and fire can spread from one wooden service to another fast. In addition, the age of wood determines the rate at which fire engulfs an ordinary building. For instance, old wood with low moisture content would burn more easily compared to recently used wood with a high moisture content (Matesz, 2010). Also, the materials used together with wood such as paints also influences the rate at which an ordinary building burns. For instance, ordinary buildings built using oil paints burn more easily compared to those built by water paints.

Fire loading of a construction is the method of determining the potential severity of a hypothetical fire in the future (Razdolsky, 2012). It is formulated by computing the heat output of a wood surface per unit of the surfaces' floor area (Razdolsky, 2012). In this case, the typical fire loading of an ordinary building is higher than that of fire resistive or noncombustible buildings but less than that of heavy timber and wood frame buildings. Ultimately, the location of an ordinary building can determine its risk of ordinary construction from catching and being destroyed by fire. For instance, ordinary buildings built on a windy area will easily be destroyed in the event of a fire.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ordinary constructions are buildings that possess an exterior masonry wall as well as combustible truss or beams in the interior. Wood is the primary fire hazard of ordinary construction. In addition, the age of wood determines the rate at which fire engulfs an ordinary building. Also, the materials used together with wood such as paints also influences the rate at which an ordinary building burns. Furthermore, the typical fire loading of an ordinary building is higher than that of fire resistive or noncombustible buildings but less than that of heavy timber and wood frame buildings. Lastly, the location of an ordinary building can determine its risk of ordinary construction from catching and being destroyed by fire.

References

Brannigan, F., & Corbett, G. (2010). Brannigan's Building Construction for the Fire Service. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Dunn, V. (2010). Collapse of Burning Buildings, 2nd Edition: A Guide to Fireground Safety. Tusla: PennWell Books.

Matesz, K. (2010). Masonry Heaters: Designing, Building, and Living with a Piece of the Sun. White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publishing.

O'Connell, J. (2011). Collapse Operations for First Responders. Tusla: Fire Engineering Books.

Razdolsky, L. (2012). Structural Fire Loads: Theory and Principles. New York: McGraw Hill Professional.