Ch 5 Classifying Buildings, Hybrid Era, Use Type And Size Considerations Flashcards
A 55 chapter publication that details how a buildings intended use and resulting required construction type are matched
NFPA 5000 - Building construction and safety code
Four building construction factors to be considered when making risk and tactical decisions during suppression operations
- Era
- Use
- Type
- Size
This type of building can be defined as a building that combines various NFPA 220 types into one structure OR a building that does not fit into any NFPA classification types
Hybrid (various)
Alternative Construction Methods (not fit into any)
These are the four era’s of building construction
Historic era - Pre-WWI
Industrial era - Pre-WWII
Legacy era - Post WWII
engineered Lightweight era
HILL
The legacy era can be characterized by how many types of buildings
4
Type I, II, III, and IV
List the six size considerations EUTS
- Small
- Medium
- Large
- Big box
- Megabox
- High-rise
In the 2-4-6 method, two equals
2 stories or less
2000 ft.² or less
200 feet or less (hand Line)
2 hand lines or less
In the 2-4-6 method, 4 equals:
4 stories or less
4000 ft.² or less
400 feet or less (hand Line)
4 handlines or less
In the 2-4-6 method 6 equals:
6 stories or less
6000 ft.² or more
Greater than 600 feet of hand lines
6 hand lines or more
These type of buildings are large box type buildings, with noteworthy fire loads that can easily exhaust the resources of many fire departments. Can require resources that most fire departments cannot supply without outside assistance.
Big Box
These type of buildings can be defined as buildings with mammoth proportions. These require resources that most fire departments cannot supply without a significant amount of mutual/automatic aid.
Mega-box
(Mammoth/mutual)
Book definition of high-rise
Vertical height of building exceed 75 feet and/or 7 to 8 floors
These are designed to give building occupants a reasonable chance to escape a building when fire breaks out
Occupancy requirements
______ is usually ACCOMPLISHED by using an approved fire barrier that meets a given time requirement (like a fire door and firewall) in order to mix various construction types in the same building
Occupancy separation
This is an exterior wall plate, which indicates the use of ties within the building to help keep the walls true and tight to floors. The rod has a turnbuckle to make adjustments and use either an oversize flat washer, or more elaborate stars, swirls, or other decorative shapes
Spreader
These are also visible in the exterior loadbearing walls, but are typically smaller than spreaders, and are simply designed to help hold a wood floor beam in a wall pocket. Most of these are nothing more than a lag screw or L-shaped hook with a flat washer or small square plate. Often called joist or rafter tie plates
Anchors
The _____ building is arguably, the most firefighter friendly building from a collapse potential perspective
Legacy
If the Legacy era has an Achilles heel, it would have to be the ______
Roof
Regardless of where it is listed in the building classification consideration, this is the first consideration made when someone wants to build a structure
Use
e U t s
Ability to determine the type of construction will aid in determining the following three primary building attributes:
- relevant Strength
- Time available for interior operations
- Time building will resist collapse
S T T
Small, moderate, and large are relative terms that can be different things based on SIX considerations
- Perception of the individual
- Footprint or single floor square footage
- Interior arrangement
- Number of floors
- Amount of available resources
- Size of the fire
Rapid size up of a commercial building can be more difficult due to three primary factors that are not inherent to common residential-type buildings
- Size
- Contents
- Potential lack of people
after business hours
This era had the first high-rises built, buildings showed warning signs before collapse (self-announcing), interior aggressive firefighting evolved from these buildings and entire blocks destroyed by fire
Historic (Pre-WWI)
(Historic - High Rise)
When referring to a transom, this is the vertical structural member between the panes of glass
Mullion
The defining characteristic of the Industrial-era building was ____.
Sheer size
Perhaps the greatest building achievement of the Industrial Era was that of ____
Roof engineering
A fire officer may conclude that most anything after ____ is likely to be an Engineered Lightweight Building (ELB)
1990
These features are VERY common to residential-type buildings
Daylight or walkout basements
What are three items that are combining to rapidly change the building construction industry?
- Engineering breakthroughs
- Material technology advances
- Sustainable environmental initiatives
This concept was introduced into code requirements to accommodate the desire to build a single structure for multiple uses and allows more architect/builder options.
Occupancy separation
Occupancy uses
For an educational building, it is used for educational purposes of ____ or more people at any one time through the 12th grade and some daycare facilities
Six
Occupancy uses
Buildings where people are cared for, or live in a supervised environment, because of health, age, medical treatment, or those detained for penal or correctional purposes
Institutional
Occupancy uses
Buildings use for the display and sale of merchandise, and involving the stocking of goods that are accessible to the public
Mercantile
Occupancy uses
Buildings used for offices, professional or service transactions, storage of records, or ambulatory healthcare
Business
Fire and collapse issues for each of the occupancy groups are numerous yet somehow obvious. The building occupancy grouping can help clue the firefighter into ____.
Potential fire load
When evaluating the size of a commercial building, this can be a great indicator of what can be expected inside a building
The name on the exterior
What can be used to help to define the differences between small, medium, and large buildings for rapid size-up reports?
The 2-4-6 rule of thumb
The application of complex building fire life safety codes actually helps the firefighter in Legacy era buildings. The Legacy era brought fire protection systems that were very helpful to Firefighters. The real issue was these two things:
- Water delivery system that could meet the demands of fires in large and/or numerous interior spaces
- Having enough Firefighters to move that system into the building
The concept of this was introduced into code requirements to accommodate the desire to build a single structure for multiple uses.
Occupancy separation
This allows more architect/builder options - creating flexible floor plans, money savings, and increased profits while still maintaining some life-safety/fire stop benefits.
Occupancy separation
