Fire Safety in Building Construction: Codes and Regulations Analysis

This report examines building construction for fire protection, focusing on the challenges of wood frame structures. It discusses the concerns of an engine company officer regarding material handling and logistical conditions to prevent moisture and mold issues. The report addresses the importance of fire resistance, durability, and the structure's resilience to external forces, including natural disasters. It highlights the risks for firefighters and recommends fire alarms and evacuation measures. The report summarizes relevant building codes and regulations like IBC, Fire Code, and Code Conforming Wood Design, along with ethical issues related to timber harvesting and deforestation. The conclusion emphasizes the need for fire-resistant designs and proper equipment to manage fire outbreaks. The author's credibility is established through peer-reviewed sources.

Running head: BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION 1
Building Construction for Fire Protection
During the construction of the wood frame complex, as the engine company officer, I would be
concerned about handling of materials and logistical conditions since the wood frame needs to be
kept dry so as to avoid moisture and mold-related problems. Handling of wood and timber
construction materials is challenging because the conditions that prevent moisture from going
into the cracks/ corners of the timber also prevent the hidden moisture in the cracks from coming
out (Birgit Ostman, Daniel Brandon & Hakan Frantzich, 2017).
I would also be concerned about the strength, durability, fire resistance and resilience of the
wood structure to external forces and natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes,
tornadoes and natural fires since timber / wooden structures are highly susceptible to these
external forces. According to Wade (1996), a complex constructed by wood frame is a danger to
the safety of fire-fighter when there is a fire outbreak. The fire-fighter should be well aware of
the risks and approach the structure with caution, having the knowledge of the high collapse
potential of the wooden structure since its tensile strength is lower than other construction
materials like concrete and steel. As the officer, I would recommend installation of fire alarms
and safety evacuation measures to be put in place. Figure 1 below shows a wood frame structure.
Figure 1. Wood frame structure

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION 2
The table below summarizes some of the codes and regulations used in building construction
Codes and regulations Impacts on building construction
International Building code (IBC) Addresses public health and safety concerns
and environmental protection in construction
activities.
Fire code Safety precautions taken against fire
outbreaks by establishing how to install
warning devices to alert, control and
extinguish fire when it breaks out.
Code Conforming Wood Design Addresses methods of establishing fire
resistance of wood and heavy timber.
Establishes criterial for finishes.
BS: Structural use of timber part 2: Code of
practice for permissible stress design,
materials and workmanship (BS 5268-2:2002)
Used in the design of structural parts of
timber for resistance in shear forces, bending
moments, tensile stresses and fire resistance.
Ethical issues
As the use of timber in construction gains momentum, ethical issues take centre stage with the
discussion revolving around cutting down of trees and the aftermath. Illegal logging of trees to
harvest timber to be used in construction causes deforestation, and is one area of concern to the
construction industry (Ostman, 2017). Deforestation has devastating long term effects including
depletion of ozone layer, loss of soil cover leading to fertile soil being swept away, increased
temperatures due to unbalanced greenhouse gasses and ultimately global warming which is a
threat to existence of humanity. This can be prevented by planting trees whenever others are
harvested. It is also important to avoid cutting down of old trees that would take a lifetime to
grow to their full sizes.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION 3
Conclusion
Wood structures presents additional safety challenges when it comes to fire and during
construction, due considerations should be taken by use of appropriate codes to come up with
fire resistant designs and proper equipment to manage fire outbreaks.
Word count=517
Evaluating the credibility of the sources used
 The author’s scholarly reputation has been looked into as the authors cited have
published scholarly and research articles.
 The in-depth analysis of the articles used is satisfactory and clearly articulates the issues
around the research.
 All the sources are peer reviewed journal articles with approved academic contents.
References

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION 4
Birgit Ostman, Daniel Brandon & Hakan Frantzich. (2017, May 2). Fire safety engineering in
timber buildings. Fire Safety Journal, 91, 11-20. Retrieved from
https://www.elsevier.com/locate/firesaf
Ostman, B. (2017, May 4). Fire performance of wood products and timber structures.
International Wood products Journal, 8(2), 74-79. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1080/20426445.2017.1320851
Wade, C. (1996, November 1). Fire Risk Assessment using the Building Fire Safety Engineering
method. Journal of Fire Protection Engineering, 8(4), 157-167.