DEFENCE FORCES FIRE SERVICE TRAINING SCHOOL
ADVANCED FIRE COURSE
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Fire students and fire authorities are to equip themselves with the knowledge of building
construction for the purpose of safeguarding the lives of occupants and preserve the structure from
attack by fire. It will also help them when writing a fire report concerning buildings.
USES OF BUILDINGS
The three kinds of building occupancies recognized by building by-laws for many years are:-
(i) Domestic buildings – used by people as residential (dwelling) buildings.
(ii) Public buildings – these are used as institutional buildings e.g. Hospitals, schools, offices etc.
(iii) Warehouse or industrial buildings –used for manufacturing or processing of goods. Factories
are examples of this class of buildings.
In all these kinds of buildings, they are built with materials which react differently when involved
in a fire.
(i) Some materials fall without warning when water jets are applied on them
(ii) Others when burning exit toxic fumes
(iii) Some disintegrate under intense heat.
TYPES OF BUILDINGS
a. Steel framed structures – constructed by skeleton steel and reinforced Concrete frame systems
of construction. E.g. Most tall buildings.
The frames support the floors, roofs and walls. These loads are carried on girders which are then
transmitted to stanchions to the foundation which supports the stanchions.
b. Timber framed structures.
A building constructed of timber is labelled a temporary building.
They are temporary building because when exposed to weather they are subject to rapid
deterioration.
c. Unframed buildings
Load bearing external walls build of bricks, concrete blocks or stone to bear the weight of floors
and roofs. Examples are in the domestic kind of buildings.
d. Semi-framed buildings.
They differ from unframed construction in two areas:-
Where a large open floor is required, the internal load bearing walls are removed and
replaced by horizontal beams and vertical columns.
Where outer load bearing walls are removed and are replaced by beams and stanchions.
N.B.
Where the frame is of metal construction, it is encased in one of the following fire resistant
materials:-
a. Brick work or stone masonry.
b. Fire resistant cladding.
c. Concrete, minimum thickness 50.8mm.
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Protection of steel work
(i) Every load bearing steel work should be properly protected against attack by corrosion
(ii) Rust can have over a period of time bring a serious effect on the structural strength of steelwork.
(iii) Coat the steel with paint having a bituminous base or Portland cement slurry.
FIRE PROTECTION IN BUILDING (STRUCTURAL FIRE PROTECTION) COVERS ;-
a. Elements of structure are to be ‘FIRE RESISTANCE’
b. The elements of structure are foundation, walls, floors beams, columns, doors etc.
c. They are supposed to resist fire attack by not having qualities which will worsen the situation.
d. Situation of adjacent building in relation to other buildings of low or high fire risk.
e. The accessibility of the building to permit free operation of fire appliances. A building should
be reached without any hindrance.
f. The degree of flammability of the contents. What are the safety measures to property and lives
if the building contains highly flammable contents.
g. The building capacity and occupancy characteristics.
h. The provision of adequate and suitable FAFAS. Also the provision of fire detection
installations, e.g. Sprinklers smoke detectors etc.
g. The standard of house-keeping and proper escape provisions to ensure safe evacuation of the
building in a fire emergency. This involves exists and refuse disposal pits which are very necessary
as far as tidiness is concerned.
CONSTRUCTION OF FLOORS
The upper floors usually form the horizontal subdivisions in
a. Storey buildings designed to support ‘dead’ and 'imposed’ loads.
The fireman should bear in mind that floors can be excessively overloaded during a fire in a
building to consequential structural collapse.
b. Types of floors
(i) Timber floors
(ii) Concrete floors
Floor surface finishes:-
(i) Concrete
(ii) Floor boards
(iii) Floor tiles.
CONSTRUCTION OF ROOFS
a. Roofs are either pitched or flat. E.g. Multi-storey car parks are usually flat.
b. The triangulated trusses may be constructed entirely of timber or steel or a combination of both
c. In large fires even those of steel do collapse, therefore the fireman must be very careful when
battling such fires.
FORMS OF COLLAPSE
Before a building collapses it will show some signs like:-
(i)Spilling of mortar
(ii)Displacement of steel girders supporting joists or beams.
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(iii) Sagging floors/beams and gaps between edges of floors and walls.
(iv) Cracking of outer load bearing walls,
PANCAKE COLLAPSE
a. Where outer load bearing walls are blown outwardly, floors and compartment walls collapse in heap
separated by the furnishings.
b. Survivals may be located in voids created by furnishings.
LEAN-TO COLLAPSE
a. Where the floor may remain attached to one load bearing wall. The opposite damaged load
bearing wall may have caused the upper floor to drop on one side.
b. Survival areas: - A void may be created beneath the undamaged wall. Those who were below
that floor could be found in that void.
V-SHAPE COLLAPSE
a. Floors that have broken across the centre of the joists crash down to form a ‘v’.
b. Survival areas:-Voids may have been created either side of the lowest floors.
SOME BUILDING TERMS
FIRE LOBBY - A space within building designed to delay the passage or facilitate the control of
fire.
FIRE BARRIER- A wall, floor or ceiling or other elements so constructed as to delay the passage
of fire.
FIRE CHECK DOOR – Operate on the same principle of metallic sprinkler, heat at temp of
approx. 70oC. When the sprinkler breaks, the weight will go down and the door closes.
FIRE RESISTING DOOR- Prevents and resists the spread of smoke and hot gases.
SEPARATING WALL- A wall which is common to two adjoining buildings completely vertical
including any roof space is called a separating wall. It is considered in a situation where we have
buildings of low or high fire risk. If an opening is necessary as a means of escape from fire, should
be fitted with a fire resisting door.
