There is alot of this kind of construction in Western Europe, but it is becoming popular in parts of the U.S. as well.  There obvious concerns for firefighters here.  The load itself, having dirt and grass on the roof system, add water, snow or ice and it is increased even more.  Accessing and staying on a […]

On this day in 1942, 100 people lost their lives at the Knights of Columbus Hostel in St. John’s, Newfoundland.  The building was mostly wood construction and had had most of the windows boarded up and barred to meet black-out regulations during the war. At the time of the fire there were approximately 500 occupants […]

The Hotel Kerns was built in 1919 and was a brick building that boasted 162 rooms and was a favorite hot spot  noted for its bar and cafeteria. On Dec. 11, 1934 it would turn tragic when the night janitor for and adjacent business noticed flames on the 2nd floor at around 5 AM.  He […]

The day has come and will present itself more often in the future that we will be dealing with issues pertaining to “Green” buildings.  I was on a conference call today and the subject was brought up about “green” construction and codes.  The comment was made, and correctly so in my opinion, that most fire […]

This is a typical scene in just about every jurisdiction in America.  The homes are getting bigger while at the same time getting “lighter” in their construction and make-up.  Take the time to go by and look at these buildings while they are being constructed.  Identify the systems being used and the layout of the […]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/2073140320/ http://www.winecoff.org/hotel/ On this day in 1946, 119 people died in the deadliest hotel fire in American history.  The 15 story hotel was built in 1913 and was touted to be “fire proof” and was therefor built with no fire protection systems. There were no fire escapes, no spinklers, no fire alarms and all of […]

On this day in 1941, the United States was attacked by Japanese bombers.  The attack left our country stunned and was the event that officially brought America into World War II. Many brave men and women died and were injured that day along with many civilians.  Today, our service men and women fight and sacrafice […]

This is a picture of a fast food restaraunt after a fire.  The fire got into the void space and spread very quickly.  Crews were pulled out early and there were no injuries.  The building was a total loss. The focus of this picture is the fall out of from the ceiling.  As you can […]

Early Saturday in Russia, a nightclub fire reportedly claimed the lives of 101 people.  The fire is believed to have been started by “cold” fireworks, that are typically fountain type displays and burn at lower temperatures compared to typical fireworks.  With recent terrorist events, it was first feared to have been another bomb or terrorist […]

Most of you know what this is.  This is a picture of a building with bowstring trusses.  We have all heard about the dangers of these buildings and how they can collapse quickly during a fire. Many of these buildings have large storage capacities and in many cases are used as automotive repairs and sales […]