Abstract
The veritable discarding of these exceptional structures, often times too expensive to either modernize or demolish, allowed these once proud structures to not only fall into disrepair and essentially crumble, but has also led to numerous massive fires in the last three decades. This chapter will chronicle not only the abandonment and disintegration of heavy timber buildings, but a series of catastrophic fires such as the 1999 Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire, among others. As such, this chapter will not only reflect the visible decline of the construction type, but allows for an unimpeded view into the structures’ ability to resist and withstand fire, essentially to perform the function that the building type was specifically designed for.
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Notes
- 1.
Technical Services Division, Heavy Timber Construction Details, (Washington, D.C.: National Lumber Manufacturers Association, 1961).
- 2.
Robert H. White, Reporting of Fire Incidents in Heavy Timber Structures, (Madison: Forest Products Laboratory, 1985), p. 1.
- 3.
James Patterson, Simplified Design for Building Fire Safety, (New York: Wiley, 1993), pp. 110–111.
- 4.
Patterson, p. 111.
- 5.
Francis L. Brannigan and Glenn P. Corbett, Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service, 4th ed., (Sudbury, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 2007), p. 157.
- 6.
Brannigan, p. 157.
- 7.
John Norman, Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics, (Tulsa, OK: PennWell, 2005), p. 389.
- 8.
Norman, p. 389.
- 9.
Norman, p. 389.
- 10.
Brannigan, p. 157.
- 11.
Dunn, p. 148.
- 12.
Dunn, p. 148.
- 13.
Dunn, p. 148.
- 14.
Manju Mittal, ‘Explosion Hazard and Safety in Industries Handling Grain Products.’ Journal of Engineering Research and Studies, IV.3 (2013), p. 2.
- 15.
Henry A. Fiske, Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, 1 (1907), pp. 74–75.
- 16.
Fire-Rated Systems, (Tacoma: APA—The Engineered Wood Association, 1999).
- 17.
Brannigan, p. 159.
- 18.
Robert H. White, ‘Post-Fire Analysis of Solid-Sawn Heavy Timber Beams.’ Structure Magazine, November 2013.
- 19.
Superior Fire Resistance, (Centennial: American Institute of Timber Construction, 2003).
- 20.
Superior Fire Resistance, 2003.
- 21.
Christopher Naum, ‘Lessons from the Fireground-1958: Wooster Street Fire & Collapse.’ Fireground Leadership, 16 February 2015.
- 22.
Naum, 2015.
- 23.
Gene Warner, ‘30 Years Later, Survivors Recount Horror of Propane Blast.’ Buffalo News, 21 December 2013.
- 24.
Warner, 2013.
- 25.
Lindsey Gruson, ‘Illegally Stored Propane Is Blamed for Blast That Killed 6 in Buffalo.’ The New York Times, 29 December 1983.
- 26.
J. Gordon Routley, Detroit Warehouse Fire Claims Three Firefighters, (Emmitsburg: United States Fire Administration, 1987), p. 1.
- 27.
Routley, pp. 2–3.
- 28.
Routley, pp. 7–10.
- 29.
Richard W. Braddee, Six Career Fire Fighters Killed in Cold-Storage and Warehouse Building Fire-Massachusetts, (Washington: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2000), p. 1.
- 30.
Braddee, p. 4.
- 31.
Commonwealth vs. Thomas S. Levesque, Superior Court of Massachusetts, March 2002.
- 32.
Christine Byers, ‘St. Louis Blaze That Burned 18 Hours Now Out, Under Investigation.’ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9 December 2011.
- 33.
Willis Group Holdings—North America, Strategic Outcomes Practice, Managing Risks in Vacant and Idle Buildings, (Chicago: Willis, 2010).
- 34.
Christopher J. Naum, National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System May-Structural Collapse, (Washington: Command Institute, 2015), p. 11.
- 35.
Mike Coffey, ‘Building Construction: How It Effects Your Firefighting.’ Carolina Fire Journal, (2011).
- 36.
Michael L. Smith, ‘Heavy Timber Construction: What Firefighters Need to Know.’ Firehouse Magazine, 1 July 2000.
- 37.
Thurston County Washington, Fire Flow Requirements 2013, (Olympia: Thurston County, 2013).
- 38.
‘Fighting Fire.’ Outlook, 5 October 1921, p. 163.
References
Braddee, Richard W. 2000. Six Career Fire Fighters Killed in Cold-Storage and Warehouse Building Fire-Massachusetts. Washington: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Brannigan, Francis L., and Glenn P. Corbett. 2007. Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service, 4th ed. Sudbury, MA: National Fire Protection Association.
Byers, Christine. 2011. St. Louis Blaze That Burned 18 Hours Now Out, Under Investigation. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, December 9.
Coffey, Mike. 2011. Building Construction: How It Effects Your Firefighting. Carolina Fire Journal.
Commonwealth vs. Thomas S. Levesque, Superior Court of Massachusetts, March 2002.
1921. Fighting Fire. Outlook, October 5, p. 163.
1999. Fire-Rated Systems. Tacoma: APA—The Engineered Wood Association.
Fiske, Henry A. 1907. Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association 1: 74–75.
Gruson, Lindsey. 1983. Illegally Stored Propane Is Blamed for Blast That Killed 6 in Buffalo. The New York Times, December 29.
Mittal, Manju. 2013. Explosion Hazard and Safety in Industries Handling Grain Products. Journal of Engineering Research and Studies IV(3).
Naum, Christopher J. 2015. National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System May-Structural Collapse. Washington: Command Institute.
Norman, John. 2005. Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics. Tulsa, OK: Penn Well.
Patterson, James. 1993. Simplified Design for Building Fire Safety. New York: Wiley.
Routley, J. Gordon. 1987. Detroit Warehouse Fire Claims Three Firefighters. United States Fire Administration: Emmitsburg.
Smith, Michael L. 2000. Heavy Timber Construction: What Firefighters Need to Know. Firehouse Magazine, July 1.
2003. Superior Fire Resistance. Centennial: American Institute of Timber Construction.
Technical Services Division. 1961. Heavy Timber Construction Details. Washington, D.C.: National Lumber Manufacturers Association.
2013. Thurston County Washington. Fire Flow Requirements 2013. Olympia: Thurston County.
Warner, Gene. 2013. 30 Years Later, Survivors Recount Horror of Propane Blast. Buffalo News, December 21.
White, Robert H. 2013. Post-Fire Analysis of Solid-Sawn Heavy Timber Beams. Structure Magazine, November.
White, Robert H. 1985. Reporting of Fire Incidents in Heavy Timber Structures. Madison: Forest Products Laboratory.
Willis Group Holdings—North America Strategic Outcomes Practice. 2010. Managing Risks in Vacant and Idle Buildings. Chicago: Willis.
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Heitz, J. (2016). The Performance of Heavy Timber Construction. In: Fire Resistance in American Heavy Timber Construction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32128-8_6
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