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“South Alex” Fire Provides a Lesson in the Risks of Smoking
October 4, 2021
It’s been 18 months since I had the opportunity to tour the scene of the fire that ravaged the “South Alex” project in Alexandria, Virginia. Despite the passage of time, there is value in revisiting that fire and reflecting on how the construction industry can avoid a repeat this kind of catastrophe.
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Steps for Avoiding the Next Fire Caused by Hot Work
August 24, 2021
It’s often said that “the devil is in the details.” This old idiom is something I’ve come to appreciate during my career in fire safety because paying attention to details can make all the difference in mitigating risk and avoiding costly damage and destruction.
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Building a Culture of Safety
July 22, 2021
In any work environment, it’s up to the leadership team to create a culture of safety, to place a high level of importance on safety beliefs, values and best practices that can be shared and embraced by the majority of those in the workplace. Developing and emphasizing a safety culture creates a series of positive benefits for the entire organization. On construction sites, this translates to taking every possible step to prevent a fire – either accidental or intentional.
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Chapter 33 of the International Fire Code Poised for a Makeover
June 3, 2021
When it comes to Chapter 33 of the IFC, I think we can all agree on a few things. The chapter, which deals specifically with construction fire safety, is thorough and detailed. Its provisions have clearly proven over time to help prevent the start and spread of fires at construction sites nationwide. But there is also universal agreement that the code is difficult to enforce, in large part because those charged with enforcement find it cumbersome, confusing, and disjointed.
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Arson Awareness Week 2021
April 26, 2021
The first week in May is always an important period for those of us working to educate and share best practices for preventing and reducing the number of intentionally set fires.
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Can Wireless Alert Systems Save Lives, Property at Construction Site Fires?
March 16, 2021
One of our January panelists, Joseph Cervantes, touched on an emerging new technology he believes can save lives, reduce property loss by expediting fire service response times to construction site fires after hours. So, I thought it worthwhile to reach out and dig a little deeper and allow Joseph to explain the benefits of temporary wireless alert systems, how they work and why they should be considered for use on construction sites.
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Fire Prevention Plans Critical to Preventing Construction Site Fires
February 12, 2021
The role of the Fire Prevention Manager is of critical importance. Just look at the increasing number of construction site fires in 2020 to understand the vital roles these people play and the need for all of us in the industry to make sure they have the tools and resources to do their jobs.
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New Fire Codes Aim to Prevent Construction Site Fires
January 4, 2021
The 2021 edition of the International Fire Code (IFC) will include some new provisions intended to reduce the number of fires that flare up at construction sites across the country.
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Small Site Security Investments Can Save Big Losses from Arson
November 9, 2020
I continue to be amazed at the amount of intentionally set fires that are causing hundreds of millions of dollars of losses at high profile construction sites across the country.
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2019 in Review: Construction Fire Safety Coalition Highlights
December 19, 2019
As we conclude 2019 and look forward to 2020, we’re looking back on highlights from the Construction Fire Safety Coalition and the progress we’ve made throughout the year.
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Site Security and Fire Watch: 4 Steps to Safer Construction Sites
December 2, 2019
Despite the best technology and employee training, your construction site may still be vulnerable to fire hazard without proper security and fire watch.
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Equipment Safety: Best Practices to Reduce Risk
November 18, 2019
Construction sites often require various equipment and tools to complete a project. Though necessary, these items can also be hazardous without with proper caution, maintenance, and training.
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New Resource: 5 Keys to Practicing Hot Work Safely
September 3, 2019
Hot work is one of the leading causes of construction fires.
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Commonsense Code Changes Keep Construction Sites Fire Safe
July 2, 2019
In January 2019, the governmental voting body of the International Code Council (ICC) approved changes to the International Fire Code (IFC), 2021 edition, that will aid in safeguarding construction sites.
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Upgrading the Fire Safety Measures on Construction Sites
June 4, 2019
Fire safety incidents are an everyday occurrence, with entire media reports dedicated to the failure to implement sufficient safety measures.
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LA City Construction Fire Safety Meeting
June 3, 2019
Last month, Ray O’Brocki, Fire Service Relations Manager for the AWC, participated in City of Los Angeles “Fire Safety During Construction” meeting.
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Construction Fire Safety Training for Maine Building and Fire Inspectors
May 20, 2019
AWC’s Ray O’Brocki presented two training sessions to building and fire inspectors at the Maine Building Officials & Inspectors Association 10th Annual Maine Code Conference.
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Identifying Construction Fire Risk Begins with 5 Questions
May 22, 2019
The Construction Fire Safety Coalition offers tools and resources to determine your project’s risk and keep your development and staff safe.
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How to Develop a Fire Safety Plan - Steps for Fire Safety
May 22, 2019
Regardless of materials and construction type, each building comes with potential fire hazards – hot work, electronic devices, and more, contribute to greater fire risk and are easily avoidable.
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The National Association of State Fire Marshals Publish Definitive Manual on Construction Fire Safety
Apr 26, 2019
NFPA reports that the U.S. fire service responds to an average of 8,440 fires on structures under construction, undergoing major renovation, or under demolition each year with an average fire loss of $310 million.
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2021 Code Cycle: New Construction Types, New Fire Safety Guidance
Apr 1, 2019
The International Code Council (ICC) has published the final results of the code change proposals considered in 2018, including passage of the entire package of 14 tall mass timber code change proposals.
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Construction Fire Safety Coalition Report
Mar 19, 2019
More than 100 fire protection engineers and code officials in two states obtained fire safety during construction training in the second week of March from one of the Construction Fire Safety Coalition’s (CFSC) partner members.
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Fire Prevention at Buildings Under Renovation or Construction
Mar 19, 2019
Buildings under construction or renovation are at their most vulnerable and weakest condition. Accumulation of waste combustibles, limited access, minimal water supply and hazardous operations increase the challenge. Add to this the effects of firefighting operations, increased water weight, weakened metal and support structures, and hidden hot spots, and you have a formula for disaster waiting to happen.
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A Moment of Reflection: Construction Fire Safety in 2018
Feb 14, 2019
2018 marked significant progress for the Construction Fire Safety Coalition, all to ensure our stakeholders have the right information to do their jobs, and to raise awareness about construction fire safety best practices.
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