Music City Convention Center- Nashville, TN
This huge convention center located in the heart of Nashville, TN is a Type II Building, which is Non-Combustible. There is a ton of unprotected steel on this building which is a noncombustible material. It expands significantly when heated, which could either push a wall out or, if it is confined, twist and turn, with the possibility of structural members falling. The biggest concern is all of the unprotected steel on this building, its big, it’s heavy and once it starts failing it could definitely be a huge safety issue! Another concern could be the contents inside the center. Such as tables, chairs, pictures, sculpture etc…
Type III- Ordinary
Brick Home- Rosemont, IL
This is my friend’s house in Rosemont, IL and it is a Type III building, which is Ordinary. This is an Ordinary Building Construction because it has brick walls with a wooden roof. It is a huge concern for firefighters because there is no fire resistance for the structural frame, floors, ceilings, or roofs. Collapse of masonry walls is also a concern. These types of houses and building have a long history of having difficult fires. Another issue with these other homes is if they had any renovations. This one I know for sure has had a ton of upgrades done to the inside and outside, which would need to be factored in incase of a fire.
Type V- Wood Frame
Beerline B Apartments, Milwaukee, WI
Here we have my apartment complex which is a Type V- Wood Frame building. This is the most commonly used type of construction. Fire department concerns could be that there are void spaces everywhere and these components use a lot of glue to help keep them together. Fire travels thru combustible voids. Also, keep in mind that some of these wood frame buildings look like masonry or brick, or type 3 buildings. These are just veneers and we need to understand the challenges dangers associated with that. The