Fire containment in wood construction doesn’t just happen

Abstract

Regardless of the type of construction, structures capable of containing a fully developed fire do not just happen. Fire walls or area separation walls play an important role in the building codes in that they allow each portion of a building separated by such walls to be treated as a separate building. Attention to construction details is critical to maximizing the ability of a structure to contain a fire until its extinguishment. Unprotected joints, gaps, and penetrations can affect the fire resistance of an otherwise well-constructed assembly. In the case of fires originating in concealed spaces, firestopping and draft stopping can be important factors in preventing the spread of a fire within the concealed space. Spread of interior fires is typically controlled by compartmentalization. Within such compartments, rated assemblies and unrated assemblies may intersect. The construction detail of the intersection of a non-rated assembly and a fire-rated assembly can be critical in ensuring that the fire resistance of the rated assembly is maintained as intended. In the case of fires in the wildland-urban interface, failure to protect penetrations and other gaps in the protective membrane can allow burning brands to enter the interior and concealed spaces and thereby ignite combustibles not exposed to the outside.

Citation

White, Robert H.; Sumathipala, Kuma. 2007. Fire containment in wood construction doesn’t just happen. Wood Protection 2006 : March 21-23, 2006 ... New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Madison, WI : Forest Products Society, c2007: ISBN: 1892529483: pages 67-75.