The Modern Housing Dilemma – It’s what’s on the outside

(courtesy of Jared Goff, LT @ FCFD Training Academy) So this is a preview of what is going to come out in the Line Copy. For those that attended the last officer in service training, vinyl siding, strategy and tactics was the theme.

Enjoy!

As the first article from the Fire & Rescue Academy, I was very excited and motivated to be the author and to share some of my experiences and knowledge.

I was raised by a father who was a West Point graduate, Army Ranger, and a career officer. Needless to say I was taught about respect, for people and property. As I reflect on my childhood I recall one piece of advice that truly sticks with me and is applicable everyday; don’t judge a book by its cover. Fast forward about 15 years and I am still learning about my job and the fire service. Contrary to what I was taught, I have learned to judge each building or call to the best of my abilities utilizing training and experience.

Due to some recent significant events within the fire service, many have had a common denominator, vinyl siding. For the fire service, we should start calling it something to the effect of; wrapped solidified fuel.

Looking at some facts and figures given to us by our friends in the Fire Prevention Division and NIST, it’s very easy to see that this animal needs to be tamed quickly with the proper tools. The real bottom line for fire fighters is the speed and the fuel contribution. The table below is an item that has not been largely noted since it was first published in 1996. This is a table from NIST on tests done for untreated siding materials.Table 1. Flame extension times for untreated siding materials

[1]Siding Material Time/Initial Flame Extension Time/Flame Extension to Eave

Aluminum--------------------No extension-------------No extension

T1-11 Plywood----------------203 seconds--------------288 seconds

Vinyl---------------------------82 seconds--------------130 seconds

For the rest of the article click here.