The firefighter must understand building construction in order to understand the behavior of buildings under fire conditions. Meanwhile, building construction and materials are constantly changing. The firefighter must contend not only with the variety of buildings as they are currently being constructed, but also with a variety of buildings that were constructed with materials and methods that may now be obsolete. Unfortunately for fire suppression personnel, buildings may have been designed without regard for fire safety.
The 2nd edition provides the reader with basic information about how buildings are designed and constructed and how this relates to fire control and prevention. This new edition also includes case studies of the lessons learned from the behavior of buildings under fire conditions. This manual has value for fire inspectors, pre-incident planners, fireground commanders, and investigators as well as firefighters.
It includes numerous case studies, a glossary, and bibliography notes for each chapter and is fully illustrated with photographs and drawings.
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