Building Construction Related to the Fire Service, 4th Edition

The basic fire suppression mission of a firefighter is to enter a burning structure, rescue occupants and extinguish the fire. The firefighter enters an unknown environment. Effective and safe fire fighting in a structure requires the firefighter to understand building construction, building materials and the impact of fire on buildings.

The landscape of communities today include buildings made of modern, engineered materials as well as legacy buildings constructed in the early twentieth century or before, and everything in between. All members of the fire service regardless of their area of responsibility need an understanding of how structures are built, the nature of the construction materials, and how the buildings are likely to respond under fire conditions.

This new edition provides information about building design, construction, construction materials and how these relate to emergency operations. The information is important for fire prevention and for fire fighting strategy and tactics. Knowledge of building construction is vital when enforcing fire codes, inspecting buildings, developing pre-incident plans, fighting fire, directing fire ground operations, performing the duties of the incident safety officer, or investigating fires. A thorough understanding of building construction enables fire department personnel to make better and safer decisions to protect people and property.

This textbook is designed to meet the objectives identified in the model course outline for Building Construction for Fire Protection as established by the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) initiative of the United States Fire Administration (USFA).

Although this text is not based on an NFPA® standard, it includes content related to requisite knowledge from NFPA® 1001, 1006, 1021, and 1031.

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