AWC Releases Construction Fire Best Practice Manuals, Website

LEESBURG, Va. – The American Wood Council recently released three manuals and a website designed to inform developers, local building departments and fire departments on how to prevent and reduce fire losses in buildings under construction.

“This is a timely and relevant topic, in large part due to the significant impacts large construction fires have,” said AWC Director of Fire Technology Kuma Sumathipala. “More importantly, the fires that have occurred were preventable by adhering to the best practices outlined in these materials.”

A series of three manuals were developed in a cooperative effort between AWC and FireforceOne, a consulting firm led by former California State Fire Marshall Ronny Coleman. The manuals are:

• Basic Fire Precautions during Construction of Large Buildings – applies to the design and planning stages, as well as the actual construction of buildings
• Hot Work during Construction of Large Buildings – describes best management practices of hot work, which is likely to reduce the occurrence of large loss fires more than any other specific topic with buildings under construction
• Fire Department’s Role in Prevention and Suppression of Fires during Construction of Large Buildings – outlines pre-fire planning for large building projects, and prepares tactics and strategy for a fire if it occurs.

“The trend and pattern of these types of fires show an increasing percentage are resulting in large financial losses. Our research into the causes and outcomes of these fires point to the need for more construction-site accountability and enforcement of existing fire and building codes in order to minimize the risks,” said AWC President & CEO Robert Glowinski.

In 2014, the International Code Council convened a series of roundtables to engage members and multi-disciplinary stakeholders in a discussion about emerging safety issues. One such roundtable discussion focused on fires in multi-story buildings under construction.

Prior to the ICC roundtables, AWC and FireforceOne had established a working group of international stakeholders with diverse perspectives on construction site fire safety to guide development of these materials.

The manuals are available for free download at: www.ConstructionFireSafetyPractices.com.