The American Wood Council hosted a webinar in July sharing best practices for fire protection during construction to help mitigate and reduce construction fires. The 90-minute presentation introduced attendees to several recent major construction fires and their reported causes, the many fire-related hazards that exist on construction sites, and industry efforts to improve safety and reduce fire losses.
In addition, the webinar helped identify relevant International Building and Fire Code regulations, as well as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements, for fire protection safeguards during construction and solutions for developing simple fire safety strategies.
The presentation was not only informative for construction professionals tasked with developing a fire plan for buildings under construction, alteration, or demolition, but also for raising awareness of existing resources for construction site fire safety training, education, and mitigation.
In partnership with retired California State Fire Marshal Ronny J. Coleman, AWC also developed a set of fire safety best practice manuals, training videos, and a dedicated website (www.ConstructionFireSafety.org) to educate and inform building and fire safety professionals on how to prevent fires, reduce losses, and ensure fire safety at construction sites.
Additional resources mentioned in the webinar include:
In October, leading fire prevention and code organizations announced the formation of a Construction Fire Safety Coalition dedicated to reducing the occurrence of fires in buildings under construction, alteration, or demolition. The Coalition has been created in collaboration with AWC, Davidson Code Concepts, LLC, FireForceOne, International Code Council (ICC), National Association of Home Builders, National Association of State Fire Marshals, National Fire Sprinkler Association, and a representative of the Cambridge, Mass. Fire Department.
At a time when fire safety considerations are of utmost importance, it is crucial for all design and construction professionals to familiarize themselves and their teams with industry best practices and resources available to enhance fire safety at building construction sites. Together, let’s make sure every construction site is a fire-safe construction site.
And, in case you missed it, the full webinar presentation is available for viewing online. Anyone interested in joining the Construction Fire Safety Coalition can inquire at: www.constructionfiresafety.org/partners.