Case one describes the scenario that occurred in 1998, on March 8 th . The incidence claimed the life of a male career firefighter. The victim passed on despite the efforts of the fellow firefighters to put out the fire and rescue him. Numerous hazards presented by the bowstring trussed roofs that are involved a fire exist ("CDC - NIOSH Publications and Products - Preventing the Injuries and the Deaths of Fire Fighters Due to Truss System Failures (2005-132)", 2016) . The first hazard is presented when the wooden-bowstring trussed roof of the building collapses and blocks the exiting route of the firefighter. More so, another prominent risk is the thick smoke that appears from the exterior, usually with just a small smoke and heat in the inner part. The vast and open truss space usually offers a big room for the smoke and heat to hide, and the intense smoke around the roof that is later built can obscure the actual type of construction. The ventilation holes also pose a big hazard of spreading the fire. The smoke on the other side blurs the visibility of any rescue team, making it too hard to carry out the operations. Lastly, the bowstring trussed roofs can collapse any time when there is an incident of fire.
Case Two
Case two presents the scenario of a 54-year-old career firefighter who died in 1998, on the 5 th of September. The victim was killed when the parapet wall exterior brick collapsed on him. However, firefighters can recognize and prevent deaths and injuries from such parapet walls by doing some things. One is that when operating in buildings with parapet walls, firefighters need to identify any cracking or bowing signs and notify the commander as fast as possible. The leader then takes the prevention measure of warning other firefighters of the danger. Secondly, the firefighters need to establish the collapse zones and rigidly enforce them using the barricade tape. The firefighters should also check the exposures of fire. Apart from checking these exposures and the extension of smoke, they also have to check the buildup of carbon monoxide in the surrounding buildings. Last but not least, the firefighters has a retreating option as well. The commander can withdraw the firefighting personnel in an appropriate manner. The staff on the other side should get out of the building when commanded, and maintain a safe distance from the collapsing point. Moreover, it is the disciplined actions of the firefighters, which will enable them to protect the exposures, put out the fire, and mitigate the adverse deaths or injuries.
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Case three
The case presents a scenario of December 28 th in the year 2000 where career firefighters were injured. A segment of the roof of the church collapsed and trapped these firefighters in the church. The roof had been made using the lightweight wooded with gusset plate connectors. As such, it is vivid that such roofs usually have some hazards.
The buildings constructed with lightweight wooden with the gusset plate connectors burn overly hot and fast. In the event of a fire break out, the fire quickly spreads. As the fire gets out of the house, it will rapidly spread upward, and it will consume everything in its path, which can burn. The fire quickly burns into the voids of the combustible truss. On entering the void, the roof decking burns and in less than five minutes, the truss can fall. Additionally, the fire goes into the overhead, and where it cannot be contained. It then penetrates through various pathways into the void spaces that are combustible. As explained, the lightweight wooden trusses with gusset plate connectors present adverse hazards to the firefighters working inside a structure fire. The fire can spread real quickly while heating and raising temperatures in the building, hence resulting in a quick collapse.
Reference
CDC – The NIOSH Publications and its Products - Preventing the Injuries and the Deaths of the Fire Fighters Due to the Truss System Failures (2005-132) . (2016). Cdc.gov . Retrieved 2 October 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-132/
