This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.
John Heinen is the principal fire investigator for Compass Fire Investigations and Consulting, based in Matthews, North Carolina. The opinions are the author’s own.
In my two decades as a certified fire investigator, I have seen firsthand how fire can devastate livelihoods and site assets, costing millions of dollars in damage and causing significant hits to project timelines and the reputation of the brand.
For the past six years, I have been involved in private fire investigations with my company specializing not only in fire forensics and investigations, but also in fire code consulting, compliance monitoring, safety surveys and fire prevention. insurance losses and training.
John Heinen
Permission granted by John Heinen
My experience has taught me that in today’s environment, there is no standard method for detecting a fire emergency on construction sites. In fact, many places are poorly prepared in terms of fire prevention, fire alarm initiation or detection devices and procedures, as well as alerts to fire departments to help save lives and assets from the place
Contractors are under a lot of pressure to deliver on time and under budget and as a result corners are cut and it’s hard to get past the standard “it won’t happen to me” thought process.
As a result, I believe we are at an important crossroads in fire prevention efforts, with new collaborative and digitized solutions needed. In my view, this involves a three-pronged approach: enforcement, education and partnership.
An ever-present danger
Last May, two construction workers died in a five-alarm fire at a construction site in Charlotte, North Carolina. The incident only reinforced the view that fire remains a very real and current problem for the construction industry. Figures from the National Fire Protection Association indicate that from 2017 to 2021, local fire departments in North America responded to an estimated average of 4,440 fires in structures under construction per year.
Fire can escalate quickly if not mitigated quickly, and I believe that plans and preparation for an organized evacuation of a site is still a real problem for most contractors. There is an underlying feeling that construction workers are used to working in an unstable and dynamic environment, which has a higher level of danger than the average office job.
As a result, individuals involved in construction are more likely to go investigate the source of the initial problem and then attempt to mitigate it themselves using portable fire extinguishers or alternative methods. This only adds to delays as individuals need time to notice smoke or other early signs of a fire emergency and determine it as a problem and not just hot tools or a piece of heavy equipment in motion, for example.
A collaborative approach
To overcome this, we must rely on education and training. This applies not only to contractors, but also to code inspectors, standards departments, and fire departments or fire bureaus. Each party must be educated on the latest regulations, codes, standards and best practices to implement an efficient fire prevention management plan.
NFPA is at the forefront with its 241 standard to safeguard construction, alteration and demolition operations. This helps stakeholders develop a documented fire safety plan for a construction project.
Fire investigator John Heinen collects evidence at the scene of a fire.
Permission granted by John Heinen
Although the process is robust, it has its drawbacks. Even the most recently developed codes and standards are years behind the actual date they were published. This has a knock-on effect, with local jurisdictions falling even further behind in their code cycle.
For example, the most recent edition of NFPA 241 is from 2022, but it is based on work that was started several years earlier. Many jurisdictions may be a cycle or two behind, but if a jurisdiction is two cycles behind in terms of what they are using, that means a building constructed may be developed and approved to a code that predates it by several years, which can lead to significant gaps in modern fire safety knowledge.
Additionally, there is no modern mandate for construction sites to implement wireless technologies to safeguard construction sites, which I believe is imperative if North America is to truly embrace all the possibilities modern security efforts have to offer.
Changing priorities
A complete cable system on site during the construction phase is not possible; their temporary nature means they have limited access and supply of energy. In North America and in many countries around the world, we are myopic when it comes to this phase of projects.
However, wireless systems are ready to address the current problem. Many of these technologies are portable and have long battery life. As temporary systems, they can also be reused and redeployed from site to site, which is particularly advantageous for contractors with multiple projects in one area or large sites.
As an industry, it has become standard for buildings constructed to have designated construction methods and materials, a required number of protected exits, a fully monitored fire alarm system, a sprinkler system and other safety measures, all this before receiving the habitability certificate. However, the building itself during the construction phase has far fewer requirements and, in practice, has minimal controls.
Although technology offers new possibilities, a change in attitude is necessary. A wireless system can eradicate many of the problems and hazards of temporary sites in terms of response speed and human error, acting as a 24/7 smoke and heat detection system. week, with mobile alert integration for fire program managers. When manual methods are not enough, we must rely on technology, and we must treat the temporary phase of construction with the same level of fire safety importance as the finished product.
Future-proof fire safety
Now is the time for all stakeholders in the construction and fire safety process to collaborate, educate and train on the best practices and possibilities offered by wireless safety technology. Accidents can and will happen, so it’s important that “safety first” is widely adopted in a site manager’s vocabulary.
Contractors may have to spend a little more to improve fire prevention efforts, but that’s nothing compared to the bigger picture of these projects, which are often measured in years and tens of millions of dollars. along with the enormous cost associated with fire loss at the site. . This is simply a price that cannot be assigned.
