Running head: FIRE INSPECTION CASE STUDY 1

Fire inspection case study

Student’s Name

Institution
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Fire inspection case study

The Chicago, IL fire accident that claimed the life of a firefighter was tragic although it

could have been avoided. By the time the team arrived at the scene, the fire had already spread.

However, since everyone who resided there at that time was secure, the firefighters ought to have

assessed the building more to avoid possible casualties.

On November 2, 2012, a residential 2 ½ story apartment caught fire. A group of

firefighters was dispatched, among them was a 54-year captain who sustained fatal injuries

resulting in loss of life. The materials used in the construction of the building included wood

planks and vinyl. Also, the interior walls had been covered with lumber. The roofing had asphalt

shingles on the wood planking, while the attic together with the porch floors had strand boards.

Upon arrival and conducting the sweep on the source of the fire, the captain together with

another firefighter proceeded to the second floor with 1 ¾ hose. The fire resulted in increased

temperature and pressure leading to the folding of the door, thus allowing the passage which

ended up striking the captain. The fire was travelling from the areas of low density to high

density, looking for more fuel. The collapsing of the second-floor door allowed more fire to

travel through due to more fuel coming from the door that the firefighter used to enter.

The fire usually travels from regions that have less fuel. Therefore, when the firefighters

opened the doors on the first flow, the fire altered its course path to the new ventilation.

Additionally, the build-up of heat and gases on the second floor resulted from failure to cut holes

in the roof to redirect the heat (Anderson & Ezekoye, 2019).

There are several factors the contributes to the increase in the size of the fire. These

include oxygen and fuel and eliminating any of them causes the fire to cease (National Fire

Protection Association, 2015). As a result, the material used in construction of the house
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including lumber, vinyl and wood planks acted as fuel which leads to increased fire. Also, uses

of water to suppress fire helps in reducing the temperature, which would have prevented the

buckling of the door. Based on the building codes, the residential had used the wrong type of the

door.

In this case, there some building codes that were violated in the construction of the house.

Among them is code chapter 15-8-120 which dictates on how the interior of the house should be

designed. These include the staircases or any other openings which would, in turn, helps in

preventing the spreading of the fire. Also, there should be designed in such a way that it would

be easier to exit incise of any emergency. Additionally, the materials used including pipes should

be insulated such that they can withstand the fire for more than hour.

Some of the lessons learned include; before, getting inside the house, the firefighters

should use water while outside to suppress the fire, which would, in turn, reduce the heat and

pressure. This would have prevented folding of the door and possible loss of life. Additionally,

ventilation should have been created first to redirect the heat radiation, which would have

prevented the fire flowing to first floor.

FIRE INSPECTION CASE STUDY 4

Reference

Anderson, A., & Ezekoye, O. A. (2018). Quantifying generalized residential fire risk using

ensemble fire models with survey and physical data. Fire Technology, 54(3), 715-747.

National Fire Protection Association (2015). Fire Inspection: Principles and Practice. 1st ed.

Bristol: Jones and Barlett Learning International.