April 17, 2006—A new report shows balanced design using concrete masonry construction to save lives and protect property from building fires is also a wise economic choice.
The report has been released by the Fire Safety Construction Advisory Councils representing New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. Haas Architects and Engineers of State College, Pennsylvania, were commissioned by the councils to conduct the study seeking to compare costs between light construction and noncombustible fire containment construction such as concrete masonry.
Walter Schneider, PhD, PE, Principal and Chief Engineer at Haas Architects and Engineers explains, “Existing U.S. building codes, standards and construction favor the use of light construction over noncombustible fire containment construction even though fire kills more Americans annually than all other natural disasters combined. The United States has one of the worst fire safety records among industrialized nations around the world. This situation exists despite a prevalent use of detection systems, tough code requirements for sprinklers, and some of the best trained and equipped fire service and emergency response teams.”
The National Concrete Masonry Association is the national trade association representing the concrete masonry industry. For more information, visit the Web site.
