BFS 3440-07B BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION (BFS3440-07B) Essay - 7

BFS 3440-07B BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION (BFS3440-07B) - Essay Example When high rise structures unfortunately catch a fire, both the residents/occupants and the crew face a number of challenges. Some of them are discussed below. 1- The most common challenge is to cope with the smoke. In a high rise structure building, the smoke circulates differently from that of the low rise building. The greater height of the building having a low air pressure allows the smoke to move briskly. Most of the deaths during the fire occur due to the suffocation created by the smoke. When the smoke is inhaled, it can burn the lungs. The smoke obscures the eyesight of the occupants as well as the fire fighters. Both of them can not coordinate and the delay results in the death of the occupants or collapse of the building on its occupants. 2- In the high rise structures the exit ways are very few. The scarcity of the exits is a serious challenge for the occupants as well as relievers, because removal of a great number of people through a few exits is very difficult. This lea ds to a greater death rate. 3- The high rise structures are availed by mixed types of occupancies like residences and commercials etc. which is again a challenge. The fire fighters are supposed to adopt different strategies for different occupancies. This is a time consuming procedure and encompasses great risks. 4- Fighting the fire in high rise structures is not an easy task. It requires a greater number of crew and equipments to extinguish the fire as compared in the low rise buildings. (U.S. Fire Administration,