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Demonstrating Fire Spread via Vent Stacks

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Why firefighters and fire codes are important 💪 #firefighters #firecode #carpentry #building

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What happens here

Using a mock-up featuring a vertical vent pipe running from a simulated basement level up through a roof structure, a fire is started at the base of the vent. The demonstration clearly shows that smoke and heat quickly travel up the vent pipe, emerging from the top onto the roof level. This illustrates how fire can spread rapidly and extensively through a building via utility shafts or vent stacks, potentially reaching higher floors without immediate detection.

Goal: Show how fire can spread vertically through vent stacks

Tools and materials

  • Small Fire Source — To generate smoke and heat to demonstrate vertical fire spread
  • Vent Stack Model Custom Built — To simulate fire traveling up a building's ventilation system

What they say

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and a fire starts on a lower level, this heat allows this to rise and come out in higher floor levels. If a fire starts and you install blocking, blocking helps contain the fire to the first floor. Another common place is your vent. If a fire starts in the basement, this can cause a fire to go up your stack and into higher floors without being recognized. Here's an example of a roof with OSB. Rafters will typically run from the top of the ridge all the way down to the bottom of the bearing wall. Rafters are often 2 by 6s or bigger, but if it's a truss, it could

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