Alterations to older structures is common and often in fire and collapse situations deadly to responders. Consider the problems pointed out by the NIOSH Death in the line of duty 98F-17 case study and answer the following the following questions for this essay:
a. What part did the building design, layout and structure play in the incident which caused the loss of the fire personnel?
b. What information should have been gleaned from the exterior of the structure that the structure had been modified?
c. How could an improperly installed "relieving" wall actually strain the structure?
d. What provisions are there in your jurisdiction's codes or procedures to cover the recommendation to "ensure that modifications/renovations to buildings are in compliance with applicable building codes?
e. Life safety codes and building codes are often separate and enforced by different agencies. How are these codes and standards enforced in your jurisdiction?
f. Often there is little, if any, supervision or enforcement of modifications to single-family dwellings. What provisions are there in your area? (As an example, are decks regulated in your jurisdiction. Each year the collapse of decks is a regular headline grabber. All too often there was no inspection or no permit.)
g. Now that you have a handle on the problem-how would you go about raising the problems found in your jurisdiction to public attention and then develop a solution to the problem of unauthorized or unsafe building modifications?
Your essay should be a minimum of 3 pages not counting title and reference page. Please refer to the "Writing Expectations" heading in the syllabus for the proper formatting of your essay.
Please upload this essay to the assignment dropbox for grading.
