The recent structural collapse of a vacant five story building in the Tribeca section of New York City (lower Manhattan) brings to light the operational and safety issues affecting buildings of Ordinary (Type III) or Heavy Timber (Type IV) classified construction.

There are a number of excellent lessons learned from Near Miss Reports found on the National Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System. The NFF NMRS’s 2009 calendar has a monthly theme related to a near miss event report and is supported by training and informational resources that provide expanded opportunities for training and insights. The Annual Near Miss Reporting calendar is made possible through the support of FireRescue Magazine and Elsevier.

The theme for May is Structural Collapse. I developed a power point program and a supporting white paper that provides Operational and Safety Considerations for Buildings of Ordinary and Heavy Timber Construction. Check out the resources and download the program, it'll provide you with some good safety insights and operational considerations.

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/data/Resources/Calendar/NMR%20Ma...

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/data/Resources/Other/MayModulePo...