Masonry Magazine February 2014 Page. 18
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Buildings stand a better chanceofsurvivingaflre whencladwlthbrlck.
Fire Safety Through Brick
The brick: It wraps itself around your most prized possessions -unless, of course, you live in a house clad with lesser materials. And those prized possessions? You and your loved ones who dwell inside those four walls. It just makes sense to protect them with the exceptional fire resistance and durability of brick and other masonry products.
By John Swink
DAY, MOST HOUSES -AND EVEN MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENTS ND CONDOMINIUMS -are built with wood framing. You may not alize this, but wood burns. When the wood in your house begins to bum,
that is called a ~structure fire."
From that moment, the siz.e of the fire doubles every 60 sec�not burn, and will protect it from outside fir es for an hour or onds. A twn-inch wood floor joist or wall stud will burn more. That cladding is fired clay brick. through in about three minutes. It takes only 20 minutes for a fire to consume the entire building. That leaves only minutes Proven fire protection or, pcrhaps,just seconds for you and your family to escape. BRICK INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS have long recognized
Fires can start within the building from cooking appliances. the exceptional fire resistance ofgenuine clay brick. So, in 2006, Faulty wiring is another cause of fires, especially in older hous�the Brick Industry Association decided to put its money where its es. But fires also can start outside the house from charcoal grills, mouth was. We built five wall panels with brick and other grass fires, and heat from nearby house fires. It only makes claddings and conducted ASTM El 19 full-scale fire tests. F.ach sense to protect your house and family with a cladding that will panel was 10 feet square and made oftwo-by-four wood framing.
16 MASONRY � February 2014 � www.masoncontractors.org The Voice of the Masonry Industry