Fire Chief Urges Selectmen To Adopt 'Life Saving' Bylaw

If firefighters are warned ahead of time that a structure is built with lightweight truss construction systems, it is the difference between life and death, Danvers Fire Chief Kevin Farrell told the at last week's meeting. 

Farrell is proposing a bylaw that would place decals on all entrances of buildings built with trusses, to act as a warning to firemen entering a burning building.

With the growing number of buildings built with this material, roughly 60 percent or more now in the United States, Farrell said the plan of action changes when a burning building is built with trusses.  

Farrell explained that homes and businesses built using lightweight truss construction systems are safe, except when exposed to fire. At that point, the trusses can fail and cannot support their structure, whether it's a floor or rooftop.

Some selectmen questioned if there was a database that the could compile with a list of buildings built with trusses. Farrell said while the town is aware of the business entities that are built with trusses, they do not have the data on residences.

When a building is burning, seconds of computing data and looking up a list can be the difference between life and death, Farrell said.

"Safety is more important than aesthetics," Selectman Gardner Trask said. "But I'm wondering if there is another way to have this information."

Farrell urged the Selectmen to watch a Youtube video of the recent fire in Michigan, where a firefighter is seen pulling his brothers from a collapsing roof.

"It will certainly show why I support this bylaw," he said.

If the bylaw is approved, firefighters would identify truss-constructed buildings during smoke detection system inspections or on their normal calls.

Selectmen will voice their opinions on the bylaw, and will decide if it should be a warrant on the May 21 Town Meeting agenda at the at 7 p.m.