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Energy Efficient Windows Can Melt Vinyl Siding

The Effect of Reflected Sunlight from Low-e and other Double Paned Window Glass on Vinyl Siding:

OVERVIEW

Glass in double paned windows may on occasion slightly warp or deflect due to a difference in barometric pressure between the interior of the glass panes and the outside air pressure. This can create a concavity in the glass. Such a concavity is a normal response to pressure differences, does not affect the performance of the window, and does not constitute a defective window condition. However,the concavity may focus sunlight reflected from the window in a fashion similar to the effect seen when light passes through a magnifying glass. The heat generated by the focused reflected sunlight has proven sufficient to visibly damage and distort vinyl siding on nearby houses. Any double paned window may cause this effect, but double paned low-e windows have a higher reflectivity quotient which can exacerbate the reflected light/vinyl distortion phenomenon.

VINYL SIDING

The Vinyl Siding Institute (VSI) states that temperature ranges beginning at 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit can soften normal grades of vinyl siding. Darker colors absorb more heat, and will soften before lighter colors of siding. Heat generated from double paned low-e window reflected sunlight has been measured in excess of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, more than sufficient to soften and distort any normal grade or color of vinyl siding. There have been some reports of reflected sunlight damage to materials other than vinyl siding. Occasional wood discoloration and charring, and damage to paint and other plastics (e.g.,decking, window lineals, trim), have all been reported.

REFLECTED SUNLIGHT EFFECT

The use of double paned low-e windows will not necessarily result in any damaging reflected sunlight incident. A combination of contributing factors must be present before the effect occurs or causes damage to any nearby materials, including vinyl siding. The presence of the concavity in the double glass panes (resulting in the magnifying glass effect with a focused light beam) appears to be the primary cause of the heat generation, more so than the mere increased reflectivity of the low-e window. The angle of the sun is also a factor. A low angle of sunlight (such as might occur in late fall, winter, or early spring) is more likely to produce the effect. Other factors, such as proximity to the adjoining house, wind speed, air temperature, and the presence of buffering foliage are all said to have an impact on whether a damaging reflected sunlight effect does in fact occur.

Vinyl siding and insulating windows both have very large market penetration. Vinyl siding has been the most used siding product on new single-family homes in the U.S. every year since 1994. It was applied to 35% of all new homes built during that time frame. The majority of new vinylsided homes are in the south (40%), midwest (35%), and northeast (19%) (U.S. Census Bureau 2009). Based on sales data and projections from 1999 to 2019, approximately 45% of residential vinyl siding is, or will be, used in the new construction market; the remainder will be used for retrofits and repairs (Freedonia Group, Inc. 2009).

The U.S. Department of Energy and model energy codes have made improved residential energy efficiency a national priority. Therefore, standards have called for increasingly stringent energy efficiency requirements for windows. The performance levels achieved by insulating windows are mandated by nearly all local building energy codes for both new construction and replacement in existing buildings. Windows are typically designed to meet the requirements of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), the most commonly adopted model energy code in the U.S. for residential buildings. To meet IECC’s U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) requirements insulating double-pane windows with low-emissivity (low-e) coatings are often used.

Videos:

Additional Links:

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/window-reflections-can-melt-vinyl-siding

http://www.nachi.org/low-e-windows.htm

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/8386

Reports:

E windows LBNL-5022E

E windows 020410-NAHB+Study

If you have had and fires or incidents involving Low - E Windows and Vinyl Siding? I would love to hear from you. Please email me @greenmaltese@gmail.com

A special thanks to Chief Kevin A. Gallagher for bringing this issue to my attention.

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings Report

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Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings

Author: Brian Meacham, Brandon Poole, Juan Echeverria and Raymond Cheng, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Re-posted by permission of Brian Meacham NFPA

Introduction
Many new commercial facilities are being designed and constructed with an objective of achieving a “green building” certification. There are many sustainable building features and products that singly or together may have an impact on fire safety unless there is a design approach which mitigates those effects. The Foundation commissioned this study to develop a baseline of information on the intersection of “green building” design and fire safety and to identify gaps and specific research needs associated with understanding and addressing fire risk and hazards with green building design.

Executive Summary:

A global literature review was undertaken to (a) identify actual incidents of fires in green buildings or involving green building elements, (b) identify issues with green building elements or features which, without mitigating strategies, increase fire risk, decrease safety or decrease building performance in comparison with conventional construction, (c) identify reports, studies and best practice cases which speak to the issue of addressing fire risk introduced by specific green building design elements, and (d) identify research studies in which building safety, life safety and fire safety have been incorporated as an explicit element in green building indices. In addition, consideration was given to how one might express the level of increased risk or hazard, or decreased performance, associated with fire performance of green building features. Steps were also taken to identify gaps and specific research needs associated with understanding and addressing fire risk and hazards with green building design. Brian Meacham et al, Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings (Fire Protection Research Foundation, 2012), p.2

Full Report Link:

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on December 3, 2012 • Filed under: Building Construction • Tagged: Brian Meacham, Building Construction, eco-friendly products, Fire Safety, Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings, Firefighter Safety, Fires in Green Buildings, Green, Green Building Access Hazards, Green Building Design, Green Building Hazards for Firefighters, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, Green Roofs, greenmaltese.com, Hazards of Modern Roofs, John Shafer, NFPA, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, Recycled Materials, Solar Energy, Structural Insulated Panels, Sustainable, Sustainable Design

Expect more Foam Sheathing Insulation

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 6, 2012) – The Foam Sheathing Committee (FSC) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), through an industry effort, achieved an important change in gaining broad acceptance of a performance-based standard for the use of foam insulation products in all code complying commercial applications during the recent International Building Code (IBC) Final Action Hearings in Portland, Oregon. The International Code Council (ICC) approved for inclusion in the 2015 International Building Codes the Structural Building Components Association’s (SBCA) FS 100-2012: Standard Requirements for Wind Pressure Resistance and Foam Plastic Insulating Sheathing Used in Exterior Wall Covering Assemblies.

Full Original Press Release:

Why is Foam Sheathing Insulation being used more than ever before?

Residential housing design continues to move towards the development of high performance sustainable building systems. To be sustainable, a building must not only be efficient and durable but also economically viable. From this, new methods of enclosure design have been examined that provide high thermal performance and long-term durability but also take opportunities to reduce material use (including waste), simplify or integrate systems and details, and potentially reduce overall initial costs of construction.

One concept relating to enclosure design is to incorporate the use exterior foam insulating sheathing into the construction of the wall assembly. As with any building enclosure system, appropriate detailing for the management of water, vapor, and energy transfer are necessary.

Foam Material Properties:

There are three main types of insulating sheathing currently being used in the industry: Expanded

Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), and Polyisocyanurate (Polyiso).

Each of these products all has a different set of physical properties that will affect the dynamic of the wall assemblies in regards to the transmission and management of heat and moisture.

Types of Foam

Insulating foam sheathings are split into two basic categories: 1) thermoplastics, 2) thermosets. Both EPS and XPS foams are thermoplastic foams, while Polyisocyanurate is a thermoset foam.

Thermoplastics

Thermoplastics are based on linear or slightly branched (non-cross linked) polymers. These foams have a definite melting range and will soften and melt at elevated temperatures. They are also more prone to react and degrade when in contact with some organic solvents as found in some paints, adhesives, and fuels.

Therefore it is important to only use manufacturer approved compatible materials when using thermoplastic foams.

Of the thermoplastic foams, EPS and XPS are the most common used in the industry. Both products are based on polystyrene resin and are considered to be closed cell.

The manufacturing of EPS involves the expanding of polystyrene beads to fill a mold. The densities of EPS foam can be varied if desired. Increased density results in increased thermal resistance and compressive strength. The density of the product also affects the vapor transmission. While EPS is a closed cell foam (slow water vapor and air transmission through the cell walls), the gaps between the cells will still allow for moisture to pass through the matrix. With increased density, these spaces are reduced and the ability of the foam to allow water transmission is reduced.

XPS foams are formed by mixing molten polystyrene with a blowing agent at the correct time, at an elevated temperature, and at an elevated pressure and then extruding the foam through a die to the atmosphere. This creates a more regular cell structure providing for better strength properties and higher water resistance that EPS foams. The density of XPS foams can also be varied, allowing for increased compressive strength, however due to the more regular cell structure, this has little to no effect on the vapor transmission properties.

Thermosets

Thermoset plastics are based on cross linked polymers. This will allow thermoset plastics to be used for higher temperature applications as they do not usually exhibit a melting range and will instead char and burn. Thermoset foams are also generally more resistant to solvents and chemicals.

The most common thermoset foam on the market is polyisocyanurate. While traditional polyurethane foams were created by reacting isocyanate with polyol (and other blowing agents, catalysts, and surfactants) polyisocyanurate foams can theoretically be created with no polyol, using only isocyanate reacting with itself (and other blowing agents, catalysts, and surfactants). In general though, commercial polyisocyanurate foam used in the market is really polyurethane foam modified with polyisocyanurate or a “blend” of the two foams. The use of the blend increases the fire resistance while maintaining the thermal resistance and strength of the material.

Polyisocyanurate Burn Video:

Additional Information:

Foam Plastic Insulating Sheathing Comparison of Fire Performance Link:

http://fsc.americanchemistry.com/Exterior-Walls/Continuous-Insulation-Educational-Presentation.pdf

ANSI/SBCA FS 100 – 2012

Many spectacular fires have occurred in foam systems applied to buildings, including the 2009

Monte Carlo fire in Las Vegas, the Borgata Water Club fire in Atlantic City in 2007, and the

Mandarin Oriental Hotel fire in Beijing in 2009.

With this recent code change with can only expect more fires invovling foam insulation. Please pass this information on and Stay Safe!

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on November 7, 2012 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, eco-friendly products, FS 100-2012: Standard Requirements for Wind Pressure Resistance and Foam Plastic Insulating Sheathing, Green, Green Building Design, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, International Green Construction Code, Polyisocyanurate, Rigid Foam Insluation, Rigid Foam Insulation and the Fire Service, Sustainable, Thermoplastics, Thermosets

New NIST Laboratory to test Net-Zero Home

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The following information was released by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST):

NIST Unveils Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility to Improve Testing of Energy-Efficient Technologies

In a ribbon-cutting ceremony today, the U.S. Commerce Departments National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) unveiled a new laboratory designed to demonstrate that a typical-looking suburban home for a family of four can generate as much energy as it uses in a year. Following an initial year-long experiment, the facility will be used to improve test methods for energy-efficient technologies and develop cost-effective design standards for energy-efficient homes that could reduce overall energy consumption and harmful pollution, and save families money on their monthly utility bills.

The unique facility looks and behaves like an actual house, and has been built to U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum standard the highest standard for sustainable structures. The two-story, four-bedroom, three-bath Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility incorporates energy-efficient construction and appliances, as well as energy-generating technologies such as solar water heating and solar photovoltaic systems.

Results from this lab will show if net-zero home design and technologies are ready for a neighborhood near you, said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Patrick Gallagher. It will also allow development of new design standards and test methods for emerging energy-efficient technologies and, we hope, speed their adoption.

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which included green technologies among its priorities, the facility was built almost entirely with U.S.-made materials and equipment. Through its Building America effort, the Department of Energy (DOE) provided architectural design, training and management support for this project. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency Kathleen Hogan represented DOE during the ribbon-cutting.

For the first year of its operation, the lab will be used to demonstrate net-zero energy usage. NIST researchers will use computer software and mechanical controls to simulate the activities of a family of four living in an energy-efficient home. No actual humans will be allowed to enter the house during this time so that researchers can monitor how the house performs, but lights will turn on and off at specified times, hot water and appliances will run and small devices will emit heat and humidity just as people would.

A solar photovoltaic system will generate electricity to power lights and appliances when weather permits, and excess energy will be sent back to the local utility grid by means of a smart electric meter. The house will draw energy from the grid on days it cannot generate enough on its own, but over the course of a year it will produce enough to make up for that purchased energy, for a net-zero energy usage.

During the ceremony, Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council, announced that the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility has earned a LEED Platinum rating.

NIST researchers plan to make data from the net-zero experiment available online so that researchers and the public can follow its progress. Visit http://www.nist.gov/el/nzertf/ for images, video and more details on the new laboratory.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. To learn more about NIST, visit www.nist.gov.

Posted by John Shafer on September 20, 2012 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Firefighter Safety, Green, Green Building Design, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, Net-Zero Home, NIST, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, solar panels

Green Construction & Building a Brighter Future

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Before I share a special guest article.I would like to invite everyone to join me this Friday at Firehouse Expo @Baltimore Convention Center Baltimore, MD

I am very excited and honored to be teaching this year.

Green Building Construction For The Fire Service

7/20/2012 12:00:00 PM Room 343

Description:

This presentation will examine various green buildings and methods and exotic materials that are used to achieve green standards and the potential hazards that they present to fire service personnel. Many of these materials are not common knowledge to most fire service personnel due to past and current teaching practices that only address traditional building construction for the fire service. This ground-breaking and informative program will utilize extensive multimedia materials to reinforce course content and subject areas.

Here a slide from the program that we will discuss and also use it to think about as you read the wonderful article below.

I would like to thank Noelle Hirsch for contacting me and asking me if I would share this wonderful article. Please enjoy and all credit is due to Noelle on this one.

LEED Construction: Building a Brighter Future

Introduction

When many people think about carbon emissions, they assume that cars and other motorized vehicles are the main culprits. However, building construction uses 30 percent of all raw materials consumed in this country and 12 percent of all available potable water – 15 trillion gallons each year. This level of water consumption is ultimately unsustainable, given that the United Nations World Water Development Report 3, issued in 2009, states that one-third of the world’s population already lacks access to clean water. The report projects that at the present rate of consumption, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in water-stressed conditions by 2025.

Buildings continue to be environmentally demanding after construction has been completed. Buildings and the built environment account for 30 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and 30 percent of all waste products – some 136 million tons annually. As a major contributing factor to climate change, greenhouse gases have had a detrimental effect on the health of the planet, including rapid and perhaps irreversible melting of Arctic polar sea ice.

Green Building Benefits

Green construction can reverse much of the detrimental environmental impact of conventional construction methods. Along with environmental gains, eco-conscious construction can enhance the bottom line of individual companies and of the overall American and world economies. The USGBC reports that increased efficiency in construction and building maintenance would eliminate 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions each year – while saving the U.S. economy $130 billion.

Providing aesthetic benefit for observers of nearby taller buildings as well as natural habitat enclaves, green roofs and rooftop gardens can mitigate air temperature inside the building, reducing the need for artificial heating and cooling. Their presence also helps to reverse the heat island effect caused by massive amounts of concrete present in a typical urban area. The soil in a rooftop garden also absorbs a significant portion of rainfall, thereby diverting rainwater from storm sewers. At the same time, a dry green roof adds only 17 pounds per square foot to a roof’s load; a wet green roof adds 30 pounds per square foot. Rooftop gardens are more demanding, adding up to 100 pounds per square foot to a roof’s load.

Green construction also improves the health of individuals who live and work inside buildings. LEED standards for green construction call for the elimination of formaldehyde and other building materials that emit volatile organic compounds, also called VOCs, which contribute to “sick building syndrome.” Employing green building construction and maintenance standards for natural light and temperature control also improve worker efficiency and reaction times.

Many municipalities and states, as well as the United States federal government have provided financial incentives to encourage green construction and retrofits, including expedited permit approvals, tax abatements and technical assistance. These financial incentives apply to new construction and to retrofits, and not only reduce upfront construction costs, but present a selling point for would-be developers, buyers and tenants.

LEED and Green Construction

In the United States, the dominant standard for measuring environmental features is LEED, an acronym that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED standards, developed by the United States Green Building Council, can be applied to new construction, and to buildings that are already standing. LEED standards are designed to measure and evaluate the environmental consciousness of construction, general maintenance, landscaping and climate control. Different LEED standards apply to commercial buildings, residential buildings, even entire neighborhoods.

Buildings that meet LEED standards for green construction apply sustainability methods to several phases of construction, including the building shell, climate control inside the building, water usage, landscaping, sourcing of building materials and disposal of construction wastes. There are presently five levels of LEED certification for green construction: certified, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. As of 2012, LEED Platinum structures exist in 25 countries worldwide. The United States has 950 LEED Platinum projects; India is second with 35 LEED Platinum projects.

The worldwide financial crisis has slowed or halted construction to all-time low levels. Nonetheless, green construction of non-residential structures has maintained, or even gained, in market share. In fact, green construction presently accounts for one-third of all non-residential design and construction projects and will account for more than half of all non-residential construction within five years. Green construction is expected to generate 8 million construction-related jobs by 2013.

Growth in green construction is not limited to new projects. In fact, as of December 2011, existing LEED-certified building space exceeded new LEED-certified construction by 15 million square feet. A significant number of green retrofits are devoted to architectural icons such as the Empire State Building, which recently gained LEED Gold status through its retrofit project. The renovation is projected to cut energy use by nearly 40 percent, which translates to annual savings of $4.4 million per year – and a payback of renovation costs in only three years.

Another green retrofit is in progress for the Sears Tower, recently renamed the Willis Tower. Once the tallest building in the world, this Modernist icon still stands as the tallest building on the North American continent. Beginning in 2009, the process of “greening” the tower has focused on retrofitting various features of the structure, with impressive results. For example, installing low-flow toilets and faucets conserves more than 10,000,000 gallons of water each year. Shading the building’s windows significantly reduces heating and cooling requirements.

Eventual plans include a complete overhaul of the electrical system to reduce energy consumption by 80 percent. Replacing 16,000 single-paned windows and constructing a thermal bank would save 50 percent on heating energy. A proposed 500-room “green” luxury hotel would be powered entirely by the tower’s energy system and would pursue LEED Gold status. Besides the projected sustainability gains and energy savings, the five-year project would create as many as 3,600 jobs, according to developers.

Green Construction Resources:

LEED Certification in America and Worldwide

Twenty-one countries participate in the LEED International program: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Finland, South Korea, India, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, France and the United Arab Emirates. The United Kingdom launched an equivalent to LEED, known as the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEM), in 1990.

An even more stringent standard is the Living Building Challenge, granted by the International Living Future Institute. As of 2012, four construction projects had earned this certification: the Tyson Living Learning Center in Eureka, Missouri; the Omega Center for Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, New York (also LEED Platinum); the Eco-Sense home in Victoria, British Columbia and is the Hawaii Preparatory Academy Energy Lab in Kamuela, Hawaii (also LEED Platinum).

In March 2012, the International Code Council released the 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC), a cooperative effort between the American Institute of Architects and ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials), which cosponsored the project with the support of ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers), the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society. The IgCC is the first sustainability measurement that addresses the entire life cycle of a building, from design and construction to occupancy – and beyond. The IgCC is intended to provide a compliment rather than a replacement for LEED as an environmental building certification standard.

Hope you have enjoyed this article and it has shed some light on the fact that Green Construction is here to stay and isn’t just a fad so firefighters better learn about it now instead of 2am when you have a JOB in one.

See you all in Baltimore!

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on July 16, 2012 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Daylighting, eco-friendly products, Firefighter Safety, Firehouse Expo 2012, Green, Green Building, Green Building Design, Green Building Fire Hazards, Green Buildings, Green Buildings Fire Behavior, green homes, Green Maltese, Green Roofs, greenmaltese.com, International Green Construction Code, John Shafer, LEED, LEED Platinum, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, Recycled Materials, solar panels, Sustainable, US Green Building Council

WHAT ARE SIPs?

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SIPs is an acronym for Structural Insulated Panel. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are a high performance building system for residential and light commercial construction. The panels consist of an insulating rigid foam core sandwiched between two structural facings, typically oriented strand board (OSB). SIPs are manufactured under factory controlled conditions and can be fabricated to fit nearly any building design. The result is a building system that is extremely strong, energy efficient and cost effective.

Types of SIPs

There are three main types of SIPs, although the SIPs themselves can be encased in different outer materials called skins. The inner insulation core is usually made from expandable polystyrene (EPS), polyurethane or polyisocyanurate. Each delivers a strong, light building material with exceptional insulation properties.

Types of SIP skins

Most SIPs feature OSB as the skins that encompass the inner foam insulation core of the

panel. But other skins are available, including:

• Metal

• Fiber cement

• Fiber reinforced concrete

• Plywood

• Gypsum board

The third component in SIPs is the spline or connector piece between SIP panels. Dimensional lumber is commonly used but creates thermal bridging and lowers insulation values. To maintain higher insulation values through the spline, manufacturers use Insulated Lumber, Composite Splines, Mechanical Locks, Overlapping OSB Panels, or other creative methods. Depending on the method selected, other advantages such as full nailing surfaces or increased structural strength may become available.

SIPs share the same structural properties as an I-beam or I-column. The rigid insulation core of the SIP acts as a web, while the OSB sheathing exhibits the same properties as the flanges. SIPs combine several components of conventional building, such as studs and joists, insulation, vapor barrier and air barrier. They can be used for many different applications, such as exterior wall, roof, floor and foundation systems.

SIPs are GREEN

Structural insulated panels (SIPs)are one of the most airtight and well insulated building systems available, making them an inherently green product. An airtight SIP building will use less energy to heat and cool, allow for better control over indoor environmental conditions, and reduce construction waste.

Why you will see SIPs more than ever before!

Firefighting Concerns:

As you have saw from the information above there are several types of SIPs and many types of skins however as mentioned before the most common is Oriented Strand Board (OSB) as the skin and the core made of Expanded Polystyrene Foam. So I am going to focus on concerns with those two materials.

Oriented Strand Board (OSB)

This material begins to break down at relatively low temperatures for fire conditions (about 450 F – same as sawn wood) and it is now a major structural component and not just a covering.

The adhesives used in OSB can vary by manufacturer. It appears that the wood components will burn before the adhesives in most cases. The wood will start to burn at about 450 F and the adhesives around 750 F. The manufactures state that the OSB will behave like sawn wood in a fire, which may be true, but it is the thickness (mass) that then becomes the problem, as OSB is usually no more than ¾” thick and usually less.

Although the manufactures state that the products of combustion are no worse than natural wood, some of the materials in the adhesives may be extremely toxic, corrosive, or carcinogens.

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)

When heated it melts!
Expanded Polystyrene is combustible.
It should not be exposed to flame or other ignition sources
Flash Point: 600°°F to 650°F
Auto-ignition Temperature: 824F – 914°F
Fire and Explosion Hazards: WILL MELT WHEN EXPOSED TO TEMPERATURES OF 300F TO 500F
Extinguishing Media: DRY CHEMICAL (ABC TYPES), CO2, WATER SPRAY, WATER FOG, FOAM, WATER
Unusual Fire and Explosion Hazards: Pentane vapors may be emitted from freshly expanded or processed foam or when product is heated. Hazardous concentrations may accumulate inside a sealed container or within confined areas. If ignited, there may be a very high rate of flame propagation and/or an associated explosion.
Hazardous Combustion Products: Burning foam emits a dense, black, irritating smoke with acid gases. Primary combustion products are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and styrene.
Special Firefighting Procedures: SCBA & Full PPE

Click the links below to watch a crude parking lot burn test:

sip burn at fishers

http://youtu.be/1ooQEBPQBnw

Hopefully you have learned something from this post? If so please share it with every firefighter you know.

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on June 26, 2012 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Firefighter Safety, Green, Green Building Design, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, OSB, SIP firefighting concerns, SIPs are GREEN, Structural Insulated Panel, Structural Insulated Panel and firefighting, Sustainable, Tactics

NFPA & Green Builder® Media to partner at VISION House®

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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has partnered with Green Builder® Media, North America’s leading media company focused on sustainable living to participate in the VISION House® located in INNOVENTIONS at Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort. The innovative exhibitis set to present green living ideas in a fun and informative manner that will empower guests with the knowledge that a sustainable future is possible.

NFPA will showcase home fire sprinklers as an important addition to the home. “Through this partnership with Green Builder® Media, we hope to educate visitors on the key environmental benefits of sprinklers,” said Jim Shannon, NFPA president. According to findings of a groundbreaking study, greenhouse gases released by burning buildings can be reduced by 98 percent when automatic fire sprinklers are installed. The study, conducted for the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, also found that automatic sprinklers:

Reduce fire damage up to 97 percent
Reduce water usage to fight a home fire by upwards of 90 percent
Reduce the amount of water pollution released in the environment

The VISION House® in INNOVENTIONS is inspired by Green Builder Media’s VISION House demonstration home series and will open Earth Day, April 22nd. Guests visiting the house will explore the major themes of green building, including whole-home automation, energy generation and efficiency, water conservation, indoor environment quality and high-performance materials and durability.

As guests tour the home, they will encounter intelligent products and advanced technologies, such as:

Fire sprinkler information from the National Fire Protection Association
High efficiency heating and cooling systems and controls and innovative whole-home automation system and door hardware by Ingersoll Rand
Electronic vehicle charging station by SIEMENS
Chevy Volt electric vehicle by GM
Photovoltaic solar panels from Hanwha Solar
Durable and environmentally friendly exterior systems, including smog-eating tile roofs, cultured stone, bricks, permeable pavers, and trim by Boral
Ventilation solutions by Panasonic
Energy efficient windows and doors from Pella
High performance appliance glass products by Schott
Sustainable hardwood flooring and cabinets from Armstrong World Industries
Water-conserving fixtures, faucets, showerheads, and home standby generators by KOHLER
ENERGY STAR certified home appliances by Bosch
LED lighting solutions by SYLVANIA

For more information about sustainable living and the VISION House® in INNOVENTIONS, visit www.visionhousegreen.com. For more information about home fire sprinklers, visit www.nfpa.org/sprinklers.

Original link with full story:

http://www.nfpa.org/newsReleaseDetails.asp?categoryid=488&itemId=56426&cookie%5Ftest=1

Posted by John Shafer on April 22, 2012 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, eco-friendly products, Green, Green Building Design, Green Buildings, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, John Shafer, NFPA, sprinkler systems

Green Roofs in Indianapolis, Indiana

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Greetings to all,

This post is dedicated to all brothers and sister firefighters but especially those in Indianapolis, Indiana the home of FDIC the Super Bowl of Firefighting

MAYOR ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF FIRST GREEN ROOF INSTALLATION ON INDIANAPOLIS CITY PROPERTY

Project Addresses Drainage Issues and Creates Community Space

INDIANAPOLIS – Mayor Greg Ballard today announced the completion of the Union Station green roof project – the first green roof installed on city property in Indianapolis. The green roof project, located on the former train deck spanning Meridian Street, addressed long-standing drainage concerns both on and below the deck, and has been enhanced with a community space available for educational events.

“The newly installed green roof atop Union Station eliminates several long-term maintenance concerns in a visually appealing and innovative way,” said Mayor Ballard. “This unique project and the community space created by its construction are part of our efforts to become one of the most sustainable cities in the Midwest.”

Standing water on the deck surface had damaged the deck, and leaking also degraded the pavement on Meridian Street below. There were also signs of degradation of the structural bridge steel. The green roof project includes a new deck with a re-graded surface to prevent standing water, a comprehensive trench drainage system and a modular green roof designed to reduce storm water runoff.

About 50 percent of the total surface is green roof material while the other portion is a concrete roof deck that includes picnic tables, outdoor benches and umbrellas. Total project costs were about $250,000; a $50,000 grant from Citizens Energy Group covered the green infrastructure elements of the project.

The green roof will be maintained organically with no chemical pesticides or herbicides, will be weeded, and will be watering if drought conditions last more than three months. The City of Indianapolis partnered with local engineering firm RW Armstrong, which has offices in Union Station. The firm completed a portion of the design and engineering work for the project.

For more information on green building in Indianapolis, visit www.Indy.gov/SustainIndy

Other Green Roofs in Indianapolis:

Project Name: Indianapolis Children’s Museum Green Roof
Year: 2010
Owner: Indianapolis Children’s Museum
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Extensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 3228 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Open to Public

Project Name: Eli Lilly
Year: 2009
Owner: Eli Lilly
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Building Type: Corporate
Type: Extensive
System: Custom
Size: 2682 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Open to Public
Submitted by: Green Roof Blocks
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Modular Greenroof Systems: Green Roof Blocks and Green Paks

Project Name: John H Boner Community Center
Year: 2008
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Extensive
System: Custom
Size: 500 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access:
Inaccessible, Open to Public
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Architect: Halsted Architects
Grower: Hortech / LiveRoof LLC
Installer: AAA Roofing

1oth & Rural St. Green Roof

Project Name: 10th & Rural
Year: 2007
Owner: Private
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Extensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 565 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Private
Submitted by: LiveRoof, LLC
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Modular Greenroof System: LiveRoof
Architect: Schmidt Associates
Grower: Hortech / LiveRoof LLC
Installation: AAA Roofing
Waterproofing System: Firestone Building Products
Slip Sheet Product: EPDM, Firestone Building Products

Project Name: Schmidt Associates
Year: 2005
Owner: Schmidt Associates
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Extensive
System: Single Source
Provider
Size: 250 sq.ft.
Slope: 1.5%
Access:
Accessible, Open to Public
Submitted by: John Shepley
Designers/Manufacturers of Record:
Plant Supplier:
Greenroof Plants/Emory Knoll Farms

Project Name: Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA)
Owner: City of Indianapolis
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Building Type: Municipal/Government
Type: Intensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 15000 sq.ft.
Slope: 1%
Access: Accessible, Open to Public
Submitted by: Greenroofs.com
Designers/Manufacturers
of Record:
Architect: Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf Architects

To learn more about Green Roofs attend my 2012 FDIC class.

Hazards of Modern Roofs

Lieutenant/Training Officer John Shafer, Greencastle (IN) Fire Department

The class will examine trends and methods in modern building construction with an emphasis on roofs, their direct relationship to vertical ventilation, structural firefighting operations, and firefighter survivability. Inherent roof construction features and hazards that directly influence truck company work will be the main focus, along with green roofs, methods, and exotic materials that are used to achieve green standards, and the potential hazards that they present to fire service personnel. Many of these materials such as recycled rubber shingles, solar panels, and green (garden) roofs are not common knowledge to most fire service personnel.

To Register:

http://www.fdic.com/register.html

Stay Safe and see you at FDIC

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on December 1, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Citizens Energy Group, eco-friendly products, FDIC, FDIC the Super Bowl of Firefighting, Firefighter Safety, Green, green (garden) roofs, Green Building Design, green infrastructure, Green Maltese, Green Roof Blocks, Green Roofs, greenmaltese.com, Greenroofs.com, Hazards of Modern Roofs, Hortech / LiveRoof LLC, IN, Indianapolis, Indianapolis Children's Museum Green Roof, Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), LiveRoof, Mayor Greg Ballard, Schmidt Associates, structural firefighting operations on Green Roofs, Sustainable, sustainable cities, Union Station green roof, Waterproofing System: Firestone Building Products

Firehouse Podcast on some Green Issues

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Just wanted to share this with you, in case you hadn’t listened yet?

Fire Marshal’s Corner: FM Global Report on Green and Sprinklers and the Dangers with Photovoltaic Units

Ed Comeau and Mike Love look at two perspectives of the impact of fires on the environment on this month’s Fire Marshal’s Corner. They look at the operational and global perspectives.

San Jose Capt. Matt Paiss has been working in the field of photovoltaics for a number of years. He couples that experience with his fireground expertise, to provide listeners with a wealth of information about how to deal with rooftop photovoltaic units which are becoming more prevalent across the country. He has created several training videos (see below) that are great training tools.

We then are joined by Gary Keith who is the chair of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition. FM Global recently completed a landmark study on the environmental impact of fires which provides us with the information we need to quantify exactly what is happening to the environment when a fire breaks out. They review a number of sources of resources that are critical to the fire service.

Fire Marshal’s Corner green firehouse may 2010 podcast

Firehouse link:

http://www.firehouse.com/podcast/fire-marshals-corner/fire-marshals-corner-global-report-green-danger-photovoltaic%20

Below are the video’s from Captain Matt Paiss. Please enjoy and share with every firefighter you know. Matt is truly a PV expert!

Stay Safe
Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on September 15, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Ed Comeau, firehouse.com, FM Global, Green, Green Buildings, Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, John Shafer, Matt Paiss, Mike Love, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, San Jose, Solar Energy, solar panels, sprinkler systems

Gateway Midwest Fire & Leadership Training

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Green Maltese is extremely excited about being a part of the Go Forward inaugural event, October 21-23 at the Ameristar Hotel Resort, Spa & Casino in St. Charles, Missouri.

Education Opportunities from Green Maltese @ Gateway Conference:

Reading the Building: Predictive Occupancy Profiling

Presented by Christopher J. Naum
Chief of Training, Command Institute, DC

And John Shafer
Lieutenant and Training Officer, Greencastle (IN) Fire Department

Today’s buildings and occupancies continue to present unique challenges to command and operating companies during combat structural fire engagement. Building and occupancy profiling, identifying occupancy risk versus occupancy type, emerging construction methods, features, systems and components coupled with the increasing commonality of extreme fire behavior and the increased fire load package require new skill sets in reading the building and implementing predictive occupancy profiling for firefighters, company and command officers. Integral to the presentation will be detailed discussions on building and structural system placarding methods and labeling programs.

When: Sunday, October 22 – 10:15a – Noon

Green Building Construction for the Fire Service

This course offers a concentrated examination of current and future trends and methods in green building construction. Discussion will emphasize green construction building materials, green rating systems, modern building construction methods, risk assessment, engineered structural and construction systems, and their direct relationship on structural firefighting operations, firefighter survivability and the command decision-making process. We will also consider:

Inherent green construction features and hazards that directly influence effective command risk management
Decisive strategic and tactical considerations with a focus on key green construction features and inherent occupancy profiles
The effect of fire dynamics, fire behavior and tactical operations on modern building construction systems

When: Sunday, October 22 – 1:30p – 3:00p

There will be many other excellant classes offered this weekend and you don’t want to miss this!

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on August 21, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Christopher J. Naum, Firefighter Safety, Green, Green Building Design, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, Sustainable, Tactics

Solar Power in the Wabash Valley area

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Solar power is only in California and southwestern states. This statement is the most common one I hear from people in the Midwest. However that is far from the truth. As a matter of fact I have visited two local solar installers in central Indiana.

My 1^st trip was to Johnson Melloh Solutions. http://greenmaltese.com/2011/05/going-on-a-field-trip/

My second trip was to One Planet Solar in Terre Haute Indiana. This is where I have a great meeting with Phillip Roberts and Dustin Allen. There were very interested in supporting local solar issues as well as the safety of Wabash Valley firefighters. In our meeting we discussed the fire departments needing to be able and access the roof’s ridge line for ventilation. Phillip stated that he would attempt to help us out on this and many issues. Phillip and the crew at One Planet Solar are very supportive and here is just one example.

Solar panels donated to help lower home energy bills

Putnam County families can now apply to have a solar panel system installed at no charge through Putnam RISE efforts to lower home energy bills.

The 1.120 kw solar array using a new Enphase Energy micro-inverter system from www.oneplanetsolar.com (One Planet Solar and Wind, Inc.) is the most recent of donated products and services to the Putnam RISE “Green Home Makeover,” along with Shuee & Sons Great Buys Energy Star appliances, Energy Conservation Solutions (Roachdale) services and Parke County REMC weatherization materials.

The Green Home Makeover is one of 21 Putnam County homes to be selected for home energy and weatherization investments made possible by donated products and services as well as Putnam County Community Foundation and Vectren Foundation grants. In total, the 21 homes will receive an approximate value of $60,000 in grant investments and donated goods and services.

Households must have annual incomes of $45,000 or less to be eligible for the Green Home Makeover and weatherization projects. Applications and referrals are encouraged by calling 720-7610, going online at www.putnamrise.org/homes/weatherization, or by visiting Bainbridge Town Hall, Greencastle City Hall or the Putnam County Senior Center.

Stay Safe
Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on August 11, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction • Tagged: Building Construction, Firefighter Safety, Green, Green Home Makeover, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, Indiana, John Shafer, Johnson Melloh Solutions, One Planet Solar, Parke County REMC, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, Puntam County Community Foundation, Putnam RISE, Solar Energy, Solar in Terre Haute, solar panels, Vectren Foundation grants, Wabash Valley Firefighters

Green Building in Indianapolis: Creating a Sustainable Future

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Green Building in Indianapolis: Creating a Sustainable Future

The City’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with WCTY Channel 16, is proud to announce the City’s first green building documentary. The film is titled “Green Building in Indianapolis: Creating a Sustainable Future” and is hosted by green living expert Sara Snow. The approximately 54-minute documentary features many of Indianapolis’ green building projects. The film explains the components of green buildings, the strategies used to ensure optimal environmental benefits and cost savings, and the importance of partnerships in the design and construction process. The purpose of the documentary is to inform Indianapolis residents about the concept of green building, highlight the City’s leaders in sustainable building projects, and provide a resource for more detailed information on best practices by featuring The Nature Conservancy’s new Headquarters building. The Efroymson Conservation Center is seeking LEED Platinum certification.

This documentary project began as a partnership between the Office of Sustainability and The Nature Conservancy. In early 2009, as The Nature Conservancy was preparing to break ground on the construction of their new headquarters buildings, the Office of Sustainability approached WCTY Channel 16 and The Nature Conservancy with the idea to video-document the construction process. This idea sparked the interest of The Nature Conservancy and Channel 16 as an opportunity to “tell the story” of green buildings: What is a green building? What are the benefits of a green building, to owners, to occupants, and to the community? What are the costs and how do green buildings compare to traditional buildings? From the earliest concept of the documentary, it was clear that there was an exciting story to tell about Indianapolis’ progress towards encouraging green buildings projects, and the growth of green buildings in our community. As a result, while the film project features specific, case study level information on The Nature Conservancy building, it also features several green building projects that had been completed prior to The Nature Conservancy. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc., State of Indiana Forensics and Health Sciences Laboratory, IDO, Inc., HealthNet’s Southwest Clinic, and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail are some of the green building projects featured in the documentary.

Posted by John Shafer on July 24, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction • Tagged: Building Construction, eco-friendly products, Green, Green Building in Indianapolis: Creating a Sustainable Future, Green Buildings, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, Indianapolis, John Shafer, LEED, State of Indiana Forensics and Health Sciences Laboratory, Sustainable, The Nature Conservancy, WCTY Channel 16

Green Building Design Principles Video

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Stay Safe
Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on July 14, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction • Tagged: Building Construction, eco-friendly products, Green, Green Building Design, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, Recycled Materials, Sustainable

Posey Township Volunteer Fire Department New Green Fire Station

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Green Maltese LLC latest adventure!

I am pleased to announce that Chief Larry Tempel Posey Twp. VFD has agreed to allow me to follow and document the building of this new Green fire station.

I think this will be a wonderful educational experience for myself and any fire department that is looking into building green in the future.

Background:

A Clay County fire department is starting construction on a new fire house.

The Posey Township Volunteer Fire Department broke ground on the $1.5 million project. Federal stimulus money is paying for most of it. Posey Township collected donations to cover its portion of a quarter-million dollars.

The new fire house will provide more room for newer fire trucks. It will also have living quarters for the volunteers and be energy efficient.

“Thick insulated walls, it’s going to have solar panels to generate some electricity. It’s going to have solar panels to heat some of the water. We’re going to catch all the rain water and use it for geothermal heating and cooling,” says Posey Township Volunteer Fire Chief Larry Tempel.

Posey Township’s current fire house used to be a church built in 1911. The new fire house is expected to be finished by January.

Link with video:

http://mywabashvalley.com/search-fulltext?nxd_id=191467

Posey Twp. VFD facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100001994950955

Check back often as we will try and cover this project from start to finish.

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Federal stimulus money, Green, Green Buildings, Green Firehouse, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, Indiana, John Shafer, Larry Tempel, LEED, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, Posey Township VFD, solar panels, Sustainable

There a farm coming to a rooftop near you soon!

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Rooftop farming is the practice of cultivating food on the rooftop of buildings. Rooftop farming is usually done using hydroponics, aeroponics or air-dynaponics systems or container gardens. Besides using the allready present space at the roof itself, additional platforms could possibly be created between high-rise buildings called “aero-bridges.

Food production:

The sustainability of urban systems can be significantly bolstered by fostering a more urban agriculture. The average American meal travels 1500 miles from field to table, using 10 times more energy than the caloric value of the food itself. This represents an incredible environmental cost in fossil fuel emissions, pollution associated with extraction, and loss and division of natural habitat by asphalt, to name a few of the more direct costs. Less direct are the costs of the industrial agricultural system required to maintain the artificially low cost of that well-travelled meal. These include environmental costs associated with high-input monocultural growing methods as well as social and health costs for the local rural community and farm workers. Unless alternatives are sought to this global sourcing of food without regard for externalized costs, rising urbanization will continue to be accompanied by increased environmental and social costs.

Rooftop agriculture is one way in which urban areas could attempt to be more balanced and sustainable in their resource consumption. It is possible to produce a variety of fruit, grain, and vegetable crops on rooftops, either in containers or as field crops.

Chicago’s recent regulation:

Chicagoans may soon witness the transformation of the Windy City’s skyline from bare, unused rooftops into green fields of lettuce, herbs and vegetables.

The Chicago City Council’s zoning committee passed regulations Thursday that sanction the use of rooftops in commercial districts for growing and selling produce. Previously, the committee only gave special permission on a case-by-case basis.

“This means that green roofs, which have enormous benefits to the community, can now create financial benefits,” said Molly Meyer, owner of Rooftop Green Works LLC.

Meyer, who has been designing and installing green roofs for over four years, said a 12,000 square-foot rooftop – equivalent to two and a half basketball courts – can produce 20,000 pounds of vegetables a year. She predicts this would translate into $25 of revenue per square foot. Given the estimated $15 a square foot cost involved in rooftop farming, Meyer calculates that investors could be fully paid back in five years.

Link to full article:

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=186821

Addtionial reading:

http://www.cityfarmer.org/greenpotential.html

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/06/urban-rooftop-f.html

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwPGxHlqLtE

I am working on some more stuff on green roofs. So check back often. In the meantime beware of tomatoes on your next vertical vent job! LOL

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on June 1, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Chicago City Council, City Farmer, Green, Green Maltese, Green Roofs, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, Molly Meyer LLC, Rooftop farming, Rooftop Garden, Rooftop Green Works LLC, Sustainable, Urban Farming, Vertical vent, Windy City’s skyline

Modern Roofs the Truckie Nightmare

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Green Maltese LLC is proud to annouce a new class offering.

Modern Roofs the Truckie Nightmare

Presentation Summary

The presentation will include an intense and concentrated examination of trends and methods in modern building construction with an emphasis on roofs, their direct relationship on vertical ventilation, structural firefighting operations, and firefighter survivability.

Inherent roof construction features and hazards that directly influence truck company work will be the main focus of this program.

Program Overview and Pedagogical Approach

The program will address timely issues related to modern roofs and upcoming push to make sustainable buildings.

This presentation will examine various green roofs, methods and exotic materials that are used to achieve green standards, and the potential hazards that they present to fire service personnel. Many of these materials such as recycled rubber shingles, solar panels and green (garden) roofs are not common knowledge to most fire service personnel due to past and current teaching practices that only address traditional building construction for the fire service.

This ground breaking and informative program will utilize extensive multimedia materials to reinforce course content and subject areas.

If the fire service can significantly increase proficiencies in green building knowledge and equate that to other fundamental operational aspects in structural fire operations, there would be a direct enhancement to firefighter safety through injury and LODD reductions in the future.

Target Audience

• Command Officers
• Company Officers
• Safety Officers
• Firefighters

List of the presentation’s learning objectives:

• Enable the student to identify the unique characteristics with the various modern roof construction types and recognize features that have significant impacts on firefighter safety.
• Enable the student to recognize specific green building construction features and their inherent risk factors.
• Enable the student to be aware of the green(garden) roofs and how they affect buildings in their jurisdiction.
• Inform the student of new roofing materials, such as recycled rubber tires shingles to achieve sustainability that could affect the way buildings react in a fire situation
• Make the student aware of current and future changes in building construction methods that will affect the tactics used in structural firefighting

Pictures of a few modern roof hazards:

Photo couresty of Molly Meyer LLC

Photo couresty of Molly Meyer LLC

Recycled Rubber Tire Shingles

Contact to discuss specific program needs and content. Content, focus, duration and presentation format can all be customized to meet with venue needs.

Lt. John Shafer

Email: greenmaltese@gmail.com

Posted by John Shafer on May 30, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Command Officers, Company Officers, Firefighter Safety, firefighter survivability, Firefighters, Garden Roofs, Green, Green Buildings, Green Maltese, Green Roofs, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, Modern Roofs, Molly Meyer LLC, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, Recycled Materials, recycled rubber tires shingles, Safety Officers, Solar, solar panels, structural firefighting operations, Sustainable, Tactics, vertical ventilation

What saves lives and the environment?

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What save lives and the environment?

Answer: Residential Fire Sprinklers

We all know that fire sprinklers save lives, this should be reason enough to install them! however most people do not think of fire sprinklers being green.

Full FM Global Report:

sprinklers are green fm global report

In the event of a fire, The use of sprinkler reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 97.8 %.
In the event of a fire, The use of sprinkler reduces water usage between 50 % and 91 %.
In the event of a fire, The use of sprinkler reduces fire damage which means less damaged product goes to landfills.
The pH value of non-sprinklered water wastewater was between 11.6 and 12.1 versus the pH of 7.9 for the sprinklered test. Wastewater exhibiting pH valves greater than 10.0 represent a serious environmental concern.

We as a fire service needs to educate the public that fire sprinkler saves lives and environment! Now that is the true example of being Green.

Additional reading:

http://contractormag.com/columns/editorial/residential-fire-sprinklers-green-0810/

http://www.tsihvac.com/PDFs/HydronicsDep/REHAU%20Literature/FireProtection/ResidentialSprinklersAreGreen_807.pdf

Green and Fire Protection- SQ200903

A special thanks to Dominick G. Kasmauskas for his help.

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on May 27, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Dominick G. Kasmauskas, FM Global, Green, Green Buildings, Green Maltese, greenhouse gas, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, sprinkler systems, Sustainable, wastewater

New feature on Green Maltese

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I am excited to announce a new feature on Green Maltese.

If you you have not noticed already we have added a new page Submit a Green Firehouse.

The purpose of this page is so departments can share their information good or bad concerning their firehouse, so other departments can learn from them.

The Tolleson Fire Department moved into the $6.35 million facility, which sits a few feet away from the old station near 92nd Avenue and Monroe Street, on Nov. 15, 2010

Link and article for this picture:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/2011/03/17/20110317tolleson-fire-station-open-house.html

So if your station is a green firehouse please take the time to submit your information so we can help other fire departments in the future.

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on May 4, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, Fire Prevention/Public Education, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, Green, Green Firehouse, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, LEED, Tolleson Fire Department

Remodeling Green

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Greetings to all,

I have been having computer troubles so haven’t posted in awhile. So this will be a short post about remodeling your home green. It will consist of two videos. Please enjoy and think about how the following building materials used will change fire behavior and your tactics. Feel free to comment and start discussion.

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on April 26, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, Fire Prevention/Public Education, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, eco-friendly products, Green, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, Recycled Materials, solar panels, Sustainable, Tactics

USED SHIPPING CONTAINERS BEING USED IN GREEN CONSTRUCTION

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The majority of firefighters today associate used shipping containers with Live Fire training.

1403 Live Fire class @ Greencastle FD

However many designers, builders and eco organizations have another idea for the use of these used containers.

Why not turn one of the world strongest mobile structures into your next home or office?

After all these container were built to withstand built to withstand typhoons, tornados,hurricanes and even earthquakes. One or more of these incredible steel modules are the safest superstructure for a home, school, office, apartment, dormitory, storage unit, emergency shelter. …where would you rather be in a storm, hurricane or earthquake? I think in a room made of strong Corten steel

Shipping Containers that survived the recent earthquake in Japan. Shows the strength of Corten steel.

ISBU Construction Modules

Now we have a perfect box that is strong and virtually won’t rust – what else can we do with it? For many years the shipping container has been used for storage units beginning with the military and also construction companies.

But when the Shipping Container is no longer used for shipping, the name changes. When it used for any other purpose, other than transportation, the name for the ISO Shipping Container becomes ISBU. When you build with a shipping container it is an ISBU; short for Intermodal Steel Building Unit. …yes, in fact they are so popular now, they are often purchased directly from the factory simply for the purpose of construction, not shipping. The construction module is known as an ISBU to most people in the building construction trade.

Availability of shipping containers:

It is well known that the rapid growth of manufacturing in China and the global thrist by virtually every country for lower priced, high technology products from China has given to happier consumers and lower prices globally, but the side effect has been the one-way shipping of all the containers bringing the products from China.

So What Can We Do With Theses Containers?

The ISBU shipping container has been popular in Europe, UK, Australia, China, and the US since 2005 or even before.

In Amsterdam and the UK, the ISBU shipping container units have been popular for Student Housing and apartments since 2005. At about the same time in the US, people like Adam Kalkin, Peter De Maria, and the Lo-tek company in New York began using the shipping container in contemporary art type homes. The homes looked like shipping containers, but were designed in a very trendy way that was appealing to many.

ISBU’s are now be more easily adapted to conventional housing and office structures, both onsite and with the growth of new ISBU shipping container Prefab and Modular companies in the US and even more so globally.

Modern green home built with used shipping container:

Other uses of shipping containers:

Containers are in many ways an ideal building material because they are strong, durable, stackable, cuttable, movable, modular, plentiful and relatively cheap. Architects as well as laypeople have used them to build many types of buildings.

Shipping containers have also been used as:

Press Boxes
Concession Stands
Fire Training Facility
Military Training Facility
Emergency shelters
School buildings
Apartment and office buildings
Artists’ studios
Stores
Bank vaults
Medical clinics
Radar stations
Shopping malls
Sleeping rooms
Recording Studios
Transportable factories
Data centers
Experimental labs
Intermodal sealed storage on ships, trucks, and trains
Hotels

Firefighting Concerns:

Size

The common ISO Shipping container is 20′ or 40′ long; 8′ wide; and 8’6″ tall. So with the walls only being 8′ wide and ceiling 8’6 tall that will make the thermal radiation feedback happen much faster creating Flashover much sooner than the average 12′ ceiling. Most firefighters have fought many fires in these types of containers in training, however keep in mind the fuel load used in training is OSB and straw,paper and pallets. These homes have all the modern fuel loading (plastics) but in a very close space.

Ventilation

Since the containers are built of steel they are strong enough to support the added weight of a green roofs, also because they are flat they are well suited for solar panels installation. These two options add challenging obstacles to open the roof, not to mention the steel roof.

Access

Many of these containers are being used in green construction and are trying to achieve The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings. Heat island mitigation is a big issue in achieving LEED points. LEED requires at least 50% of the hardscape of a development be either shaded or permeable materials.

Shading is usually accomplished by planting many trees and in some instances they are placed close to the structure which could hamper ladder placement.

Permeable materials are used to achieve LEED points these materials such as permeable pavers.Some of these permeable surfaces are made out of new exotic materials other than the common asphalt and concrete most fire departments are used to staging there apparatus on. The weight of your apparatus may be a concern?

Many LEED communities are becoming walkable communites with limited amount of open parking spaces. these spaces are often away from the homes this could cause fire department access issues with staging and aerial ladder placement.

These are just a few that came to mind please reply in the comment section of your thoughts concerns.

Additional info at links below:

http://containerhomes-info.com/

http://www.kmbc.com/news/18414304/detail.html

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2047072,00.html

http://containerhouse.info/

http://www.isbu-info.org/

http://www.bobvila.com/sections/home-building/articles/316-home-sweet-container/pages/1

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on April 17, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: access, Corten Steel, Fire Training, Flashover, fuel loading, Green, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, Green Roofs, greenmaltese.com, heat island mitigation, ISBU, John Shafer, LEED, Recycled Materials, Shipping Container, size, solar panels, ventilation

NEW SOLAR SHINGLES

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Solar shingles are solar panels incognito. Instead of mounting on your roof, they become your roof or integrate seamlessly with the existing roof shingles. In many cases, they can be stapled to the sub-roofing the same as an ordinary shingle. On average, shingles are about 12 inches wide by seven feet long. There are also solar roof tiles that integrate well with mission-style housing common in the sunny Southwest. Solar shingles, like most thin-film BIPV products currently on the market, are less efficient than silicon solar panels. But, again like other Building Integrated Photovoltaic ( BIPV )innovations, are a burgeoning work in progress.

Until now, solar energy’s two challenges have been cost and acceptance. Dow is working to change all that. Dow has been developing BIPV building materials that enable solar energy cells to be incorporated directly into the design of commercial and residential building materials such as roofing systems, exterior sidings, fascias and more.

The DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle delivers true building-integrated aesthetics by integrating PV functionality into an asphalt roof-shingle form factor. It utilizes high-efficiency, CIGS-based, PV cells manufactured on a flexible substrate. These cells are laminated and subsequently over-molded into the final shingle design using conventional materials and polymer processing methods. Dow’s groundbreaking technology integrates low-cost thin-film photovoltaic cells into a roofing shingle design, which represents a multi-functional solar module. The innovative product design reduces installation costs because the conventional roofing shingles and solar generating shingles are installed simultaneously.

WHY ?

Consumer Report Video:

The challenge of harnessing the sun’s energy

The sun is everywhere. So why isn’t solar power everywhere? Passive solar power is. It lights our rooms when we open the blinds in the morning and it melts the snow on a sunny day. But converting solar energy into electricity that can be used to power appliances or generate heat has traditionally required overcoming challenges, including:

High system costs

Limited solar cell efficiencies

Grid connection issues

Building code acceptance

Unattractive panels

Time consuming installations

Solar Power Is More Affordable Than Ever

In addition to being easy to install, solar shingles are more affordable than you think. Everyone in the U.S. qualifies for a 30% federal tax credit. These credits are still available, plus there may be state and local incentives in your area to make your initial costs even lower. Not to mention what you will save on your electric bills once your house is making its own energy.

Link to federal tax credit:

http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=US37F&re=1&ee=1

Link to check you local state incentives:

http://www.dsireusa.org/

Firefighting Concerns:

Slipping/Tripping

Could you see this at night? Beware of Slip/Trip hazards

Electrical shock

A photovoltaic system generates electricity when the sun is shining, and when it is receiving sunlight it is operational and generating electricity. This creates additional challenges for the fireground task of shutting off the utilities and the electrical power in the structure that could be a dangerous source of electric shock.

Battery hazards

The batteries can maintain electrical current at nighttime and when the rest of the system has been isolated, thus presenting an additional electric shock hazard. Further, depending on the types of batteries, they can present leakage and hazardous materials concerns, and special attention is required for any battery storage systems that have been damaged in a fire.

Inhalation exposure

If solar power components are involved in a fire, care should be taken to avoid exposure to the products of combustion due to the somewhat unusual materials involved. In addition to inhalation concerns, dermal exposure from solar power system materials damaged by fire should also be handled with caution regardless of the type of solar power system.

Flame spread

Another common hazard regardless of the type of solar power system is the potential flame spread characteristics of the modules, such as from an adjacent exposing building fire or an approaching wildland fire. The components exposed to sunshine and other exterior elements of weather need to have highly durable characteristics, and certain materials that have traditionally performed well in this regard (i.e., certain types of plastics), do not necessarily have good fire-resistant characteristics. Further work is needed to clarify the fire resistance and fire spread characteristics of these panels.

FIREFIGHTER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Daytime = Danger; Nightime = Beware of your scene lighting
Inform IC that a PV system is present
Securing the main electrical does not shut down the PV modules
Cover all PV modules with 100 percent light-blocking materials to stop electrical generation
Do not break, remove, or walk on PV modules, and stay away from modules, components, and conduit

Fireground Tactics

“Components are always hot!” The single most critical message of emergency response personnel is to always consider photovoltaic systems and all their components as electrically energized. The inability to power-down photovoltaic panels exposed to sunlight makes this an obvious hazard during the daytime, but it is also a potential concern at nighttime for systems equipped with battery storage.

• Operate normally, but don’t touch. Fire service personnel should follow their normal tactics and strategies at structure fires involving solar power systems, but do so with awareness and understanding of exposure to energized electrical equipment. Emergency response personnel should operate normally, and approach this subject area with awareness, caution, and understanding to assure that conditions are maintained as safely as possible.

Size-up, identify and validate hazard . Accurate knowledge of the hazards present on the fireground is essential for minimizing personnel injuries. Identifying the type and extent of a solar power system during the emergency event size-up is critical to properly addressing the hazards they present. In particular, it is important to distinguish between a solar thermal system and a photovoltaic system, and the hazards presented by each type of system.

• Stress key message for tactical approach (especially large commercial systems) . The tactical approach to solar power equipment in a building with a structure fire needs to be stressed with all fireground personnel (i.e., stay clear). Serious injury can occur with equipment such as photovoltaics on a sunny day, and the danger to fire service personnel is real and deserves attention. Of paramount concern are large commercial photovoltaic systems that generate significant levels of electricity and can create daunting strategic challenges for fire fighters as they are trying to address a building fire.

• Leave the scene in a safe condition . Emergency response personnel address and mitigate hazards, and turn the scene back over the owners and/or occupants after the scene is stabilized. They need to be aware of unanticipated dangers and leave the scene in a safe condition. An example would be a photovoltaic solar power system damaged during a nighttime fire, which once exposed to sunlight, begins to generate electricity and creates a shock hazard or re-kindling of the fire.

For the complete report check out this link:

FFTacticsSolarPower

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on April 14, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Battery Hazards, BIPV, Electrical Shock, Federal tax credit, Green, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, John Shafer, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, Solar, Solar Energy, solar shingle, Tactics

INDIANA’S LARGEST SOLAR ENERGY PROJECT

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The power of the sun will be harnessed later this month to produce solar electricity on a size and scale never before seen in Indiana.

Starting April 29, an array of 6,152 solar panels, installed last winter on the roof of a federal office building, will create more than 2 megawatts of electricity an hour, enough to power about 1,000 homes.

Link for full article:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110406/LOCAL1802/104060323/6-acre-solar-energy-project-will-Indiana-s-biggest-yet?odyssey=mod_sectionstories

Solar energy in the U.S.

» In 2010, the U.S. solar market grew 67 percent in value, reaching $6 billion, up from $3.6 billion in 2009.

» Solar electric installations last year totaled 956 megawatts to reach a cumulative installed capacity of 2.6 gigawatts.

» 29,500 solar pool heating systems and 35,500 solar water heating systems were installed last year, providing heat to more than 65,000 homes, businesses and pools.

» California is the leading installer of solar water heating systems.

» The U.S. ranks fourth in the world for new solar electric installations.

» More than 60,000 people are employed in the U.S. solar industry.

Sources: U.S. General Services Administration; U.S. Department of Energy; Solar Energy Industries Association

Ground Broken for New Green Technology and Fire Safety Facilities

On March 25, 2011, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a groundbreaking ceremony at its Gaithersburg, Md., campus for three new facilities funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, the expanded National Fire Research Laboratory, and the installation of more than 2,500 new solar energy modules to supply electricity to the NIST campus will all help to advance the state of the art in green and fire-safe building practices.

Link for full article:

http://www.nist.gov/el/facilities-033011.cfm

Fire Fighter Safety & Emergency Response for Solar Power Systems

FFTacticsSolarPower

Training video’s by Capt. Matt Paiss, of the San Jose, Calif., Fire Department, offering further understanding of the how solar electric systems work and tips on how to stay safe. Matt can be reached at mpaiss@earthlink.net.

Part One

Part Two

Posted by John Shafer on April 12, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: fire-safe, Firefighter Safety, Green, Green Buildings, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, Indiana, Indianapolis, John Shafer, Matt Paiss, National Fire Research Laboratory, NIST, Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Power Systems, San Jose, Solar, solar panels

St. LOUIS MO. HABITAT for HUMANITY GOES GREEN

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This blog is dedicated to Nick Morgan and all my brothers and Sisters in St. Louis Mo.

The Habitat for Humanity St. Louis (HFHSL) a nonprofit agency has recently built 17 green homes just north of downtown St. Louis Mo.

Habitat for Humanity was able to build green by using sustainable materials and installing eco-friendly products, such as tankless water heaters, geothermal exchange heating and cooling systems, structural insulated panels, cool roofs, low-VOC paints, and copper fire sprinkler systems.

These 17 single-family homes are 1,200 square feet, and consist of three- and four-bedrooms, and one and a half baths. They were designed to complement the current architecture in the neighborhood, and all of the homes are pending LEED Platinum certification.

For full article check out link below:

http://www.greenbuildermag.com/News/Headlines/Habitat-for-Humanity-Goes-Green

Other related green developments in St. Louis using structural insulated panels check out this link.

http://www.homechannelnews.com/article/green-modular-homes-grow-st-louis

Structural Insulated Panels have came on strong in green construction in the midwest. I will have more information in later post about structural insulated panels.

If you are a member of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors you can access a free training program I have developed on structural insulated panels. It will be located in the community resource section.

International Society of Fire Service Instructors web site:

http://www.isfsi.org/

Stay Safe

Lt. John Shafer

Posted by John Shafer on April 9, 2011 • Filed under: Building Construction, News and Events • Tagged: Building Construction, cool roofs, eco-friendly products, geothermal HVAC, Green, Green Buildings, green homes, Green Maltese, greenmaltese.com, Habitat for Humanity, International Society of Fire Service Instructors, John Shafer, LEED, LEED Platinum, low-VOC paints, Nick Morgan, sprinkler systems, St. Louis, Structural Insulated Panels, Sustainable, tankless water heaters

Archives for green

The Effect of Reflected Sunlight from Low-e and other Double Paned Window Glass on Vinyl Siding:

LEED Construction: Building a Brighter Future

Fire Marshal’s Corner: FM Global Report on Green and Sprinklers and the Dangers with Photovoltaic Units

Food production:

Modern Roofs the Truckie Nightmare

Contact to discuss specific program needs and content. Content, focus, duration and presentation format can all be customized to meet with venue needs.

What save lives and the environment?

Answer: Residential Fire Sprinklers

We as a fire service needs to educate the public that fire sprinkler saves lives and environment! Now that is the true example of being Green.

The majority of firefighters today associate used shipping containers with Live Fire training.

The challenge of harnessing the sun’s energy

Firefighting Concerns:

Fireground Tactics

Solar energy in the U.S.

Ground Broken for New Green Technology and Fire Safety Facilities

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