Firefighters and Construction: Bowstring/Arched

Rib Truss Roof Systems

9.22.2020

By Salvatore Ancona

All images courtesy of author

Possibly one of the most dangerous positions on the fireground is the roof position. Roof
firefighters encounter many different obstacles as they attempt to gain access to and work
on roof systems of buildings under attack by fire. It takes a seasoned firefighter to
recognize and analyze dangerous roof conditions. Just as firefighters operating inside of a
burning structure are hard at work attempting to reach potential victims and prevent
collapse via suppression, the roof teams are attempting to make the conditions inside
tenable for these rescues while simultaneously racing the clock on a dangerous covered
chimney, to say the least.

Bowstring truss roof systems gained headway during the mid-20th century. The ability to
span long distances for spaces like bowling alleys, supermarkets, and auto body repair
shops has been coveted to allow free movement within a building without the use of
columns or load-bearing walls. In the fire service community, these structures have
represented a significant danger; there have been several events that claimed the lives of
multiple firefighters operating above or beneath them. Rightly so, fire service educators
have identified the risks associated with bowstring truss roof systems. The message has
been received and members have learned that operating times should be limited or
withheld all together to avoid significant injury or death.

RELATED FIREFIGHTER TRAINING

BOWSTRING TRUSSES

Construction Concerns: Trusses Revisited

Training Minutes: Truss Roof Building Rehab

(1) The bowstring truss, also known as the arched rib truss utilizes similar components to other truss systems such as the
use of a top chord, bottom chord, struts, and ties.

The bowstring truss, also known as the arched rib truss, uses similar components to other
truss systems such as the use of a top chord, bottom chord, struts, and ties. (Figure 1).
 Top chords are under compression, bottom chords are under tension, struts resist
compressive forces, and ties resist tensile forces. There are some obvious differences, such
as the curved or arched top chord, wider spacing between trusses, larger open spans
(greater than 40 feet), dimensional joists used in conjunction with truss systems, and large
masonry pilasters. Bowstring truss systems represent bridge-like architecture; they are
architecturally beautiful and represent early ingenuity. They use wood or steel. When wood
is used, you will often see large dimensional lumber, many times spliced together on the
bottom chord with panel points using steel bolts and plates. (Figure 2).  This enables the
long span. The steel bowstring can be constructed with various steel forms, such as angle
iron or square tubular members. The dangers associated with the systems are often similar
in failure but different in global failure rates. Bowstring truss roofs can often be masked by
high parapets. The National Lightweight Construction Research Project (1992) reveals that
bowstring construction in ordinary constructed buildings (Type III) does not classify as
lightweight construction.

(2) When wood is utilized you will often see large dimensional lumber, often spliced together on the
bottom chord with panel points using steel bolts and plates.

It is difficult to justify a long duration defensive firefighting operation inside a structure with
a timber truss roof. Firefighters should anticipate early collapse of the roof and subsequent
failure of one of the masonry walls. However, if the timber trusses are protected by fire-
retarding materials, the collapse of the roof will occur more slowly, and the timber trusses
are more likely to fail. It is important to note the collapse times of notable fires. The
Waldbaum’s supermarket roof collapsed 32 minutes after units arrived, the Hackensack Ford
dealership roof collapsed 35 minutes after units arrived, and a 2010 fire in a former
commercial laundry facility collapsed approximately 16 minutes after dispatch. While
collapse times can vary based on conditions, large bowstring truss roofs fail catastrophically
due to their size and nature. Although 35 minutes can seem like a lot of time, think about
how long into the operation this really is. This means that at 20 minutes, progress could not
have been substantial enough to warrant continued roof operations, which is now the rule of
thumb for many departments in operational progress. Smoke, heat and fire may be
minimally detected early on because of the high ceilings, so firefighters may not see a
significant risk when searching the interior; there may be a mild smoke condition, but a
raging fire above.
 (3) It is important to note the often heavy fire loads seen within buildings using bowstring truss
construction. Seen above, a significant fire load is directly beneath the bottom chord of a 60-foot
bowstring truss.

When a bowstring truss system is attacked by fire, the connections are where we see early
failure. Steel bolts and plates fail or become ineffective releasing the structural members.
Because these truss systems are so widely spaced, when a bowstring truss releases, a large
open span supporting the roof is dismantled, releasing wood joists above and causing a
significant local collapse of that area. Bowstring trusses use cross ties and bracing because
they are very unstable when not connected into a system. When the bracing and ties fail, it
can cause a large truss to topple over laterally. The occupants also tend to use the truss loft
within a truss as storage space, often loading up the bottom chord with excessive weight,
which contributes to the unpredictable collapse nature, as seen in the Hackensack fire. It is
important to note that heavy fire loads are often seen in buildings using bowstring truss
construction. (Figure 3).  One of the pictures below shows tire storage directly beneath the
bottom chord of a large (60 foot) bowstring truss. The heat generated by potential fire
within this space would be astronomical and failure of this truss could be much quicker than
others. This does not mean that if one truss fails every single one would, but even a local
collapse could have a horrible outcome for firefighters working above.

RELATED FIREFIGHTER TRAINING

Tulsa Fire Department’s Bowstring Truss ID System

Training for the Commercial Fireground

Improving Size-Up…One Letter at a Time

In buildings such as this we

need to analyze risk vs. reward when it comes to committing
firefighters to
vertical operations. Will the operation benefit from firefighters cutting
above,
especially with a heavy fire load? Are interior operations with no other
life hazard than the
firefighters operating inside truly warranted? This should
all be outlined in your standard
operating procedures. If progress is not
significant within a certain period of time, collapse
should be expected.

Although this post focuses on large fires with collapse, it is up to members and incident
commanders to determine the best course of action for fires using in bowstring roofs. Not
every building will collapse and not every roof is dangerous. In no way should we advocate
entirely omitting operations on these roofs, because there are cases where it is perfectly
safe. Also, check out the NIOSH report F2010-38, July 6, 2011, which contains a summary
of a firefighter fatality investigation due to collapse of a bowstring truss roof.

SALVATORE ANCONA is a deputy chief fire instructor at the

Nassau County (NY) Fire Service Academy; a former captain
and training officer for the Bellmore (NY) Fire Department;
and a paramedic supervisor in Queens, New York. He has an
A.S. degree in fire science from Nassau Community College
and is in the emergency services administration
undergraduate program at John Jay College of Criminal
Justice. Ancona is the author of the building construction page
“The Sons of Brannigan” on Facebook and was a recipient of
the 2019 FDIC International Honeywell DuPont Scholarship.

   

ABOUT
About Us
Contact Us
Submissions
Advertise
Links
Newsletters
Subscribe
Events
Community
Cookie Policy

RESOURCES

Wildland Firefighter
The Rig
The EMS Rig
The Station
Extrication Zone
Tech Zone
Hazmat Nation
ARFF Resource
High-Rise Operations
Fire Life

SECTIONS

News
Commentary
Features
Photos
Podcasts
Video
Archive
Webcasts
Training Minutes

CLARION FIRE & RESCUE

FirefighterNation
Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment
FDIC International
JEMS
Fire Engineering Books & Video

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2019 - 2022