Lightning Protection
For the period 1959-1994, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Publication "Storm Data" indicated over 3,000 deaths, 9,000 injuries and nearly 20,000 property damage reports...
Earthquake Bracing Requirements for FM Global Data Sheet 2-8
This Data Sheet provides a detailed description of the components necessary to guard against earthquakes for a water-based fire protection system. The fire protection system can include sprinkler...
Roof Perimeter Flashing
It's that time of year again for the Northern Hemisphere - Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. As a supplement to our earlier articles dealing with preparing for severe windstorms (see...
Flood Mitigation
We occasionally see on TV news where buildings are inundated or submerged in flood water after heavy rain, typhoons or hurricanes. Many people believe it never happens to their own buildings. But is...
Choosing Structural Systems for Earthquakes
Several factors come into play when it comes to designing earthquake protection for a building. These include site selection, building type and the particular building code used. This month, we will...
Protection Against Exterior Fire Exposure
When it comes to determining the adequacy of fire protection for your building, it is also necessary to consider the potential fire exposure that may exist from an adjacent building and/or adjacent...
FM Approvals RoofNav Tool
Choosing the correct roofing system for your facility may not be easy. There are many factors that should be taken into consideration based on the geographic location and other conditions of your...
Seismic Considerations for Flammable Gas Piping
In our July 2006 article, we described methods for lowering the risk of a fire after an earthquake. One portion of the article discussed ways to protect piping used to transfer flammable liquids and...
Hailstorms
Facts about Hailstorms: Hail develops during most mid-latitude thunderstorms, often melting before reaching the ground. Hail forms in the updraft of a thunderstorm with stronger storms producing...
Lowering the Chance of Fire After an Earthquake
In previous articles we discussed earthquake protection for fire protection systems. We now turn the discussion from maintaining the ability to control a fire to lowering the chances of a fire or...
Fire Barrier Designations
Floors and walls designed as fire separations have been recognized for many years as efficient tools for restricting fires to the area of origin or limiting fire spread. Prior to 1900, relative fire...
Incendiarism
Typically, we consider fire protection as a combination of adequate physical protection and implementation of loss control programs which in combination help to reduce the number of fires and...