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Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 51 - 100 of 110

Firebreak: Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate

Author(s)
Urban Land Institute
Organization(s)
Urban Land Institute
Publication Date
Updated wildfire risk assessment, community impacts, and building science measures following the disastrous 2020 wildfire season in the western U.S.

Firescaping

Author(s)
FIRESafe Marin
Organization(s)
FIRESafe Marin
Publication Date
Webpage from FireSafe Marin explaining the different landscaping strategies near homes to lower the risk of a home's ignition from wildfire.

Firetherm

Author(s)
Firetherm
Organization(s)
Firetherm
Publication Date
An example of commercially available thermally expansive fire stopping products for controlling the spread of fires in a rainscreen cavity.

FireWise Research Fact Sheet Series

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety,
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
IBHS,
NFPA
Publication Date
Webpage listing 10 factsheets describing research by IBHS into wildfire causes and construction tips for reducing the risk of ignition.

Five Steps to Creating an Effective Defensible Space

Author(s)
Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team
Organization(s)
TFFT
Publication Date
Five step plan from the Tahoe Fire & Fuels team outlining how to create an effective defensible space for wildfire protection. Recommendations include siting for homes on slopes.

Flame-Spread Ratings

Author(s)
Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshall
Organization(s)
Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshall
Publication Date
Site showing flame spread ratings and definitions for common building materials.

Freeze Protection for CPVC Fire Sprinkler Piping

Author(s)
Prescott Fire Department
Organization(s)
Prescott Fire Department,
City of Prescott Arizona
Publication Date
A guideline containing fire sprinkler insulation requirements from the Prescott, Arizona Fire Department.

Gas safety tips

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Webpage describing the safety hazards associated with natural gas and tips on how to avoid these hazards by a step process of turning off natural gas service to a home and restoring service afterwards.

Gas Shutoff Devices

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Webpage describing when and how to safely turn off the natural gas to the home during an emergency.

Great Fire of London, BSI–098

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report covering the fire performance of combustible cladding over combustible insulation.

High Volume Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Organization(s)
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Publication Date
Webpage describing federal regulation related to excess flow valves on residential natural gas lines.

Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Author(s)
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
Organization(s)
HFSC
Publication Date
Website containing educational and marketing resources for residential fire sprinklers.

Home Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment – 2013

Author(s)
Newport Partners
Organization(s)
The Fire Protection Research Foundation
Publication Date
Report assessing the costs of home fire sprinkler systems.

How to Prepare Your Home for Wildfires

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
Factsheet describing defensible space and wildfire risk reduction steps that homeowners can take to make their homes safer during a wildfire.

Ignition Resistant Construction Design Manual

Author(s)
Colorado Springs Fire Department
Organization(s)
City of Colorado Springs Colorado
Publication Date
Wildfire guidance for homes located in the wildland urban interface, focused on site design and individual pieces of the home.

Ignition Resistant Construction Guide

Author(s)
FireSafe Montana
Organization(s)
FireSafe Montana
Publication Date
Ignition resistant residential construction and landscaping guidelines from FireSafe Montana.

Industry Becoming More Comfortable with Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pipeline & Gas Journal
Organization(s)
Pipeline & Gas Journal
Publication Date
Article describing excess flow valves installed on gas lines to shut-off natural gas flow to a home in the event that a gas line is severed due to an earthquake, natural disaster, earthquake, etc.

Maintain Defensible Space

Author(s)
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Organization(s)
Cal Fire
Publication Date
A webpage outlining CAL FIRE’s recommendations for creating defensible space.

New Analyses Reveal WUI Growth in the U.S.

Author(s)
U.S. Forest Service
Organization(s)
USDA
Publication Date
Article describing the growth of the wildland urban interface in the United States from 1990 to 2010, expanding from 30.8 to 43.4 million homes (a 41% increase), and growing from 581,000 to 770,000 kM2 (33% growth), an increase of 189,000 km2, an area that is larger than Washington State.

New National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires

Author(s)
National Research Council Canada
Organization(s)
National Research Council Canada
Publication Date
Report for local governments, planners, emergency managers, developers, insurers, and property owners describing ways to improve the wildfire resistance of buildings, infrastructure and communities in the wildland urban interface.

NFPA 1142 – Standard on Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
An NFPA Standard that identifies a method for determining the minimum water supply necessary for structural fire-fighting purposes in areas where it has been determined that there is no water or inadequate water for fire fighting.

NFPA 25 - Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
An NFPA standard for inspection, testing, and maintenance of fire sprinklers, including fire pump operation and flow tests, evaluation techniques such as sprinkler inspections, valve status tests, internal piping assessments, and forward flow tests for backflow preventers, and water storage system...

NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
Standard establishing criteria for levels of health care services or systems based on risk to the patients, staff, or visitors in health care facilities to minimize the hazards of fire, explosion, and electricity.

Operation Water

Author(s)
National Fire Protection Association
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
A website outlining considerations for planning and installation of a fire-protection.

Performance profiles of exterior fire protective building envelopes

Author(s)
Jarnskjold Tobias,
Jensen Geir,
Knudsen Atle
Organization(s)
Edition Diffusion Presse Sciences,
EDP Sciences
Publication Date
A study on how fires spread through exterior building envelopes with discussion on how fires propagate in a rain screen cavity.

Prepare for Wildfire - Fire-Resistant Landscaping

Author(s)
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Organization(s)
Cal Fire
Publication Date
Article from CAL FIRE on fire-resistant landscaping to mitigate ignition of homes.

Prepare for Wildfire: Hardening Your Home

Author(s)
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Organization(s)
State of California,
Cal Fire
Publication Date
Webpage offering recommendations to homeowners and contractors for retrofitting a home to make it more resistant to wildfires.

Regional Wildfire Retrofit Guides

Author(s)
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Webpage that provides regional guides to help home and business owners prioritize necessary retrofit projects for wildfire resistance.

Rocks Don’t Burn, BSI–068

Author(s)
Lstiburek
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Report covering non-combustible continuous exterior insulation and non-combustible roof venting.

Safety: Excess Flow Valves

Author(s)
Pacific Gas & Electric
Organization(s)
PG&E
Publication Date
Brochure for utility customers describing installation of an excess flow valve to automatically shut off natural gas flow into a home in the event of a gas line rupture.

Seismic Gas Shut-Off Valve Requirements

Author(s)
City of Malibu
Organization(s)
City of Malibu
Publication Date
Fact sheet for natural gas customers describing city’s seismic gas shut-off valve requirements.

Sprinkler Insulation - A Literature Review

Author(s)
Merrifield Brian
Organization(s)
Fire Protection Research Foundation,
FPRF,
National Fire Protection Association,
NFPA
Publication Date
Literature review from NFPA on the use of insulation to protect the piping in home fire sprinkler systems from freezing conditions.

Top 20 Largest California Wildfires

Author(s)
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Organization(s)
Cal Fire
Publication Date
Webpage with data on the 20 largest wildfires in California that occurred between the year 1932 and present day.

Training Course: Fire Behavior

Author(s)
National Wildfire Coordinating Group
Organization(s)
National Wildfire Coordinating Group
Publication Date
Online course describing the behavior of wildfires for firefighters.

U.S. Experience with Sprinklers

Author(s)
Marty Ahrens
Organization(s)
NFPA
Publication Date
A report examining the presence, reliability, effectiveness, and impact of sprinkler systems in structure fires.

U.S. Forest Service

Author(s)
U.S. Forest Service
Organization(s)
USFS
Publication Date

Water Tank Standards for Fire Protection

Author(s)
San Diego County Fire Authority
Organization(s)
San Diego County
Publication Date
A San Diego County standard outlining the requirements for installing fire protection water tanks.

Ways to stay safe in a natural disaster.

Author(s)
NW Natural
Organization(s)
NW Natural
Publication Date
Webpage from NW Natural on how to prepare homes with natural gas service for earthquakes and floods, what to do during an emergency, and how to respond after the emergency has passed.

What to Do if a Wildfire is Approaching

Author(s)
IBHS DisasterSafety
Organization(s)
IBHS
Publication Date
Guidelines from IBHS on modifications to homes to prepare for a wildfire if evacuation orders are anticipated for the area.

Where Your Front Door Meets the Forest

Author(s)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Organization(s)
USDA
Publication Date
Webpage describing the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and how to plan residential building to mitigate wildfire risks associated with building in the WUI.