Library

Newsletter containing five articles focused on seismic retrofitting.

Article outlining the key issues related to the protection of the building envelope against seismic forces.

Description of California Senate Bill SB 1898, which requires the sale of new seismic gas shutoff devices sold in California to be certified by the State Architect.

Fact sheet describing guidance concerning lot selection and building siting considerations for coastal residential buildings, including factors that constrain siting decisions, coastal setback lines, common siting problems, and suggestions for builders, designers, and owners; also published in FEMA...

Description webpage providing information about home fire safety during sever weather for consumers.

Literature review from NFPA on the use of insulation to protect the piping in home fire sprinkler systems from freezing conditions.

Website providing a link for purchasing NFPA 1141, Standard for Fire Protection Infrastructure for Land Development in Wildland, Rural, and Suburban Areas.

Website providing a link for purchasing NFPA 703, Standard for Fire Retardant—Treated Wood and Fire–Retardant Coatings for Building Materials.

Website providing a link for purchasing NFPA 1144, Standard for Reducing Structure Ignition Hazards from Wildland Fire.

Website containing links to key wildfire codes and standards.

Guide providing guidance on conducting seismic risk assessments for buildings. The link goes to the current version of this standard, which was published in the year 2016 and is available for preview and purchase. Previous editions of this standard were published in the year 2016, 2007, and 1999...

Practice providing a guide or standard to undertake seismic risk assessment of properties. The current version of the standard was published in the year 2016 and is available for preview and purchase at the link. Previous versions of the standard were published in the years 2016 and 2007, and are...

ASTM standard for wood-composite decking and guardrail materials under a variety of tests, including fire performance and UV resistance. Available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

ASTM standard test method for surface burning response of different building materials which was published in the year 2022 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

ASTM standard test method for testing the surface burning response of different building materials which was published in the year 2023 and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Bill requiring the Consumer Product Safety Commission to revise the safety standards for freestanding clothing storage units such as a dressers, bureaus, or chests of drawers to include testing related to tip overs and new warning requirements for all such products entering the U.S. market; passed...

Report recommending strategies and approaches that the Federal government and other stakeholders may take to encourage and aid States and local communities in the adoption of the most current building codes.

Article describing three ways to strengthen the roof-to-wall connections in an existing home.

Article defining structural design loads and ways to calculate them, including dead loads, live loads, soil lateral loads, wind loads, snow loads, earthquake loads, and other loads.

Report providing a selected compilation of seismic rehabilitation techniques and guidance on which techniques are commonly used to mitigate specific seismic deficiencies in various model building types.

Presentation describing how to make a Corsi-Rosenthal Box for air cleaning.

Article describing a DIY air cleaning system for filtering smoke and viruses.

Fact sheet describing building codes, seismic codes, and code enforcement.

Report describing seismic retrofit of historical buildings.

Webpage with data on the 20 largest wildfires in California that occurred between the year 1932 and present day.

Online course describing the behavior of wildfires for firefighters.

A report examining the presence, reliability, effectiveness, and impact of sprinkler systems in structure fires.

Webpage for the United States Geological Survey for the Department of the Interior.

Webpage from Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) on identifying key problem spots on unreinforced masonry chimneys and how to retrofit them to withstand seismic forces.

Article describing how adhesives can be used to make homes in high-wind locations stronger and how adhesives could be too effective resulting in overloading foundation anchors under earthquake loads.

Products and specification for a State of California-compliant earthquake-actuated automatic gas shutoff valve.

A San Diego County standard outlining the requirements for installing fire protection water tanks.

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.

Web page providing statistics on weather related fatalities and injuries.

An informational guide established to educate the public on seismic shut-off valves and how to avoid fires following an earthquake.

Infographic explaining what a seismic shut-off valve is and providing frequently asked questions.

Guidelines from IBHS on modifications to homes to prepare for a wildfire if evacuation orders are anticipated for the area.

Webpage describing the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and how to plan residential building to mitigate wildfire risks associated with building in the WUI.

Webpage from USFA compiling resources from across the U.S. on Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) information.

Webpage from USDA and U.S. Forest Service with a map of potential wildfire risk across the U.S.

A report for homeowners and contractors providing specific recommendations for how to retrofit existing components of a home to withstand wildfire.

Website describing how wildfires spread and how fuels, weather, and topography influence fires.

Webpage that providing designation program enables homeowners to take preventative measures for their home and yard to protect against wildfire.

Webpage describing ways builders and communities an reduce wildfire risk.

A webpage providing guidance on increasing the wildfire resistance of a home.

A website created by the U.S. Forest Service, containing interactive maps, charts and resources to help communities explore their risk to wildfires.

Article describing the impacts of wildfire smoke on indoor air quality and some ways ASHRAE is responding.

Fact sheet providing recent statistics on wildfires in the U.S.

Article describing ways to design and construct a building to resist wildfires.