FIGHTING FIRES IN 'MONSTER HOUSES'

摘要

Atrend in today's residential construction and one that has been growing for some time throughout the country is the development of single-family dwellings of extreme size and volume. In some areas, these homes have been nicknamed "monster houses," and rightly so. These structures have the size and volume of some large commercial buildings. The potential problems these dwellings can pose during firefighting warrant special attention. Just what is a "monster house"? Where are monster houses found? A loose definition of a monster house is a single-family dwelling of approximately 8,000 square feet or greater of livable space. Many of these homes are in suburban areas, especially near large metropolitan cities. However, many rural communities also have these homes in their jurisdictions. It is noteworthy that building codes in some communities require a commercial structure of much less square footage to have a sprinkler system on-site but not this single-family monster.