Leesburg Today

In the wake of the Loudoun County fire and rescue system’s most tragic day in decades, Chief Pozzo moved quickly to take steps aimed at preventing similar situations in the future.

The May 25 house fire near Leesburg brought to the forefront the life-risking service that firefighters are called to provide in their course of duty. Reams of procedures and hours of training are devoted to balancing the risk to emergency responders and their efforts to protect property. In this incident, that balance was lost, leaving a young firefighter severely burned and others injured.

A key point of examination as the task force of regional fire service authorities probes the details of the fire will be the role modern construction materials played in the unexpected collapse of the home’s roof. While these materials, including glue-laminated beams and trusses that are commonly used in today’s homes, can achieve the strong-as-steel rating needed to support the structure, they may behave very differently in fire situations. Glue melts more quickly than a wood beam burns through or a steel beam fails.

What may result from the examination is a new set of protocols under which interior firefighting efforts are more limited in newer homes if the threat of collapse is greater. That would translate to higher property losses, but lower risk to firefighters-a balance that unquestionably is merited.

Homeowners, too, need to be aware of the impacts construction material may have in the event their homes are threatened by fire. And insurance companies could face higher payouts if firefighting activities are limited because of structural concerns.

Those constituencies, together with firefighters already pushing for changes, could prompt the General Assembly to address the concerns with modifications to the Statewide Building Code or new programs to promote or require more widespread use of residential sprinkler systems.

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