The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutTHE GROVE AT FORT COLLINS - FDP - FDP110015 - CORRESPONDENCE - (61)Page 4 of 4 Once it bums away, the particleboard sheeting behind it — "basically sawdust held together with glue" — is exposed, Dawson said. "You having nothing left but this wall covered with this combustible sheeting. So it bums easily with a fairly decent Name -spread rating. " Old Buckingham has sprinkler systems inside the living areas of all its apartments, and Are crews reported that those systems were working when they responded to the Dec. 15 fire, Dawson said. "But because there is so much volume of Are and so much heat being produced, those sprinklers are just underpowered for that type of fire, "Dawson said. 'It's not designed for fire outside burning into the houses. " News article about vinyl -sided apartment fire in Fargo, ND: http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/39519/ (Includes a video segment) Excerpts from "Residents sift through salvageable items": Fire crews are trying to figure out what started the South Fargo apartment Are. I50 people are now homeless. Fire officials say vinyl siding can be highly flammable. They say from the moment the fire touched the siding, it shot right up to the third floor Once the Are was in the attic, it was tough for crews to get water up there. "Since it's vertical and heat rises, it just shoots right up then of course with an over hang, with a soffit, it gets pulled in. It's common for that to happen when you have a balcony Are with vinyl siding. " 11 /7/2011 Page 3 of 4 A fire that destroyed dozens of Raleigh townhouses in February has become the crux of a development debate in Knightda/e. Town officials have stopped Blue Ridge Co., a High Point -based developer, from building nearly 300 apartments because the company planned on using vinyl siding on the project. The Town Council voted Dec. 19 to amend its building codes to ban vinyl siding in multi -family housing. The move was based on findings made by investigators after the Pine Knoll Townes fire in Raleigh. A wind -whipped Are raced through the townhouse complex off Capital Boulevard on Feb. 22, damaging or destroying 38 units. Investigators blamed discarded smoking materials for sparking the Are, but they said combustible pine straw next to the buildings, vinyl siding and soffit material that allowed the flames to get into attics and onto roofs contributed to the fire's rapid spread. Raleigh approved tighter building codes requiring noncombustible materials, and Ro/esville commissioners are considering following suit after a fire destroyed two houses in the town this summer. Knightdale Fire Chief Tim Guffey convinced town commissioners to vote for the vinyl siding ban on apartment and townhouse buildings. "It just rang a bell that the Are spread so quickly up the side of the wall and made its way into the attics of those townhomes, " Guffey said. The move halted Blue Ridge Co.'s plans for the Berkshire Park apartment complex, which would use vinyl siding that the developer thought had been approved. David Nib/ock, an attorney for the developer, called the company's vinyl siding "very safe. " He said he understands Knightda/e's concerns, but added that it's unfair for the town to impose new restrictions part way through the process. Mayor Russell Killen agreed with the vinyl ban, calling it "the right thing to do" to protect local residents. If we would have known about this in the spring, we would have told them then. But this is something that came up over the summer and as a result of the Pine Knolls fire, " Killen said. 'It's going to be hard-pressed for us to go with a developer and their desire, understandably, not to spend any more money than they have to versus our Are chief, who's saying we can achieve significant protection by making this one change. " Third Catastrophic Fire in Vinyl -Sided Apartment Complex in Virginia http: //www2.ti mesd ispatch.com/news/2011/ja n/31/td met01-old -bucki ngha m-fire-spread-q uickly-due-to--ar- 809528 Excerpts from "Old Buckingham fire spread quickly because of vinyl siding": A $1.5 million fire at Chesterfre/d County's Old Buckingham Station Apartments last month was similar to the two before it in the 1990s. It started on the building's exterior and raced up into the attic as the vinyl siding melted away, fire offidals say. Investigators have been unable to determine the precise cause of the Are, but they say it started on a ground -floor balcony and quickly climbed three Aoors to the attic and roof. The building's vinyl siding and particleboard undersheeting contributed to the fire's rapid spread — and with no exterior sprinkler systems to douse the flames, the Are raced upward unchecked, said Chesterfield Fire Marshal Robby Dawson. Those factors are common denominators in all three of the complex's major fires in the past 15 years, Dawson said. Is it odd that we've had three big fires (at Old Buckingham)?" Dawson said. "I think the only thing that contributes to that is the vinyl siding, and that these fires started on the outside." In 1995, the complex's lodge building burned and displaced more than 100 residents and caused $4.4 million in damage. Two years later, another fire displaced 33 residents in 18 apartment units and caused about $1 million in damage. The December fire displaced about 40 residents in an 18-unit building and caused about $1.5 million in damage. No one was hurt in any of the fires. The use and acceptability of vinyl siding on multifamily apartment units — or even on single-family homes — is "kind of a touchy subject from the building -code perspective, " Dawson said, because it adds greater fire risk to a home. Dawson said vinyl siding such as what is used at Old Buckingham includes a Are retardant, "so it theoretically won't bum on its own. " But "it's still plastic, and it melts away at a reasonably low temperature... in a Are scenario. 11/7/2011 Page 2 of 4 From: Sarah Burnett [mailto:sarahmburnett@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 4:18 PM To: City Leaders Subject: Fire Safety in Multi -Family Apartments Mayor Weitkunat, Councilmembers, & Mr. Atteberry, The catastrophic fire in downtown Fort Collins yesterday is a major personal setback for those who lived and had business interests there. Thankfully, no one was injured. Thankfully, our skilled firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to additional structures such as the historic trolley barn nearby. I am not sure, but do not believe, that vinyl siding was NOT a factor in yesterday's fire. However, vinyl siding can make fires even more dangerous because the fire can quickly travel up the vinyl siding and get into attics and roofs. The fumes from burning and melting vinyl siding can also be extremely toxic to residents and firefighters (according to information submitted by the Institute for the Built Environment in The Grove's PDP submission). At the P&Z Hearing regarding The Grove, citizens raised concerns about the increased fire safety risks of vinyl siding, particularly in multi -family apartments. The articles below - and more - were submitted by citizens at that time because numerous catastrophic fires have occurred in vinyl -sided multi -family developments. Unfortunately, during the discussion portion of the appeal, the developer managed to divert attention from the life safety factors that were appealed, and instead focused on information about the green building strengths of vinyl siding - and vinyl siding was approved for The Grove. When I raised my hand, hoping a Councilmember would ask us for more information about the substance of the appeal points, I was not acknowledged, so could not call Council's attention to these important life safety concerns during the appeal discussion. It appears that our current Land Use Code would not allow vinyl siding on large retail establishments for aesthetic reasons. (3.5.4(C)(1)(e)1. states: "Predominant exterior building materials shall be high quality materials, including, but not limited to, brick, sandstone, other native stone and tinted/textured concrete masonry units." It also appears that our current Land Use Code would not allow vinyl siding on convenience stores for aesthetic reasons. (3.5.4(A)(C)(1)(c) states: (c) Quality finish materials shall be utilized. Such materials may include, but need not be limited to: 1. brick masonry or stone; 2. integrally tinted, textured masonry block; 3. stucco; 4. wood siding. The code seems to be more concerned about vinyl siding affecting the aesthetics of big box and convenience stores than vinyl siding affecting the life safety of those living in multi -family apartments. More importantly, no one LIVES in big box or convenience stores. It seems much more important to discourage vinyl in multi -family developments because of fire danger. I urge Council to direct staff to modify our Land Use Code to ban the use of vinyl siding in future projects because of its life safety risks. I also urge Council to direct staff to encourage Campus Crest to use safer siding to help prevent catastrophic fires at The Grove in Fort Collins. Sarah Burnett ARTICLES Knightdale, NC blocks a development because of fire safety concerns with vinyl siding; bans vinyl siding: http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/2225273/#/vid2225273 Excerpts from "Vinyl Siding Concerns Block Knightdale Apartment Project", Knightdale, NC: 11 /7/2011