Look out for structural building repairs that utilize unprotected steel
Many outside parking garages are built of post-tensioned concrete. In this garage, water containing snow-melt chemicals reached and damaged the steel cable tendons within the concrete beam that provide the beam its tensile strength and make it a composite structural element. Subsequent repairs — see the black plates and rods in the highlighted areas — were made with unprotected steel. After this photograph was taken, the plates and rods were painted white to make them less noticeable.
Firefighting hazard: If a couple of today’s vehicles with their heavy plastic loads burned under these repairs, the unprotected steel could fail. This might not necessarily cause a collapse because the damaged beam might remain strong enough to support its load without the plate and rods, but remember, engineers make structural repairs only when necessary.
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Francis (Frank) L. Brannigan, a fireground commander in the 1940s and a fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, was named one of the 20 most influential people in the fire service by Fire Chief Magazine. For 37 years, Brannigan has defined building hazards for firefighters. His book, Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition, is available from the NFPA.