President & CEO of the American Wood Council
When not properly managed, construction sites can hold higher potential for fires caused by issues like improperly stored combustible materials and noncompliant hot work. In an effort to decrease the frequency and severity of construction site fires, the American Wood Council (AWC) and the Construction Fire Safety Coalition (CFSC) developed a new Construction Fire Safety Checklist app. The app, also called the CFS Checklist app, was developed with input from various key stakeholder groups including the fire service, building inspectors and construction managers to ensure it would meet the unique needs of each group.
The app, released this summer, consists of an easy-to-use checklist that aligns with the 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) requirement for daily self-inspections, and documentation of those inspections, by site safety directors and supports users as they work to reduce the frequency and severity of construction fires by making inspections more accessible and encouraging code-compliance.
Fire service, building inspectors and construction managers each have unique roles to play in supporting the fire safety of a construction site, but during the app’s development, all expressed a need for a straightforward and accessible way to ensure code compliance. To meet those needs, AWC designed the app to be easy to navigate and export. The checklist includes 10 sections, and covers issues related to subjects like hot work, debris removal, fire hydrant access and other topics tied to 2021 IFC compliance. As each question is answered, the sections are automatically rated as compliant or non-compliant, helping officials efficiently complete their daily inspections. Once the checklist has been completed, it can be signed and exported as a pdf to allow easy sharing and submission to fire and building officials, as required by the code.
The app’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to recognize areas of non-compliance and encourage quick remediation which will help prevent construction site fires. The app is just one of the many resources the CFSC has created to support the fire service, building officials and other key stakeholders as they work to promote fire safety and decrease catastrophic construction site fires. For additional materials and resources related to construction fire safety visit https://constructionfiresafety.org/.
With over 1,600 downloads in just over a month, the app is quickly becoming a sought-after tool for fire service officials and inspectors. The app is available for free download on both the Google Play and Apple Stores.
