CNYCentral.com- New NY State Law To Make Firefighters Safer

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New law could keep firefighters safer, when they're at house fires by Laura Hand Posted: 2 hrs, 16 mins ago Laura Hand Laura Hand anchors CNY Central's Weekend Today in Central New York. read more » Friend Laura Follow Laura Contact Laura Laura's feed Read more:  Local, News, Community, Truss Consruction, Firefighter Safety, FASNY, Fireman's Association of the State of New York, Scott Mcclurg, Homebuilders Remodelers of Central New York, Robert Leonard save send print 2 10815 Special stickers on outside electrical boxes would warn firefighters Metal gusset plates are used to hold together trusses, but they can weaken in a fire.  Now, firefighters will be advised if a home has this kind of construction  / Photojournalist Tom Cunningham New York State is now requiring home builders and remodelers to note on construction permits, if they plan to use truss construction in their projects. The 'new' way of building trusses is less expensive, and safe---unless there's a fire.  The heat and flames can weaken the metal gusset plates that hold the wood braces together, making a failure (and collapse) more likely. This form of construction was involved in a floor collapse 12 years ago in Pompey, that killed two firefighters who were in a burning home on Sweet Road. "When the truss fails, it all falls down," FASNY (Fireman's Association of the State of NY) member Robert Leonard tells us.  "The challenge for the fire departments is to know the trusses are in the building, and to change our operation a little bit." Scott McClurg, a home builder/remodeler and former Syracuse firefighter, tells us that use of the trusses, including in his own Marcellus work areas, is financially driven.   Contractors are constantly battling costs, he says, and this along with a modified beam that uses less lumber, help keep the costs down. Homebuilders are supportive of the new law, which requires notification of the truss construction on building permits. That information is to be passed on to fire departments, and the builders say they will also put special warning stickers on electrical boxes outside new homes, to also give arriving firefighters a warning of what's inside. That warning could help them calculate how safe the inside of a burning structure is, and get them out safely before it collapses and traps them.