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Statistics: Holz100 and Fire Resistance

9/14/2018

Why should I care about fire safety?

Your home is more prone to fire than you think.

According to NFID, there was a total of 38,844 fires in the seven jurisdictions reporting in 2014. Of the 19,062 structural fires reported in 2014, three quarters (74%) were residential fires. Consistent with the overall trend, the number of structural fires declined by 26% between 2005 and 2014. However, Over the 10-year period, residential fires consistently accounted for 6 out of every 10 structural fires, ranging from 69% in 2005 and 2006 to 75% in 2013.

Although the overall number of reports have decreased, why did the proportion of residential and structural fires increase?

Because newer homes burn faster:

"Research shows that 30 years ago, you had about 17 minutes to escape a house fire. Today it's down to three or four minutes. The reason: Newer homes and the furniture inside them actually burn faster. A lot faster.

To demonstrate, Rossen Reports went to Underwriters Laboratories in Chicago, where two rooms were built side by side: one a flashback to the '70s or '80s with real wood and many natural materials, and the other a modern one with a lot of synthetic fibers, from the curtains to the couch to even the coffee table.

As firefighters stood by, a fire set to a sofa pillow in the modern room quickly spread across the sofa and jumped to other furniture: a lamp, an end table, a chair and coffee table. Within 3 minutes, flames were going through the roof.

"The backing of your carpet is synthetic, your drapes are synthetic, the couch, the pillows are synthetic," explained John Drengenberg, consumer safety director for UL. "They burn hotter and faster than natural materials do."

A similar fire set to the sofa pillow in the room simulating an older home burned for several minutes without even catching the rest of the sofa. At 15 minutes the room was still intact; it wound up taking 30 minutes for the room to burn."

"Among structural residential fire incidents, cooking equipment and smoker’s equipment/open flame were the two leading sources of ignition in residential fires over the 2005 to 2014 period. These two categories combined consistently accounted for about 6 in 10 of all of the residential fires." - NFID

"The majority of fire-related deaths occur in structural fires. For example, in 2014, 87% of the reported fire deaths occurred as a result of structural fires. Vehicle fires accounted for 11% of reported deaths, while outdoor fires accounted for 4%." - NFID

Fire Statistics of United States:

Be Safe with Holz100

Holz100 far surpasses any fire protection standard: 5-7 times better fire safety than reinforced concrete, brick ceilings and stud structures. Holz100 is fire resistant up to REI 120 min. or F 90.

"Most fire deaths are not caused by burns, but by smoke inhalation. Often smoke incapacitates so quickly that people are overcome and can’t make it to an otherwise accessible exit. The synthetic materials commonplace in today’s homes produce especially dangerous substances." - National Fire Protection Association

Since Holz100 is 100% pure wood, its inhabitants need not worry about toxic fumes. With its singular natural component combined with structural capacities akin to a firewall, it is the ultimate fire-resistant building system.

With a burning rate of 0.7 mm/min, you and your family are guaranteed absolute safety and high-level resistance from fire for generations.

More about Fire Protection

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Do Your World Some Good with Wood

9/6/2018

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In addition to its associated health benefits, the use of responsibly sourced certified wood can have significant positive environmental outcomes and help reduce climate change.

The temperature of the earth is dependent on the balance between the amount of energy entering the planet’s system from the sun, and the amount reflected and released back into space. The natural greenhouse gas effect is where gases in the atmosphere absorb and retain heat, a natural process that is vital for life on earth. However if these greenhouse gases increase in quantity, more energy is absorbed and the earth heats up.

Current atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, are 40% higher than preindustrial levels. If the current trend in energy usage continues carbon dioxide emissions are estimated to increase by a further 20% by 203556. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other authorities have warned that emissions need to be significantly reduced by 2020 in order to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change, with the global economy reaching net zero emissions by 2050 to limit global warming to no more than 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures. In order for this to occur emissions not only need to be reduced, but the number of carbon sinks (which remove carbon from the atmosphere) also needs to be increased.

Through the process of photosynthesis trees remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it as biomass, mostly wood. Planting more trees will therefore absorb more carbon and help reduce the impact of emissions. When responsibly sourced wood is used as a building material or to create long-lasting products those items become a carbon store – they lock carbon out of the atmosphere.

Using wood as a building material also means that the use of much more carbon intensive and non-renewable materials like concrete and steel can be reduced. One study for example identified that the total energy consumption in the manufacturing of steel beams is 2-3 times higher, and the use of fossil fuels 6-12 times higher, than manufacturing timber beams. In New Zealand it has been estimated that a 17% increase in wood usage in the building industry would result in a 20% reduction in carbon emissions from the manufacture of all building materials, 1.5% of New Zealand’s total emissions.

Furthermore innovative timber systems designed for prefabrication and disassembly allow for reuse of the timber, creating a more resource-efficient product life cycle than typical demolition and down-cycling, helping to avoid landfill waste.

With the global population growing, increasing rates of urbanization and the construction of new buildings are inevitable. If these new buildings were built with wood they would not only act as a long-term carbon store, but they would generate fewer emissions in their construction.

The use of wood in the interior of a building has clear physiological and psychological benefits that mimic the effect of spending time outside in nature. The feelings of natural warmth and comfort that wood elicits in people have the effect of lowering blood pressure and heart rates, reducing stress and anxiety, increasing positive social interactions and improving corporate image.

These benefits are particularly important for environments where it is difficult to incorporate nature indoors, such as hospitals where strict health and safety guidelines may prevent the presence of plants, and office environments where views from the window are of roads and neighbouring concrete buildings.

Responsibly sourced (and certified) timber has clear health and happiness benefits, as well as being a weapon in the struggle against climate change by both storing carbon and eliminating emissions.

Wood is one of the oldest and most versatile building materials used by humanity but it also has a large part to play in the future of health and housing.

- Planet Ark

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Statistics: Holz100 and Fire Resistance

Your home is more prone to fire than you think.

Fire Statistics of United States:

Be Safe with Holz100

Do Your World Some Good with Wood

Author

Archives

Categories

Build your dream home with Holz100!
Contacting us is your first step to build a healthier, safer and Cleaner Home.

Hours

Office

President FRANK GHAHREMANI

微信公众号:holz100canada

Statistics: Holz100 and Fire Resistance

Your home is more prone to fire than you think.

Fire Statistics of United States:​

Be Safe with Holz100​

Do Your World Some Good with Wood

Author

Archives

Categories

Build your dream home with Holz100!Contacting us is your first step to build a healthier, safer and Cleaner Home.

Hours

Office

President FRANK GHAHREMANI

微信公众号:holz100canada

Fire Statistics of United States:

Be Safe with Holz100

Build your dream home with Holz100!
Contacting us is your first step to build a healthier, safer and Cleaner Home.