Row houses are a common and often iconic housing style in many large cities but are also present in small towns. The characteristics of row houses that make them unique also pose a challenge to fighting fires. Fire departments can use the NIOSH fact sheet and poster as part of their training efforts to reduce and eliminate the risk of firefighter injury and death.
The two-page fact sheet contains:
- Six row house firefighting tactics to keep firefighters safe.
- Typical row house features, including exterior, interior, and construction and materials.
In addition to row house firefighting tactics, the fact sheet and poster highlight:
- Areas for potential fire extension.
- Typical exterior and interior features of row houses, as well as the construction and materials often used to build such structures.
- Quotes from a reputable fire officer and firefighter.
- Additional resources, including a basement fire video from the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute.
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) recommends distributing the NIOSH fact sheet to firefighters as part of training efforts and displaying posters in common areas of the fire department.
For more information
If you have any questions about the materials, please email the NIOSH Project Officer, Sydney Webb, Ph.D.
Train for row house fire response
The USFA's National Fire Academy offers classroom and online training to increase knowledge about building construction features, help understand fire behavior, and assist with command and control of incidents where row houses could be involved.
- Self-study Awareness of Command and Control Decision-Making at Multi-Alarm Incidents (Q0297)
- On-campus Command and Control Decision-Making at Multiple Alarm Incidents (R0297)
- Off-campus Command and Control of Incident Operations (N0312)
- On-campus Command and Control of Incident Operations (R0312)
- Self-study Introduction to Fire Behavior in a Single Family Dwelling (Q0368)
- Self-study Principles of Building Construction (Q0751)
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: Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times
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