14 INTERNATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION
By Joseph A.
Castellano, P.E.
of Rolf Jensen &
Associates Inc
FIRE PROTECTION
F
ire does not prejudice between churches,
schools, libraries, houses, theatres, warehouses,
museums, etc. All buildings with combustible
construction or combustible interiors are suscep-
tible to fire. We in the fire protection community
are knowledgeable about protection schemes to
mitigate the loss of historic structures in fires and
to educate the community at large as to the
benefits of providing such fire protection in these
structures. So why are we not protecting more of
these buildings with good sound fire protection?
The answer: money and concern.
Financially, retrofitting an existing historic
structure with good fire protection does not come
cheap. Often times, fire protection upgrades occur
when an historic building undergoes some level of
either restoration or renovation, where the costs
of the fire protection is part of a larger restoration
cost and more easily justified. These upgrades can
also occur over several project phases that may
encompass a number of years to complete. Many
local communities have historical preservation
societies that may own and/or be involved with a
number of historic buildings. Many of these
Fire Protection
BuildingsEisenhower Executive
Office Building,
RJA/Baltimore
We have all been witness to an unfolding story on the evening news or internet
that portrays the destruction of an historical structure by fire. This scenario plays
out the same in cities and towns across the world each year. The loss of these
structures is devastating to the communities and to the entire historical
preservation community. Furthermore, these structures are forever lost and the
only reminder left behind are countless photos of the building's glory days.

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