Windows That Lie
Had a busy week around here so the last posts have been short and to the point. The windows you see here are not anything uncommon. We find buildings pretty regularly that have what appear to be windows but do not end up being usable. This post was just to show a couple of the better ones that we have found. It is a good reminder of the types of hazards we can find when we are out walking buildings.
This first picture only has an exterior view of the building. It is easy to see that instead of filling this exterior wall in with brick, the occupant decided to just frame right over the existing opening and cover it with drywall on the inside. There was no obvious signs of any windows in this room but had multiple openings on the outside.
The second set of pictures has a reverse problem. The outside has been covered over, and if you look close you can see the outlines in the material showing where the old windows used to be. However on the inside if you were in need of an exit point you would still identify these windows as your closest egress. It has blinds, glass and window security bars still in place. Even if you were able to get through the bars you would then find the exterior wall of the building. This window was high off the ground and would be your least effective way out of the building. All the windows had been covered up in this fashion.
Nothing big, just something to look at for the week.
Explore posts in the same categories: 6. Building Construction/HazardsTags: building construction, building hazards, egress problems
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IRONSandLADDERS.com 
03/14/2010 at 12:18 pm
We have NEW buildings like this up north. The FedEx computer building appears to have windows from the outside, reflective glass material, however are only a facade. From the interior there are no openings to the outside from the 2nd or 3rd floor with the exception of stairwells and roof access. Good to know for firefighter entrapment as there is no way to gain access with a ladder through the “windows”.
03/16/2010 at 1:27 pm
Locating these buildings in your first due area is not only vital for firefigter rescue and egress but also for ventilation. Making the fire and smoke go up and out will help the engine guys make the hallway and get the fire out. If we do run across these windowless buildings, the truck crew must be aggressive and get to the roof and cut.