Blueprint for Safety

BPS Contractors Field Manual Glossary

“A” Zone: A Special flood hazard area where no BFE has been provided. This includes several sub zone classifications. Any building located in this zone is considered to be in a Special Flood Hazard Area (See Base Flood Elevation)
ABOVE GRADE: A term applied to any part of a structure or site feature that is above the adjacent finished, or intact, ground level.
ADHESIVE: A sticky material or glue that adheres two surfaces together. Construction uses include adhering tile to sub flooring or sealing joints between trusses and roof decking.
AGGREGATE: A coarse material, such as gravel, broken stone or sand, with which cement and water are mixed to form concrete. Crushed stone is usually designated as coarse aggregate and sand as fine aggregate.
ANCHORING: Tying a wall down to resist racking or lift. Walls can be “anchored” to the ground using foundation bolts, straps, and special brackets.
ANNEALED-GLASS: Standard glass used for most windows. It can be baked to create tempered glass.
ARSON FIRE: A wildfire willfully ignited by anyone to burn, or spread to, vegetation or property without consent of the owner or his/her agent.
ASCE 7-XX (year): The American Society of Civil Engineers design standard for buildings and other structures. The standard addresses designing for wind loads. The latest version -05 defines the three wind exposure and surface roughness categories: Exposure B, Exposure C, Exposure D.
ASPECT: The direction in which a slope faces. Fuels on southern facing slopes generally dry faster and as a result burn faster.
ASPHALT ROOFING MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (ARMA): An association that, along with FEMA, prepared documents that illustrate the proper nailing of shingles as well as describe the rating system of new high wind standards for shingles.
BALLOON-FRAMING: A continuously framed gable wall where studs form one continuous piece from the floor to the roof. In the balloon method, the gable and the wall are framed all in one piece. This is a preferred method for wind resistance.
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE): The elevation associated with the “100-year flood” pattern, or a flood with a 1% chance or occurrence in any given year. These patterns form the basis for the National Flood Insurance Program’s insurance rates and regulatory floodplain management.
BEARING WALL: A structural wall that provides support for all or major portions of the vertical loads.
BOTTOM PLATE: The lower horizontal board that is permanently attached to the foundation and nailed to the bottom of the wall studs. This board should be pressure-treated.
BRUSH: A collective term that refers to stands of vegetation dominated by shrubby, woody plants, or low-growing trees, usually of a type undesirable for livestock or timber management.
BRUSH FIRE: A fire burning in vegetation that is predominantly shrubs, brush, and shrub growth.
BUILDING ENVELOPE: The entire exterior surface of the building, including roof, walls, doors and windows, which encloses or envelops the space within.
CANOPY: The stratum containing the crowns of the tallest vegetation present (living or dead), usually above 20 feet.
CATALYTIC REACTION: A chemical reaction, which employs a catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that aids a reaction but remains unchanged. Examples of catalytic reactions include catalytic converters in automobiles that use platinum to reduce pollution emissions and boat resins, which are hardened (or cured) using a catalyst.
CLADDING: Cladding can mean several different things. Cladding as siding includes vinyl siding, wood siding, cementious (“Hardy Board”) or aluminum siding. Cladding for windows and doors refers to the vinyl or aluminum skin used on the outside in place of paint i.e. “vinyl clad” or “aluminum clad.” Cladding in general can refer to skylights, glazing, glass block, shutters or any other external protection device.
CODE-PLUS: Additional measures are taken to build to higher standards or loads than the minimum required by code requirements. This adds strength and protection to the building.
CONNECTOR: A mechanical device for securing two or more pieces, parts, or members together, including anchors, wall ties, and fasteners.
CROWN FIRE: A fire that advances from top to top of trees or shrubs more or less independent of a surface fire.
DEFENSIBLE SPACE: An area, typically a width of 30 feet or more, between an improved property and a potential wildfire where the combustibles have been removed or modified.
DIAPHRAGM: A horizontal or nearly horizontal system designed to transmit lateral forces to shear walls or other vertical resisting elements.
DESIGN WIND SPEED: For any given location, it is the wind speed that has approximately a 1% chance of being met or exceeded in any given year as determined from windspeed maps in ASCE-7 or local jurisdiction.
DRIP EDGE: A modified L-shaped flashing used along the eaves and rakes of a roof. Runoff water is directed into gutters & away from fascia.
DWELLING-Residential: A building occupied exclusively for residential purposes by not more than two families.
FASCIA: An exterior board attached to the ends of the rafters or trusses between the roofing material and the soffit overhang along the edge of the roof. The fascia creates a finished look by covering up the ends of the roof structure.
FASTENERS: Nails, wood screws, sheet metal screws, self tapping screws, “Tek” screws, bolts & nuts with washers, epoxy (glued) anchors, lag bolts or “J” bolts, etc.
FILLET WELD: A weld where two pieces of metal or other material are welded together.
FIRE FRONT: That part of a fire within which continuous flaming combustion is taking place. Unless otherwise specified it is assumed to be the leading edge of the fire perimeter.
FIRE-RESISTANT ROOFING: The classification of roofing assemblies A, B or C as defined in the Uniform Building Code (UPC) Standard 32.7.
FIRE-RESISTIVE RATING: The time that the material or construction will withstand fire exposure as determined by a fire test made in conformity with the standard methods of fire tests of building, construction and materials, glowing phases of combustion by direct application to the burning fuel.
FIREBRAND: Any source of heat, natural or human made, capable of igniting wildland fuels. Flaming or glowing fuel particles that can be carried naturally by wind, convection currents, or by gravity into unburned fuels. Examples include: leaves, pine cones, glowing charcoal, and sparks.
FIREBREAK: A natural or construct barrier used to stop or check fires that may occur, or to provide a control line from which to work.
FIREWISE LANDSCAPING: Vegetative Management that removes flammable fuels from around a structure to reduce exposure to radiant heat. The flammable fuels may be replaced with green lawn, gardens, certain individually spaced green, ornamental shrubs, individually spaced and pruned trees, decorative stone or other non-flammable or flame-resistant materials.
FLASHING: A material, such as sheet metal, used in roof and wall construction to shed water.
FLOODPLAIN: The adjacent land that is most likely to be flooded due to the overflow of rivers and streams.
FM 4473: A test standard developed specifically for testing rigid roof coverings to make sure that they provide an acceptable amount of resistance to hail damage.
FOOTING: A masonry section usually made of concrete, in a rectangular form wider than the bottom of the foundation wall or pier it supports.
FRIEZE BOARD: The exterior trim on a brick home between the soffit and brick that allows for a seamless transition between the two. It is also known as a band board.
FUEL BREAK: An area, strategically located for fighting anticipated fires, where the native vegetation has been permanently modified or replaced so that fires burning into it can be more easily controlled.; Fuel breaks divide fire-prone areas into smaller areas for easier fire control and to provide access for fire fighting.
FUEL MODIFICATION: Any manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition or the resistance to fire control.
FUELS: All combustible material within the wildland/ urban interface or intermix, including vegetation and structures.
GABLE: The upper triangular-shaped portion of the end wall of a house above the eave line of a double sloped roof.
GABLE END: The entire end wall of a house having a gable roof.
GROUND FUELS: All combustible materials such as grass, duff, loose surface litter, tree or shrub roots, rotting wood, leaves, peat or sawdust that typically support combustion.
HIGH VELOCITY HURRICANE ZONE (FBC): This zone consists of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties in Florida.
HIP TILE: A special roof tile having an L-shaped cross section, made to fit over the hip of a roof.
HOME IGNITION ZONE (HIZ): A building and its surrounding within about 100 feet. It is important to keep this area clear of combustible material and other flammable materials that would fuel a fire.
HORIZONTAL SEPARATION: The distance in feet measured from the building face to the closest interior lot line, to the centerline of a street, alley or public way, or to an imaginary line between two buildings on the same property.
HOT MOP: Referring to the hot tar being mopped onto the paper, Layers of 15 pound roofing felt are placed in the desired area and each layer is coated with still molten tar/asphalt.
HURRICANE STRAPS: Galvanized steel or stainless brackets used to strengthen “wood to wood” and “wood to concrete” connections. Straps may also be referred to as “hurricane clips”.
HYDROSTATIC LOADS: Forces placed on a structure by water.
IGNITION PROBABILITY: Chance that a firebrand will cause an ignition when it lands on receptive fuels.
IMPACT RESISTANT GLASS: Glass formed where two pieces of glass are bonded together with an interlayer. Similar technology is used to make automobile windshields; the difference is that windshield glass is tempered.
IMPACT-PROTECTION: Shutter systems or impact-resistant glass systems used to protect windows, doors and openings from wind-borne debris.
INSULATED GLASS: A glass unit using more than one piece, i.e. “double pane” or “double glazed”, “triple pane” or “triple glazed”.
LADDER FUELS: Fuels that provide vertical continuity allowing fire to carry from surface fuels into the crowns of trees or shrubs with relative ease.
LAMINATED GLASS: Window systems that combine two panes of glass with a plastic middle insert to create impact-resistant surfaces. Laminated glass is not necessarily impact resistant—it must be tested.
LEEWARD: The side of an object that is away from, or sheltered from the wind.
LOAD/LOAD PATH: When wind forces are placed on a house, the force must ultimately make its way into the ground. For example, a wind load path can follow from the roof to the framing through a wall into the foundation and then into the ground. The path that the force takes is called the load path.
MITIGATION: Building or retrofitting an existing building to increase its resistance to damage caused by natural disasters like hurricane, windstorm, wildfire, floods.
MODIFIED BITUMEN ROOF COVERING: One or more layers of polymer modified asphalt sheets. The sheet materials shall be fully adhered or mechanically attached to the substrate or held in place with an approved ballast layer.
NATURAL BARRIER: Any area where lack of flammable material obstructs the spread of wildfires.
NONCOMBUSTIBLE BUILDING MATERIAL: A material which meets either of the following requirements:; Materials that pass the test procedure set forth in ASTM E 136.; Materials having a structural base of noncombustible materials as defined in 1, with a surfacing not more than 1/8 inch (3.17 mm) thick which has a flamespread rating not greater than 50 when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84.
O.C., ON CENTRE: The measurement of spacing for structural members like studs, rafters and joists in a building, from the center of one member to the center of the next.
OCEAN FLOODING: Affecting coastal areas, ocean flooding is caused by tropical storms and hurricanes due to the high winds and reduced atmospheric pressure associated with these storms. The reduced pressure causes the level of the ocean to rise, which then moves the shoreline further inland. This elevation of the rise is referred to as the storm surge.
ORIENTED STRAND BOARD: Commonly referred to as “OSB”, this is a siding, or sheathing made from wood chips that are bonded together with glue under pressure and soaked or sprayed with sealants to resist damage caused by moisture.
PERMIT: An official document or certificate issued by the building official authorizing performance of a specified activity such as construction.
PIERS: A column of masonry, usually rectangular in horizontal cross section, used to support other structural members.
PILES: A support made of wood, concrete or other material that is driven or embedded into the ground. Examples include wood pilings used with elevated, coastal homes.
PRESCRIBED BURNING: Controlled application of fire to wildland fuels in either their natural or modified state, under specified environmental conditions, which allows the fire to be confined to a predetermined area, and to produce the fire behavior and fire characteristics required to attain planned fire treatment and resource management objectives.
PURLINS: Purlins are metal tracks used to support metal roofs or siding. Purlins can also mean the members placed at right angles to rafters to break up the roof board span.
RACKING: A misshaping of a frame caused when horizontal loads applied to vertical boards displace the frame from its rectangular position.
RAFTER (ROOF JOIST): The pitched roof board used in conventional framing. This is also referred to as the “top chord” of the truss.
RAKE BEAM: The beam that supports the roof on a gable or the top two sides of the triangle that form the gable.
REINFORCED GLASS: Glass formed by using a wire mesh or other strands inside the glass.
REROOFING: The process of removing and recovering or replacing an existing roof covering.
RIDGE TILE: A decorative tile that is bent in cross section; used to cover the ridge of a roof.
RIVERINE FLOODING: Flooding that occurs when rivers and streams overflow their banks onto the adjacent land, due to extensive rainfall.
ROOF ASSEMBLY: A system designed to provide weather protection and resistance to design loads. The system consists of a roof covering and roof deck or a single component serving as both the roof covering and the roof deck. A roof assembly includes the roof deck, vapor retarder, substrate or thermal barrier, insulation and roof covering.
ROOF COVERING: The covering applied to the roof deck for weather resistance, fire classification or appearance.
ROOF DECK SHEATHING: The intermediate covering on the roof deck, sometimes referred to as underlayment.
ROOF JOIST/RAFTER: The pitched roof board used in conventional framing. This is also referred to as the “top chord” of the truss.
ROOF MEMBRANE: See underlayment.
ROOF SHEATHING: The boards or sheet material fastened to the roof rafters on which the shingle or other roof covering is laid.
ROOFING FELT: See underlayment.
SCREEN ENCLOSURE: A building or part thereof, in whole or in part self-supporting, and having walls of insect screening with or without removable vinyl or acrylic wind break panels and a roof of insect screening, plastic, aluminum or similar lightweight material.
SECONDARY WATER RESISTANCE: A tar (bituminous) backed tape or membrane consisting of items such as self-adhering waterproof strips. This is sometimes referred to as “peel & seal”, or ice and snow shield.
SHEAR WALL: A wall designed to resist lateral forces from other than its own mass, acting in the plane of the wall. Shear walls or braced frames provide seismic and high wind resistance.
SHEATHING: The material covering the house frame on the exterior.
SILL PLATE: The framing board that the wall rests on or that carries the weight of a wall. A typical sill plate is a 2”x 4” or 2”x 6” treated wood board that is bolted into the slab.
SLAB ON GRADE: A one- piece slab and footer that is poured at the same time on level ground.
SLOPE: The variation of terrain from the horizontal; the number of feet rise or fall per 100 feet measured horizontally, expressed as a percentage.
SOFFIT: The underside of the eave system. Soffits are often vented to provide airflow through the attic.
SPALLING: When poured concrete chips, fragments or breaks apart. This problem is usually caused when the reinforcement bar (rebar) is located too close to surface or edges. It can also result from improper or inconsistent concrete mixture or a combination of excessive moisture and temperature change.
STEMWALLS: A concrete or concrete block wall used on top of the footer for “off grade” houses where the ground slopes from one side to the other.
STRUCTURAL FOAM: Commercially available substance used to reinforce roof sheathing to rafters/trusses.
SUPPRESSION: Suppression is the most aggressive fire protection strategy. The goal of suppression is to totally extinguish the fire.
SURFACE FUEL: Fuels lying on or near the surface of the ground, consisting of leaf and needle litter, dead branch material, downed logs, bark, tree cones, and low stature living plants.
TEMPERED GLASS: Glass that is baked or tempered to improve its strength. Tempered glass breaks into small pieces instead of shattering and offers a safety advantage.
TENSION TIE DOWNS: Metal connectors that secure masonry or other material to adjoining frames or the foundation.
TOENAILING: The practice of nailing at an angle to the first member to ensure penetration into a second member.
TOP PLATE: The horizontal board, or boards, nailed to the top of the partition or wall studs in a building. Usually consists of 2- 2”x 4” or 2- 2”x 6” nailed on top of each other at the top of your wall. Supports the roof trusses and provides the attachment point for wall to roof.
TOPOGRAPHY: The contours of the land that affect the spread and behavior of wildland/urban fire. (see slope and aspect)
TREE CROWN: The primary and secondary branches growing out from the main stem, together with twigs and foliage.
TRUSSES: An engineered truss system includes the top chord (where roof sheathing is nailed), bottom chord (where the interior ceiling is fastened) and angled pieces that form a web to add strength.
UL 2218: A test protocol that tests the Impact Resistance of Prepared Roof Covering Materials. This particular test is intended primarily for testing flexible roof coverings, but has been used to test more rigid roofing materials as well.
UNDERLAYMENT: One or more layers of felt, sheathing paper, non-bituminous saturated felt, or other approved material over which a steep-slope roof covering is applied.
UPLIFT: Wind moving over a structure causes negative wind pressure (suction) to be placed on a building that creates uplift forces (upward pull). Roofs are designed to resist uplift caused when high winds travel over and across the roof.
URBAN INTERFACE: Any area where wildland fuels threaten to ignite combustible homes and structures.
“V” Zone: An area with a ground elevation below the BFE with waves expected to be greater than three feet high during the 100-year flood pattern. Areas in this zone are considered to be subject to coastal high hazard flooding. There are several sub zones included with this. (See Base Flood Elevation)
WALL STUDS: Usually 2”x 4” or 2”x 6” wood or metal these run vertically from the bottom plate (floor) to the top plate (ceiling).
WALL, BEARING: A wall supporting any vertical load in addition to its own weight.
WALL, EXTERIOR: A wall, bearing or nonbearing, which is used as an enclosing wall for a building, other than a party wall or fire wall.
WALL, FOUNDATION: A wall below the first floor extending below the adjacent ground level and serving as support for a wall, pier, column or other structural part of a building.
WALL, NONBEARING: A wall that supports no vertical load other than its own weight.
WEATHER BARRIER: The outer most assembly of the building envelope, used to protect the inner structure and insulation from the effects of wind and rain. Materials typically used are siding, building paper and flashing.
WILDFIRE: An unplanned and uncontrolled fire spreading through vegetative fuels, at times involving structures.
WILDLAND: An area in which development is essentially nonexistent, except for roads, railroads, power lines, and similar transportation facilities. Structures, if any, are widely scattered.
WILDLAND FIRE: Any fire occurring on the wildlands, regardless of ignition source, damages or benefits.
WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE: Any area where wildland fuels threaten to ignite combustible homes and structures. There is a delineation between urban and wildland areas.
WILDLAND/URBAN INTERMIX: Any area where improved property and wildland fuels exist together with NO clearly defined boundary.
WIND LOAD: The forces superimposed on a building or structure by the movement of air.
WIND-BORNE DEBRIS: Missiles or airborne projectiles during severe wind events that can cause glass breakage and other damage to buildings.
WIND-BORNE DEBRIS IMPACT RESISTANT PRODUCTS: Products that meet one of the Impact Standards: PA 201, PA 202, SSTD-12 or ASTM E1886 and ASTM E1996.
WIND-BORNE DEBRIS REGION: The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) definition for areas within hurricane prone regions that are located either (1) within one mile of the coastal mean high water line where the basic wind speed is equal to or greater than 110 mph and in Hawaii, or (2) areas where the basic wind speed is equal to or greater than 120 mph.; (Note: Hurricane prone regions are areas in the United States and its territories that are vulnerable to hurricanes. They include the US Atlantic Ocean; the Gulf of Mexico coasts where basic wind speed is great than 90 mph; Hawaii; Puerto Rico; Guam; Virgin Islands and American Samoa.)
WINDWARD: The side of an object that is exposed to the wind.