An Overview of Historical Deadly Fires resulting in Building Code / Fire Codes

Students ARE REQUIRED to complete a research paper of no less than FOUR double-spaced, 12pt font pages in length. (Students who elect not to write a term paper will receive an F for the course.) The research paper will be on a topic from a list provided on the assignment page. The paper must include a works cited. MLA is the suggested format utilizing a minimum of three references. Two references may be from the Internet.

Assignment Uploading Directions

The Research Paper must be submitted through Canvas (Assignment Link) as a Microsoft Word Document or PDF. Grades for late research papers will be lowered by 20% unless arrangements are made prior to the deadline. The due date is provided on the Calendar of Events. See the Grading Rubric for the Research Paper on the assignment page. This is a REQUIRED assignment. Students who fail to complete the assignment FAIL the entire course.

List of Approved Topics

An Overview of Historical Deadly Fires resulting in Building Code / Fire Codes

World Trade Center Collapse (No reference to conspiracy theories of alternate reasoning for the collapse)

The Impact of the Major CA Wildland Fires and Building in the Wildland Urban Interface

An Overview of Significant Fire Fighter Fatality Fires Resulting from Building Collapse (Two examples: Worchester Cold Storage and Charleston Super Sofa)

You may send a message to the instructor if you would like to write your paper on a related Building Construction topic.

Suggested Research Periodicals and Resources

Once you have chosen a topic, to get started in your research you may wish to first consult one of the one of the library liaisons for Fire Technology. In addition, another great resource are Fire Service magazine publishers, which all have online articles to review. Some of these include Firehouse Magazine, Fire Engineering and Fire Rescue to name a few. You may simply Google your research topic for the latest information. You must consult a minimum three references for your research paper, two references from the internet and one book. You may use your textbook if appropriate.

Term Paper Rubric