davido wrote on March 08, 2008 08:50 AM: EFIS Fires, solutions exist.
I work with a company out of Florida that does produce a fully fireproof material that is lightweight and inexpensive. Our products have a fire rating that is higher than traditional concrete let alone the flammable styrofoam materials that other companies try to coat with stucco etc. When styrofoam coatings are compromised by a heat source or projectile, there may be styrofoam material exposed and a simple cigarette, spark or electrical short could start a fire in a EFIS structure or architectural element. (as in the Monte Carlo casino fire) This fire will spread rapidly and create extremely toxic gasses when burning. These toxic gasses can be deadly when inhaled like the fire at the MGM casino a few years ago where 84 people died due to this problem. Our product emits NO harmful gasses, fumes or toxins in its natural state and / or when exposed to heat or flame.
Our company is known as M-Powered and we are at the leading edge of the “Green” envirofriendly building material industry. Our material DOES NOT need to be coated with a retardant material to be fireproof. The fireproof properties are inherent in our product itself. It has been fully tested and firerated to some of the highest fire ratings in the industry. The product is known as M-Rock and it can be used for structural components as well as the architectural components we are hearing so much about since the fire at the Monte Carlo casino. The physical properties of M-Rock have been tested to fully accommodate architectural, semi-structural and structural applications. M-Rock exceeds CAT 5 hurricane wind standards and is waterproof . It has extremely high insulative properties and creates a thermal barrier that will not transfer heat or cold-

dave o wrote on March 08, 2008 08:45 AM: Unlike EFIS which has water penetration problems when damaged or exposed, M-Rock, due to its closed cell design has the highest resistence to water absorbtion in the industry. M-Rock is designed to meet many different needs from superior strength, to its ability to be shaped, formed and can be made to look like a diverse range of other traditional materials. (i.e. wood, stucco, concrete, granite, other natural stones, knockdown and orange peel to name a few). M-Rock provides no food source for mold or bacteria and is 100% recyclable throughout the entire production and construction process. Therefore there is zero waste and it leaves almost no footprint on local landfills. Think about how much styrofoam, concrete and stucco waste winds up in your local landfill? Anyone can contact me at 561-704-5099 for more information...

tim beck wrote on February 01, 2008 07:58 AM: expanded polystyrene, quite literally, turns to napalm when it burns. i don't care what thickness it is, or what is done to make it fire resistant, it should never be used as a building construction component. and yet it is in the EIFS systems and roof systems of many public and private buildings as an insulator.

aside from its dangers, eps is not enviromentally friendly. at some time the buildings it is on will be raised and it will end up in a land fill where it will take severa thousand years to break down.

one would think tha in this day and age we could cevelope a better building product.

Tim Shanahan wrote on February 01, 2008 06:06 AM: Claification: The "I" in EIFS stands for insulation, not installation.

Nathaniel Coleman wrote on February 01, 2008 01:30 AM: I purchased a new house in Atlanta in 1993 from a quality builder that was clad in EFIS. Over the years I had nothing but trouble with it. The rainy humid climate there promoted major rot of the wood frame, mold, termites and over $80,000 in repair that in the long term will only return to the present owner. I was fortunate to have an "AS IS" clause in the sales contract with the buyer.

In Georgia, home builders are not required to have licenses and the local counties conduct "drive by inspections" with little regard to minimum building standards or codes. Needless to say, I would never touch anything clad in EFIS, here, there or anywhere! All this does not even take into account any potential fire hazards of EFIS cladding.

One would be a fool to invest in property, be it single family, multi-family, commercial or high rise construction using EFIS. It simply is a product that in time will fail in one way or another 100% of the time.

Prior to buying my home in Las Vegas, the first instruction to my buyers agent was "DO NOT SHOW ME ANYTHING CLAD IN EFIS"! Now after 2 years in Las Vegas, I can sleep well living in a well built home from a quality builder knowing that it won't rot away in the night.

As much as some in Las Vegas complain about the quality of residential construction, compared to Atlanta, Las Vegas uses much higher building standards. Even the least expensive homes here use tile on the roofs. In Atlanta, even on the most expensive milti million dollar homes there, roof tile unheard of. Cheap asphalt shingles, brick, EFIS and rotting wood rules the day.

Thank goodness for a dry desert climate!

Fred Frazzetta wrote on February 01, 2008 12:34 AM: I am interested in seeing who is going to pay for the damage to the hotel. One would think that if the Contractor was negligent he would be footing the bill not only for the repairs, but for the loss of revenue. From what is coming out from the Clark County Fire Department it looks like: 1. there was no permit pulled for the welding work as required; 2. no fire watch was being used; 3. the contractor did not have the proper protection in use to protect the area. I wonder if the contractor's insurance policy will cover the rather large bill for his little boo boo? Of course the $1,000 fine is going to be the least of his worries and the 6 months in jail will give those responsible some time to think about things.

I wonder how long the safety issues inside of the Monte Carlo existed before the "Whistleblower" finally had to come forward and get OSHA, & the Fire Department to do their jobs. Obviously it is not very important in this town for "surprise" inspections to take place to make sure that the laws are being followed to ensure the safety of both the Guests & Employees. I forgot, please forgive me the Casinos run this town, and if you do a good job for them while you are a public servant - you get a "thank you job" - thank you for covering our butts and letting us put people at risk. County Building Department, OSHA, County Fire Department, Health Department - take notice your inspections are supposed to be a surprise...that is how you catch violations. Try to at least give the appearance that you are really doing your jobs...even when you aren't!

comanchecanyon wrote on January 31, 2008 09:41 PM: Picture this: A 20 to 30 story tall hotel tower. The decorative foam EFIS catches fire near the bottom. Fire rapidly progresses upwards to the point that the entire side of the building is burning. The heat of the fire intensifies, reaching a temperature where the burning side of the towers' windows blow out. The sprinklers inside are working, but the fire creates its own winds and sucks flames inside the building. The heat of the flames exceed the water carrying capacity of the sprinklers. A fire storm is created.
For those who do not understand what a fire storm is about, go to the internet and read about the Dresden fire storm during World War II. Buildings with stone exteriors had their insides incinerated, as fire generated winds blew flames from one "substantial" building to another. No firemen could stop the fire.

It's wonderful that the hotel/casino owners claim to have created a water shower of safety, to protect hotel occupants while they escape. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FIREMEN ON THE OUTSIDE? DO THEIR LIVES NOT MATTER?

There is no way they can extinguish 20 to 30 stories of flaming styrofoam!

No sane public official would put its firemen at such risk...except here in Las Vegas where the County Commissioners, County Executive, Building Department Chief and all other senior public decision makers have been in the pockets of the casino interests every since 1980.

The high speed at which the Monte Carlo fire spread through the EFIS/styrofoam proves how incredibly unsafe the outside of a great number of hotel towers in our town are.

David wrote on January 31, 2008 04:15 PM: The bottom line is, it was built by Circus Circus. The paramount of cheap.

Vegas wrote on January 31, 2008 12:42 PM: EIFS is a good cladding choice. 1) Resident is correct, it is relatively cheap. That is not a bad thing. It has allowed billions of dollars to be poured into the Vegas economy over the past 20 years. Its price effectiveness is due to the fact that it is lighter than most other claddings, reducing installation costs, especially on taller structures. 2) It is very energy efficient. EIFS insulates from the outside, which is preferred by most building scientists. It allows for significant reductions in air conditioning and/or heating requirements for buildings. 3) Yes, the code authorities, owners, architects and builders knew that EPS foam burns, albeit at a slow rate. That is why the code only allows it as an external cladding. Should we also ban the use of wood framing on all construction? Guess what... it burns and your house is probably framed with it.

Resident is Ignorant wrote on January 31, 2008 12:25 PM: Firstly, it is EIFS, not EFIS, standing for Exterior Insulated Finish System. Secondly, due to the height of the structures, it gets built on the ground as part of the exterior skin of the building, anc craned into place, thirdly, an exterior stone veneer, would be far more dangerous than the EIFS, due to the weight, and finally, after the MGM fire in the 80's the fire code requirements in the State of Nevada have been the most stringent in the nation.
It was an accident, where no one got hurt, and I am sure if this accident was in another state, we would be looking at a head count of people hurt...

Resident get it right...