New York state enacted a new law that could make firefighting a bit safer by mandating property owners inform government and first-responders when they build or rehabilitate a building using "truss-type" pre-engineered wood or timber. Truss-type roofs can quickly collapse during a blaze. The wood construction fastened with glue or metal plates burns faster and loses strength quicker than solid lumber, firefighters say. The law requires property owners to indicate on a building permit application if the truss construction method is being used. They must also affix a sign or symbol to an electrical box on the building's exterior.
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