Fire Separation Assembly Not a Firewall To the Editor: Regarding the June '99 item on "Firewall Details" (On the House): According to the BOCA National Building Code, the intent of a firewall, or party wall, is to create separate buildings. To accomplish this, a firewall must be of noncombustible construction, on an independent footing and foundation, and structurally independent to afford collapse on either side. Perhaps the author was referring to a "fire separation assembly," which separates hazards from people but does not create separate buildings. If that is the case, the article and illustrations are correct. Kelly Reynolds, President Kelly P. Reynolds & Associates Chicago, Ill. Thank you for the clarification; the intent of the article was to illustrate construction of a "fire