Fire drainage system

Present firesafety measures were conceived to deal with hypothetical fires spreading by destruction of successive compartment boundaries. A new firesafety system, referred to as the fire drainage system, is designed to cope with real-world fires spreading mainly by convection. It confines fire and smoke to the room of origin and to a small corridor element adjacent to the room. The system can be designed to operate without the use of water and electric energy. The fundamentals of its design are described and some experimental information is presented. Reference: T. Z. Harmathy and I. Oleszkiewicz, Fire Drainage System,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 1, February 1987, p. 26.This paper is a contribution from the Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council of Canada.     

Effects of insulation on postflashover room fire

The effects of insulation on postflashover room fires were studied in a series of full scale room burn tests. Results show that the severity of the fire is not influenced by the presence of insulation in the walls. Reference: K. K. Choi, Effects of Insulation on Postflashover Room Fire,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 1, February 1987, p. 19.K. K. Choi is a fellow of the Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada.     

Smoke Control in Hospitals

Full scale fire tests have been carried out in order to study the influence of different ventilating principles on the time point of fire detection and the smoke filling of a four-bed room. Using conventional mechanical ventilating systems as smoke exhaust systems the time difference left for evacuation of the fire room can be positively influenced. With the conventional ventilating system operating there is a significant difference between time points of detection of the ionization and optical smoke detectors, for both flaming and smoldering fire. Using the low momentum displacement ventilation this difference is reduced, resulting in possibilities for the ionization smoke detector to be optimized for both flaming and smoldering fires. Reference: Øystein Meland and Eimund Skåret, Smoke Control in Hospitals,Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 1, February 1986, p. 33.     

Slide rule estimates of Fire Growth

A series of prediction methods has been assembled to provide an analytical basis for estimating fire growth in compartments. Solutions for each prediction method can be made using programmable scientific calculators. Prediction methods are presented for: fire size and growth rates, mass loss rates, radiant heat flux, flame height, radial flame impingement, heat flux to a ceiling, smoke filling of a room, carbon monoxide hazard with smoldering fires, temperature rise in a compartment, ventilation flow rate, flashover occurrence, corridor smoke transfer and filling, smoke concentration, visibility, flame spread rates, and fire burn time.These predictive methods are useful for estimating many of the critical elements related to fire behavior and help provide a better understanding of this complex phenomenon.This report appears as Appendix B inFire Growth in Combat Ships by J. G. Quintiere, H. R. Baum and J. R. Lawson, NBSIR 85-3159. Reference: J. R. Lawson and J. G. Quintiere, Slide Rule Estimates of Fire Growth,Fire Technology, Vol. 21, No. 4, November 1985, p. 267.This paper is a contribution of the National Bureau of Standards and is not subject to copyright.     

Assessing toxic hazard as it relates to overall fire hazard

A framework is proposed for assessing hazards associated with the spread of smoke and hot gases from fires in buildings, and the current predictive capabilities for each component of that framework are described. Particular attention is given to the significance of the toxicity of the combustion products of a material in relation to its other fire properties. The prediction of the onset of hazardous conditions in a three room residential arrangement with upholstered furniture as the burning object is presented to illustrate the usefulness of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) smoke transport computer code, a key component of the framework. Reference: Andrew J. Fowell, Assessing Toxic Hazard as It Relates to Overall Fire Hazard,Fire Technology, Vol. 21, No. 3, August 1985, pp. 199.     

Influence of fire retardants on smoke generation from wood and wood derived materials

The influence of three fire retardant agents: Polichron, Pyrolak W-10, and Pyrolak W-10 + Pyrolak W-1 on smoke density of pine wood, plywood, soft hardboard and tough hardboard was investigated. Surface samples of 25 cm² (5 × 5 cm) were used and the heat flux was varied over the range of 1.0 to 4.0 W/cm². Reference: Tadeusz Cisek and Jacek Piechocki, Influence of Fire Retardants on Smoke Generation from Wood and Wood Derived Materials,Fire Technology, Vol. 21, No. 2, May 1985, p. 122.     

Fire stops for plastic pipe

Undue fire hazards may arise when plastic pipe penetrates fire-rated walls or floors. Fire stops for protecting these penetration openings are available commercially. This paper discusses the physical characteristics and operating modes of these devices. A selected number of fire stops were tested in accordance with CAN 4-S115-M85 in either horizontal (wall) or vertical (floor) configurations, using two small-scale furnaces. Reference: K. K. Choi, Fire Stops for Plastic Pipe,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 4, November 1987, pp. 267–279.     

Development and Application of the Fire Brigade Intervention Model

A performance based building code [1] was introduced in Australia in 1996. In order that fire brigades could ensure that their functional role was maintained in the building code, a method of quantifying fire brigade roles was required. In response to this issue, the Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) formed a Performance Based Fire Engineering Committee. This committee developed a model that determines the time taken by a fire brigade to undertake its activities at a fire scene.The Fire Brigade Intervention Model [2] is an event-based methodology, which quantifies fire brigade responses employed during a structure fire from time of notification through to control and extinguishment. It has been primarily developed for use in fire engineering design in a performance based regulatory environment so that the functional role of a fire brigade can be effectively incorporated into the building design process. It establishes a structured framework necessary to both determine and measure fire brigade activities on a time-line basis. It interacts with the output of other sub-systems, which model such events as fire growth, smoke spread, fire spread, detection and suppression as well as occupant avoidance.This paper describes the Fire Brigade Intervention Model, now available for use by fire brigades and fire engineers. The model has been developed for specific case and site analysis and is applicable to most structural fire scenarios. As the expertise of the local fire brigade will be incorporated inthe input parameters, it is valid for most brigade types, crew sizes and resource limitations.This paper also describes ongoing developments including a training package and computer program.The terms fire brigade and fire department are synonymous.     

A smoke-filling simulation model and its engineering applications

A brief presentation of the computer model DSLAY1, which describes the smoke-filling process in a single enclosure, is first given in this paper. Also some computed data of the model are compared with experimental results to show the agreement between theory and experiment. In the latter part of the paper computed results are presented for areas where the model has been used for different fire engineering applications. The main purpose is to show that zone models like DSLAY1 are useful tools to predict the heat and smoke conditions in single enclosures as a result of growing fires. DSLAY1 is an interactive computer program. The user converses with the program via a terminal connected to the computer. The dialogue is governed by commands adapted to the concepts of the user. Reference: Staffan Bengtson and Bengt Hägglund, A Smoke-Filling Simulation Model and Its Engineering Applications,Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 2, May 1986, p. 92.     

Fire detection in computer facilities

A recent fire in a computer center in Canberra, Australia, prompted an investigation of the installed smoke detection system. The opportunity was also taken to evaluate alternate detection equipment in the actual center under operational conditions. One device tested was VESDA, a new highly sensitive smoke detector developed in Australia for clean occupancies such as computer rooms and telephone exchanges. Details of the test program and the effects of high room airflows on all forms of detectors are presented. The effectiveness of VESDA in giving very early warning of fire is demonstrated. Reference: Peter F. Johnson, Fire Detection in Computer Facilities,Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 1, February 1986, p. 14. Note: This paper is a modified version of a CIRL Major Report No. 251, 1984, prepared for Department of Housing and Construction, Canberra, Australia.     

Development of Regulations in the 1990 National Fire Code of Canada on storage of Dangerous Goods

The 1990 edition of the National Fire Code (NFC) of Canada contains new requirements to regulate storage of dangerous goods in buildings. In Canada, dangerous goods are defined by the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations as explosives, compressed gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizing substances, poisonous and infectious substances, radioactive materials, corrosive substances, and miscellaneous environmentally dangerous substances. The new Fire Code regulations will apply to storage and handling of these products when they are kept in buildings, where they are no longer under the control of transportation legislation.This paper describes the process by which the Canadian National Fire Code was recently revised to address problems created when fires occur in buildings storing dangerous goods. Problems include the increased hazard to the surrounding community because of toxic smoke, runoff of contaminated fire-fighting water, and delays to normal fire-fighting operations. Key ideas that evolved as part of committee deliberations, such as the rationale for regulating products that were not previously considered to be a fire hazard, are described.     

Pool fires under atmosphere and ventilation in steady-state burning (part II)

Two pool fire tests for solvent burning were made to obtain the burning rate and the mass loss rate from burning pans under atmosphere and ventilation in a cell. From the data, burning parameters for the Spalding's modified model reported in Part I were determined in steady-state pool burning.Part I of this paper was published in the May 1987 issue ofFire Technology. Reference: Gunji Nishio and Satoru Machida, Pool Fires under Atmosphere and Ventilation in Steady-State Burning, Part II,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 3, August 1987, pp. 186–197.     

Wood heating safety research: An update

The Center for Fire Research at the National Bureau of Standards has been involved in research related to wood heating safety for more than seven years.Areas of interest have included: typical operating conditions of modern heating appliances, intensity and duration of chimney fires in factory-built and masonry chimneys, clearance reduction systems for protection of combustible walls and ceilings, and wall pass-through systems for connection of appliances to chimneys through combustible walls. This paper presents a review of research at NBS and elsewhere related to wood heating safety and provides an assessment of the impact of the research on the fire safe use of wood heating appliances.Extensive references of research related to solid fuel heating safety are included. Reference: Richard D. Peacock, Wood Heating Safety Research: An Update,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 4, November 1987, pp. 292–312.     

Investigating the unexposed surface temperature criteria of standard ASTM E119

Information and data were obtained to evaluate the unexposed surface temperature criteria of standard ASTM E119. The investigation consisted of: (1) reviewing literature to obtain information on the development of ASTM E119 and the unexposed surface temperature rise criteria, (2) conducting fire tests to obtain temperature data on slabs with various materials placed on the unexposed surface and (3) conducting ignition tests on these materials to obtain their approximate temperature at ignition. The information and data increased the knowledge concerning the relationship between the unexposed surface temperature rise criteria of ASTM E119 and the ignition temperature of common combustible materials.Winner of the 1985 Harry C. Bigglestone Award for Excellence in Written Communication of Fire Protection Concepts. Reference: Kenneth J. Schwartz and T. T. Lie, Investigating the Unexposed Surface Temperature Criteria of Standard ASTM E119,Fire Technology, Vol. 21, No. 3, August 1985, p. 169.     

Protecting fire fighters exposed in room fires,part 2: Performance of turnout coat materials under actual fire conditions

Seven experimental fires varying in fire load were conducted in a simulated townhouse. Specimens of various current fire fighters turnout coat materials were exposed in the room of fire origin. The time at which conditions would become untenable for the fire fighter due to pain, as well as the time to second degree burn, were calculated. These times ranked the coat specimens in roughly the same order as the Thermal Protection Performance measured according to NFPA 1971–1986, especially if the heat in the room developed rapidly.This paper is a contribution of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly National Bureau of Standards) and is not subject to copyright.     

Performance of selected coatings applied to polystyrene block walls under simulated mine fire conditions

A test program was undertaken by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to determine the feasibility of coating polystyrene block walls for fire protection. Selected coatings, used in the mining industry, were tested under semilarge scale, simulated mine fire conditions to determine the appropriate thicknesses of these coatings for protection of the polystyrene foam block against fire for specified time periods. Building plasters containing gypsum and perlite and an expanded vermiculite, portland cement, and limestone coating were particularly effective in protecting the foam blocks against the heat of the simulated mine fire. Reference: Steven J. Luzik, Performance of Selected Coatings Applied to Polystyrene Block Walls Under Simulated Mine Fire Conditions,Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 4, November 1986, p. 311.     

Fire protection of flammable work stations in the clean room environment of a microelectronic fabrication facility

An applied engineering program is described which investigates the fire safety of combustible wet stations used within microelectronic clean room fabrication facilities. The main concern involves the impact of a wet bench fire on the clean room environment of the fabrication facility. The effectiveness of the installed fire detection and suppression systems are discussed as well as the additional steps which should be taken in order to insure early detection and suppression of fires within wet benches. Reference: Fred L. Fisher, Robert Brady Williamson, Gary L. Toms and Dennis M. Crinnion, Fire Protection of Flammable Work Stations in the Clean Room Environment of a Microelectronic Fabrication Facility,Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 2, May 1986, p. 148.     

Thermal radiative protection of fire fighters' protective clothing

A method for measuring the thermal radiative protection of actual fire fighters' garments to an incident radiative heat flux of 8.4 kW/m² is described. Typical results obtained with several conventional and prototype garments are presented. These results indicate the time to pain, and second degree burn as well as the pain alarm time. The thermal inertia of the garments is also measured based upon burn exposure time. Differences in physical properties such as garment thickness, total weight and number of layers are examined in order to establish the existence of any correlations.Issued as NRCC 26171. Reference: M. Day and P. Z. Sturgeon, Thermal Radiative Protection of Fire Fighters' Protective Clothing,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 1, February 1987, p. 49.     

Postflashover fires — an overview of the research at the national research council of Canada (NRCC), 1970–1985

The NRCC model of fully developed compartment fires is discussed. Although the mathematics involved is quite simple, it allows a rather comprehensive simulation of the fire process. The model offers an explanation for the findings that ventilation control is related to the pyrolysis mechanism and is not a result of scarcity of air in the fire compartment, and that thermal feedback is of secondary importance in the burning (pyrolysis) of cellulosic fuels. Another feature of the model is the introduction of the normalized heat load concept. The normalized heat load is a scalar quantity that depends on the total heat absorbed by the compartment boundaries during the fire incident, and is practically independent of the temperature history of the fire. A simple explicit formula has been proposed and proved experimentally to describe the normalized heat load for real-world fires with fair accuracy. The normalized heat load concept offers a simple means for converting fire severities into fire resistance requirements, and makes it possible to design buildings for prescribed levels of structural fire safety. The potential of fires to spread by convection and the expected characteristics of fires of noncharring plastics are also discussed. Reference: T. Z. Harmathy, Postflashover Fires—An Overview of the Research at the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), 1970–1985,Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 3, August 1986, p. 210.     

Physiological aspects of fire fighting

The conditions and requirements of the fire fighter and the unusual demands of fire fighting activities have received increased attention since the early 1970s. Other industries usually design physical performance requirements around the capabilities of the worker, but the fire fighter must respond to the constraints and requirements of the emergency. Recent research and its relationship to a fire fighter's physical profile are described and discussed. Reference: Paul O. Davis and Charles O. Dotson, Physiological Aspects of Fire Fighting,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 3, November 1987, p. 280–291. Note: This paper is from a paper presented at the III Coloquio Internacional Sobre Equipos de Proteccion Personal, in Mallorca, Spain.