Fire severity and response distance: Initial findings

Rational decisions about the number of fire companies a community should have require reliable estimates of the fire losses that would result. Such estimates are not now available. One building block in their development is a relationship between the distance the responding companies travel and physical damage. Note: Professor Ignall is with Columbia University; Mr. Rider is associated with the firm of Deloitte, Haskins, and Sells, and Mr. Urbach is with Citibank. The work described in this paper was sponsored by the City of New York and was performed when the authors were with the New York City — Rand Institute. Any views expressed are those of the authors. They should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of the Rand Corporation or the official opinion or policy of the City of New York.     

International comparison of fire loss

This article provides comparative estimates of fire loss experience in various developed nations of the world. Strong relationships have been shown, but causality has not been demonstrated. The findings demand further investigation. Note: The investigations reported in this paper were supported by the United States Fire administration, National Fire Data Center under Grants NFPCA-76023 and USFA-79065. Points of view or opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the United States Fire Administration.     

Automatic determination of ignition temperature

An electronic circuit has been designed and tested which can automatically determine ignition temperatures of shredded combustible materials. Note: The authors hold the positions of Assistant Professor, Electronics Technician, Graduate Research Assistant, and Engineering Technician, respectively. This paper is Scientific Article No. A2618, Contribution No. 5655 of the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Agricultural Engineering.     

Carbon dioxide system design analysis by computer

Encouraged by the successful application of the computer to calculating sprinkler systems, 3M undertook a similar project for carbon dioxide systems. The authors discuss the procedures followed for developing and using an appropriate computer program. Note: Based on a paper copyrighted by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, 1967.     

A fire station placement model

The authors have constructed an analytical model to solve the fire station placement problem. Quick and ready graphs have been prepared for its application by fire service personnel. Note: Mr. Guild is a member of the Department of Industrial Engineering, and Mr. Rollin is with the Ordnance Research Laboratory.     

Development of halogenated hydrocarbon foam (halofoam) extinguishants

The authors report on a study in which a number of halogenated hydrocarbon foams were developed, which are more effective than bromochloromethane in extinguishing Types A, B, and C fires. Note: This paper is a summary of a report by the same title, No. AFAPL-TR-71-21, prepared by Arthur D. Little, Inc. for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, April 1971. A patent application was field with the United States Patent Office on April 29, 1971. Mr. Atallah’s presentation at the 75th Annual Meeting of the National Fire Protection Association on May 19, 1971 in San Francisco, California was also based on this report.     

Energy release rates in fire retardant evaluation

Rate of spread and other indirect measurements of fire intensity are often used as measures of flammability when fire-retardant chemicals are evaluated under laboratory conditions. The authors describe a system for obtaining the energy release rate directly and show its importance and relation to retardant effectiveness. Note: The authors are Research Foresters stationed at the Northern Forest Fire Laboratory, Missoula, Montana.     

Surface flammability assessment,part II—Validity and application of major current test methods

The authors discuss the detailed application of surface flammability assessment theory to the major test methods available in North America. Note: Dr. Campbell is with the Ontario Research Foundation, and Mr. McGuire is a consultant to the Foundation.     

Control of smoke in high-rise buildings

Based on studies conducted by the Division of Building Research, the authors analyzed the most important factors that determine expectation of life loss from smoke in high-rise buildings. Note: This paper was presented at the National Fire Protection Association’s First European Fire Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, October 15–17, 1973.     

The use of light water for major aircraft fires

When a new extinguishing agent appears on the scene, existing agents become the yardsticks by which its performance is measured. The authors compared the relatively new Light Water foam with conventional protein foam and protein foam to which surface-active fluorocarbons had been added. Fire Research Station (JFRO) Note: Mr. Nash presented this paper at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the National Fire Protection Association on May 12, 1969 in New York City.     

A computer technique for predicting smoke movement in tall buildings

An approach to the analysis of stack effect has been developed which allows the prediction of internal air flow quantities and associated pressure differentials for specific buildings prior to construction. An example of the application of this analysis is presented for a hypothetical 75-story office building. Note: The authors presented this paper at a symposium on “The Control of Smoke Movement on Escape Routes in Buildings,” sponsored by the Joint Fire Research Organization and held on April 9 and 10, 1969 in Hertfordshire, England.     

Hydraulic performance of sprinkler installations

Some sprinkler system designers place total reliance upon rules and pipe schedules, while others take an opposing view by insisting that every system should be calculated. The authors suggest a middle ground approach that offers economic advantages, but does not significantly alter system performance. Mather & Platt, Ltd. Note: This paper was presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the National Fire Protection Association on May 16, 1967 in Boston, Massachusetts.     

Smoke opacity from certain woods and plastics

In an effort to devise a satisfactory method to measure smoke production and obscuration, the authors modified a test chamber of a design used by the National Bureau of Standards and conducted a series of tests with certain woods and plastics. The work reported here is only the beginning of studies that will include additional materials and the effects of lower and higher oxygen atmospheres. Note: This paper was presented at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the National Fire Protection Association at Atlanta, Ga., May 24, 1968.     

Fire and high buildings

The time necessary to evacuate today’s high-rise buildings in a fire emergency is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of the development of untenable smoke conditions. The Division of Building Research has been working on the problem for several years and suggests several approaches to controlling smoke movement in buildings. Note: Mr. Wilson is Assistant Director of the Division of Building Research, and Mr. Shorter is Head of the Fire Research Section. Note: The authors presented this paper at the 74th Annual Meeting of the National Fire Protection Association in Toronto on May 20, 1970. It is a contribution from the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada and is published with the approval of the Director of the Division.     

Studies of building fires with models

To study the behavior of materials in building fires, the authors suggest that a practical approach is one that combines model tests with full-scale tests to verify their findings. They discuss a program in which just such an approach was used. Note: This paper was presented at the 70th annual meeting of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers at Chicago, Ill., May 18, 1966 as part of a program arranged by the Chicago Chapter of the SFPE.     

A method for the measurement of smoke and HCl evolution from poly (vinyl chloride)

As poly(vinyl chloride) becomes more popular as a building material and electrical insulation, it becomes more important to life safety to determine its smoke and hydrogen chloride evolution characteristics during pyrolysis. The authors have devised a method of measuring the two simultaneously. Note: This paper is a contribution of the National Bureau of Standards not subject to copyright.     

The computer approach to fire protection problems

With computers coming into more widespread use every day, it is only logical that they find applications in the field of fire protection. They have, in fact, already been used for computing sprinkler system requirements. The authors relate how The Travelers employs the computer and suggest applications to be explored in the future. The Travelers Insurance Companies Note: This paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers at Boston, Mass., on May 18, 1967, as part of a program arranged by the New England Chapter of the SFPE.     

Velocity pressure effect on sprinkler system discharge

After conducting a series of sprinkler discharge tests, the authors concluded that the use of velocity pressure in sprinkler system calculations will give a false picture of the ability of the system. Note: Mr. Kirkman is a registered Professional Engineer and a practicing consulting engineer. Mr. Campbell is Vice President and Chief Engineer of The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company.     

Safe separation distances from liquid fuel fires

In question is the adequacy of the current method for calculating safe separation distances from large-scale liquid fuel fires. The authors point out the limitations and weaknesses of such calculations and recommend further research. Note: Adapted from a paper presented at the Central States Section of the Combustion Institute Meeting on Disaster Hazards held at NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, 1970.     

Foam fire protection of liquid propellants

The search for a practical, effective extinguishing agent for fires involving water-soluble amines has resulted in the development of a new type of foam. The authors report on tests which confirm the effectiveness of the new extinguishant. Note: This paper was presented at the 70th annual meeting of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers at Chicago, Ill., May 20, 1966.