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.     

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.     

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.     

Regional labor force participation and the discouraged worker hypothesis: Some empirical evidence

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the economic determination of the regional labor supply. In explaining the regional level of labor force participation two models are compared: the unemployment model based on the discouraged worker hypothesis and the neoclassical model of labor force participation. It is shown that a migration model complements the neoclassical model and provides an alternative interpretation of the discouraged worker hypothesis, this reinterpretation provides an explanation for the failure of the unemployment model at the regional level when it is quite successful at the national level.     

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.     

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.     

Feasibility of Face Surcharging during Deep Settlement-Free Tunneling in Dense Urban Settings

A procedure is proposed for the computational modeling of the driving of a deep tunnel by a tunnel-boring machine (TBM) with an active surcharge on the face, which is realized in the GEO-MIGG program. Basic factors affecting the stress-strain state (SSS) of the soil bed-TBM- buildings and structures of the urban setting system are demonstrated in a trial example. The feasibility of using the proposed procedure is confirmed by comparing results of computational modeling of a practical example of tunneling for the third transportation beltway around Moscow in the area of Lefortovo using a TBM manufactured by the German firm Herrenknecht with data derived from field observations.     

Preventing fire in historic buildings: The acceptable risk

The nature of historic buildings is considered from a firesafety viewpoint and some of the concepts of acceptable risk are described. The main approaches to the provision of adequate firesafety are discussed and the use of conventional fire precautions is reviewed briefly in the context of historic buildings.This paper is a revised version of a paper given at a seminar, Preventing Fire in Historic and Older Properties, organized by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland on April 19, 1988 at Hopetoun House, near Edinburgh.     

Some tools for fire model validation

General ideas are offered for describing fire model validity prior to starting product design. Validation of independent test results is part of this phase. Differences between comparable results, graphical methods, and distinctions between random and systematic errors are discussed. Reference: Alan D. Davies, Some Tools for Fire Model Validation,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 2, May 1987, pp. 95–114.     

Fire tests on window assemblies protected by automatic sprinklers

Full-scale fire tests on wired and tempered glazing in steel and aluminum frames are described. These assemblies achieved fire resistance ratings when exposed to a standard fire of 45 min to 2 h. The maximum radiant heat flux transmitted through the glass was reduced by more than 90%. Reference: J. K. Richardson and I. Oleskiewicz, Fire Tests on Window Assemblies Protected by Automatic Sprinklers,Fire Technology, Vol. 23, No. 2, May 1987, pp. 115–132.This paper is a contribution from the Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council of Canada.     

Experimental infrared-radiometric investigations of stress variations on a borehole face in a model of the soil mass

A procedure for, and results of experimental investigations performed to substantiate the effectiveness of the method of infrared (IR) radiation in diagnosing changes in the stress state of soils over time are presented. The construction of a large-scale bench is described for the alternating loading of a relatively large (of the order of 0.35 m³) volume of soil. Variations in the stress state over time in the near-face zone of a borehole, which is arranged in a model of the soil mass, are recorded using synchronous recordings of signals from an IR radiometer and load-cell strain gages. The elastic nature of stress variations on the face of the borehole in an unsaturated sandy soil is revealed during alternating-sign stress variations at infinity. It is indicated that data derived from noncontact IR measurements will make it possible to record accurately moments of jumpwise stress variations in the soil mass, and evaluate their intensity.Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 6, pp. 8–11, November–December, 2004.     

Sublethal Effects of Fire Smoke

Fire smoke toxicity has been a recurring theme for fire safety professionals for over four decades. There especially continue to be difficulty and controversy in assessing and addressing the contribution of the sublethal effects of smoke in hazard and risk analyses. The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and NFPA have begun a private/public fire research initiative, the International Study of the Sublethal Effects of Fire Smoke on Survival and Health (SEFS) to provide scientific information on these effects for public policy makers. The papers in this issue of Fire Technology present results from the first phase of the project: estimates of the magnitude and impact of sublethal exposures to fire smoke on the U.S. population, the best available lethal and incapacitating toxic potency values for the smoke from commercial products, the potential for various sizes of fires to produce smoke yields that could result in sublethal health effects, and state-of-the-art information on the production of the condensed components of smoke from fires and their evolutionary changes during transport from the fire.     

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.     

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.     

Baseline characteristics of residential structures which have burned to completion: The Oakland experience

The authors examined the remains of fifty structures destroyed in the October, 1991 fire in the hills east of Oakland, California. Traditional indicators of abnormal fire behavior were examined in each of the structures, including apparently melted steel items, melted copper, and melted as well as crazed glass. These indicators were found to have no probative value as to the presence of liquid accelerants, abnormally heavy fuel loads, or abnormally high temperatures.     

Prefailure of Rock Soils under Dynamic Loading

The effect of loading and unloading regimes on the threshold of the appearance and number of cracks, which precede their avalanche propagation that accompanies complete failure of the soil, is established. It is demonstrated that the appearance of pioneer cracks contributes to an increase in ultimate deformations of the soil, corresponding to its failure and energy consumption of the deformation process.     

Development and application of a fire station placement model

This paper describes the development and application of a fire station placement model. The model is formulated as a mathematical programming model which locates p sites out of m candidate sites such that some function of the travel times of the first and second arriving fire units is maximized subject to several constraints. Among these constraints are limitations in the maximum allowable travel time to points in a region, requirements that certain sites be included or excluded, and a specification that a given number of existing sites be included.The model uses as an objective function a utility function based on the subjective preferences of fire department officials to travel times of the first and second arriving fire units. A modification of the Teitz and Bart node substitution heuristic is used to find the solution to the model.The model is applied to fire station locational decisions in Albany, NY. The model was run a number of times to provide insights into how some strategic decisions might be made. Reference: Jack M. Reilly and Pitu B. Mirchandani, Development and Application of a Fire Station Placement Model,Fire Technology, Vol. 21, No. 3, August 1985, p. 181.     

Slide rule estimates of fire growth

In the November 1985 issue ofFire Technology, the authors presented prediction methods for estimating fire growth in compartments. Here they provide an example of the use of those methods. Reference: J. R. Lawson and J. G. Quintiere, Example illustrating Slide Rule Estimates of Fire Growth,Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 1, February 1986, p. 45.This paper is a contribution of the National Bureau of Standards and is not subject to copyright.     

Collapsed spring observations in arson investigations: A critical metallurgical evaluation

Observation of collapsed coiled (steel) furniture springs has been utilized for several decades or more by arson investigators as an indicator of whether an accelerant or smoldering source (such as a cigarette) caused a fire. This paper cites the contradictory literature, synopsizes metallurgical phenomena operative when coiled steel springs are subjected to fires, and presents empirical data from U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory testing. It is concluded that observation of the collapsed state of coiled furniture/bedding springs is not a reliable indicator of whether a fire was initiated by a smoldering cigarette or accelerated by the presence of a hydrocarbon.