Fire Company Staffing Requirements: An Analytic Approach

Fire Company staffing is an important issue. Properly done it ensures sufficiency of hands to perform a variety of tasks required for success on the fire ground. Directly or indirectly staffing affects losses and outcomes and is likely an element in firefighter and civilian safety. While the issue continues as part of a political consensus process, no recent attempts have been documented that suggest a process for local agencies to determine the appropriate company size based on their level of risk assessment and acceptability. This approach provides the practitioner with a model to utilize when considering this issue. It avoids the one-size-fits-all question by demonstrating a methodology for using community demands to determine appropriate fire unit sizing. The resulting process is relatively easily done once the community demands and expectations are identified. The article also considers additional factors other than staffing that can affect the outcome of community testing and that might support or raise questions regarding reliability and validity of the processes.     

Potential impacts of ultra-high-pressure (UHP) technology on NFPA Standard 403

Ultra-high-pressure (UHP) technology as well as compressed air foam (CAF) and combined agent firefighting systems (CAFFS) have proven to enhance the performance of firefighting equipment using water and aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). UHP systems are capable of producing small water droplets at high velocity. As droplet size is reduced, surface area relative to mass increases, improving heat transfer. Smaller droplets however, experience greater drag, reducing throw distance. Findings indicate that on average, 150 m/s exit plane velocities result in maximum throw distances of between 4600 and 5600 orifice diameters. UHP prototype and full-scale testing conducted from 2004 to 2006 found that exit plane velocities of 150 m/s were found to produce 90–100 μm droplets, sizes considered optimal for fire extinguishment. In addition, UHP systems were able to extinguish two-dimensional fuel fires ranging in area from 81.6 to 613.8 m² using one-third the agent when compared to baseline AFFF tests, and one-tenth the NFPA 403 standard.     

对美国NFPA标准化工作的研究

NFPA是非赢利性组织,只制定了300余项规范/标准,然而通过研制标准,开展教育和培训等方式,成为美国乃至世界著名的消防标准组织,其所制定的规范和标准为其本国乃至世界范围内其他国家所采用.本文对NFPA的产生背景和主要职能做了详细介绍,并对其所制定的标准为美国发展所做出的贡献做了全面系统的分析,并提出了值得我国借鉴的经验.     

消防职业安全与健康管理体系的应用前景

通过对消防职业安全与健康管理体系进行分析研究 ,提出了消防职业安全与健康管理体系在我国的应用发展前景 ,指出其发展趋势。     

锅炉炉膛瞬态防爆设计压力的取值

锅炉炉膛防爆压力的选取近年来在锅炉招标中经常讨论和引起争议。通过对美国NFPA85标准相关条文的分析,对国内锅炉制造厂在设计刚性梁时2种不同方法的对比,并对采用控制手段对锅炉炉膛进行保护的具体措施的说明,以及发生炉膛内爆的可能性分析和引风机的不同形式对炉膛负压的影响,得出将炉膛的瞬态防爆压力不必提高到±8.7 kPa以上的结论。     

Impact of reinforcements on heat stress in structural firefighter turnout suits

The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of additional textile layer reinforcements on garment heat loss and the physiological comfort of the firefighter. Four structural firefighter turnouts with varying levels of ‘bulk’ were assessed. A base composite analysis was conducted and each suit was evaluated for thermal resistance, evaporative resistance, and overall total heat loss (THL) on a sweating thermal manikin. Raw resistance data were then modeled to predict the physiological responses of firefighters for each turnout suit. Base composite percentages were compared to the heat loss values and predicted physiological responses. The Light Weight suit along with the Control, demonstrated the greatest heat loss values and lowest rise in predicted core temperature. Overall, results depicted the harmful impact that bulky reinforcements may have on wearer physiological comfort as the Heavy Duty suit had significantly lower heat loss and a potentially fatal maximum predicted core temperature.     

Fire Safety Code for Historic Structures

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) periodically updates each fire safety code and standard that it develops. Acknowledging the need for a document to prescribe fire safety for historic buildings, a complete and thorough rewrite of NFPA 914 was undertaken. The former recommended practice has now been issued as the Code for Fire Protection in Historic Structures. The 2001 edition identifies a process for analyzing fire safety needs in historic buildings, outlines generic approaches to dealing with specific provisions of other codes that may endanger historic integrity, and includes a performance-based approach to fire safety in historic buildings. This paper describes the background, revision process, and current proposed content NFPA 914.     

The ammonium nitrate explosion at West,Texas: A disaster that could have been avoided

On April 17, 2013, an explosion of ammonium nitrate (AN) fertilizer stored at the West Fertilizer Company resulted in 15 deaths, 260 injuries, and the destruction of a sizable portion of the town. AN fertilizer is classified as an oxidizer, not as an explosive; nonetheless, it is a chemical which can detonate, and there is a century's worth of history of such explosions, some of them in manufacturing operations, but many in storage or transport. A review of incidents showed that 100% of AN fertilizer explosions in storage or transport had a single cause—an uncontrolled fire. Thus, AN fertilizer explosions in storage are preventable accidents, because technology to preclude uncontrollable fires also has been available for a century. In the case of transport accidents, uncontrolled fires may not be avoidable. However, technologies exist that can make AN less likely to explode, and to show greatly reduced explosion intensity, if driven to explosion. None of these safety measures were in place for this disaster. Details of necessary fire safety measures and the effectiveness and utility of existing regulations for AN are examined. This is important because most AN storage facilities in the United States are similarly inadequate in their fire safety.     

美国建筑规范体系介绍（Ⅱ）

本文介绍了美国建筑规范体系的构成、发展历程及特点,帮助设计人员更好地了解美国规范,在进行涉外工程中,准确把握业主对设计规范要求。     

建筑幕墙用铝塑复合板的火灾危险性研究

本研究考察了不同火险水平的阻燃料对铝塑复合板材和结构的全面影响。通过研究铝塑复合板阻燃芯料的燃烧热值和热失重分析,得到铝塑复合板的火险性对比数据。研究结果表明,在建筑物中使用由聚乙烯作为阻燃芯料的铝塑复合板是存在严重火灾危险的,而按照有机物的相应比例(例如,氢氧化物和聚合物组成的矿物阻燃料等),使用无机矿物阻燃剂和聚合物成份制造的阻燃性为B-s1,d0级或A2*-s1,d0级的防火铝塑复合板(国内外统称为难燃性B1级),在实验过程中看不到内层的熔化和燃烧(不形成火滴),为低危险性。