FSRI Awarded 2013 DHS Fire Prevention and Safety Research Grant to Further Study Fire Attack
The Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a fire prevention and safety research grant to conduct a project titled, “Study of the Impact of Fire Attack Utilizing Interior and Exterior Streams on Firefighter Safety and Occupant Survival.” This 3-year study will build on the research conducted to date on fire service ventilation and suppression tactics (e.g., interior suppression versus “transitional attack”) to provide a comprehensive assessment of firefighting tactics on chemical and thermal exposures for victims trapped within a structure, and the firefighters advancing toward the fire or operating in other parts of the structure. While research at FSRI and NIST has shown transitional attack to be a viable option for rapid knockdown of a large volume of fire, there remains some hesitation to adopt the tactic for fear of endangering trapped victims and pushing heat and steam. Fire service adages such as “don’t put water on smoke” and “you will steam the victims” will be examined in detail in the context of today's modern fire environment to provide credible scientific information that can improve decision making on the fire ground. Using full-scale residential structures in UL’s Large Fire Laboratory, several different fire scenarios will be tested using tactics that include interior only and combined interior/exterior fire attack. The research will develop important fire data that includes temperatures, heat flux, flow velocities, differential pressure, gas concentrations, and moisture content throughout the structure. The results from the tests will also provide knowledge on how flow paths and conditions in the structure are impacted with nozzle pattern selection and nozzle movement during fire suppression operations.
The research will also include collaboration with the University of Illinois to develop data on the potential impact of fire conditions on firefighters and civilians. In order to accomplish their tasks, they will participate in FSRI-led fire tests and introduce pig carcasses in various rooms and locations to simulate potential human exposure to elevated temperature and humidity. They will also conduct controlled experiments at the University on mice to better understand the impact of elevated temperature, fire effluent gases, and high humidity on their respiratory system and develop inferenences for occupant survivability.The results and conclusions of this project will be used to improve firefighting tactics, fireground safety and fire dynamics knowledge to improve firefighter standard operating procedures and training. A comprehensive fire service outreach program will make sure that this science meets the street. For more information and updates on the study follow the project.
