evolving the fsri mission - nfpa.org

UNDERWRITERSLABORATORIES™

Evolving the FSRI Mission

9.22.21 | Steve Kerber, Vice President, Research

© 2021 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. All rights reserved. UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC.

We’re growing our team, our capabilities, our digital physical

footprint and the topics we address to better serve firefighters and

advance fire safety overall.

We look forward to continuing and growing our collaboration with

the fire service as well as other stakeholder groups, and we thank

you for your continued support.

Learn more at FSRI.org.

Fire Safety Risks and Emerging Dangers

3

Fire is not going to

happen to me

Fire spreads faster

than ever

New

technologies

Evolving building

materials and

practices

Wildland Urban

Interface

4

Recent Home Fire Deaths

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/

Marty Ahrens and Radhika Maheshwar. Home Structure Fires. NFPA 2020.

Severity of Fire

5

Marty Ahrens and Radhika Maheshwar. Home Structure Fires. NFPA 2020.

Layers of Fire Safety

6

UL Fire Safety Research Spectrum

Materials

Composites

Furnishings

Rooms

Small Houses

Large Houses

Multi-family Structures

Compounds Investigations

Study of Fire Service Residential Size-Up

and Search & Rescue Operations

• 4 bedrooms

• 2 with attached baths

• Furnished open floor-plan

kitchen and living room

• Custom plug installs of real

windows

• Residential HVAC system

• No additional fire

protection beyond single

layer of gypsum

The Structure(s)

Total Instrumentation: 267 channels per house

• 149 thermocouples• 48 gas channels• 30 pressure taps• 20 bi-directional probes• 14 heat flux gauges• 3 smoke alarms• 1 wind speed• 1 wind direction• 1 hose stream flow meter

6.15 m

6.15 m 6.21 m

6.21 m

Search varied between door

initiated and window initiated…

…search timing varied

relative to suppression.

Where was the hazard for searching firefighters?

Exp 11: Window initiated search prior to

suppression, isolation of BR3

Exp 12: Window initiated search during

suppression, isolation of BR3

Coordinated

Fire Attack

Analysis of the

Coordination of Suppression

and Ventilation in

Single-Family Homes

John Regan

Julie Bryant

Craig Weinschenk

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Columbia, MD

June 20, 2020

M

DE I E LAB A IE

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

Terrence Brady, President

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Stephen Kerber, Director

©Underwriters Laboratories Inc. All rights reserved. UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC

Exploratory Analysis of

the Impact of Ventilation

on Str ip Mall Fires

Craig Weinschenk

Robin Zevotek

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Columbia, MD 21045

June 20, 2020

M

DE I E LAB A IE

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

Terrence Brady, President

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Stephen Kerber, Director

©Underwriters Laboratories Inc. All rights reserved. UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC

COORDINATED FIRE ATTACK

SUPPLEMENT

Analysis of the Coordination

of Suppression and Ventilation

in Multi-Family Dwellings

Keith Stakes

Julie Bryant

Nicholas Dow

Jack Regan

Craig Weinschenk

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Columbia, MD 21045

June 23, 2020

M

DE I E LAB A IE

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

Terrence Brady, President

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Stephen Kerber, Director

©Underwriters Laboratories Inc. All rights reserved. UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC

Exploratory Analysis of Impact of Ventilation on Strip Mall Fires

The Strip Mall

Coordination of Fire Attack in Garden Apartments

What Are the Variables?Fire Locations

• Lower-Level/First-Floor Bedrooms

• First/Second-Floor Kitchens

• Lower-Level Living Rooms

Location of Initial Water Application

• Interior

• Exterior

Type of Ventilation Performed

• Horizontal

• Positive Pressure

• Door Control

• Hydraulic

Timing of Ventilation w/ Suppression

• Prior to Fire Control

• During/Post Fire Control 20

21© 2018 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. All rights reserved. UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC.

WATER USAGE IN MULTI-FAMILY DWELLINGS

Proper Mapping Wins (Single 1 ¾” Handline): 185 Gal

Near-Miss Investigations

22

Energy Storage System Explosion Report

Informs Fire Fighter Safety

Investigations Underway for

Three Additional Near-Miss Incidents

Test Setup - Installation Level Test Configurations

➢ Test 1 – Without any provision for fire protection.

➢ Test 2 – With Novec 1230 total flooding clean agent system (8 v% concentration).

➢ Test 3 – With 0.5 gpm/ft2 density water spray system (from ceiling).

23

BMS BMS

4'-11 9/16"

1'-2 1/8"

6'-3 3/4"

7'-8 3/4"

Operation pressure 0.5 psig; vent area calculation based on NFPA 68, Standard on Explosion Protection by Deflagration Venting

UL 9540A Installation Level Demonstration

Reports Available: https://ulfirefightersafety.org/research-projects/firefighter-line-of-duty-injuries-and-near-misses.html

Residential Storage Battery Systems & EV’s in Garages

Training Fire Exposures from the Source

© 2021 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. All rights reserved. UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC.

NFPA 1403 - Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions

(2018 Edition)

4.13 Fuel Materials.

4.13.1* The fuels that are utilized in live

fire training evolutions shall only be wood

products.

4.13.2 Pressure-treated wood, rubber,

plastic, polyurethane foam, tar paper,

upholstered furniture, carpeting, and

chemically treated or pesticide-treated

straw or hay shall not be used as part of

the fuel load.

A.4.13.1 Acceptable fuels include pine

excelsior, wooden pallets, straw, hay, and

other wood-based products.

Current Project Goals

The goals of this three-year Technology Research & Development study are:

1) Characterize the gas-phase and solid-phase products of combustion and thermal energy

generated from burning training fuels

• Emphasis on bench-scale estimation of full-scale exposures

2) Develop a risk-benefit framework for training fuel selection, and training prop design

• Acknowledge the trade-offs between the occupational health risks and the benefit of high

quality, realistic training to prepare the fire service for the job they must accomplish

Fuels: Pallets, Plywood, and Particle Board

Fuels: OSB, Low Density Wood Fiber Board

Instrumentation: IH Sample Boxes

Cardiovascular & Chemical Exposure Risks in Today’s Fire Service

• Fireground

• Training Ground

• PPE Cleaning

• PPE Interfaces

Fire Investigation Research

• Post Fire Exposure to Investigators

• Impact of HVAC on Fire Patterns

• Smoke Explosion / Backdraft

• Thermal Decomposition of Materials

• Materials Database

Wildland Urban Interface

• Fire Brand Ignition of Building Materials

• Water Run-off

• Heat Transfer

Additional Research Projects

Fire Safety

Academy

The Fire Safety Academy

extends our reach in the

fire service community.

Visit training.fsri.org to learn more.

Connect with us all year long…

35

SmokeAlarms.ul.org CloseYourDoor.orgFSRI.org

Thank you

© 2021 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. All rights reserved. UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC.

Today’s Evolving Fire Environment

Larger

Homes

Open

Spaces

Evolving Fuel

Loads

Inc. Voids

Spaces

Changing Bldg.

MaterialsSmaller Lots New

Technologies

• Faster fire propagation

• Shorter time to flashover

• Rapid changes in fire

dynamics

• Shorter escape times

• Shorter time to collapse

• Inc. Exposure Problems

• New and Unknown Hazards