evolving the fsri mission - nfpa.org
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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
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Fire is not going to
happen to me
Fire spreads faster
than ever
New
technologies
Evolving building
materials and
practices
Wildland Urban
Interface
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Recent Home Fire Deaths
https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/
Marty Ahrens and Radhika Maheshwar. Home Structure Fires. NFPA 2020.
Severity of Fire
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Marty Ahrens and Radhika Maheshwar. Home Structure Fires. NFPA 2020.
Layers of Fire Safety
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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
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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).
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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…
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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