The changing dynamic of building contents, human behavior, ignition sources, the lack of smoke alarms and sprinklers, and the misinterpretation of codes and product standards are significant contributing factors to firefighter and civilian deaths, says J. Thomas Chapin, Ph.D., general manager of UL’s North American Fire & Security Sector.
A study released last year by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) suggests that these factors may interact today to produce hotter, more aggressive fires than was typical in the past, cutting the time needed to escape some types of fires from 17 minutes to as little as three.
“These projects are intended to help reduce firefighter deaths by examining how fire behaves in real-life situations and then using that information to teach firefighters how to better protect themselves during a fire,” says Chapin.
The grant is divided into two major areas: investigating fire paths in commercial occupancies and conducting fire research into residential occupancies. Data collected from the research, including that from fully instrumented fire tests in full-scale residential settings, as well as historical information from well-known commercial occupancy fires such as 1980’s MGM Grand Hotel fire in Las Vegas, relevant standards and code information, and fire performance data products and furnishings, will be incorporated into a series of courses designed to complement existing U.S. Fire Administration training classes.
