BFRL: Homeland Security and Disaster Resilience

BFRL Goal

Homeland Security and Disaster Resilience

To develop the technical basis for the standards, technology, and practices needed for cost-effective improvements to the safety and security of buildings and building occupants, including evacuation, emergency response procedures, and threat mitigation.

The strategy to meet this goal is a three-part NIST-led public-private response program that includes:

a federal building and fire safety investigation to study the most probable factors that contributed to post-aircraft impact collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) Towers and the 47-story WTC 7, and the associated evacuation and emergency response experience;

a research and development (R&D) program to provide a technical foundation that supports improvements to building and fire codes, standards, and practices that reduce the impact of extreme threats to the safety of buildings, their occupants and emergency responders; and

a dissemination and technical assistance program (DTAP) to engage leaders of the construction and building community in implementing proposed changes to practices, standards and codes. Also it will provide practical guidance and tools to better prepare facility owners, contractors, architects, engineers, emergency responders, and regulatory authorities to respond to future disasters.

The desired outcomes are to make all buildings safer for occupants and first responders and to ensure better evacuation systems and emergency response capabilities for future disasters.

Component Programs:

Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface

National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

Research and Development for the Safety of Threatened Buildings

Contact:

S. Shyam Sunder, Director, BFRL
(301) 975-6850
sunder@nist.gov

Photograph of the burning of a typical office workstation.

Firefighters elevators provide access to fires on upper floors of tall buildings.

NIST is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce

Last updated: 1/15/2008

The strategy to meet this goal is a three-part NIST-led public-private response program that includes: a federal building and fire safety investigation to study the most probable factors that contributed to post-aircraft impact collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) Towers and the 47-story WTC 7, and the associated evacuation and emergency response experience; a research and development (R&D) program to provide a technical foundation that supports improvements to building and fire codes, standards, and practices that reduce the impact of extreme threats to the safety of buildings, their occupants and emergency responders; and a dissemination and technical assistance program (DTAP) to engage leaders of the construction and building community in implementing proposed changes to practices, standards and codes. Also it will provide practical guidance and tools to better prepare facility owners, contractors, architects, engineers, emergency responders, and regulatory authorities to respond to future disasters. The desired outcomes are to make all buildings safer for occupants and first responders and to ensure better evacuation systems and emergency response capabilities for future disasters. Component Programs: Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Research and Development for the Safety of Threatened Buildings Contact: S. Shyam Sunder, Director, BFRL (301) 975-6850 sunder@nist.gov
	Photograph of the burning of a typical office workstation.


	Firefighters elevators provide access to fires on upper floors of tall buildings.