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Fire Research You Can Use

The FIRE.GOV website has been expanded to provide training materials, videos, fire reconstructions, and research reports that may be of interest to the fire service. The FIRE.GOV electronic newsletter will continue to be an important part of the website.

We believe this will make it easier for the fire service to access the available resources related to fire fighting. Please feel free to send us your comments or ideas as we transition to our new expanded version of the FIRE.GOV website. Send email to webmaster@fire.gov.


Research Spotlight

fd seminar

NIST Hosts Fire Dynamics Seminar

On September 3rd NIST Researchers held a fire dynamics conference for 400 fire chiefs and trainers from all over the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area. Dr. Turner welcomed all of the attendees with highlights of NIST's partnership with the fire service.  Dan Madrzykowski and Steve Kerber used videos of their studies to show firefighters how convection, conduction and ventilation including wind, affect a fire. Other topics of discussion included how building geometry, materials, furnishings and firefighting tactics can influence fire growth and spread leading to untenable conditions for firefighters. The attendees left with a copy of the presentation and all of the videos to share with the members of their departments to ultimately increase firefighter safety.

ToledoReport on Positive Pressure Ventilation in Schools is Completed

The report from the experiments completed in a retired high-school in Toledo, OH is now available. The report and all of the experimental video can be viewed and downloaded here. The report includes many tactical considerations covering both positive pressure and natural ventilation operations.

Tree 4New Report and Videos Available on Impact of a Residential Sprinklers on the Heat Release Rate of a Christmas Tree Fire

In February 2008, NIST, partnering with FDNY and Polytechnic University conducted experiments in order to improve the safety of fire fighters and building occupants by enabling a better understanding of wind driven firefighting tactics, including structural ventilation and suppression. Further Although the number of Christmas tree fires is low, these fires carry a higher level of hazard than other fires that occur in a residential structure. This study, supported by the U. S. Fire Administration, has the following three objectives: 1) characterize the heat release rate of dry Fraser fir trees 2) demonstrate the ignition resistance of a tree with a high moisture content and 3) examine the impact of a residential sprinkler on the heat release rate of a dry tree that is on fire in a compartment. See the Sprinkler section for the report and videos.

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last updated: 8/6/2008