- Author
-
Lee, W.
|
Leong, H. C.
|
Jee, C.
|
Hershberger, M. G.
- Title
- Design of Tests for the Effects of Mass Fires on Shelter Occupants. Final Report.
- Coporate
- Hazleton-Nuclear Science Corp., Palo Alto, CA
- Sponsor
- Office of Civil Defense, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NRDL-TRC-67; Report HNS-80; OCD Work Unit 1133B; T.O. No. 65-200(64),
September 26, 1966,
56 p.
- Contract
- N00-288-66C0917
- Keywords
-
shelters (fallout)
|
mass fires
|
life hazards
|
building design
|
building construction
|
experiments
|
protection factor
|
occupants
- Identifiers
- mass fire life hazard factors; mass fire heat hazards; biological response to heat; common respiratory gases; smokes, dust, other lesser known hazards; physiological, behavioral and other human engineering factors; biological test design; practical field test designs
- Abstract
- It has been established that an outbreak of mass fires would introduce serious additional life hazard factors which may require extensive modifications or overhaul of our existing concepts of shelter design, construction and management. In order to fully understand the problems faced by shelter occupants in a mass fire environment and be able to devise and evaluate possible protective mechanisms, it is necessary to study in detail not only the characteristics of the mass fire itself, but also the various biological hazard factors affecting the shelter occupants. The USFS is condicting a series of field experiments to study the first problem. In this report are presented recommendations for an overall program of biological testing designed to satisfy the second requirements. An extensive investigation was made to determine the nature of the actual life hazard factors affecting the shelter occupant exposed to the mass fire environment. Sources of this information included literature search, personal interviews, group discussions and meetings, and visits to actual burn sites. The known and predicted major life hazard factors are identified as (1) heat, (2) gases affecting respiration, (3) smoke, dust and other aerosols, (4) physiological, behavioral and human engineering factors. Known human and test animal responses to each of these factors are presented and the manner in which such biological responses would affect practical field test designs are discussed.