- Author
-
Nelson, H. E.
- Title
- View On Where We Are, Where We Can Go, and What We Need. BFRL Fire Research Seminar. VHS Video.
- Coporate
- Hughes Associates, Inc., Baltimore, MD
- Report
-
Video
August 15, 2000
- Keywords
-
fire safety
|
decision making
- Abstract
- The development of performance based fire safety decisions offers the current best route to analytically sound fire safe design. Performance based analysis can be based on the delivery of an assured capability to deliver the required level of performance for one or more critical scenarios or on a demonstration that the potential of harm from all potential scenarios, weighted by the individual probabilities of occurrence does not exceed a specified level. In either case the validity of the performance is a function of the ability to analyze and quantify the total threat presented by fire scenarios currently consisting of a description of the ignition source, potential fire, facility construction, fire protection systems, and the exposed persons or other valuable items. Historically when performance in fire safety design addressed only individual items such as building framing, fire doors and interior finish, performance expressed in terms of specialized tests such as those conducted in fire furnaces and flame spread tunnels were sufficient. These tests did not, however, adequately provide data amenable to analytical analysis. In recent years advances have been made in both the development of usable fire property data and the development of engineering procedures and methods to use such data. The premises of this presentation is that the state-of-the-art of applied fire science has reached the point where a qualitative analysis, producing results superior to prior approaches, can be made of almost all of the elements involved the total performance of a scenario based on data, measurements and procedures that are directly related to the fire phenomena, physical properties, and material and human responses involved. It is further proffered that it is now feasible to consider user-friendly computerized modeling for at least pre-flashover fire development and the resulting development of fire produced conditions. Such a model would allow the designer or system manager to evaluate the impact of materials and the actions of crew on the development of fire hazards. Multiple scenarios could be rapidly run to determent the impact of variables such as changes in the compartment of involvement, materials, ventilation conditions, opening and closing of doors and hatches and other fire response activities. The viability and acceptability of this optimistic view depends, however, on the continued advancement of the technology to provide the underlying science, the data, and the tools (e.g. models and other computational means) across the full scope of fire safety design.