- Author
- Emmons, H. W.
- Title
- Future Developments in Fire Safety.
- Coporate
- Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA
- Report
- Home Fire Proj. Tech Rpt. 86, April 28, 1993, 11 p.
- Keywords
- fire safety | structural engineering | fire models
- Abstract
- The expected future of fire safety engineering is predicted so far as possible by comparison with the more mature structural engineering. This is followed by more speculative developments leading to a future fire safety satisfying society's view of the acceptable risk guaranteed by use of an advanced fire model and a performance code. Every enterpirse, in order to secure adequate facilities, staff and funds, must plan for the future, i.e., to predict what the future years will be like and to select and sell its part in it. Yet man is notoriously bad at predicting the future course of history. In spite of the above title, I cannot claim any unique key to the future. However, the engineer's profession is predicting the future. When an engineer designs a building, a new product, or a new plant to produce it, he undertakes to predict what must be done to accomplish the desired result. His predictions are not based upon wishful thining but rather the laws of nature plus previous experience. Thus, the prediction of the future of fire safety engineering which is now in its early childhood, is greatly assisted by comparison with one of the many more mature engineering fields now of middle age.