Multiphase Study on Fire Fighter
Safety and the Deployment of
Resources
Residential Fireground
Field Experiments
NIST Technical Note 1661
Issued April 2010
Agenda
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Project Overview
Experiment Methodology
Experiment Results
Utilizing the Findings
Project Objectives
Optimize a fire service
leader’s capability to deploy
resources to prevent or
mitigate adverse events that
occur in a risk/hazard filled
environment.
www.firereporting.org
Project Objectives
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Residential Fireground
Experiment
• Part 1 – Design appropriate fuel
load
• Part 2 – Fireground tasks
experiments
• Part 3 – Enhanced fuel load
• Part 4 – Fire modeling
Part I: The Live Fire
NFPA 1403 compliance:
• Fuel package characterized by full scale compartment
tests at NIST (NIST FR 4022) for desired size and
repeatability
• Fire: Four pallets with excelsior for simulated
interior/exterior environmental conditions
Part II: Time to Task Tests
Burn
Room
Burn
Room
Part II: Time to Task Tests
Response:
• 3 Engines, 1 Truck, 1 Battalion Chief, 1 Aide
– Crew sizes: 2, 3, 4, 5
Effective Fire Fighting Force (EFF)
Crew Size
# Fire Fighters
Chief and Aide
On-Scene Total
2
8
2
10
3
12
2
14
4
16
2
18
5
20
2
22
Part II: Time to Task Tests
Experiments:
• Total of 24 experiments on 22 fireground tasks
• 2 scenarios for each crew size
– Close stagger
– One-minute ladder truck lag
– One-and-a-half minutes lag for each subsequent
engine
– Far stagger
– Two-minute ladder truck lag
– Two-and-a-half minutes lag for each subsequent
engine
• Each scenario ran in triplicate
Part II: Time to Task Tests
Part II: Time to Task Tests
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Results: Time to Task Tests
0:24:00
0:20:00
0:16:00
0:12:00
0:08:00
0:04:00
Time (hr: min: sec)
0:00:00
2-Person Crew
3-Person Crew
4-Person Crew
5-Person Crew
Results: Time to Task Tests
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Part III: Room & Contents Fire
• Focus areas
– Structural Tenability
 CO, CO2, O2
 Temperature
 Smoke obscuration
– Impact on Victim Rescue
– Fire Growth Rate
– Arrival Time
 Early arrival
 Late arrival
• Fuel Package
– Living room configuration
– Sufficient for flashover
– Total of 16 experiments
Part III: Room & Contents Fire
Crew Size
First Due Arrival Time
2-Person
Early Arrival of First Engine (6.5 min) – close stagger
3-Person
Early Arrival of First Engine (6.5 min) – close stagger
4-Person
Early Arrival of First Engine (6.5 min) – close stagger
5-Person
Early Arrival of First Engine (6.5 min) – close stagger
2-Person
Later Arrival of First Engine (8.5 min) – close stagger
3-Person
Later Arrival of First Engine (8.5 min) – close stagger
4-Person
Later Arrival of First Engine (8.5 min) – close stagger
No Response (Baseline)
N/A
Part III: Room & Contents Fire
• Tasks Causing Fire Behavior Change
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Forced entry of the front door
Water on fire
Second floor burn room window ventilated
Second floor front window, near corner ventilated
Second floor front window, near front door ventilated
First floor window beside the fire ventilated
First floor window #2 self-ventilated at flashover
• NFPA 1403 Compliance
– Ventilation performed from outside
– Suppression performed via remote monitor
Part IV: Fire Modeling
NIST Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS)
1. Slow growth rate fire
2. Medium growth rate fire
3. Fast growth rate fire
Results: Parts III and IV
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Results: Parts III and IV
Utilizing the Findings
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Understand the Report
Based on Science
Education is Key
Tailor Presentation to Your
Audience
• Customize Use of Data
• Remember the Goal
Questions or Comments