External Operations Experience
Update:
Fire Safety and Green Buildings
Department of Energy
Operating Experience Work Group
May 13, 2014
Larry Stirling,
Office of Analysis (AU-23)
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
• US Green Building Council standard for green
building: Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED)
• Buildings are rated on:
– Sustainable site
– Water efficiency
– Energy efficiency
– Atmospheric emissions
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– Materials and resource use
– Indoor environmental quality
– Innovation and design
• Buildings can qualify for one of four
certifications:
– Certified
– Silver
– Gold
– Platinum
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
• Fire codes and building codes, such as LEED,
have not been developed in a synchronized
manner.
• The focus of green building… has been on
reducing the impact on the environment
(Wieczorek 2011)
• Until recently fire safety considerations have
not been recognized (Tidwell and Murphy
2010)
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
• However, this is changing: “There is a need to
ensure integration between regulations that
promote sustainable construction and those
that promote the safety of building occupants
and firefighters.” (Nichols and Stevenson, IGCC
2010)
• The green movement has the potential to
impact the safety of a firefighter’s work
environment at a fire scene (Tidwell)
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
• Fire Safety Community Developed a Hazard
Assessment Tool: identifies attributes of green
buildings that should be considered from a fire
and safety standpoint (Tidwell and Murphy)
• Not exhaustive, but helps provide perspective to
address risks associated with green building
• Site Selection and Use
– Building orientation
– Landscaping
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– Permeable FD access roads
– Traffic calming devices
– Urban Village
• Building Envelope and Design Attributes
–
–
–
–
–
Awnings
Insulation
High performance glazing
Lightweight construction
Open design concept
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– Skylights and solar tubes
– Vegetative Roof Systems
– Vestibules
– Water Conservation
• Building Systems and Alternate Power Sources
– Battery Storage systems
– High Volume low Speed Fans
– HVAC systems
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Systems
– Nuclear Generated Power
– Photovoltaic Solar Power Systems
– Wind Turbine Power Systems
• Environmental Impact Reductions
– Increasing fire safety of green buildings reduces
risk to firefighters, increases public safety, and
reduces the potential impact on the environment
when a fire occurs
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– Reduced water usage with automatic fire
sprinklers
– Reduced release of toxin into the air, water and
ground water
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
• Fires are contributing a significant volume of
greenhouse gasses, carbon particulate matter
and other pollutants into the atmosphere
• Manual fire suppression efforts use millions of
gallons of treated water annually, which is
polluted with fire by-products and runs into
watershed
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
• Conclusions: Just because a building is green
doesn’t’ mean it is safe when a fire occurs
• Green buildings can have significant
environmental impacts in fire situations.
• A collaborative design process with
emergency responders will result in safer and
more sustainable buildings.
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
• References:
– Bridging the Gap: Fire Safety and Green Building,
A Fire and Building Safety Guide to Green
Construction, Jim Tidwell and Jack J. Murphy,
August, 2010
– Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings, Brian
Meacham, et.al., Worcester Polytechnic Institute
and The Fire Protection Research Foundation,
November 2012
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– Fire Safety: An Integral Part of Sustainability,
Christopher J. Wieczorks, Ph.D., Fire Protection
Engineering, 2011
– Taking on Fire Safety and Sustainability: A new
Green Building Code Debuts, Dave Nichols and
Kraig Stevenson, International Green Construction
Code, 2010
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– BRANZ Study Report 269[2012] Building
Sustainability and Fire-Safety Design Interactions:
Scoping Study, A.P. Robbins
– Impact of fire on the environment and building
sustainability, BD 2709, Department of
Communities and Local Government (Great
Britain) December 2010
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– Research Technical Report: The Influence of Risk
Factors on Sustainable Development, Louis A.
Gritzo, et.al., FM Global Research Division, March
2009
– Fire Safety in Green Buildings, Sean Joyce, et.al.,
B.S. thesis, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
December 19, 2008
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Fire Safety and Green Buildings
– How Fire Safety Can Improve Sustainability,
Natasha Sabin, edc Magazine, February 27, 2013
– Next Generation Building Codes Take on Safety
and Sustainability, Kraig Stevenson and David
Nichols, Firehouse Magazine, April 14, 2010
– Examining Fire Safety Concerns Raised by Green
Building, Homeland Security News Wire, March
11, 2014
– Fire Safety and Sustainability – the Perfect
Combination? BRE News, David Charters, no date
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• Contact Information:
Larry Stirling
Office of Analysis (AU-23)
202-586-2417
john.stirling@hq.doe.gov
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