Fire Science Show

A few weeks ago in Copenhagen, stepping onto the stage to open the SFPE Fire Safety Conference and Expo on Performance-Based Design, I took a bit of a gamble. I was invited to give an opening keynote, but instead of talking about my fire science and engineering, I've chosen to confront an often-overlooked cornerstone of our profession: communication. If you follow the podcast, it is not something new to you. I brought up this case multiple times - Fire safety is not just about the technical mastery of fire dynamics and code compliance – we, as engineers, need to be as adept with our communications so that our solutions are put into practice.

 In this episode, I'm giving my best attempt to recreate my I share the insights from my keynote, focusing on articulating complex fire safety strategies across diverse competencies and the crucial need for innovation in our communication methods. The art of communication within fire safety engineering is akin to translating an intricate language for a varied audience. From investors to fellow engineers in MEP and HVAC, ensuring each stakeholder not only grasps but values the information is key to effective implementation. 

By popular request, I hope you enjoy this talk for all those who were not able to make it to the SFPE conference in Copenhagen. And those who were there, this perhaps serves as a good refresher of that event and perhaps a point to restart some of the most interesting discussions that happened there.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode, we dive into standardization efforts for fire safety. An entire universe of testing laboratories, committees, auditors, and certifiers work together to provide product end-user fire safety classification. So, in the end, the user does not have to worry about what the product will do, as its relevant characteristics are well known from the certificate and, to some extent, from the standards.

But that's a perfect world. In the real world, it is perhaps not that simple. Crafting a good standard takes time and effort. And numerous features make standard good. This is the discussion between me and Björn Sundström, teaching fire professionals in Luleå Technical University and who is with Brandforsk, and someone who spent most of his professional career in fire laboratories in Scandinavia.

As mentioned in the intro, I also highly recommend other Fire Science Show episodes on the subject. I think Bjorn's episode provides excellent background, so perhaps they are worth a revisit if you have already heard them.

• 070 - Fire resistance is whatever you want it to be with Piotr Turkowski
• 089 - Designing law by disasters (or not?) with Birgitte Messerschmidt
• 140 - Development and implementation of the SBI test with Rudolf van Mierlo

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

The fire is detected in the building. Please evacuate. Do not use the elevator.

I’ve heard this emergency message perhaps a thousand times. It is deeply engraved in my mind to the extent that the moment I hear the first beep of the fire alarm, I know this message will come up. I heard the chime sound, and I knew I should evacuate and not use the elevator.

But in all seriousness, why? Why shouldn’t I use the elevator, and what would happen if I did (in case the building would not prevent me from doing so…)? 

This is the reason I’ve invited Dr Axel Mossberg from Bengt Dahlgren Fire Research, who has done his PhD on the subject of behavioural aspects in elevator evacuation and was involved in the design of multiple buildings in which elevator evacuation strategy was employed. In this episode, we try to figure out where the stigma comes from. We compare the staircase and elevator evacuation in terms of their efficiencies and the occupant behaviour/choices related to the process. We also discuss the features of a safe elevator that can provide an equivalent level of safety to an area of refuge, and perhaps even to a staircase.

If you would like to learn more about the topic, I highly recommend:

•  Axel’s PhD thesis, which is available here: https://portal.research.lu.se/files/118613954/Axel_Mossberg_e_spik.pdf
• Axel's paper on Evaluating new evacuation systems related to human behaviour using a situational awareness approach – A study of the implementation of evacuation elevators in an underground facility, 
•  Axel's paper on Unannounced Evacuation Experiment in a High-Rise Hotel Building with Evacuation Elevators: A Study of Evacuation Behaviour Using Eye-Tracking
• As well as this paper by Erika Kuligowski from 2003 given to CTBUH, which remains very actual 20 years later: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267797629_Elevators_for_occupant_evacuation_and_fire_department_access 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Wind turbine fires - are they an issue, or are they not? In this episode, I am joined by Prof. Guillermo Rein of the Imperial College London, who raised this issue 10 years ago at the IAFSS conference, and I believe we still do not have a clear answer.

In this episode, we discuss the fire safety of wind turbines using the layers of protection framework - from suppression, detection, and prevention to firefighting. We have discussed the challenges with evacuation and the subsequent fires triggered by "firebrands" flying out of the burning wind turbine.

I try to show this discussion also as a great example case study for fire safety engineering. Having this sharp cost of the fire (loss of turbine, loss of income), pretty much binary outcomes of fires (if there is a fire the turbine is most likely lost) and a cost of safety features, we can truly put a number on how much monetary value the fire safety features of a wind turbine bring.

If you would like to learn more about wind turbine fires, I highly recommend the more recent article in SFPE Fire Protection Engineering magazine and the IAFSS paper on the topic (from 2013).

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

CROSS UK is Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures in UK. CROSS is a confidential reporting system which allows professionals working in the built environment to report on fire and structural safety issues. These are then published anonymously to share lessons learned, create positive change, and improve safety. Find out more about the safety information we provide below.

This initiative in the space of fire safety is lead by Neil Gibbins and Peter Wilkinson, who are my guests today. We go through the ideas behind the institution and the reasons why we need it. We discuss the confidentiality and all the layers of protection of the reports, and the bias of the issues brought up. This includes the strict “no blame policy”. We also go in deep into some more interesting, representative reports published by cross (out of 99 published on fire so far!).

Please join CROSS UK newsletter and check their repository here: https://www.cross-safety.org/uk

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode of the Fire Science Show we go in depth on the Building Integrated Photo-Voltaic systems (BIPV). It is a topic relevant to many fire engineers, and one on which it is very difficult to find a lot of information about. For this purpose I’ve invited Reidar Stølen from RISE and a PhD candidate at Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU.

Reidar has hands-on experience with fire testing BIPV façade, as he has performed such experiments with the Swedish test method for a commercial project. The results of the first experiments can be found in this research paper: Large- and small-scale fire test of a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) façade system. We go in depth into description of the test sample, the rig and the outcomes of the experiment. Make sure to check the paper for the before and after pictures of the façade!

Another paper worth highlighting is the investigation into the Factors Affecting the Fire Safety Design of Photovoltaic Installations Under Performance-Based Regulations in Norway. Related to this we have an in depth discussion on the factors that play role in PV fires, especially connectors as one of the main sources of the fire. 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode, we explore wildfire's impact on industrial fire safety with Professor Eulàlia Planas from Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya. Eulalia defines the term  Wildland Industrial Interface (WII), a realm where the forces of nature clash with safety and process engineering.

In the episode, we highlight that it is not just the exposure to the fire itself but also to the secondary effects - ember storms, firebrand accumulation, strong winds or power shutdowns that may cause significant damage. Also, even if the wildfires do not cause fires directly, they may damage auxiliary systems, creating unacceptable vulnerabilities in the plant. Finally, we discuss what is the challenge of shutting the plant down and evacuating it.

In the episode, we will present the differences to traditional risk assessments when confronted with wildfire behaviour and investigate scenarios in which even the most robust chemical plants can succumb to the fire.

Further reading includes:
- Fires at the wildland-industrial interface. Is there an emerging problem?
- Asset Integrity in the Case of Wildfires at Wildland-Industrial Interfaces
- Vulnerability of industrial storage tanks to wildfire: A case study
-  Analysis of the impact of wildla

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Depression and anxiety are on the rise in both academia and engineering consultancies. Everyone is constantly stressed and pushed to their limits. The system is built this way... And imagine that on top of the inadequate mental health related to the stressful environment, you also struggle with a mental illness. A health condition you did not choose, you may or may not be aware of, and may or may not be treating... Now, add trying to build a family and advance the most challenging part of the academic ladder. All of these are elements of the story of today's guest - Professor Ann Jeffers of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Ann is a colleague from our fire community and an expert in structural fire engineering. Well-published Author and co-editor of Fire Safety Journal, with plenty of scientific achievements. She is also living with bipolar disorder. She was diagnosed with the illnesses around the time she was trying to advance to tenure and chose to battle alone without disclosing it to the community or her University, as it could have impacted her career... What a tough choice to make.

Today, Ann is in a different place. She is well, and received support from both community and her uni. She chose to share her story through the book "Can you hear the music?".  (Available here and on Amazon). Today she is a mental health advocate, reaching out to others who may be in a difficult position, as she were. When I saw her talk at the IAFSS conference, I knew that I have to share this with my audience.
 
In this episode, we share Ann's story and general aspects of high-stakes environment in academia. We discuss the ripple effect of traumatic events and emphasize the importance of compassionate academic evaluations that consider the full spectrum of an individual's experience. From the balancing act of managing a career and mental well-being, to the significance of prioritizing sleep and setting boundaries, this dialogue is a guidepost for those striving for success without sacrificing their health. Ann's transformation into a mental health advocate marks a pivotal moment in her journey and serves as a beacon for others navigating similar paths. Join us as we bring light to these critical conversations, trying to make mental health a part of fire scientists' and engineers' priorities. 

Watch Ann's videos telling her story in greater detail:

• Can you hear the music - book introduction
• Author event 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode, we discuss the stark realities of fire safety engineering in South Africa (and beyond) as we sit down with Professor Richard Walls from Stellenbosch University. Our journey through the recent history of devastating fires, from truck blasts to the fire that took down the SA Parliament building, lays bare the critical gaps in resources, awareness and education that have catastrophic consequences. 

Professor Walls's expertise guides us through the complexities of local building codes and the vital role of education in fostering fire safety competency in the country. We dissect the shortcomings of current regulations and the promising strides made with introducing a master's degree program in fire engineering. Together, we unravel the intricate web of performance-based design and the imperative for a raised consciousness about fire safety in the building industry – a clarion call for vigilance that echoes far beyond South African borders.

We also try to form a broader perspective, examining how catastrophic events shape the future of fire engineering and the transformative lessons they impart. We also cast an eye toward the advancements in solar energy technology and the associated challenges it brings. Through this episode, we aim to try to support a conversation on the indispensable role of fire safety engineering in protecting communities across the globe.

This episode follows the unique DEI session at the IAFSS Conference in 2023. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizing committee for putting up such a fantastic session!

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Imagine if we had a tool that we could use to design a design fire. Instead of simply assuming fire growth characteristics by slapping the alpha-t2 function, use a tool that could tell us which items in a compartment burn and what the characteristics of that fire are. I would say this dream is shared among many fire safety engineers - I think we can all agree that we could use such a tool.

Today's guest, Dr Greg Baker, has shared this dream and built a tool like this within his PhD at the University of Canterbury. The skeleton was a zone model, and the tool developed has played with it well.  Actually, feel free to try it out in here.

In the episode, we talk about how Greg built up this tool and how it decides on the growth, plateau and decay of the fire. We also discuss how such a tool may be critical in a probabilistic approach to fire safety engineering and general performance-based design. Who knows, perhaps in the near future, such an approach will also help us run our CFDs. 

If you enjoyed this, you perhaps would like to read more:

• Benchmarking the Single Item Ignition Prediction Capability of B-RISK Using Furniture Calorimeter and Room-Size Experiments
• Ignition of secondary objects in a design fire simulation
• Developing probabilistic design fires for performance-based fire safety engineering

And a bonus:

• Ranking the Level of Openness in Blind Compartment Fire Modelling Studies

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In today's fire fundamentals episode, I have chosen a difficult job: explaining how CFD modelling works without the ability to put a single equation out there! It's much tougher than I thought! I hope I've done a decent job, though.

I am trying to fill out this niche of talking about CFD at an approachable level. I've noticed there is a ton of 'introductory' level resources about modeling. Still, they usually very quickly go into mathematical formulations instead of explaining in plain language what is the purpose of specific models or modelling approaches.

In this episode, you will learn about:
- what is Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling;
- what is the role of conservation laws of mass, energy and momentum;
- what is turbulence, and why it impact our calculation so much;
- what are the common families of turbulence models (RANS and LES), and how do they differ from each other;
- what are sensitivity studies, and how does one choose an appropriate mesh for their problem?

If I had one book to recommend, it would be this book by Bart Merci and Tarek Beji.

If I had one paper to recommend, it would be this paper by Kevin McGrattan (open access).

Fire Science Show is produced in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you for your ongoing support, that allows me to create content like this!

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

If the word 'uncertainty' sounds extremely boring to you, this episode will prove you wrong. I have invited David Morrisset from the University of Edinburgh to discuss his research on the subject. Whereas in fact David is establishing standard deviations, means and other statistical means of quantifying uncertainty in core fire measurements, the really impactful and important part of his research is on explaining WHY those uncertainties are there. Through physical explanation of processes happening in fire we may grasp a really good understanding why two HRR-time curves of the same object burned in the same lab, in the same way may be so vastly different.

These findings are fundamental for practical fire engineering. The establishment of design fires and their relation to the experiments is discussed in depth. We also talk about how we could establish better design fires for future engineering practice.

Some excellent further reading:

• Repeat Fire Tests of Upholstered Furniture: Variability and Experimental Observations - the upholstered chair paper
• Statistical uncertainty in bench-scale flammability tests - the PMMA paper 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

This week, I am meeting up with Imperial Hazelab's Harry Mitchell, who is finalizing his PhD thesis on mass timber fires and, quite uniquely - including the smouldering phenomena in those fires.

As a part of Code Red experiments run by Arup, Imperial College London and Cerib (which you can learn more about from episode 111 with Panos Kotsovinos)  Harry has performed observations of formation, growth and decay of smouldering "hot spots" for up to 2 days after the fire. Based on that, conclusions were formed on the occurrence and persistence of the smouldering in large, open-plan mass timber compartments. This is precisely what we cover in this podcast episode - what is the smouldering fire of timber? Where can we expect it to happen? What are the potential consequences to the structure and people who need to enter it (firefighters and investigators?)

If you would like to learn more, please follow to these resources:

• Structural hazards of smouldering fires in timber buildings
• Flame spread characteristics in large compartments with an exposed timber ceiling
• Review of fire experiments in mass timber compartments: Current understanding, limitations, and research gaps
• Fire dynamics inside a large and open-plan compartment with exposed timber ceiling and columns: CodeRed #01
• Impact of ventilation on the fire dynamics of an open-plan compartment with exposed timber ceiling and columns: CodeRed #02
• The Effectiveness of a Water Mist System in an Open-plan Compartment with an Exposed Timber Ceiling: CodeRed #03

And other mass timber experiments covered in the Fire Science Show.

Fire Science Show is produced in partnership with OFR Consultants.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Tests in the world of reaction to fire are supposed to be representations of real fire scenarios, allowing us to grasp the characteristics of building products against them. While for the worst scenario (flashover fire) or the smallest ignition source (small flame), the definition is pretty straightforward. However, creating the intermediate method that the entire Europe would agree on was a bumpy ride. Our latest episode is a treasure trove of knowledge detailing the birth and maturation of the Single Burning Item (SBI,  EN 13823 ) test standard.  With the CEN SBI group  Convenor - Rudolf van Mierlo, we discuss the history and background of the standard, the background for some not-so-easy technical decisions and perhaps even tougher political ones. 

In a project of this magnitude, everything matters - how do you ensure the method is reproducible and repeatable? How do you convey the exact amount of information in the technical standard? Will one of the measures eventually be the one that defines the final classification, and what does the classification reflect?

Towards the end of the episode, we try to put those lessons from the creation and implementation of SBI into brainstorming a pathway for a new intermediate test we really need. An intermediate testing method for facades, as an effort for the Dutch government and a likely update to the existing ISO standard.

Link to the conference we have discussed: https://dgmr.nl/en/sign-up-for-dgmr-conference-fire-safety-in-an-sustainable-future/

Reading material:
- The Rise of Euroclass by Angus Law et al. - a more detailed description of the politics behind the standard
- The Single Burning Item (SBI) Test Method - A Decade of Development and Plans for the Near Future by Rudolf van Mierlo and Bart Sette
- KRESNIK: A top-down, statistical approach to understand the fire performance of building facades using standard test data by Matt Bonner et al. - a more detailed description of how the Polish method handles different facades

Also, if you enjoyed this episode, you will like this one too: https://www.firescienceshow.com/089-designing-law-by-disasters-or-not-with-birgitte-messerschmidt/

Cover image - Effectis press release on changes to the SBI standard in 2020 - also a valuable source to see how the standard is evolving.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

I've finished my first large research grant! I guess that makes me a 'real' scientist now. Came here today to share some most interesting aspects of this project with you. Not going to bore you all about the wind and fire interaction physics (hey, there is an entire episode 50 devoted to that!), but rather talk about challenges and stuff that perhaps will matter if you would like to engineer a case similar to one we have studied.

So in this podcast episode, we will go into:

• How our framework for wind and fire coupled modelling worked out in practice (read more about the framework here Wind and Fire Coupled Modelling part 1 - Literature Review and here Wind and Fire Coupled Modelling part 2 - Best Practice Guidelines )
• How we had to go miles to modify the ABL profile so our wind predictions at the location of the fire are spot on 
• A bit on design fire choice, but plenty more in here: 135 - Contemplating a design fire for car parks
• And most importantly, how we handled the mass amount of data generated in 336 CFD simulations within the project. Our unique approach to statistics, indexing and risk.

The promised webinars will be uploaded soon, and you will find the link here.

Badania przedstawione w odcinku podcastu przeprowadzono w projekcie realizowanym an podstawie umowy UMO-2020/37/B/ST8/03839 do projektu badawczego nr 2020/37/B/ST8/03839 pt. Skutki oddziaływania wiatru na pożary budynków w wieloparametrycznej ocenie ryzyka z wykorzystaniem metod numerycznych.

Grafika autorstwa P. Jamińska-Gadomska (ITB) oraz P. Prusiński (NCBJ) w ramach współracy pomiedzy ITB a NCBJ w projekcie EuroCC (No 951732)

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

It is interesting to see changes in our profession that happen directly in front of our lives. Climate change and in consequence the changes in the wildfire patterns are one such obvious shift. In Poland, we do not ever have a ‘wildfire’ season, and I was kind of surprised when I discovered this is a thing in the South or in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, we do not have it *yet*. Some years ago devastating wildfire season happened in Sweden. There has been an emergency in northern parts of Russia as well. The summers are more dry – I thought that this is the driver of challenge, however, as with almost everything in fire science, the answer is more complicated.

I have invited Nieves Fernandez-Anez from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences  to discuss what is the ‘north’ doing to get ready for the coming threat. Nieves told me we do not need to reinvent the wheel – a lot of solutions, methods, approaches and policies do already exist. However, the wheel has also not been tested on all roads… Some things that can work in Spain or Greece won’t ever be feasible in the Scandinavia. Cultural and societal differences must be understood and accounted for when transposing solutions. The same comes to our models – they need to account for local vegetation, and its growth patterns. A challenge in itself, as we need a rapid increase in the amount and quality of information we have at hand.

I was a bit naïve coming to the episode, and the issue seems significantly more complicated. This is obviously an issue that a single researcher won’t handle. But here, another reason why I have invited Nieves. She is one of researchers who really get a lot out of collaborations in the COST network. Previously in COST Action Fire Links and now in the COST action on extreme wildfires. These networks connect scientists from different backgrounds and different regions, to create a thriving environment for knowledge exchange and crafting new ideas that respond to the new problems.

If you would like to learn more about changes in wildfires in Europe, refer to this paper.

COST Action Fire Links

COST Action european Network on Extreme fiRe behaviOr (NERO) (just started and open!)

Cover image - picture of wildfires near Ljusdal in Sweden, 2018, NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin and Joshua Stevens, using MODIS data from LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response and the Level 1; after Wikipedia: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po%C5%BCary_las%C3%B3w_w_Szwecji_(2018)

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

This episode of the Fire Science Show welcomes once again Adam Barowy from the Fire Safety Research Institute to shed light on the pressing issue of fire hazards in electric mobility devices.

In this episode, we give a follow-up to ep. 085 with Adam, which was published one year ago. One year in the world of e-mobility is a lot of time, so we have a lot of catching up to do!

We tackle the complexities of standardizing explosion protection for large-scale energy storage and the implications of toxic smoke on human health. We delve into real-world case studies that underscore the urgency of our quest for safer battery usage and regulation. We also discuss the aftermath of an electric scooter fire on the Toronto subway, unravelling the potential danger these incidents pose in congested spaces and the evolving role of safety standards and research in keeping our communities safe. As we also discuss the role of certifications like UL 2272 and the promise of new standards such as UL 1487, join us in this episode to equip yourself with the knowledge to navigate an electrified world responsibly.

I promised Adam to plug in the https://batteryfiresafety.org/ - a public campaign focused on spreading knowledge in the safe use of batteries. 

Photo credit - a still frame from FSRI excellent video at https://batteryfiresafety.org/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode of Fire Fundamentals, we dive into the life-saving choreography of fire detection and building automation systems that must work together in case of a fire. We discuss the roles and challenges related to:

• fire detection and signalling;
• control panels and fire scenarios;
• smoke control and compartmentalization;
• power and water supply and management.

We also discuss the sources of potential delays in device operation, and how some of those are consciously built into the system as a means for false alarm mitigation.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In episode 48, my guest Mike Spearpoint said that in mid '90s, he participated in experiments on vehicle fires, as at that time, there were doubts if the design fires of that time (developed in the '80s) were representative of modern cars. Fast forward 30 years ahead, and we seem to be in a very similar situation. We have limited knowledge on vehicle fires, most coming from very old studies that have used even older vehicles... And we have a fleet that consists of larger vehicles, gravitating to alternative fuels and batteries. We urgently need a new design fire, and in my opinion not just that - we need a new design fire paradigm for the car parks.

In this episode, I'm explaining the struggles we had choosing a design fire for our NCN OPUS grant on the multiparametric study of fire risk in wind conditions financed by the National Centre of Science in Poland. We have went through the literature, and looked through all of the available data, to figure out some data points we could implement in our studies.

In the episode, I will share those data points (and you may refer to a paper which I will link as soon as it is published), but also cover my ideas related to:

• how do we carry out experiments on vehicles, and how does the experimental setup change the outcome;
• what is the design fire, and why do we need one?
• what are the goals of our design and why design fire should start with the goals in mind.

The design fire is not a representation of a real fire. It is a test scenario that allows us to carry useful engineering judgement. This episode is all about this idea, and how I am making sure that my current assumptions reflect the changes in the modern car fleet. Enjoy!

Some additional resources:

• Mohd Tohir's PhD thesis that gives the best overview of data up to 2014
• Our paper from 2014 which explains some assumptions for the car park smoke control design and summarizes experiments (in Polish)

Badania przedstawione w odcinku podcastu przeprowadzono w projekcie realizowanym an podstawie umowy UMO-2020/37/B/ST8/03839 do projektu badawczego nr 2020/37/B/ST8/03839 pt. Skutki oddziaływania wiatru na pożary budynków w wieloparametrycznej ocenie ryzyka z wykorzystaniem metod numerycznych.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

It's time to learn about "the evacuation equation" from one of its creators. This week I interview prof. David Purser about the elements that go into the evacuation process that help us determine the fire safety of buildings. We go through the components of the Required Safe Evacuation Time (RSET) one by one:

• detection time
• alarm time
• pre-movement
• occupant movement and congestion.

We discuss how those were initially defined, what the assumptions behind establishing them as a part of the framework were, and what engineering scenarios they responded to. Prof. Purser explains the similarity behind the "human behaviour scenario" and the "design fire scenario" as both being inaccurate descriptions of the real world but valuable for design.

We also discuss cases in which those simple assumptions perhaps did not hold, such as the complex case of the Grenfell Tower evacuation. We confront the harrowing reality of communication breakdowns and delayed responses, dissecting how they can dramatically alter the outcome of an emergency. This highlights that the methodology is not "ultimate" and it is up to the engineer to understand the complexities of the process and the weak aspects of it.

The method described in this episode forms the core of PD 7974-6:2019 Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings - Human factors. Life safety strategies. Occupant evacuation, behaviour and condition (Sub-system 6). The method has been implemented in many local codes throughout the world and can today be considered a standard approach in the fire-safe design of buildings.

In the episode, prof Purser mentioned "new data" on pre-evacuation time. In his IAFSS lecture, he mentioned some sources, including this paper by Lovreglio et al. 

Cover image based on a figure presented in paper 10.3390/buildings13123038

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

As we close the curtains on 2023, take a walk with me through the unforgettable milestones that have shaped the Fire Science Show. This isn't just a recap; it's a treasure trove of insights and a roadmap to the innovations just over the horizon. We've come so far together, with download numbers soaring and our influence deepening within the fire science community. My gratitude overflows for the steady support from OFR Consultants in 2023, and the future looks very bright with this collaboration continuing into 2024.

I wish you a great 2024!

Oh. The three big things.
The two of them, you can access right now.

Reach the Book of Fire (newsletter signup)

Access the Fire Science Show community at Circle (and reach the Book of Fire there directly!)

And the third one, investigation fire science specials, you will be able to enjoy around Q2 2024!

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Welcome aboard a journey through the challenges of managing electric vehicle fires at sea with Elena Funk of DBI and Magnus Arvidson from RISE. In this podcast episode, we discuss two large projects devoted to understanding how we can mitigate, suppress and manage EV fires - project Elbas at DBI and project Lash Fire at RISE. Even though the aim of those were ferries and ro-ro ships, the findings are very important and relevant for civil infrastructure like car parks or tunnels.

In the episode, we discuss following technologies:
- fire blankets
- punctuating and injection devices
- water curtains
- low pressure water mist
- drenched systems.

As you can see, we cover a large group of technical solutions used to mitigate and suppress fires. In the episode, you will learn about the challenges related to each of them. We also go into general observations done during the test, also related to the growth and reignition of the fires.

If you would like to learn more, you need to go to the project websites:
ELBAS project at DBI
Lashfire project at RISE

If you want to find Elena's webinar, you can do it here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ms-hansen_firesafety-evparkinggarages-webinar-activity-7134936860115525632-mETf

And also, Elena told me after the recording:
One important aspect of fire extinguishment I did not mention on the podcast yesterday is water toxicity after extinguishment.   

RISE, Jonna and colleagues have shown that when the water is applied directly on the battery you get increase in release of certain elements (e.g. PFAS).

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c08581

I think this is a very important observation, and I need to an entire episode on that.

Cover photo credit: DBI project ELBAS,  DBI-ELBAS-FIXFU21008 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

This is an important episode. Our guest for today, UK fire engineer Mary Button, who uses a wheelchair herself, shares some of her own stories and feelings describing the reality for many disabled individuals. Drawing from her own experiences, Mary shares invaluable insights into the cognitive complexities individuals with mobility issues face, physical barriers, and psychological burdens related to the fire evacuation process. But most importantly, I think we touch on the essence here of how the building features disable people and how a shift in your mindset can help you design a more human-friendly (in consequence, people with disability-friendly) environment.

As we venture deeper into this enlightening conversation, we uncover the role of accessible building design in fire safety. Learn how technical aspects such as ramps, door widths, and pressurization systems can make a difference in ensuring safe evacuation. We also question the reliance on evacuation lifts and trained personnel, emphasizing the need for more independent and equal access solutions. 

 By the end of this episode, you’ll have a broader understanding of the importance of inclusive fire safety planning and strategies and the need for greater awareness and empathy towards individuals with disabilities. 

Mary was also very kind to send me some materials. Here they are with her short comment:
The post below discusses why giving a number of potentially disabled people in the population is complicated but also provides a figure from the WHO. I've also linked to the UK government report, which links to statistics on disability prevalence by type in the UK population. Hopefully, these are useful starting points. I've also linked to Erik's Egress Enabler Tool and the accompanying paper.

• https://www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/how-many-disabled-people/
• https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2021-to-2022
• https://zenodo.org/records/7075501#.Y5x-9OzP0bm
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36372652/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this part 8 of Experiments that changed fire science series we revisit Cardington (previously covered in part 2 - https://www.firescienceshow.com/078-experiments-that-changed-fire-science-pt-2-bre-cardington-with-tom-lennon/), but this time from the perspective of modeling the structure. My guest prof. Asif Usmani of the HK PolyU takes us on how simplifying the model led them to some fundamental discoveries on the thermo-mechanical response of structures to fires.

We discuss material properties and perhaps their overestimated role in structural modelling. We go into membrane actions and the role of restraints in shaping the response of beams and slabs to thermal loads. And Asif explains to me what this means at a scale of a building frame. Some truly remarkable insights - things that today are perhaps obvious to any structural engineer, but at that time were an unknown fire behaviour. 

Here are some links to the papers related to today's episode:
Cardington
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379711201000376
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143974X01000049
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379711204000116

WTC
https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/1562

OpenSees
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10694-021-01184-0
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Xu-Dai-4/publication/283796522_OpenSees-based_integrated_tool_for_modelling_structures_in_fire/links/5647a6b108ae451880ac4f18/OpenSees-based-integrated-tool-for-modelling-structures-in-fire.pdf

Picture credit: British Steel, after "Newman G, Robinson JT and Bailey CG, Fire safe design: A new approach to multi-storey steel-framed buildings, The Steel Construction Institute, Berkshire, 2006" 
Accessed through:  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303531122_Shear_panel_component_in_the_vicinity_of_beam-column_connections_in_fire [accessed Dec 06 2023]. 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Carmen Górska from OFR Consultants, the recent IAFSS Phillip Thomas Award recipient for the best paper at the previous IAFSS Symposium. In this interview, we touch on preconceived notions about fire dynamics in timber compartments, and Carmen explains how she has learned the intricate physics behind it. 

The research discussed covers dozens of medium-scale timber (CLT) compartments with different amounts of exposed timber.  The findings relate to the conditions inside (temperatures, heat fluxes), the spatial distribution of the temperature and oxygen within the compartment, charring rates, self-extinction conditions, and external venting fires. 

If you would like to learn more from Carmen, here is her TEDx talk on mass timber, where she explains WHY we need research like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKXnKRD2EU4&t=1s
And here is the award-winning paper: https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85084762058&origin=resultslist
And here is Carmens' PhD Thesis, which goes much deeper into the topic:  https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_ec263ab/s4408332_final_thesis.pdf

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In today's episode, we go into the practical consequences of having an underventilated fire - that is the possibility of backdraught or other similar smoke explosion phenomena. My guest Dr Ricky Carvel from the University of Edinburgh, touches on the chemistry of combustion, explaining why the underventilated fire is different than the oxygen-rich one, and how flammability limits are critical in understanding dynamic phenomena that may occur in a fuel-rich environment. We go into conditions in which backdraughts occur, and how establishing flow-path or reducing smoke layer temperatures may be a way to mitigate the risk. Finally, Ricky shares on some future plans on how to give firefighters a real tool to assess the risk of backdraught.

And of course, we had a ton of fun with the movie Backdraft, and to some extent the American spelling of the word.

Some additional resources:

• Polish firefighters and door implosion video (around the 8th minute mark)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztrmC8o2UhU
• The videos we created for firefighters can be found here: https://fire.eng.ed.ac.uk/techtalks
• Our short backdraught video from YouTube:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kRoKckpJmE
• The Slo-Mo Guys backdraft (sic) video:
  https://youtu.be/ZyCCWuO0mQo?si=NHKkG82clnPOTPbV
• Two of our papers on backdraught/backdraft (FT uses American spellings!):
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2017.04.003
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-019-00914-9
  
  
  

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Dear friends of the Fire Science Show, and listeners of the Smart Passive Income Podcast - today is some sort of a special broadcast. As I have just been featured in THE podcast https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/shows/spi/ I've chosen to create a lightweight episode on what Fire Safety Engineering is. I hope this is interesting to people who never heard about the term and a great reflection on what we do to all who practice the world's best job.

I'm unraveling this together with our esteemed guest, Dr. Ricky Carvel from the University of Edinburgh.  

Ever wondered about the role of fire safety engineers in technology? Or maybe you're curious about the future challenges posed by complex structures. This episode addresses these concerns and more, taking you on a journey through the multi-disciplinary nature of this vital field. We highlight the growing demand for fire safety engineers in areas like informal settlements and the wildland-urban interface and discuss the evolution of fire-related education. We also shed light on the success of the International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering program. 

If you look for more interesting episodes for a general audience, here you can find them: https://www.firescienceshow.com/category/interesting-for-general-audience/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Dear friends, I am building something new for you. Something that should be very useful, something that I wish I had when I started my journey as a fresh fire safety engineer. And I’ve reached a point where I’m comfortable sharing it is being built and that the first useful version will be available by the end of the month.

So what is this mysterious thing?

I’ve named it “The Book of Fire” (please let me keep the origin of the name story for another occasion 😊) and it will be an online collection of resources for fire safety engineers. It will be built as an online course, with different types of material spread over different “modules” and “lessons”. This approach allows me for flexible management of the content, and for you - it means easy access to any module at any time you want.

Oh, and did I mention the cost? Thanks to JVVA Fire and Risk cooperation, this resource will be freely available for anyone, as long as it is maintained.

In the podcast episode, you will hear the reasons behind building this resource, as well as some technical aspects of it. And most importantly, the dates. The open beta access is planned to open on November 27th, and the tentative launch date is December 20th. During the beta period, I hope to receive some critical feedback so that the final product is the best version of the course I can make. And hopefully, The Book of Fire will become a handy companion to many fellow fire engineers out there.

If you want to sign up for the beta launch, please use the form at https://thebookoffire.com

Fire Science Show podcast is produced in partnership with OFR Consultants.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

I'm known for my rant about critical velocity concept in tunnel ventilation systems, and I tried to really control myself and not go into podcast with it :) But in recent weeks, when I was enjoying sake at IAFSS in Tsukuba two important things happened. We have received the PASCAL award from the Polish Ventilation Association for the best ventilation design in Poland - our S2 Warsaw Ring tunnel project. The second was the invitation from the Conference of European Directors of Roads to talk about my view on challenges in tunnel ventilation. So it seems our design in this space gets some appreciation, and people want to listen to this...

Here we go. In order to train for my talk in front of Road Administrators of Europe, please let me outline some challenges related to smoke control in tunnels. What are we designing for? How does air travel in the tunnel and what makes it move? What components do we need to consider, and how to turn it into a risk-based approach? And finally, what do we need to advance into the future?

I hope the episode is nice not just for tunnel engineers, but everyone who has to deal with ventilation or design fires, as it has some very fundamental concepts in it. I also promised some links, so make sure to check:
- The car park and tunnel podcast episode collection, where you can find episodes I've been mentioning in the show
- A study on airflows induced by vehicle movement in road tunnels by the analysis of bulk data from tunnel sensors - a grand study with my friends Aleksander & Gosia Król, which gives an explanation for many forces acting on the flow in the tunnel. The good news is that a much more advanced paper is now submitted and pending review. Fingers crossed!!!

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Today we go deep into how statistical data about fires is gathered, processed, and used around the world, and what are the ideas on how to improve this in the future. My guests represent the EU FireStat Project - Dr Mohamad El Houssami from Effectis and Dr Martina Manes from the University of Liverpool.

EU FireStat is a groundbreaking initiative that aims to fill data gaps and foster cross-European collaborations in the field of fire safety. The conversation takes a deep dive into the necessity for comparable fire statistics across Europe, illustrating the challenges that come with harmonizing terminology and data collection methods. We bring to light how these discrepancies between countries can influence the way we interpret vital definitions, like fires,  fire deaths, or injuries. We also discuss the role of the quality assurance process in shaping the data and dissect the eight variables identified as a tier one priority in the EU FireStat Project survey.

If you would like to read about the EU FireStat Project, all the reports (including the final report) are available here.

If you would like to read the peer-reviewed version of their findings, please go for the papers:

• Closing Data Gaps and Paving the Way for Pan-European Fire Safety Efforts: Part I—Overview of Current Practices for Fire Statistics
• Closing Data Gaps and Paving the Way for Pan-European Fire Safety Efforts: Part II—Terminology of Fire Statistical Variables

And while we wait for the pan-European fire statistics database, you may want to look into statistics gathered by the CTIF Center for World Fire Statistics.

Fire Science Show is produced in partnership with OFR Consultants.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In today's episode, I have invited dr Eleni Asimakopoulou from the University of Central Lancashire to discuss her extensive expertise on fire behaviour of facades. In the talk, we will go through Elenis' experiments on ventilated facades (and clear out what they are and why we use them). We do discuss the complexities of testing facade systems. We traverse through the global testing landscape, comparing diverse methods ranging from the German DIN4102 to its American NFPA counterpart. We discuss the role of air entrainment related to test geometries, the implications of whether there's an opening, and the potential effects of a fire barrier in proximity to the fire load. 

Our discussion takes a heated turn as we broach large-scale fire testing and modelling. We go into how tiny details can dramatically impact a facade system's performance and whether we will be able to reliably capture that with large-scale tests, small tests or modelling. We'll also discuss the future - machine learning, CFD, and finite element analysis which are revolutionizing fire testing. Lastly, we delve into the newest research and developments in facades, discussing the advent of tools for material properties analysis, and more. 

Here is the link to the paper discussed in the episode: https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85085977558

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Balancing the cost and the potential to change a system in the future is a difficult act. Discover a new perspective on this aspect of fire safety systems with our guest, Jaime Cadena Gomez. We discuss the significance of longevity and sturdiness in these systems, bringing examples of technologies that have not withstood the test of time such as PFAS firefighting foams, and technologies that will rapidly enter our buildings such as Li-Ion storage for energy backups. Jaime offers intriguing insights into how engineers can future-proof designs without adding excessive burden to the design process, considering device lifecycles and their implications for a sustainable future.

In the talk, we break down the responsibilities and trade-offs in designing equipment that stands the test of time. We delve into the importance of the potential need for upgrades and modifications and evaluate that from the eyes of a fire safety engineer responsible for a strategy and a fire protection engineer responsible for choosing equipment.

We also take a deep dive into the intersection of compliance and innovation in fire prevention systems. We'll uncover the importance of creating a pathway for innovation within the frameworks of compliance—a conversation that promises to be both enlightening and engaging. Finally, reflect with us on the role of the safety engineer, the education they require, and the immense importance of understanding the technology they work with and its maintenance. 

The inspiration to do this talk came from the "Mars Habitats" talk, which you can re-listen here: https://www.firescienceshow.com/qa5-brainstorming-fire-safe-mars-habitats-with-ruben-van-coile-jaime-cadena-gomez-and-szymek-matkowski/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

When I heard that two legends of firefighting training  Shan Raffel and CFBT Roy will be visiting my friend Szymon Kokot, I packed my stuff and went to meet them with a microphone and a ton of questions. What I received was a brilliant discussion on how firefighting instructors are trained - from the history of CFBT (Compartment Fire Behaviour Training) to modern approaches. Shan introduced his method for reading fire (BE SAHF - Building Environment Smoke Air-track Heat and Flame) and how it helps the decision-making process in the most stressful settings. Along the way, we discuss the critical soft character traits that make a fire instructor exceptional, and how the art of decision-making and critical thinking can be integrated into the complex realm of fire science.

As we wrap up, we emphasize the significant role of understanding fire behavior in handling emergency situations. We will also broach the topic of cold, gray smoke, a seemingly harmless phenomenon but one that poses a formidable danger. Learn why experienced instructors are key to imparting this knowledge and how Poland, under Szymon's leadership, has made significant strides in fire instruction.

Also, if you would like to read more, here is the most amazing collection of resources you can find online: https://eurofirefighter.com/downloads

Shan's book can be found at https://cfbt-int.com/manuals/ or at Amazon, or perhaps you may want to find the CFBT people in your country to make a worthy connection?! Through his website, you can also connect to organize instructor training in your country.

Cover picture credit: CFBT Intl https://cfbt-int.com/

Fire Science Show is sponsored by OFR Consultants, huge shoutout for their long-lasting support to our mission!

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Have you ever wondered how the understanding of AI can revolutionize the field of civil engineering? Today I am discovering this together with our own AI trendsetter, MZ Nasser. His latest book "Machine Learning for Civil and Environmental Engineers: A Practical Approach to Data-Driven Analysis, Explainability, and Causality" is the focal point of our conversation, illuminating the significance of explainable AI and the concept of causality. 

Our discourse with MZ dives straight into the practical applications of AI, and how it already has been used with a high degree of success. We go deep into the case study of understanding concrete spalling, perhaps one of the most complicated phenomena in structural fire engineering. 

We also delve into the limitations of AI in engineering and fire safety, and how coding-free software and AI principles could potentially usher in a new era for civil engineers. We navigate the concept of causality and its application in diverse fields, from social sciences to fire statistics.

If you would like to learn more, MZ Naser runs his blog where you can find all of his work and a ton of bonus resources. Check it out here: https://www.mznaser.com/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

What happens when fire meets a green facade? Tune in as we journey through the unexpected world of green facades and their interaction with fire. For the first time, I am sharing the story of how we built up an interest in this subject, first by my PhD student Jakub's burning question and a client's unique request for an office space resembling a jungle. For this job we have put green facades to the test with full-scale experiments, including the Polish facade method and Single Burning Item tests, considering the unique environmental conditions that buildings and their facades are exposed to.

In the episode, I walk you through our research and reasoning, as well as the design considerations. We'll explore the potential risks involved with green facades. Neglected maintenance and environmental factors can significantly affect the safety of these structures. We discuss the results of our full-scale experiment and the dangers of a neglected green facade.

If you wish to learn more, please follow here:

• <here will be the link to the FSJ paper once its out>
• A brief summary of our findings on linkedin
• Plastics and cavities.
• Recommended read from Prof Ed Galea's team

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

If someone ever tells you they have modelled fire spread for a commercial project, with 20 cm grids and using generic materials from (old) FDS database, please do me a favour and redirect them to this episode. Because modelling fire is a seriously challenging thing. And by modelling, I really mean it.  Not to apply a surrogate source based on a statistical overview of how fires looked like in the past for fuels of this kind. Not to omit half of the phenomena because they are too hard and in cone they did not matter anyway... To really model the fire.

I have invited prof. Lukas Arnold from Bergishe University Wuppertal and Juelich Forszungszentrum to tap into how challenging modelling even simple materials may be. What are the feedback loops and phenomena one must account for, and how do different scales give us different parts of the answer we need?

If you would like to know more about Lukas efforts in modelling, please check two recent papers:
- Paper on cone calorimetry of different types of PMMA (the material we have discussed in the podcast episode)
- Paper on inverse modelling the pyrolysis kinetics - giving insight into how one obtains the material data you may need for modelling. 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode dr. Francesco Restuccia from  Kings College London takes me on a journey through different types of batteries, and what fire challenges relate to them.
We discuss how the batteries burn, and how internal systems (Battery Management System) influence that behavior. From the size and type limitations to the potential perils of a cell thermal runaway, the fire spread in the whole batteries, and feedback loops that we need to understand to create safer systems. We'll also shed light on the contrasting battery lives of consumer electronics, laptops, and cars, as well as some challenges in the second life of batteries.

In the final leg of our journey, we will tackle the complex world of modeling batteries and their management systems, touching on the challenges of over-constraint equations and calculating heat release rates from off-gassing.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In the midst of horrible wildfire season around the globe, I have reached out to Prof. Albert Simeoni from Worcester Polytechnic Institute for some hands-on commentary on what is happening around, and why fires all over the globe are constantly on the front pages of mainstream media. I am not sure if I was ready for all the answers received (especially how media are biased to fires in certain parts of the world and pretty silent about others)... But they certainly are great food for thought in considering the current situation and where it may be heading.

In the episode, we have discussed what promotes disastrous wildfires, how one can estimate their damage, and how vanity metrics like the historical return period for fire may not be good enough for future preparedness. Changing climate, human expansion, popular "close to the wilderness" lifestyle, industrialization and abandonment of traditional agriculture - all are somewhat responsible for the "new normal". 

Among the disappointing summary of current events, we have also found a bright light with Fire Protection Engineers being the missing link in the wildfire-urban interface and protecting homes and communities from fire disasters. And for this reason, this episode is well worth a listen for any FPE - you are more important than you think!

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

It is time for some engineering fundamentals in the show. This time in the fire fundamentals series we delve into the details of natural and powered smoke ventilators - what they are, how they work, how they are tested and what interesting mechanics impact their performance in fire.

I hope this episode is valuable for all engineers who would love to know how the devices they place in their design are tested and qualified for use in fire safety. It should also be a great way for fire scientists to broaden their horizons and learn about very intricate details of natural and powered vents, which you learn only through experience in the design.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may want to jump into:

• Episode 50 - Wind, fire and a surprise
• Episode 47 - Effective pressurization with Grzegorz Sypek

Some of the papers advertised in the episode:

• Aerodynamic study of a city and its impact on the smoke control system
• Influence of wind on the performance of natural vents
• Roof obstacles and the performance of natural vents
• Smart smoke control concept paper (a more approachable one :))
• Smart smoke control concept paper (a more technical one :))
• Smart smoke control implementation paper

Fire Science Show podcast is produced in partnership with OFR Consultants

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

in Episode 39 I had the pleasure to interview Bryan Klein from Thunderhead Engineering on some views and predictions for the near future of fire modelling. Even though it was only 1,5 year ago, some major things have already happened (release of Ventus - CONTAM GUI by Thunderhead) or snuck on us unseen as the large language model revolution.

In this episode we discuss mostly the things that have happened in recent months, and how they can change the potential for fire engineering. The list of talking points includes:

• the release of CONTAM GUI - Ventus and a brief summary of CONTAM origin,  capabilities and use in fire engineering
• new updates to FDS with external sources for parameters
• GPT revolution and how API's can revolutionize work of fire engineers - code compliance, design exploration, CFD management
• GPU revolution and a new era of GPU based solvers for fluid mechanics (and FDS development in this direction) 
• cloud computing update and making it a user-friendly experience

If anything on the list sounds interesting to you, I bet the whole episode will be fun for you!

This episode is a very nerdy catch-up between two fire engineers, but I also want you to be a part of this conversation. Let me know what you think are the things that will happen in next few years that will change the way how we engineer?   

If you want to check out the trial of Ventus and see for yourself if CONTAM is something useful for your fire engineering routine, you can find the trial here: https://www.thunderheadeng.com/ventus

Fire Science Show is sponsored by OFR Consultants.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Most fire engineers would be aware of how openings like doors and windows, the stack effect, and even wind can significantly alter fire outcomes. But there is a considerable difference between knowing that it does, and knowing how much that changes fire growth, size and the internal building environment. I've invited FSRIs dr Craig Weinschenk to discuss his years of full-scale research on fire flows.

In this episode, we discuss different conditions that occur once the flow is established at windows, doors or through HVAC systems. How it affects the fire's growth and spread, and what firefighters need to consider when taking decisions on venting a burning building. We underscore the importance of compartmentalization, discussing how a simple action like leaving a door open can drastically impact fire behaviour and smoke movement.

Although it is a side topic in the episode, perhaps a very interesting discussion is on the battery-initiated fires, discussing the various failure modes that can trigger an overpressure event or a jet flame. We also explore what batteries change in the fire environment when they are victims and participants of the fire (rather than the source). I know many will be interested in this, here is also a good read by Craig on the subject.

As with every episode with FSRI, there is A TON of resources to go through. Our recommendations:

• Public live stream of a fire experiment similar to the one I was invited to watch - this is the same series of experiments in the exact same building
• Search and rescue training course
• FSRI Materials Database
• Github - materials
• Github - public repositories

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

My knowledge about fire safety at sea was pretty limited, at best. I was planning this episode for a long time, and then the disastrous fire happened at a car carrier near the Netherlands coast. In light of these events, I've reached out to Bogdan Racięga of the Baltic Fire Laboratory, a Polish maritime fire safety expert to discuss this particular incident and to delve into the intricate aspects of fire safety regulations on marine vessels.

Bogdan explains and highlights the critical role of the International Maritime Organization in setting and enforcing fire safety standards, and the role of Class Societies in classifying and certifying these solutions for ships. 

Ever wondered about the unique challenges of protecting specific areas on ships? In the episode, we discuss protection strategies for machinery, cargo spaces, cabin balconies and galley areas. We unpack those challenges and discuss the differences between separation and extinguishing systems, including the necessity for perfect cooperation between passive and active solutions.  Discussing some tragic fires we consider what are the consequences of a delayed response when activating firefighting systems. And how does fire testing play into all this? Bogdan shares his expertise on these subjects, delving into the potential misuse of fire suppression systems and the importance of collaboration between manufacturers. 

I've had a blast recording this and I hope you will also enjoy learning about the maritime fire safety!

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Energy storage systems are vital systems in fuel transition and as a part of technology responding to the challenges of climate change. Not only for their capability to store energy but also for exploring strategies like peak shaving or allowing for more distributed energy generation. In this discussion, we consider them as fixed storage systems but also recognize that moveable load such as vehicles poses similar challenges.

Even though fire safety energy storage is still a part of academic discussion, at the same time it is a part of real-world projects, where fire safety strategy must be proposed with the scarce data and knowledge available. To discuss how this is delivered I have invited two Thornton Tomasetti engineers - Ali Ashrafi and Paweł Woelke.

We unpack the available sources of data, discuss the variability of energy storage device test results, and underscore the need for a risk-based approach. Discussing the approval process for new technologies, calling for adaptability and stakeholder engagement to define acceptable risk levels. An interesting topic is the balancing act between fire and explosion risks as well as the suppression strategies. 

Even though we do not know everything about the fire safety of energy storage systems yet, we need to act to the best of our capacity. I hope this discussion helps you in working out a fire-safe solution for your building.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this week's series covering experimental fire science, we venture into a recently finished Code Red project by ARUP, led by my today's guest Dr Panos Kotsovinos. The project was carried out in CERIB with the collaboration of the Imperial College London. History will tell if this experiment will change fire science, but I truly believe it is at least worth sharing!

The research was carried out on a large open-plan office (350m2) with a combustible CLT ceiling. It was a continuation of previous X-One and X-Two experiments on travelling fire behaviour carried out by Imperial College London in Poland (referred to here as the "Obora" experiments, listen to episode 27 of the show) but with an important difference - this time the ceiling was combustible. They were looking into how the introduction of the combustible ceiling will change the travelling fire behaviour, investigating variables such as the opening factor, the introduction of a low-pressure water mist system and partial encapsulation of the ceiling. The findings include observations related to fire spread, persistent smouldering fires, effects of the partial encapsulation and many many more which are discussed in detail in the show.

To learn more, please read the press release about the experiments here and most important - the papers:
- Fire dynamics inside a large and open-plan compartment with exposed timber ceiling and columns: CodeRed #01
- Impact of ventilation on the fire dynamics of an open-plan compartment with exposed timber ceiling and columns: CodeRed #02
- The Effectiveness of a Water Mist System in an Open-plan Compartment with an Exposed Timber Ceiling: CodeRed #03
- Impact of partial encapsulation on the fire dynamics of an open-plan compartment with exposed timber ceiling and columns: CodeRed #04
- Review of fire experiments in mass timber compartments: Current understanding, limitations, and research gaps
- Structural hazards of smouldering fires in timber buildings
- Flame spread characteristics in large compartments with an exposed timber ceiling

If you have any further questions to Panos please let me know, and I will gladly pass them on to him!

Fire Science Show is produced in partnership with OFR Consultants.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Ever wonder how scientists measure the intensity of a fire? Join us on this episode as we invite Dr. Matt Bundy from NIST. We discuss the intricacies of heat release rate, calorimetry, and how NIST is championing open data with their astonishing database.

You can learn more about the database here: https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/new-nist-fire-calorimetry-database-available-answer-your-burning-questions

And find the database here: https://www.nist.gov/el/fcd

I've tried to make this conversation for everyone. If you never saw a calorimeter or have no idea how to measure fire, from this episode you will learn probably all you need to know. If you know everything about calorimetry, there is a ton of golden nuggets on how NIST runs their experiments, that are absolutely worth listening too.

In the podcast episode, we start deciphering the art of measuring fire characteristics - from using heat flux gauges, oxygen and mass loss calorimetry and what are the challenges to each of them.  We then explore the NIST Fire Calorimetry Database, unveiling its evolution from a humble set of data to an open-access resource. Dr. Bundy shares invaluable insights into the development of this enriching database, which has metamorphosed into an extensive video collection system that records fire experiments. He also whets our curiosity about the potential expansion and collaborations lying on the horizon for this unique database.

Rounding off our discussion, we delve into the inner workings of the hosting process of the NIST Calorimetry Database, its data storage methods, and how it facilitates easy access to experiments. We also glimpse the future of fire studies as Dr. Bundy calls on the Fire Science Show community to suggest objects to burn for their calorimetry.

Cover image: frame extracted from this calorimetry supercut video credit to NIST and Matt Bundy

This podcast episode is sponsored by OFR Consultants.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode, we uncover the intricate process of fire investigations with renowned combustion scientist and fire investigator, Dr. Richard J. Roby from Combustion Science and Engineering. With over five decades of experience in the field, Dr Roby helps us navigate the critical role of the scientific method in fire investigations.

From the analysis of burn scars to the testimony of eyewitnesses, we explore the fascinating world of fire investigations, where data, evidence, and hypotheses come together to reveal the truth. We'll delve deep into the NFPA 921 standards, which keep fire investigations current with the latest scientific discoveries. We also delve into fire modelling, a tool that allows us to test different hypotheses and explain the spread of a fire. We also tackle the complexities of fire investigation and the crucial factors that can influence the process, such as expectancy and confirmation bias. Dr Roby provides invaluable insights from his vast experience, discussing the changing materials used in buildings and how they affect fire investigation processes. Finally, we explore the importance of recorded evidence and eyewitness testimony in fire investigations, and how to identify and understand biases to produce reliable results.

If you would like to learn more, I believe the best place to look would be NFPA 921, which you can find and access here: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=921

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

This time we try out something new! Instead of interviewing experts on subjects of their expertise, this time I took world-class risk specialists for a brainstorming session. And while sitting together, we discussed something out of this world - the fire safety of Mars habitats. 

This podcast episode is literally a recording of the conversation between the panellists, it is very unscripted and lightly edited. I really hope you will feel like a part of this conversation, and if you would like to voice your ideas - share them on socials or mail them directly to me. If you have ideas on future brainstorming sessions and who you would like to see at the table. please let me know!

In today's brainstorming session, the discussion is held between:

• Ruben van Coile - professor at Ghent University and renowned expert in risk and structural engineering. Listen to his previous and previous episodes on risk, and his new project to shift the paradigm of fire safety. 
• Jaime Cadena Gomez - risk specialist, an expert at Transurban with practical experience in tunnelling,  has a background in chemical engineering. Listen to Jaimes' episode on Maximum Allowable Damage method he was developing in his PhD.
• Szymek Matkowski - an architect whose passion is to design Mars habitats, involved with Nexus Aurora and known for his research on evacuation in low-G
• yours truly Wojciech Wegrzynski - in this case, space enthusiast and advocate for risk and performance-based approach to fire safety

Background of the discussion: Our exciting and exploratory discussion revolves around the concept of a Mars habitat, examining the unique challenges of maintaining resources on Mars and unpacking how these factors influence the longevity of the structures. Fire can become a catastrophic disaster, especially in a volatile environment like Mars. Our conversation dives into the expense of safety solutions, and the potentially devastating implications of a fire on Mars. 

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

If you ever wondered how to capture fires in photographs and videos so it is a real science, not just pretty pictures, this episode is for you. With dr Matt Hoehler we explore the world of visualization in fires - from just shooting the pictures, through composition and what is your target, to fancy techniques - water-cooling, blue light illumination and 360-degree shoots. We also discuss the role of audio in the further use of these pictures.

To watch for yourself how the magic works, check this NIST website:
https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2018/07/nist-unblinded-me-science-new-application-blue-light-sees-through-fire

And to see how BOB was applied, check it here:
https://www.nist.gov/el/fire-research-division-73300/national-fire-research-laboratory-73306/360-degree-video-fire

If you would like to learn more, here are some resources:

• Developing 360 camera setups
• Imaging through flames with narrow-spectrum light
• Use of narrow-spectrum in the char study

And one of our own:

• Measuring fire HRR with cameras

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

And so we have reached the fourth and final episode featuring  Professor David Purser, a leading expert in fire toxicity. In this episode, we explore the complexities of nitrogen in fires, the impact of fire retardants on fire atmospheres, and the long-lasting hazards related to the consurgents and carcinogenic properties of smoke. 

We'll be discussing the different hazard zones associated with fire smoke and the potential risks they pose to people, buildings, and the environment. Discover how fire retardants can lead to higher yields of toxic products, and learn about the acute and chronic exposure risks of fire smoke in various scenarios. Professor Purser also shares his knowledge on the dangers of hazardous materials released in fires, such as organic nitrogen phosphorus materials, metals, mineral fibers, and radioactive polonium.

Lastly, we'll delve into the carcinogenic substances found in fire smoke and their classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). From hydrocarbons to ethylene oxide, we'll reveal the potential risks of these toxic compounds and their impact on our health. 

If you would like to first catch up on previous episodes (highly recommended!):

•  https://www.firescienceshow.com/096-smoke-toxicity-part-1-why-fires-used-to-be-less-toxic-in-1950s-with-david-purser/
• https://www.firescienceshow.com/097-smoke-toxicity-part-2-asphyxiants-and-irritants-with-david-purser/
• https://www.firescienceshow.com/105-how-much-smoke-is-made-in-fires-and-how-we-measure-that-with-david-purser/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this show, we have already ventured into the fascinating world of toxicity in fires, and I have promised you more. So today, I fulfil my word and invite you to another conversation with renowned fire toxicity expert Professor David Purser, who shares invaluable insights on measuring smoke and toxic products created in fires. From understanding mass loss concentration in a CFD analysis to exploring various test apparatus, discover how we can determine the yields and concentrations of toxic products in different fuels and conditions. Learn about the significance of the fuel/air mixture ratio (the equivalency ratio) and the need for defined combustion conditions to measure toxic product yields accurately. 

On a practical side, you will learn about prof. Purser's experience working on the Mont Blanc tunnel investigation, where he used CFD analysis to study toxic product concentrations and yields in real-life fire scenarios. Professor Purser emphasizes that while exact solutions may not always be available, science and research can provide valuable insights into the toxic effects of fires.

Another, final episode on smoke toxicity with David Purser coming out next week. If you want to catch up on the previous episodes, you can find them here:

• https://www.firescienceshow.com/096-smoke-toxicity-part-1-why-fires-used-to-be-less-toxic-in-1950s-with-david-purser/
• https://www.firescienceshow.com/097-smoke-toxicity-part-2-asphyxiants-and-irritants-with-david-purser/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.