A significant number of fire-related deaths in Canada each year are due to smoke inhalation and non-lethal fire injuries. $300 million is spent on treatment each year and vulnerable populations are affected with significant disparity. It is critical to advance our understanding of how parameters such as smoke, heat and toxic gases develop in modern fire environments, their impact on occupant physiology and possible strategies to mitigate risk of injury or death. While traditional fire environments have been well studied, significant gaps exist with respect to the time-varying evolution of smoke and gases in the context of modern residences, characterized by reduced ventilation from energy efficient construction (drastically reducing oxygen with time) and the increased use of synthetic polymers, which can lead to fires with the potential to grow much faster than those fueled by traditional materials, such as wood.
A comprehensive, multi-year, multi-partner study into the behaviour of large-scale residential furniture fires is underway at the University of Waterloo to address this need and expand the current database for modern fire environments. This presentation will highlight the results from several furniture fire tests conducted in the UW two-storey burn house structure, sealed and fitted to model the limited ventilation in an energy-efficient residential building. Measured concentrations of O2, CO, CO2 and certain minor constituents were paired with mass loss, temperature, and doorway velocity traces to examine flow patterns and hot gas migration throughout the structure. Interesting flow patterns and mixing regions were observed with potential implications for emergency response and occupant egress.
SPEAKER BIO:
Beth Weckman is a Professor and head of the Fire Research Group and Fire Safety Graduate programs in the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department at the University of Waterloo and serves on the E05: Fire Standards Committee, NFPA Research and IAAI Boards, SFPE Higher Education and Academic Leadership Committees, and as a technical expert for ISO TC92. At the UW Live Fire Research Facility, Beth leads a wide range of fire safety research in partnership with public and private stakeholders. Beth’s work couples the latest fire research with educational initiatives to enrich learning and promote multidisciplinary technology transfer amongst fire safety stakeholders. Beth has authored numerous reports, presentations and peer-reviewed, scientific articles on fire behaviour, compartment fire dynamics and fire performance of materials.
All contents © 2024 Society of Fire Protection Engineers
