Abstract
Aim: The threat of forest fires in residential communities close to the urban-wildland interface is a big concern in the face of limited manpower for firefighting operations. The paper seeks to answer the question of, 'how to design buildings to withstand the threats from seasonal forest fires. To encourage further research on automatic fire detection and suppression, the following questions are asked: 1. Can we develop a simulation system to manage water in reservoirs for fire suppression efforts while reducing the toll on firefighters in various communities? 2. What are the factors that we need to consider in establishing a minimum distance between the forest and residential communities? 3. How can we reduce fire hazards in various residential communities? Project and methods: A site visit was carried out at local fire station to have a better understanding of the equipment used in firefighting operations. To examine the feasibility of having an adequate water supply for automatic sprinkler operations for firefighting purposes in exterior portions of buildings, simulation processes were used to evaluate how long the water in a reservoir will be available for firefighting. Results: The results showed that water in reservoirs can be successfully managed for automatic fire suppression efforts. This indicates that automatic fire suppression systems would be a good complement to the human response to the encroachment of forest fires in residential communities. This would be helpful to reduce the toll on firefighters while reducing losses in various communities. Conclusions: This study describes a conceptual framework on how buildings can be designed to better withstand the threats from seasonal forest fires. An adequate application of the water sprinkler technology for the exterior part of buildings is recommended. Simulation systems were used to evaluate how long water from various sources may be available for firefighting purposes. Rather than waiting for firefighters to come and help extinguish the fire in residential communities, the design of our buildings can be such that it would not only put a major focus on the automatic deployment of the water sprinkler effect for the interior sections of the buildings, but the improved designs for residential buildings should be such that automatic water sprinklers are available to cover all the exterior portions of buildings for a pre-determined length of time, to mitigate the effect of seasonal forest fires. Field testing and validation of the proposed process are recommended. Keywords: forest fires; firefighting; building designs; automation; simulations
Published Version
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