Fire Research In China

Abstract

Fire losses are continuously increasing in China, there is an urgent need to enhance fire research so as to mitigate fire damage with moderate costs. A system of fire research consisting of basic research, applied research and development of new technology for fire prevention and protection is being formed in China. A general structure of organizations related to fire research is outlined, and several main institutions of fire research are introduced. Typical research work in the State Key Lab of Fire Science is given as an example of fire research in China. INTRODUCTION Rapid Increase of Fire Losses. Fire losses in China have increased rapidly in resent years. A fire statistics with exclusive of forest fire is given in Table 1 , and direct fire losses are shown in Fig. 1. It should be pointed out that the fire loss refers only the direct property loss (DPL). Neither indirect losses such as fees for suppression by fire brigates and the losses as a result of breaking production and supply of electricity, gas, water and so on , nor the fees paid in relation to death and injury of people in fires are included in the calculation of fire losses. In China the forest coverage rate is 13 percent with around 0. 13 hectars per person, which is much lower than the averages in the world. However, China is one of the countries with frequent forest fires. On average over 100 people died, 600 injured and 900,000 hectars of forest are demaged annually by fire, which is about FIRE SAFETY SCIENCE-PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM, pp. 27-45 27 Copyright © International Association for Fire Safety Science 0. 8 persent of the total forest coverage. Accordring to the survey made by the national expert group to the fireslash in the big fire of the Great Xingan mountain in 1987 the fire covered the area of 1. 33 million hectars, among them 0. 89 million hectars were damaged, and 23 thousands hectars became woodless. This forest conflagration burnt and distroyed large amount of forest resources as well as houses, electricity transmission grid system, bridges, tunnels, railways, various machines and equipments ,which made 65 thousands people homeless. The t o ~ a l osses of the forest fire was about 500 million YuanC1]. TABLE 1. Fire Statistics in China (1988-1993) Number Year Death Injury DPL DPL/GNP of Fires (Million Yuan) (%o) * GNP : Gross National Product