Organisation of Fire Research

Abstract

THE Fire Research Organisation is a joint scheme in which an industry and the Government are partners, sharing the cost equally. It will be responsible for the conduct of research on all aspects of the prevention and extinction of fires, on the safety of life in fires and the mitigation of damage, except that on the fire resistance of buildings the Organisation will collaborate with the building research organisation of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, where much research on this subject has already been done. A Fire Research Station will be jointly established. The capital cost is likely to be of the order of £75,000–£100,000, and the ultimate annual running cost up to £50,000, both shared equally between the Department and the Fire Offices' Committee. As part of its contribution to the capital cost, the latter will transfer its Fire Testing Station at Elstree to the Government. The following are the broad subjects on which research will clearly have to be undertaken, although it will be for the Fire Research Board to make a selection and allot priority of work: (1) methods of preventing the occurrence of fires; (2) methods of extinguishing fires and equipment; (3) fire protection of buildings, that is, on the fire resistance of buildings, properties of building materials, and elements of structure, safety of life in fires, the prevention of the spread of fire within buildings and from building to building; (4) other fire hazards, for example, ships, aircraft, special industrial hazards.