Building Fire Research Articles

Enhancing fire safety with Improved Risk Index and BIM in building evacuation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive study on building, fire and evacuation, so as to effectively improve the efficiency of building fire evacuation and the management level of fire evacuation site. Make up for the difficulties of BIM technology in effectively connecting building information and fire data.Design/methodology/approachFirst, this paper establishes a fire model and an evacuation model based on BIM information. Then, the safety index (SI) is introduced as a comprehensive index, and the IRI is established by integrating the SI function to evaluate the safety of evacuation routes. Based on these two indices, the IRI-based fire evacuation model is established.FindingsThis study offers an Improved Risk Index (IRI)-based fire evacuation model, which may achieve effective evacuation in fire scenes. And the model is verified by taking the fire evacuation of a shopping center building as an example.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a fire evacuation principle based on IRI, so that the relevant personnel can comprehensively consider the fire factors and evacuation factors to achieve the optimization of building design, thereby improving the fire safety of buildings.

Tracking unaccounted greenhouse gas emissions due to the war in Ukraine since 2022

Accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are mandatory for Parties under the Paris Agreement. Emissions reporting is important for understanding the global carbon cycle and for addressing global climate change. However, in a period of open conflict or war, military emissions increase significantly and the accounting system is not currently designed to account adequately for this source. In this paper we analyze how, during the first 18 months of the 2022/2023 full-scale war in Ukraine, GHG national inventory reporting to the UNFCCC was affected. We estimated the decrease of emissions due to a reduction in traditional human activities. We identified major, war-related, emission processes from the territory of Ukraine not covered by current GHG inventory guidelines and that are not likely to be included in national inventory reports. If these emissions are included, they will likely be incorporated in a way that is not transparent with potentially high uncertainty. We analyze publicly available data and use expert judgment to estimate such emissions from (1) the use of bombs, missiles, barrel artillery, and mines; (2) the consumption of oil products for military operations; (3) fires at petroleum storage depots and refineries; (4) fires in buildings and infrastructure facilities; (5) fires on forest and agricultural lands; and (6) the decomposition of war-related garbage/waste. Our estimate of these war-related emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide for the first 18 months of the war in Ukraine is 77 MtCO2-eq. with a relative uncertainty of +/−22 % (95 % confidence interval).

Reduction of response time of fire detection and containment systems in compartments

Bench tests were performed on promising sensors used in fire safety systems in compartments. Activation delay times of fire sensors and systems were analyzed during the thermal decomposition and suppression of burning construction and interior design materials typical of compartments: wood, particle board, fiberboard, linoleum, cardboard, different types of wallpaper, paper and plastic. The thermal decomposition and ignition characteristics were identified using commercially available fire detectors of different types and designs (thermal, smoke and flame detectors), contact and non-contact temperature measurement instruments, a gas detection system and video recording equipment. Devices with the highest efficiency in terms of response time and detection reliability were determined that are necessary and sufficient to identify the thermal decomposition of construction and interior design materials at an early stage of fire. When generalizing the experimental data, mathematical equations were derived to predict the integral characteristics of the processes under study. Promising methods of reducing the response time of fire sensors and systems in general were determined. Guidelines were proposed on upgrading the existing systems of fire prevention in buildings and developing new automatic ones to significantly accelerate the detection of fires in buildings and optimize their containment and suppression.

Regional High-Rise Building Fire Risk Assessment Based on the Spatial Markov Chain Model and an Indicator System

High-rise buildings (HRBs) are prone to high fire hazards due to their high occupant density, limited evacuation routes, and high fire load. The indicator system method, as a systematic evaluation method, is widely applied to assess HRB fire risk. However, the method is subjective because the determination of the indicator weights mainly relies on expert experience. In order to reduce the subjectivity of the indicator system method in assessing the fire risk of HRBs, this study proposes a new assessment method by combining the spatial Markov chain model and the indicator system method. In this new method, fire occurrence probability is calculated by the spatial Markov chain model using historical HRB fire accident data. An indicator system is built to characterize the fire consequence by the structure entropy weight method. Subsequently, HRBs in Beijing are used as a case to illustrate the practicality of this approach. Firstly, the spatial Markov chain model is trained and validated using the chi-square goodness-of-fit test based on fire accident data from 2018 to 2023 in Beijing. It was found that the best performance was achieved with the monthly period and the four-state. Then, the distribution of regional fire occurrence probability in April was predicted based on fire accident data in March 2023 in Beijing. It showed that areas with higher fire occurrence probability are mainly located in the central region, especially in the I District. Then, the indicator system was used to evaluate the HRB fire consequence in the I District. The assessment results showed that the areas with more severe fire consequences are mainly located in the II and IV Districts, due to the poor performance of the fire system or the absence of fire protection systems. Coupling the fire occurrence probability and its consequences shows that HRBs with higher fire risk are mainly located in area II and should be carefully supervised for fire management. This developed method can provide some insights into the fire safety management of HRBs and the layout of the fire stations.

Progressive Collapse Analysis of RC building due to Fire load

Fire hazard is perceived to be one of the most destructive hazards faced by mankind in any urban environment as a primary or a secondary consequential event. In recent decades there has been substantial increase in adaptation of RC buildings for residential, commercial & office purposes. Therefore, the building fire appears as a more frequent hazard in comparison with other natural or man-made events. The occurrence of fire is unpredictable and high frequent event, that has potential to create a disaster (resulting in huge loss of property and life). Therefore, there is an imminent need for its consideration during analysis, design of new buildings and in assessment of structural integrity for existing buildings. This aids in providing a safe and functional fire-resistant building during its design life. The recent incidents that have occurred in Hyderabad city (Deccan Mall & Swapnalok complex etc), Telangana state, India, in particular is an epitome of this disaster. However, the existing codes of practice for Indian code designed buildings (BIS) in particular do not address assessment of the building structural behaviour subjected to fire load. Moreover, progressive collapse mechanism of any building can initiate due to loss of critical structural components due to any unforeseen event like explosion, accident, etc. Further, there are more likelihood of triggering of a fire hazard, eventually resulting in cascading failure of a structure. Hence, an attempt has been made to assess the structural integrity of structure during initiation of progressive collapse subjected to fire load. The hypothetical G+3(ground + three floors) reinforced concrete building designed as per IS456:2000, modelled and analysed using the structural finite element software (SAP2000). Progressive collapse analysis of the building is performed as per the GSA guidelines and subjected to simultaneous application of fire load (as per ISO 834 standard fire curve as the input fire load) on all its structural components. Further the performance of the building under fire scenarios were assessed in terms of its resistance duration using the Structural fire software (SAFIR). The outcomes of the study clearly pronounce the structural vulnerability of the building components in resisting the fire exposure for certain duration of time, quantified in terms of response parameters (Bending moments, Shear forces, Demand Capacity Ratio (DCR), etc).

Functionalizing chitosan-based film with highly sensitive fire response and commendable flame retardancy for intelligent fire-alarm system

Recently, the extensive use of combustible materials has amplified building fire damage, making it essential to incorporate fire-detection devices and flame-retardant materials in building. Herein, the chitosan/gelatin (CG) film and KH2PO4-modified CG (KCG) films were fabricated via an eco-friendly water evaporation method. Impressively, KCG films demonstrate swift response times: 0.5 s at 100 °C and 1.5 s under flame, facilitating prompt alarms during fire incidents. Compared to CG, KCG achieve a 70.4% and 46.2% reduction in peak heat release rate and total heat release respectively. They also offer flexibility, transparency, repeated fire-warning efficacy and superior char formation. With these properties, KCG hold promise for innovative building fire safety solutions like smart fire-alarm wallpaper. Besides, a tailored wireless-based fire-alarm system for KCG further decreases building fire damage. This work mitigates damages arising from building fires work, marking significant leap forward in the use of bio-based materials for fire prevention in architecture.

ANALYSIS OF THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR PRODUCTION AND WAREHOUSE BUILDINGS IN POLAND

Data on fires in production and storage buildings in Poland points to a significant problem oflarge and very large fires in these buildings and the successively increasing fire losses as well aspublic resources used to fight large-scale fires. The following question becomes relevant: how doPolish rules for the protection of production and storage buildings compare to those applied inother countries, particularly in Europe? Can the rules applied in Poland be the cause of increasingfire losses? If so, what solutions can be taken? In order to answer these questions, analysis reviewwas carried out of the fire protection requirements for single-storey industrial buildings appliedin a number of European countries against the Polish requirements. Results confirm that Polishregulations are very liberal and permit bigger fire risks to be taken by the building owners.Solutions and modifications to key regulations are proposed to address this issue.

A Systematic Review on Cavity Fires in Buildings: Flame Spread Characteristics, Fire Risks, and Safety Measures

Fire spread scenarios associated with concealed cavity spaces have been relatively less discussed. The variation in studies with respect to geometry, influential parameters, and protection strategies has been an obstacle to deriving more generalized solutions in terms of cavity fire in buildings. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA method to identify the conclusive fire behaviour, safety risks, and protection strategies to enable future researchers to address cavity fire scenarios effectively, avoiding catastrophic disasters. This study identified that relative to open-fire scenarios, cavity fires could result in up to 10 times higher flame spread, up to 14 times higher heat exposure, and temperature conditions 13 times higher. Increased toxicity and smoke velocity are also found with cavity fires. Fire protection strategies and their efficiency were identified for a range of cavity geometries. Altogether, cavity spaces, especially narrow ones, cannot be neglected during fire safety, and proper risk identification is required to ensure the safety of the buildings and the occupants in a fire scenario.

EFFECT OF FIREFIGHTER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN LOW-RISE BUILDING FIRES

Fighting fires is a very broad concept that includes fires of: residential structures, crops, grasses innon-agricultural areas, means of transportation, forests, manufacturing facilities, public facilities,storage facilities and many others. The activities performed while fighting fires often require a lot ofphysical effort. Physical fatigue affects the safety of firefighters, as it affects their cognitive abilities,especially in analysing hazard information, and this can lead to accidents during rescue operations.The research was divided into the analysis of the literature and data recorded by the FireDepartment describing rescue operations numerically, the analysis of a questionnaire, askingwhat equipment firefighters used during low-rise building fires, and the subjective assessment ofthe impact of physical preparation on confidence during operations. Then the experiment wasplanned and divided into three basic rescue activities that occur during this type of operation.The respondents self-adjusted the pace of the activities, trying to reflect the actual event, evenlydistributing the forces for further actions. An Energy Expenditure Meter with a mask was used toconduct energy expenditure tests.The results of the study indicate that the physical activity of a State Fire Service officer influences hisenergy expenditure in activities specific to rescue operations performed at low-rise building fires.In addition, the survey results showed that systematic activity can also increase self-confidenceand self-esteem, which will reduce the stress levels associated with firefighters during rescue andfirefighting operations.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF FIRES IN PRODUCTION AND STORAGE BUILDINGS IN POLAND

This article presents a statistical analysis performed on the official fire data set for the period from2010 to mid-2022, obtained from the State Fire Service Headquarters for research purposes. Thearticle analysed the obtained data in terms of: the frequency of fires and their area, the numberof people injured, fire losses and their characteristics in relation to the distance from rescue andfirefighting units, the fire brigade forces and resources used, the amount of water used and thecharacteristics of travel times. The conducted analysis indicates that fires in production andwarehouse buildings are a significant problem in Poland due to constantly increasing losses.Very large and large fires are of particular concern because their contribution to total lossesand resource use (water, vehicles, and personnel) keeps increasing. The high and growing waterconsumption is worrying, especially in terms of its significant shortage and the consequences ofgroundwater contamination. In terms of the amount of loss, the short distance of the fire site fromthe fire brigade is often not decisive when the fire develops quickly or notification is delayed, whichsupports the conclusion that self-extinguishing should be deployed more often in buildings wherethe fire is expected to spread quickly and large fire losses are likely.

Manufacture and Combustion Characteristics of Cellulose Flame-Retardant Plate through the Hot-Press Method.

This study focuses on the increased risk of high heat release and asphyxiation (toxic gas poisoning) in the event of a fire involving polyurethane (PU)- and MDF-based building materials, which are commonly used in buildings. Among them, polyurethane (PU) building materials are very commonly used in buildings, except in Europe and some other countries, due to their excellent thermal insulation performance. Still, problems of short-term heat release and the spread of toxic gases in the event of a fire continue to occur. To overcome these problems, researchers are actively working on introducing various flame retardants into building materials. Therefore, in this study, we produced a laboratory-sized (500 mm × 500 mm) plate-like flame-retardant board that can be utilized as a building material with a lower heat release rate and a lower toxicity index. The material was made by mixing expanded graphite and ceramic binder as flame retardants in a material that is formulated based on the cellulose of waste paper, replacing the existing building materials with a hot-press method. According to the ISO-5660-1 test on the heat release rate of the plate-like flame-retardant board, the Total Heat Release (THR) value was 2.9 (MJ/m2) for 10 min, showing an effect of reducing the THR value by 36.3 (MJ/m2) compared to the THR value of 39.2 (MJ/m2) of the specimen made using only paper. In addition, the toxicity index of the flame-retardant board was checked through the NES (Naval Engineering Standards)-713 test. As a result, the test specimen showed a toxicity index of 0.7, which is 2.4 lower than the toxicity index of 3.1 of MDF, which is utilized as a conventional building material. Based on the results of this study, the cellulose fire-retardant board showed the effect of reducing the heat release rate and toxicity index of building materials in a building fire, which reduces the risk of rapid heat spread and smoke toxicity. This has the potential to improve the evacuation time (A-SET) of evacuees in fires. It is also important to show that recycling waste paper and utilizing it as the main material for building materials can be an alternative in terms of sustainable development.

Data-driven evacuation and rescue traffic optimization with rescue contraflow control

In response to local sudden disasters, e.g., high-rise office or residential building fire disasters, road occupation can cause conflicts, and traffic directions may be opposite between evacuation vehicles and rescue vehicles; moreover, lane contraflow can be adopted to meet these surge traffic demands. However, lane contraflow that provides more roads for rescue vehicles reduces the traffic supply in the evacuation direction. It is unclear how to control the number of contraflow roads used by rescue vehicles to coordinate evacuation and rescue traffic operations. Here, we adjust the critical rescue traffic volume of reversing the normal road traffic direction to control rescue contraflow. Additionally, we propose a multiobjective mixed integer linear programming formulation for evacuation and rescue traffic optimization. Additionally, considering that the upper limit of the critical rescue traffic volume is unknown and that the proposed formulation includes multiple objectives and multi-priority vehicle classes, a three-stage solving algorithm is developed. Next, a large-scale evacuation and rescue traffic optimization result dataset is obtained for the Nguyen–Dupuis road network, and the impact of different rescue contraflow control plans on evacuation and rescue traffic is studied based on data-driven statistical analysis. The results show that by adjusting the optimal rescue traffic route, the critical rescue traffic volume for reversing the normal road traffic direction can reduce the interference of rescue traffic to evacuation traffic operation performance without reducing rescue traffic operation performance, and can be used to coordinate evacuation and rescue traffic operation under rescue contraflow.

Integrating glass breakage models into CFD simulation to investigate realistic compartment fire behaviour

Glass failure affects the ventilation conditions in compartments, which particularly varies the fire development history in large compartments as the initial ventilation may become insufficient due to the existence of window glass. This paper proposes a ‘criterion-controlled’ model to simulate the interaction between glass failure and fire behaviour in CFD fire models. The proposed modelling approach has shown good performance in simulating the Shield Test, where the predicted cracking points and timeline of glass failure are almost identical to the test records. By implementing the glass failure model in the large compartment fire models adapted from the Kirby Test and the Malveira Test models, the influence of glass failure on the large compartment fires has been revealed. In the adapted Kirby Test model with glass panes, the case with window glass exhibits a much faster fire growth compared to the case with initially opened windows of no glass. When considering the window glass failure in Malveira Test model, the slow ‘travelling fire’ behaviour found in the full-scale test is changed to a fast spread fire and the window glass panels fail to provide the desired ventilation, which suggests the inadequacy of assuming complete openings at windows and it is necessary to consider the effect of window glass to large open-plan compartment fires in real modern buildings.

Guiding Evacuees to Improve Fire Building Evacuation Efficiency: Hazard and Congestion Models to Support Decision Making by a Context-Aware Recommender System

Fires in large buildings can have tragic consequences, including the loss of human lives. Despite the advancements in building construction and fire safety technologies, the unpredictable nature of fires, particularly in large buildings, remains an enormous challenge. Acknowledging the paramount importance of prioritising human safety, the academic community has been focusing consistently on enhancing the efficiency of building evacuation. While previous studies have integrated evacuation simulation models, aiding in aspects such as the design of evacuation routes and emergency signalling, modelling human behaviour during a fire emergency remains challenging due to cognitive complexities. Moreover, behavioural differences from country to country add another layer of complexity, hindering the creation of a universal behaviour model. Instead of centring on modelling the occupant behaviour, this paper proposes an innovative approach aimed at enhancing the occupants’ behaviour predictability by providing real-time information to the occupants regarding the most suitable evacuation routes. The proposed models use a building’s environmental conditions to generate contextual information, aiding in developing solutions to make the occupants’ behaviour more predictable by providing them with real-time information on the most appropriate and efficient evacuation routes at each moment, guiding the occupants to safety during a fire emergency. The models were incorporated into a context-aware recommender system for testing purposes. The simulation results indicate that such a system, coupled with hazard and congestion models, positively influences the occupants’ behaviour, fostering faster adaptation to the environmental conditions and ultimately enhancing the efficiency of building evacuations.

Two-stage deep learning-based video image recognition of early fires in heritage buildings

Fire poses a huge safety risk to heritage or historic buildings. Traditional approaches are unsuitable because of their high false alarm rates, delayed features, and vulnerability in heritage building environments. To reduce the serious consequences caused by fires, it is necessary to develop advanced approaches to achieve real-time early-fire detection in heritage buildings. Hence, this study proposed a two-stage deep learning-based video image recognition of real-time fires in heritage buildings. Motion detection based on a Gaussian mixture model was applied to determine moving objects in the first stage. Then, a Fire-Det model for the indoor environment and a Fire-Det Nano model for outdoor areas were developed in the second stage. To validate the proposed models, a dataset including negative images was built and tested. To illustrate the performance of this study, the proposed approaches were compared with traditional methods. It is found that the Fire-Det model can complete fire detection at the fastest reasoning speed without losing generalizability of accuracy. The proposed Fire-Det Nano model can also drastically reduce computation time at the expense of a slight reduction in accuracy. Fire-Det is the innovation in AI. Fire-Det Nano and motion detection are applications in engineering. These findings indicate that the proposed method has great potential significance in the application of early-fire detection in heritage buildings, such as the Forbidden City.

Smart Fire Safety Management System (SFSMS) Connected with Energy Management for Sustainable Service in Smart Building Infrastructures

The scale of human accidents and the resultant damage has increased due to recent large-scale urban (building) fires, meaning there is a need to devise an effective strategy for urban disasters. In the event of a fire, it is difficult to evacuate in the early stages due to the loss of detection function, difficulty in securing visibility, and confusion over evacuation routes. Accordingly, for rapid evacuation and rescue, it is necessary to build a city-level fire safety service and digital system based on smart technology. In addition, both forest and building fires emit a large amount of carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of global warming. Therefore, we need to prepare both energy and fire management to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. In this study, we developed an AI-based smart fire safety system for efficient urban integrated management using a city-based fire safety architecture. In addition, we designed a fire management infrastructure and an energy management system for buildings. The proposal was demonstrated by building a test bed in the A building, and the AR-based mobile/web application was tested for optimized evacuation management. Furthermore, AI-based fire detection and the optimal evacuation of occupants were implemented through deep learning-based fire information data analysis. As a result, this paper presents four points for safety and energy management, and we demonstrate that the optimization of occupant evacuation ability and energy saving can be achieved. We also analyze the efficiency of the data transfer rate to prevent data communication delays by using Virtual Edge Gateway (VEG) management. In the future, we expect that the appearance of future fire and energy management buildings through this research will produce more accurate data prediction technology and the development of cutting-edge smart technology in smart city infrastructures.

Characterizing egress components for wheelchair users in dormitory building fires

People with disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups in building fires. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, an estimated 700 home fires involve people with physical disabilities each year. In parallel, the National Fire Protection Association estimates that 11% of civilian fire deaths were people with disabilities. Despite these statistics, the current body of literature shows few studies focused on the evacuation of disabled people. To bridge this knowledge gap, this paper presents findings on the evacuation processes of wheelchair users in a low-rise apartment (dormitory) building. More specifically, we simulate 1–3 wheelchair users in a dormitory building at our home institution via 327 simulations to examine evacuation time as well as identify structural aids and barriers. As a byproduct of this research, a new dynamic structural ranking system of egress components is proposed for wheelchair users, and a series of suggestions for structural modifications to improve the egressibility of the simulated building are provided.

Intelligent System for Internet of Things-Based Building Fire Safety with Naive Bayes Algorithm

Population growth is increasing every year. Population growth causes an increase in population density in a country. The largest population density is in urban areas. Fires in a city with a high population density will potentially cause greater damage. Material and non-material losses due to fire can be caused by not functioning maximally early warning systems, especially fire detection. In addition, other factors, such as system errors in detecting fires, can potentially cause fires. This research aims to build an intelligent system that can minimize building fire detection errors to reduce user material losses. The intelligent system can classify fire potential into four classifications, namely ”very dangerous,” ”dangerous,” ”alert,” and ”safe.” The method used in this research is Research and Development (R&D) with artificial intelligence using the Na¨ıve Bayes method, which has been integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT). This research shows that the Na¨ıve Bayes algorithm can be used to classify fire potential, proven by the overall system testing accuracy of 93.33% with an error of 6.77%.

Fire and Rescue Services Reconfiguration for Better Dealing with Post-Flashover Building Fires

The reconfiguration of fire and rescue services is the focus of this research. The main purpose is to propose an alternative organizational model for better dealing with post-flashover building fires. The primary source of empirical information is a survey involving 267 managers from the Bulgarian fire and rescue services to gather insights. The research methodology meticulously encompasses the identification of changes concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of the fire and rescue services, the discernment of inherent challenges, the definition of specific factors and criteria relevant to their activities, and the determination of strategic priorities. The goal is to suggest a new, more efficient way to organize these services in Bulgaria, whose approach can be applicable to other contexts in similar conditions as well. The proposed model suggests that the Bulgarian fire and rescue services should work independently from the Ministry of Interior as the State Agency under the Council of Ministers. In addition, a comparison between this newly proposed model and the current one is conducted to highlight its potential advantages.

Analysis of fire risk and fire prevention of architectural heritage: A case study of mount wutai in China

As precious historical and cultural heritages in China, ancient architecture belongs to non-renewable resources. However, in recent years, fires in ancient buildings occurred from time to time, causing irreparable losses to Chinas precious historical and cultural heritage. In order to explore the existing problems of fire safety in ancient buildings and better prevent fire accidents, this paper starts with an introduction of the structural characteristics of ancient buildings in China, and then, on the premise of combining the characteristics of geographical culture, architectural structure, and materials of Wutai Mountain temple group, the paper also analyzes the fire risk of ancient buildings. According to the practical work experience in fire protection of Mount Wutai, feasible and reasonable fire protection measures of ancient buildings are put forward, including the enhancement of fire resistance of building materials, the related equipment and system, and the safety management, so as to minimize the fire risk and fire loss and achieve the purpose of protecting gorgeous ancient building civilization.