Room Fire Research Articles

Does your team know how to respond safely to an operating room fire? Outcomes of a virtual reality, AI-enhanced simulation training.

Operating room (OR) fires are rare but devastating events requiring immediate and effective response. Virtual Reality (VR) simulation training can provide a safe environment for practice of skills in such highly stressful situation. This study assessed interprofessional participants' ability to respond to VR-simulated OR fire scenarios, attitudes, numbers of attempt of the VR simulation do participants need to successfully respond to OR fires and does prior experience, confidence level, or professional role predict the number of attempts needed to demonstrate safety and pass the simulation. 180 surgical team members volunteered to participate in this study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA. Each participant completed five VR OR simulation trials; the final two trials incorporated AI assistance. Primary outcomes were performance scores, number of attempts needed to pass, and pre- and post-survey results describing participant confidence and experiences. Differences across professional or training role were assessed using chi-square tests and analyses of variance. Differences in pass rates over time were assessed using repeated measures logistic regression. One hundred eighty participants completed simulation testing; 170 (94.4%) completed surveys. Participants included surgeons (17.2%), anesthesiologists (10.0%), allied health professionals (41.7%), and medical trainees (31.1%). Prior to training, 45.4% of participants reported feeling moderately or very confident in their ability to respond to an OR fire. Eight participants (4.4%) responded safely on the first simulation attempt. Forty-three participants (23.9%) passed by the third attempt (VR only); an additional 97 participants (53.9%) passed within the 4-5th attempt (VR with AI assistance). Providers are unprepared to respond to OR fires. VR-based simulation training provides a practical platform for individuals to improve their knowledge and performance in the management of OR fires with a 79% pass rate in our study. A VR AI approach to teaching this essential skill is innovative, feasible, and effective.

Airway Fire during Laser Surgery of the Vocal Cords in Children: A Case Report.

Fire in the operating theater is a potential source of important morbidity for the patient. Laser surgery of the head and neck district presents a particularly high risk of fire due to the presence of all three elements of the 'fire triad,' necessary to cause combustive or explosive events: an oxidiser, a fuel, and a heat source. The aim of the present study is to emphasise the need of new prevention tools and greater adherence to the recommendations available in the literature. The sudden occurrence of combustion within the airway of an infant undergoing laryngeal laser surgery was presented along with his management. An infant underwent CO2 laser surgery for the treatment of the laryngeal stenosis. Unfortunately, the endoscopic procedure was complicated by a fire of the tracheal tube. The tube was immediately removed, the saline was flushed down the trachea and the ventilation was maintained through a face mask. Subsequently, a fiberoscopy was performed and showed a vocal cord burn. Since operating room fires are still an underreported occurrence, we believe that this present work might raise awareness about this potential complication and give useful suggestions for the management of airway fires in paediatric anaesthesia.

Reconstruction of a Multi-item Room Fire in an ISO 9705 Room

A series of fire experiments were conducted in an ISO 9705 room in an attempt to reconstruct a multi-item room fire produced by individual items. Fuel items represented typical shapes and sizes of furniture in a bedroom including a double bed, bedside tables, wardrobe, dressing table and chair. As all of the fuel items were made of seasoned pine timber, these are termed as “mock furniture”. Double bed and bedside tables also had cotton sheets above them. The ignition was attained by using a steel tray of methylated spirit. This study is motivated by the fact that multi-item solid fuel-burning experimental results are rarely available. First, a number of standalone items within the ISO room were burnt separately. Then, all of the items were placed within the ISO room, and the fire was allowed to spread throughout the room from one item to another. An attempt was made to reconstruct the full room burning from individual item burning. The heat release rate of the reconstructed fire is different from that of the full room multi-item furniture burn experiment. A list of possible causes has been explained.

An Accessible Laparoscope for Surgery in Low- and Middle- Income Countries.

Laparoscopic surgery is the standard of care in high-income countries for many procedures in the chest and abdomen. It avoids large incisions by using a tiny camera and fine instruments manipulated through keyhole incisions, but it is generally unavailable in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to the high cost of installment, lack of qualified maintenance personnel, unreliable electricity, and shortage of consumable items. Patients in LMICs would benefit from laparoscopic surgery, as advantages include decreased pain, improved recovery time, fewer wound infections, and shorter hospital stays. To address this need, we developed an accessible laparoscopic system, called the ReadyView laparoscope for use in LMICs. The device includes an integrated camera and LED light source that can be displayed on any monitor. The ReadyView laparoscope was evaluated with standard optical imaging targets to determine its performance against a state-of-the-art commercial laparoscope. The ReadyView laparoscope has a comparable resolving power, lens distortion, field of view, depth of field, and color reproduction accuracy to a commercially available endoscope, particularly at shorter, commonly-used working distances (3-5cm). Additionally, the ReadyView has a cooler temperature profile, decreasing the risk for tissue injury and operating room fires. The ReadyView features a waterproof design, enabling sterilization by submersion, as commonly performed in LMICs. A custom desktop software was developed to view the video on a laptop computer with a frame rate greater than 30 frames per second and to white balance the image, which is critical for clinical use. The ReadyView laparoscope is capable of providing the image quality and overall performance needed for laparoscopic surgery. This portable low-cost system is well suited to increase access to laparoscopic surgery in LMICs.

A Study on the Analysis of Pressure Difference According to the Stack Effect of High-Rise Buildings during Fire

As the number of high-rise buildings in Korea continues to increase, interest in the stack effect is increasing. In particular, in the event of a fire, as the indoor temperature increases, there is the problem that the stack effect increases. Accordingly, it is necessary to analyze the stack effect resulting from temperature change during a fire. In this study, by using CONTAMW simulation, the opening was opened or closed. In the case where the temperature of the fire room rises to the temperature of the growth period caused by a fire, the pressure difference in the building according to the temperature increase during a fire was confirmed. As a result, depending on whether the opening was opened or closed, the pressure difference was uniform for each layer, ranging from 0 to 100 Pa when opened. However, assuming a fire room, the pressure in the fire layer increased to approximately 250 Pa, and it was confirmed that the pressure difference varied greatly for each floor.

Experimental Study on the Availability of Fire Detection Using Gas Sensors for Air Quality Measurement

This study tested gas sensors used to measure indoor air quality to explore the feasibility of using them as detection sensors in case of fire. A B-class fire environment was implemented in the compartment (ISO 9705 standard fire room), and four types of high- and low- accuracy and priced gas sensors (Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, t-VOC) used for indoor air quality measurement were installed. From ignition of the fuel to alarming of the heat detector, the responses from the sensors were analyzed. The results revealed the following: 1) Among the four types of sensors, CO and t-VOC sensors were effective as fire detection sensors in terms of their concentration increase and response time. 2) Low-accuracy CO2 and CH4 sensors were not effective in fire detection as they responded late relatively to CO and t-VOC sensors. 3) It was confirmed that low-accuracy gas sensors are feasible for use for fire detection in that they showed valid increase in concentration before the heat detector alarms. However, as only liquid combustible (Heptane) was applied as a fire source, analysis in an environment where different types of combustibles are used will be necessary in the future.

Toxic Blood Hydrogen Cyanide Concentration as a Vital Sign of a Deceased Room Fire Victim-Case Report.

Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) are two common toxic products of combustion. HCN concentrations of fire victims are not routinely determined in most legal medicine services in Romania. We present the case of a room fire victim in which we evaluated the concentrations of HCN and carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), their contribution to the mechanism of death, and the possibility that HCN concentration can be interpreted as vital sign. COHb was determined by spectrophotometry. HCN was spectrophotometrically determined with ninhydrin in postmortem blood samples after its removal with 20% phosphoric acid and uptake into a solution of potassium carbonate. The presence of ethyl alcohol was determined by gas chromatography. The COHb concentration was 6.15%, while the blood HCN concentration was 1.043 µg × mL−1 and the total HCN was 1.904 µg × ml−1. A blood alcohol content of 4.36 g‰ and a urine alcohol content of 5.88 g‰ were also found. Although the fire produced a considerable amount of soot, and there were signs of inhalation of soot particles, the COHb level cannot be interpreted as a vital sign. Toxic concentrations of HCN and total HCN can be interpreted as a vital sign and indicates a contributive effect of HCN in the mechanism of death.

Ghosting flame mechanism under different extinctions modes in ceiling vent cabin

SummaryIn this paper, large eddy simulation coupled with a low Mach number compressible thermal‐drive flow model had been utilized to investigate the development of large‐scale engine room fire, and the characteristics of engine room fire were analyzed through based upon the distinctive fire extinction behavior. Results indicated that extinction modes of engine room fire could be divided into oxygen control type and fuel control type. And the flame morphology could be divided into four stages: conical flame, pulsating flame, column flame, and ghosting flame. The appearance of the ghosting flame was affected by the extinction mode, but there were obvious differences in the causes of ghosting flame between the two modes. The cause of ghosting flame was related to the distribution of temperature field under the fuel control type, while the occurrence of ghosting flame in oxygen control type was mainly affected by oxygen concentration. Deflagration should be avoided when extinguishing fire by sealing the cabin.

Shipping Accidents Due Caused by Natural Disasters and How to Handle Them

Accidents can occur to ships whether they are in transit, at anchor or are carrying out loading and unloading activities at the port or terminal - despite preventative measures (such as the Health and Safety Work Act, 1974). These measures concern both regular and emergency situations. An emergency usually occurs as the result of not adhering to established system procedures or due to natural disturbances. Planning and preparation are the main requirements for successful coping with an onboard emergency. The captain and officers should be aware of what they should do in various emergencies, for example fires in cargo tanks, engine rooms, A.B.K. rooms and people passed out in tanks, ships off dock and drifting, boats off dock, and other emergencies. Staff must be able to quickly and accurately decide what to do to deal with any kind of emergency.
 Keywords: Natural Disaster, Handling, Ship Accident

Reducing fire and burn risk in the operating room-testing of a novel device.

Burn injury and operating room fires are significant risks for both surgical patients and staff. The purpose of this study was to examine the fire and burn risks associated with two types of fiberoptic light cables and evaluate the efficacy of a novel device in reducing the risk of these fire and burn injuries. A 300-W light source was connected sequentially to two standard fiberoptic cables (Storz and Olympus). The distal ends were buried in, or rested on, standard operating room materials including a cotton green towel and a blue propylene drape to assess the risk of fire formation or burn injury. The Gloshield device was then attached to the ends of the cables and the experiment was repeated. Trials simulating improper use of the device were then conducted with the Gloshield device placed either too deep or too shallow on the end of the light cable. All trials were conducted for a maximum of 10min or until a positive result (burn or fire) was achieved. Trials were conducted in room air or with supplemental 100% oxygen and repeated for accuracy. Both the Storz and Olympus fiber optic cables were capable of producing burns in standard operating room towels and drapes in control trials. The Gloshield device prevented thermal injury when properly attached in all conditions. Improper use trials demonstrated that the device may be ineffective when not applied properly. The Gloshield device is effective in reducing the risk of thermal burn injury by protecting the distal ends of endoscopic light cables from operating room materials. However, the device needs to be attached appropriately in order to provide protective benefits.

Visualization study on the effect of ambient wind on smoke layer height in chamber fires under natural smoke exhaust condition

Ambient wind often affects the smoke movement and natural smoke exhaust performance in enclosure fires. In this study, six wind speeds and twelve kinds of vent combinations are designed. 72 groups of experiments are conducted to investigate the coupling effects of vent combination and ambient wind speed during quasi-steady state of natural smoke extraction in chamber fires. Compared to the traditional Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method, a novel particle image flow field visualization (PIFFV) technique is proposed, and a smoke recognition algorithm for the determination of smoke layer height is developed based on two-dimensional OTSU method. Experimental results show that using the PIFFV method and the proposed algorithm, smoke layer height can be determined more accurately, in comparison to the N-percentage method. When the height of outlet is higher than that of inlet, the worst smoke control effect is found. When the air inlet is located on the windward side, the effect of natural smoke extraction is better under a reasonable wind speed than that in a windless condition. However, when the height of outlet is lower than that of the windward inlet, the optimal smoke control effect is achieved without ambient wind. In addition, when the inlet is arranged on the sideward side, ambient wind has a limited influence on smoke layer height with a lower outlet. Results of this study can provide references for the design of smoke control and ventilation system in room fires.

Comparison of smoke component yields between room‐scale and bench‐scale experiments

SummaryA standard procedure is needed for obtainingaccurate values of the yields of fire effluent components that are associated with harm to people from a singleacute exposure to the effluent from a fire involving realistic commercial products. We compare yields of toxic gases generated by four bench‐scale apparatus to the yields from previously conducted room‐scale fires. The apparatus is the radiant apparatus in NFPA 269 and ASTM E 1678, the smoke density chamber in ISO 5659‐2, a controlled‐atmosphere version of the cone calorimeter (ASTM E 1354), and the tube furnace specified in ISO/TS 19700. The bench‐scale specimens were cut from the same products that were burned in the room‐scale tests: a sofa, bookcases, and household electric power cable. The yields of CO2 CO, HCl, and HCN were determined. The yields of other toxicants (NO, NO2, formaldehyde, and acrolein) were below the detection limits, but were shown to be of limited importance relative to the four measured gases. We developed a criterion of a factor of two for satisfactoryscale agreement. Using this, the yields from the modified cone calorimeter were the most promising, but still imperfect, match to the room fire yields. The results of this study provide an improved basis for obtainingaccurate combustion product yield data for fire hazard and risk modeling over what currently exists.

Influence of modern plastic furniture on the fire development in fires in homes: large‐scale fire tests in living rooms

SUMMARYAbout 80% of all fire fatalities in Germany occur because of fires in homes. It has been known for some time that modern materials (synonym for materials consisting mostly of synthetic polymers) tend to burn differently from older materials (synonym for materials consisting mostly of fibrous cellulosic substances) and it has been acknowledged that the amount of combustible plastics in homes has increased significantly over the last decades. To investigate the influence of modern furniture and ventilation conditions of fires in homes, a series of four large‐scale tests in two living rooms (LRs) with adjacent rooms (ARs) was performed by BAM and the Frankfurt fire service. Two LRs, one with older furniture and one with modern furniture, were tested twice each. Each test started with the ignition of a paper cushion on an upholstered chair. The influence of modern materials on the fire development was investigated, as well as the influence of the ventilation on the fire development. In all settings, an upholstered chair was the first burning item. Results of the test series show that fires in rooms with modern furniture develop faster than fires in rooms with older furniture. This is true for temperature development in the rooms as well as for smoke production.

A Comparative Study on the Fire load of Structures by Usage in Korea and Japan

In this Study, to secure data for the fire safety design of buildings, we calculated the fire load of domestic buildings through combustible investigation and based on existing studies. In addition, we classified the use of rooms according to the purpose of building. In addition, we reclassified the survey data and compared it with data from Japan. The comparison showed that the living room fire load was 417.14 (MJ/m<sup>2</sup>), the bedroom fire loads of buildings except housing were 1,005.9 (MJ/m<sup>2</sup>), and the fire loads of office facilities and similar facilities were 1,354.8 (MJ/m<sup>2</sup>). These values are 1.8 to 4.3 times higher than the Japanese standard.

Intraoperative Sentinel Events in the Era of Surgical Safety Checklists: Results of a National Survey.

ObjectiveDespite the implementation of advanced health care safety systems including checklists, preventable perioperative sentinel events continue to occur and cause patient harm, disability, and death. We report on findings relating to otolaryngology practices with surgical safety checklists, the scope of intraoperative sentinel events, and institutional and personal response to these events.Study DesignSurvey study.SettingAnonymous online survey of otolaryngologists.MethodsMembers of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery were asked about intraoperative sentinel events, surgical safety checklist practices, fire safety, and the response to patient safety events.ResultsIn total, 543 otolaryngologists responded to the survey (response rate 4.9% = 543/11,188). The use of surgical safety checklists was reported by 511 (98.6%) respondents. At least 1 patient safety event in the past 10 years was reported by 131 (25.2%) respondents; medication errors were the most commonly reported (66 [12.7%] respondents). Wrong site/patient/procedure events were reported by 38 (7.3%) respondents, retained surgical items by 33 (6.4%), and operating room fire by 18 (3.5%). Although 414 (79.9%) respondents felt that time-outs before the case have been the single most impactful checklist component to prevent serious patient safety events, several respondents also voiced frustrations with the administrative burden.ConclusionSurgical safety checklists are widely used in otolaryngology and are generally acknowledged as the most effective intervention to reduce patient safety events; nonetheless, intraoperative sentinel events do continue to occur. Understanding the scope, causes, and response to these events may help to prioritize resources to guide quality improvement initiatives in surgical safety practices.

Fire in the Operating Room: Use of Mixed Reality Simulation with Nurse Anesthesia Students

Background: The occurrence of a fire when implementing anesthesia is a high-risk, low-frequency event. The operating room is a high-stakes environment that has no room for error. Mixed reality simulation may be a solution to better prepare healthcare professionals. The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to evaluate the technical and non-technical skills of student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) who participated in a mixed reality simulation of an operating room fire. Methods: Magic Leap OneTM augmented reality headsets were used by 32 student registered nurse anesthetists to simulate an emergent fire during a simulated tracheostomy procedure. Both technical and non-technical skills were evaluated by faculty members utilizing a checklist. Results: The SRNAs’ overall mean technical skill performance was 18.16 ± 1.44 out of a maximum score of 20, and the mean non-technical skill performance was 91.25% out of 100%. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the utility and limitations in applying novel technology in simulation. Participants demonstrated a strong performance of technical and non-technical skills in the management of a simulated operating room fire. Recommendations for future applications include the use of multiple sensory inputs into the scenario design and including all core team members in the immersive mixed reality environment.

Application of a CREAM based framework to assess human reliability in emergency response to engine room fires on ships

For a human reliability assessment in the maritime domain, the main question is how we correctly understand the human factors in the maritime situation in a practical manner. This paper introduces a new approach based on Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method (CREAM). The key to the method is to provide a framework for evaluating specific scenarios associated with maritime human errors and for conducting an assessment of the context, in which human actions take place. The output of the context assessment is, then, to be applied for the procedure assessment as model inputs for reflection of the context effect. The proposed approach can be divided into two parts: processing context assessment and modelling human error quantification. Fuzzy multiple attributive group decision-making method, Bayesian networks and evidential reasoning are employed for enhancing the reliability of human error quantification. Fuzzy conclusion of the context assessment is utilised by the model input in CREAM basic method and weighting factors in CREAM extended method respectively for considering human failure probability which varies depending on external conditions. This paper is expected to contribute to the improvement of safety by identifying frequently occurred human errors during the maritime operating for minimising of human failures.

Air curtain to control smoke and fire spread in a ventilated multi-floor building

Compartment fire is a hazardous phenomenon because of the generated poisonous and high-temperature gases. Air curtain systems can be used in order to control the fire spread. This paper examines the numerical simulation method with a focus on the combustion model which can model the poisonous gases and investigates the effect of air curtain on fire. The results of the flamelet generated manifold (FGM) combustion model, which considers all of the poisonous species with detail, in compartment fire with single and multi-floor building have been verified. A three-floor compartment fire scenario with methane as a fuel of 62.9, 500, and 5000 kW heat release rate, which represents over to under-ventilation, was selected as a test case. The impact of air curtains with various supply angles, velocity, and ventilation on pollutants and temperature distribution was examined. The mass fraction of CO and CO2 species reached near zero at angles of 12 and 24, at the over-ventilated case when using air curtain. Therefore, there is no hazard for the upper floors in case of using air curtain. However, in the under-ventilated case, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of air curtain by using ventilation in the fire room and increasing the exhaust velocity of the air curtain.

Experimental investigation of human tenability and sprinkler protection in hospital room fires

SummaryThe effectiveness of sprinklers in protecting hospital patients in the room of fire origin was investigated by 14 experiments with a residential‐grade sprinkler system, and by two free‐burns. The fire load was UL 1626 corner fire. Tenability conditions were evaluated for the UL 1626 corner fire using gas temperature and species concentration measurements, and by calculating the fractional effective dose (FED) and fractional irritant concentration (FIC) with the comprehensive model of Purser and a more simplified method of ISO 13571. In the sprinklered tests, the average FED at 15 minutes was 0.8 ± 1 with 95% confidence, when using the Purser's method, and 0.2 ± 0.2 with ISO 13571. The difference was mainly caused by the assumption in the Purser's method that all NOx gases behave like NO2. Ignoring the NO contributions decreased the Purser's FED values very close to those of ISO 13571. In nonsprinklered tests, the FED and FIC values indicated definite incapacitation and possibly death 3 minutes after ignition. The sprinklers effectively increase the possibility of surviving, but the toxic effects may still be dangerous. In hospital and health care environments, many of the exposed persons may have lower‐than‐average tolerance.

MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF FIRE DEVELOPMENT IN A THREE-STOREY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING DURING FULL-SCALE FIRE TESTS

The aim of the work was mathematical modeling of fire development in a three-storey residential building during full-scale fire tests; research of accuracy and reliability of parameters of temperature modes of fire in separate rooms of the building. To achieve this goal, it is advisable to use computational gas-hydrodynamics, which allow to determine the limits of application of this approach to predict the behavior of building structures in a fire. The Pyrosim computer system, which serves as a user shell for the Fire Dynamics Simulator program, was used to calculate the temperature in fire room models. This FDS system uses numerical algorithms to solve the complete system of Navier-Stokes differential equations to determine temperature and other hazards in a fire. To visualize the results of calculations, the software module of the PyroSim Smokeview system was used, which allows to build appropriate graphical representations of temperature distributions.A numerical experiment was performed to model full-scale tests of rooms with fire in a three-story building using computer gas-hydrodynamics methods. The nature of the fire and the time dependences of its main parameters were revealed, which in turn allowed to analyze the adequacy of the simulation results and investigate their adequacy and accuracy.The obtained results of research on the accuracy of modeling of full-scale tests of rooms with fire in a three-story building showed that the error determined when comparing experimental and calculated data was not significant. The relative error did not exceed 28%, and the standard deviation did not exceed 51 ° C. The values of the statistical criteria of Cochren, Student and Fisher for the simulation results due to the difference between the calculated and experimental data have values of no more than 0.98, 0.84 and 1.008, respectively, and do not exceed the tabular values. This means that the simulation results are adequate, which allows you to use this approach to predict the behavior of building structures in a fire that is close to real.