Vehicle Fire Research Articles

Most cancer in firefighters is due to radio-frequency radiation exposure not inhaled carcinogens

Recent reviews and reports of cancer incidence and mortality in firefighters conclude that they are at an increased risk of a number of cancers. These include leukemia, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, male breast cancer, malignant melanoma, and cancers of the brain, stomach, colon, rectum, prostate, urinary bladder, testes, and thyroid. Firefighters are exposed to a long list of recognized or probable carcinogens in combustion products and the presumed route of exposure to these carcinogens is by inhalation. Curiously, respiratory system cancers and diseases are usually not increased in firefighters as they are in workers exposed to known inhaled carcinogens. The list of cancers with increased risk in firefighters strongly overlaps the list of cancers at increased risk in workers exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and radiofrequency radiation (RFR). Firefighters have increased exposure to RFR in the course of their work, from the mobile two-way radio communications devices which they routinely use while fighting fires, and at times from firehouse and fire vehicle radio transmitters. I suggest that some of the increased cancer risk in firefighters is caused by RFR exposure, and is therefore preventable. The precautionary principle should be applied to reduce the risk of cancer in firefighters, and workman's compensation rules will necessarily need to be modified.

Comparative fire risk of motor vehicle fuels: Gasoline versus ethanol

AbstractIf motor vehicles switch from gasoline to E‐85 ethanol, is the fire risk to the general public reduced or increased? This article explores the fire risk associated with four accident scenarios: Transport from refinery to distributor (pipeline vs. truck or barge), Transport from distributor to retail facility by truck, Spill during fuel dispensing to motor vehicle, and Motor vehicle fire following traffic accident. Each of these scenarios represents a stage in the life cycle of the liquid fuel, from wholesale distribution and consumer usage.In each case the risk of fire is composed of the probability of occurrence and the consequences of the fire. The probabilities were estimated from various compilations of accident statistics. Overall, the probability of an E‐85 ethanol release was greater than or equal to a gasoline release. This was due to the comparative accident frequency of different transportation modes and distances involved.The fire consequences were quantified in terms of spill area, heat release rate and radiant heat flux to nearby targets. For spills of the same size, the gasoline fire tended to be more severe than the E‐85 ethanol fire. This is due to the differences in their physical properties, the enthalpies of combustion, and the emissivities of the flames. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2009

Using the peak heat release rate to determine the fire risk level of road tunnels

A wide range of fire incidents can occur in a road tunnel, e.g. a fire in the cargo compartment of a goods vehicle, carelessness due to discarded smoker's materials or loss of vehicle control, and a crash resulting in a multiple -vehicle fire. The number of possible fire scenarios is numerous and so, for design applications, rather than attempting to analyse every possible event using a deterministic approach, a preliminary analysis using a quantitative risk assessment approach should be considered. This paper presents a risk assessment methodology to identify the possible fire scenarios that can occur in a road tunnel in order to specify design fire requirements for smoke control systems. The analysis considers factors such as legislation, vehicle fuel load, traffic mix in the tunnel, vehicle accident rate, and causes of vehicle ignition.

Toddler run-overs – A persistent problem

Trauma accounts for a high percentage of unexpected deaths in toddlers and young children, mostly due to vehicle accidents, drowning and fires. Given recent efforts to publicise the dangers of toddler run-overs a study was undertaken to determine how significant this problem remains in South Australia. Review of coronial files over 7 years from 2000 to 2006 revealed 50 cases of sudden and unexpected death in children aged between 1 and 3 years of which 12 of 28 accidents involved motor vehicles (6 run-overs and 6 passengers). The 6 children who were killed by vehicle run-overs were aged from 12 months to 22 months (ave = 16.8 months) with a male to female ratio of 1:1. Four deaths occurred with reversing vehicles in home driveways and one at a community centre. The remaining death involved a child being run over at the beach by a forward moving vehicle. Vehicles included sedans in four cases and a four-wheel drive in one case (one vehicle was not described), and were driven by the victim’s parent in four cases, a friend of the family in one, and an unrelated person in the final case. Deaths were all due to blunt cranial trauma. Despite initiatives to prevent these deaths, toddler run-overs in South Australia approximate the number of sudden deaths due to homicides, drownings and natural diseases, respectively, for the same age group; deaths are also occurring in places other than home driveways, and sedans were more often involved than four-wheel drive vehicles.

Autopsy audit of burn patients; the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja experience

Background There are many studies detailing the improvement in the care and survival of burns patients. Very little have however been documented about the postmortem findings in patients that died after sustaining burns. This study was carried out to assess the severity of injury to skin and internal organs as revealed by post mortem findings and correlate it with ante-mortem clinical assessments with the hope of improving management burn patients. Patients and Methods All patients with Burn injury that died between January and December 2005 at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Results Fifty-four deaths were recorded during the study period. Autopsy examinations were carried out on 42; (Autopsy rate 77.8%). There were 32 males and 10 females giving a ratio of M:F 3.2:1. Electricity burn was the commonest cause of death (47.6%) followed by house and vehicle fire (23.8%) petroleum products (16.7%), arson (9.5%) and torture (2.4%). Conclusions The mortality from electricity burn in the study calls for improved safety measures and caution in distribution of and handling of power supply. Keywords : Burns, Autopsy audit, Mortality. Nigerian Journal of Plastic Surgery Vol. 4 (2) 2008: pp. 42-46

The preservation of quartz grain surface textures following vehicle fire and their use in forensic enquiry

During a terrorist trial, dispute arose as to whether the temperature produced in a car fire was sufficient to destroy quartz grain surface textures. A series of seven sequential experiments showed that the temperature for quartz surface texture modification/destruction and the production of vugs, vesicles and glassy precipitation ('snowdrifting') occurred at 1200 degrees C under normal atmospheric conditions. By adding a number of man-made and natural substances, it was found that only the presence of salts depressed this modification temperature (to 900 degrees C). Experiments to determine the temperature of fire in a car indicated that the maximum temperature produced under natural conditions (810 degrees C) was insufficient to affect the quartz grain surface textures. These results confirm the use of surface texture analysis of quartz grains recovered from the remains of cars subjected to fire and their use as a forensic indicator.

Vehicle Fire Deaths Resulting from Fires Not Caused by Collisions or Overturns: How Do They Differ from Collision Fire Deaths?

Vehicle Fire Deaths Resulting from Fires Not Caused by Collisions or Overturns: How Do They Differ from Collision Fire Deaths?

Human survivability in motor vehicle fires

AbstractAutomobile fires are consistently among the largest causes of fire death in the United States (about 500 annually) and the U.S. motor vehicle industry and others have spent a significant amount of money in recent years studying this problem. The authors of this review have analyzed the auto industry reports, the scientific literature, and statistical data, and conclude that measures should be taken to improve survivability in automobile fires. The U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302 (FMVSS 302) was introduced almost 40 years ago to measure the flammability of interior materials, but improvements in the crashworthiness of automobiles and their fuel tanks and the increased use of combustible materials have changed the motor vehicle fire scenario significantly. In particular, the primary threat has changed from ignition of a small quantity of combustible interior materials by a lit cigarette, in 1960, to ignition of a large quantity of combustible interior and exterior materials by an impact‐induced fire, at present. The authors therefore suggest that FMVSS 302 is no longer relevant to automobile fire safety and recommend improved standards based on objective criteria for fire safety performance (fireworthiness) at the system/vehicle level as is routinely done for crashworthiness. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

F116 FCVの車両火災時におけるPRDからの水素ガス放出方法に関する研究(OS-5 水素・燃料電池(2),一般講演,地球温暖化防止と動力エネルギー技術)

It is mandatory to apply a pressure relief device (PRD) on the Fuel cell vehicles to avoid explosion of high pressure hydrogen gas container when a vehicle explore to be on fire. Several hydrogen release tests were carried out to understand how the released hydrogen behaves in a vehicle fire. These tests are to analyze the emission way of PRD as below. 1) The range of flame, flame temperature and the time of emission when PRD effused hydrogen gas in upward direction, in downward direction, and in horizontal direction respectively 2) The diffusion way of released hydrogen gas 3) The effect of diffusion box which was assumed to decrease the hydrogen concentration and flow rate. The results showed that it should be avoided to release directly hydrogen gas into the air in the horizontal direction.

Providing real-time information integration for better public safety performance

Public safety operations of all kinds often require split-second decisions that make use of the latest situational information. However, timely access to all relevant data requires adequate support. Accepted practice today calls for installation of laptops and other mobile computing technologies in remote environments, such as ambulances, fire vehicles, and police cruisers. While these tools are helpful, officers and other personnel generally lack the skills needed to install, use, and update freely available data sets that could substantially assist decision-making and enhance public safety. At the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Consolidated Advanced Technologies Laboratory (CATLab), we have developed a system to maintain and optimize communications and operations in the public safety arena. With a focus on information delivery and integration, Project54 is a proprietary collaborative research and development program. Using datacasting and cellular technologies, it incorporates and embeds mobile computing equipment and wireless networking into the patrol vehicles of the New Hampshire Department of Safety (NHDS). Project54 systems integrate all in-car electronic devices and systems, including software and user interfaces, to provide advanced support for New Hampshire State Police.1 Datacasting is crucial to the implementation of Project54. Broadcasters invariably have a slice of continuously available, unallocated bandwidth for transmission of nontelevision digital data.2 Text, audio, graphics, and video can all be transmitted on a one-way channel from broadcast center to remote stations. Digital television channels support transmission rates of 19.38 megabits per second (Mbps), with a significant portion of bandFigure 1. Display of the mapping application in Project54. Red star indicates global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the vehicle via publicly available map data.

Fire Emissions of Organics into the Atmosphere

The mass of dioxins, PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and VOC (volatile organic compounds) emitted from fires to the atmosphere in Sweden per year has been estimated. The estimate is based on the number of fires in buildings, vehicles, waste and forest fires in Sweden in 1999. It is estimated that the total emission of dioxins from fires is in the range 0.5–1.4 g TEQ. The total emissions of PAH and VOC are in the ranges 2–12 ton and 13–200 ton, respectively.

The new facility for hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle safety evaluation

For the evaluation of hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle safety, a new comprehensive facility was constructed in our institute. The new facility includes an explosion resistant indoor vehicle fire test building and high pressure hydrogen tank safety evaluation equipment. The indoor vehicle fire test building has sufficient strength to withstand even an explosion of a high pressure hydrogen tank of 260 l capacity and 70 MPa pressure. It also has enough space to observe vehicle fire flames of not only hydrogen but also other existing fuels, such as gasoline or compressed natural gas. The inside dimensions of the building are a 16 m height and 18 m diameter. The walls are made of 1.2 m thick reinforced concrete covered at the insides with steel plate. This paper shows examples of hydrogen vehicle fires compared with other fuel fires and hydrogen high pressure tank fire tests utilizing several kinds of fire sources. Another facility for evaluation of high pressure hydrogen tank safety includes a 110 MPa hydrogen compressor with a capacity of 200 Nm 3 / h , a 300 MPa hydraulic compressor for burst tests of 70 MPa and higher pressure tanks and so on. This facility will be used for not only the safety evaluation of hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles but also the establishment of domestic/international regulations, codes, and standards.

The use of spatial analytical techniques to explore patterns of fire incidence: A South Wales case study

The application of mapping and spatial analytical techniques to explore geographical patterns of crime incidence is well established. In contrast, the analysis of operational incident data routinely collected by fire brigades has received relatively less research attention, certainly in the UK academic literature. The aim of this paper is to redress this balance through the application of spatial analytical techniques that permit an exploration of the spatial dynamics of fire incidents and their relationships with socio-economic variables. By examining patterns for different fire incident types, including household fires, vehicle fires, secondary fires and malicious false alarms in relation to 2001 Census of Population data for an area of South Wales, we demonstrate the potential of such techniques to reveal spatial patterns that may be worthy of further contextual study. Further research is needed to establish how transferable these findings are to other geographical settings and how replicable the findings are at different geographical scales. The paper concludes by drawing attention to the current gaps in knowledge in analysing trends in fire incidence and proposes an agenda to advance such research using spatial analytical techniques.

Mechanical and electrical failures leading to major fires

Major fires cause very large financial losses every year and determination of their cause is important from the point of view of insurance and also to attempt to avoid future occurrences from the same cause. While arson, natural effects such as lightening strikes, hurricanes and earthquakes, and human carelessness contribute significantly to fire losses, many fires are caused as a result of electrical and mechanical failures and malfunctions. The authors describe a number of cases in which mechanical and electrical failures have been the initiating causes. The cases include one where fracture of a structure occurred as a result of poor design and construction, leading to discharge of flammable liquid that was ignited from a build-up of static electric charge; a refinery fire caused by the presence of hidden defects that propagated under transient loading conditions, and cases where vehicle fires occurred as a result of poor design or construction of electrical circuits, or from electrical discharges.

Analysis of Vehicle Fire Statistics in New Zealand Parking Buildings

The risk of fire in parking buildings is dependant on the probability of a fire occurring and the severity of the fire. This paper reviews the research data available on vehicle fires and suggests the severity of such a fire for a risk analysis. The paper then examines the historical data for vehicle fires in New Zealand parking buildings from 1995 to 2003 to determine the probability of the occurrence of such fires and the likelihood of multiple vehicle involvement. It is found that annual vehicle fire frequencies in parking buildings are generally lower than those in buildings of other occupancies but increases with the annual usage ratio.

Developing Design Standards for Speed Cushions

Physical devices such as traffic circles and speed humps have long been considered possible solutions to speeding and other neighborhood traffic safety problems. The primary drawback has been their documented effect on fire and other life-safety vehicles caused by increased response times. To balance driver awareness of travel speeds with emergency vehicle accessibility, the King County, Washington, Department of Transportation designed, constructed, and evaluated a traffic-calming device referred to as a speed cushion. Speed cushions resemble speed humps but are constructed with channels to allow for minimal impact and delay to wider-wheel-based emergency vehicles such as fire engines. Ten speed cushions were installed along 36th Place South, 39th Avenue South, South 294th Street, and 45th Place South between South 288th Street and South 298th Street in unincorporated King County as part of a neighborhood traffic-calming pilot project. To evaluate the effectiveness of this traffic-calming device, speed and volume studies were conducted pre-and postinstallation. This report summarizes the results and findings from this study, which determined that speed cushions can provide traffic-calming benefits without significantly affecting emergency responders in fire and other life-safety vehicles. This report also discusses important next steps for researchers and practitioners needed because of limitations in the existing literature on this device in terms of material, color, shape, and roadway placement. The increased popularity of speed cushions has accelerated the need for standardization in terms of design and construction, and specific recommendations are provided in this report.

Injury Prevention and Control Research and Training in Accredited Schools of Public Health: A CDC/ASPH Assessment

The 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Reducing the Burden of Injury, notes that in the USA injury prevention is the only major field of public health where sustained training programs do not exist. In 2001, the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC Injury Center) asked the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) to determine the extent to which schools of public health are currently providing and supporting injury research and training. ASPH conducted a baseline assessment on the extent of injury research, faculty expertise, curricula, and training in schools of public health. Injury prevention was defined as activities to prevent, ameliorate, treat, and/or reduce injury-related disability and death. The definition of injury covered two general categories: general injuries -- unintentional (including poisoning, spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, motor vehicle injuries, falls, fires, pedestrian-related injuries, water-related injuries, and natural disasters), and violence (child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, suicide, youth violence, and terrorism). The assessment excluded injuries that occur within occupational and/or industrial environments. ASPH queried all department chairs and each dean of academic affairs at the 33 accredited schools of public health in 2002-2003. Overall, 30 of the 33 member schools (93%) responded. Two different surveys were administered to provide information on the breadth and scope of injury activity. Thirteen schools of public health operate a total of 17 formal injury structures, such as a center, institute, office, or division. Of the 163 courses identified, only 35 (21%) have injury or violence prevention as the primary focus. Such courses are primarily offered through the departments of health behavior/health education (28%) and epidemiology (25%). Three schools require an injury course for injury-related doctoral programs. No school required an injury course for any master's degree. Respondents noted the top three needs of schools of public health to better prepare students and current practitioners as: (1) recruitment of faculty with injury expertise; (2) student training funds; and (3) faculty development funds. Further, the top three barriers to better promoting the principles of injury prevention and control mirrored the top three needs: (1) insufficient faculty, (2) limited courses, and (3) lack of student training funds. The main types of funders for injury research in schools of public health are federal agencies and foundations. Three federal agencies -- the CDC, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) -- provided the most ongoing support to two or more schools of public health between January 1999 and July 2002 (30%). Two foundations, the MacArthur Foundation and the David & Lucille Packard Foundation, provided support to two or more schools of public health between January 1999 and July 2002. Language: en

Building Just-in-Time Lectures during the Prodrome of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Hurricane Katrina, followed by Hurricane Rita, were some of the most destructive and costliest hurricanes in US history. In addition to causing death and destruction, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma gave rise to an epidemiology of fear.1 Despite the fact that the odds of dying in a hurricane remains low compared to that of motor vehicle crashes, tornadoes, and fires,2–3 the fear of hurricanes was reinforced by disturbing images on television. Often, these images replaced rational thinking. Teachers and public health educators worldwide only had limited materials to educate their students on the risk and risk factors for hurricanes and disasters, demonstrating how poorly the scientific community was prepared to deliver basic scientific facts about hurricanes.

Pediatric Homicides Related to Burn Injury: A Retrospective Review at the Medical University of South Carolina

Many burn injuries are mistakenly referred to as "accidents" because they occur suddenly and seem unpredictable and uncontrollable; however, injuries often occur in predictable patterns. We reviewed all pediatric forensic cases referred to the Medical University of South Carolina Forensic Pathology Section over a 28-year period from January 1975 to December 2002. There were 124 cases with 121 fire-related fatalities and three scald fatalities. Ninety of the burn victims were in the 0-5-year age group. The manner of deaths showed 108 accidents and 12 homicides (four undetermined). Eleven of 12 burn-related homicides occurred at the home with all of the victims in the 1-8-year age group. The perpetrator of the home fire homicides was the mother in five cases and the sister in one case (two undetermined). Homicide involved a vehicle fire in one case in which the father caused an explosion with an accelerant. The three scald death perpetrators were the father, mother's boyfriend, and an aunt.This retrospective study and review of the literature may reveal patterns useful for evaluation of manner of death. By recognizing scene characteristics, potential perpetrators, and children at risk, we can better classify pediatric burn-related fatalities.

Fire Testing of Electrical and Optical Fiber Cables for Transportation Vehicles, Especially in North America

Abstract Cables for transmission of power and data are a large, and growing, part of the fuel load in public transportation vehicles. Unfortunately, the fire performance of electric cables has usually been neglected or based only on semi-mandatory guidelines of relatively low severity. Furthermore, optical fiber cables have usually been ignored. This paper discusses the most recent approaches taken by the various regulatory authorities in the US (US Coast Guard [USCG], Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], Federal Railroad Administration [FRA], and Federal Transit Administration [FTA]), together with the work of the applicable standards developing organizations (the National Fire Protection Association [NFPA] and the International Maritime Organization [IMO]). The US Coast Guard regulates all ships in US ports, but, as a signatory to the International Convention of Safety to Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Maritime Organization regulates US ships going into international waters. Ships that do not go into international waters (including those that just cross rivers or lakes and those that operate in amusement parks) do not have to meet SOLAS requirements and can meet USCG requirements only or can meet the voluntary requirements contained in NFPA 301, Code for Safety to Life from Fire on Merchant Vessels. While SOLAS has very mild regulatory requirements for cabling, NFPA 301 has a minimum requirement for cables to meet the vertical cable fire test in CSA FT4 or UL 1581-1164 (a fairly severe test). Cables meeting more severe fire test requirements are also permitted to be used as replacement for these tests. The Federal Railroad Administration regulates intercity trains as well as trains that cross state lines. FRA does not have required cable fire tests for cables. However, NFPA 130, Standard for Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems, has as a minimum fire test requirement of a slightly milder vertical cable tray fire test for cables, the one in UL 1581–1160, but a smoke obscuration test is also required. Again, cables meeting more severe fire test requirements are also permitted to be used as replacement for these tests. NFPA 130 is widely used by many rail authorities, both in the US and abroad (particularly Canada and the Far East), as it is more severe than the FRA rules. The Federal Transit Administration provides guidelines and no requirements, and its guidelines apply to subways and suburban trains that do not cross state lines. The guidelines do not include any information on fire safety of cables. NFPA 130 also applies to subways and all trains, of course. The Federal Aviation Administration regulates both the wiring that is placed into airplanes by air frame manufacturers (those who build the airplanes) and the one put in afterwards by airlines (usually for entertainment systems). The requirements are the same for both: a small 60° angle Bunsen burner test. The issue that needs to be pointed out, however, is that the cabling used by air frame manufacturers has a fire performance that is greatly superior to that required to meet the test, while the cabling used in entertainment systems is often barely able to meet the fire test and may be unsuitable from the point of view of fire safety. FAA is aware of this and is undertaking a program to develop an adequate fire test for all cabling in airplanes. NFPA has a committee, Hazard and Risk of Contents and Furnishings, which is developing a Guide on Methods for Evaluating Fire Hazard and Fire Risk of Vehicular Furnishings, to be called NFPA 556, which will address cabling. The Fire Protection Research Foundation is also looking into this issue with their new Research Advisory Council on Fire and Transportation Vehicles. In summary, this is an area where fire safety is a potential concern, but where abundant activity is taking place.