NFPA journal : the official magazine of the National Fire Protection Association最新文献

Compliance with code requirements, activation of sprinkler systems, and proper staff actions saved lives in two recent Massachusetts fires.

Although research is still in its initial stages, this article addresses the performance of buildings in supporting the emergency egress behavior of occupants.

Any product that causes a fire to grow large is deficient in fire safety performance. A large fire in any building represents a serious hazard. Multiple-death fires almost always are linked to fires that grow quickly to a large size. Interior finishes have large, continuous surfaces over which fire can spread. They are regulated to slow initial fire growth, and must be qualified for use on the basis of fire tests. To obtain meaningful results, specimens must be representative of actual installation. Variables--such as the substrate, the adhesive, and product thickness and density--can affect product performance. The tunnel test may not adequately evaluate some products, such as foam plastics or textile wall coverings, thermoplastic materials, or materials of minimal mass. Where questions exist, products should be evaluated on a full-scale basis. Curtains and draperies are examples of products that ignite easily and spread flames readily. The present method for testing curtains and draperies evaluates one fabric at a time. Although a fabric tested alone may perform well, fabrics that meet test standards individually sometimes perform poorly when tested in combination. Contents and furnishings constitute the major fuels in many fires. Contents may involve paper products and other lightweight materials that are easily ignited and capable of fast fire growth. Similarly, a small source may ignite many items of furniture that are capable of sustained fire growth. Upholstered furniture can reach peak burning rates in less than 5 minutes. Furnishings have been associated with many multiple-death fires.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A look at the problems, standards, and fire record involving health care firesafety helps us predict future directions that it may take.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department is one of many agencies making great strides in the development of urban search and rescue programs. Much of the department's USAR training, equipment, and strategies have been tested on real incidents. Each incident presents new challenges and teaches new lessons. Before the establishment of the three-tiered USAR system, those personnel nearest an incident handled it. Many never saw a similar incident again. The lessons they learned were often lost because there was no system to collect their experiences, retrieve the information, and make it available to other emergency responders in the form of training programs. A major advantage of tiered response is the system's ability to ensure rapid response by trained, experienced, and well-equipped personnel. Rather than repeating mistakes and forgetting successful rescue methods, the system allows the retrieval of the experiences of personnel and their use in the development of training materials. Urban search and rescue specialists have the ability to build on earlier experiences to raise the overall level of skills. The net result is more effective training, increased efficiency, and enhanced safety for rescuers and victims. The field of urban search and rescue is still in its infancy. Many new and innovative strategies, techniques, and tools are on the horizon. In recent years, there has been growing interest in this specialty across the nation. We expect this trend to continue as breakthroughs occur. More than ever, it is important for all concerned agencies to share information and to work together to improve our ability to save lives.

The criteria in the 1991 edition of the Life Safety Code are a first attempt to address the fire hazards associated with upholstered furniture and mattresses. Recognizing that the criteria do not represent a complete hazard analysis, it is anticipated that the subcommittee will continue its efforts and will evaluate the appropriateness of additional criteria. The NFPA Standards Council also has appointed a Technical Committee on Contents and Furnishings, which will meet in August 1991. This committee will have primary responsibility for developing fire hazard calculation procedures and documents that other committees can use to control the fire hazards of contents and furnishings.

Older adults stand out as one of the largest groups in the United States at risk of dying in a fire. What can we do to change this unhappy statistic?