Fire Engineering PDF

Fire Engineering and Emergency
Planning
Fire Engineering and Emergency
Planning
Edited by
RONALD BARHAM
Department of Built Environment, University of
Central Lancashire, UK
London Glasgow Weinheim New York Tokyo

Melbourne Madras
Published by E & FN Spon, an imprint of Chapman & Hall, 26 Boundary Row, London
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First edition 1996
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Contents
Introductions x
Chairs of sessions xi
List of contributors xiii
Preface xvii
EuroFire 95 Introductory Remarks xxi
EDITH CRESSON European Commission for Science, Research
and Development
1
PART ONE: FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES
1 Introduction 3
B.J.M.ALE
Section One Fire Engineering 5
2 Research in fire engineering: combustion and explosion science 7
and industrial problems
G.M.MAKHVILADZE
3 Critical conditions for flashover in enclosed ventilated fires 19
T.GRAHAM, G.MAKHVILADZE and J.ROBERTS
4 The theoretical model of carbonized organic solid fuels 29
combustion
V.M.GREMYACHKIN
5 Self-generated turbulence of laminar and turbulent transient 33
flame fronts inside a closed spherical vessel
B.LEISENHEIMER and W.LEUCKEL
6 Algorithms for the calculation of egress complexity 41
A.J.POLLOCK and H.A.DONEGAN
7 Modelization of combustion with complex kinetics 51
V.A.VOLPERT and A.I.VOLPERT
Section Two Protection of Built Environment 59
8 Results comparison of smoke movement analysis in buildings 61
using steady-state and transient models
R.BORCHIELLINI, M.CALI and G.MUTANI
9 Fire protection in modern computer networks centres 73
M.T.AREITIO and J.AREITIO
10 Domestic first aid firefighting 79
C.REYNOLDS and K.BOSLEY
11 Dynamical modelling of fires in buildings 91
E.CAFARO, L.RANABOLDO and A.SALUZZI
12 An hierarchical approach to fire resistance improvement of 103
complex technical systems
R.V.GOLDSTEIN
13 A software package for deterministic and stochastic 111
modelling of fires in buildings with a CAD-based graphical
user interface
A.LANCIA, L.BORDIGNON, M.SINI and G.GALLINA
14 The probability of progressive fire propagation in complex 143
systems
D.A.ONISHCENKO
Section Three Strategic Emergency Planning 151
15 Emergency planning 153
T.J.SHIELDS
16 EXPO 92: A review of its emergency planning integrated 159
design
R.BARHAM and R.FERNNDEZ-BECERRA
17 Towards the quantification of emergency egress capabilities 167
for disabled people
K.E.DUNLOP, T.J.SHIELDS and G.W.H.SILCOCK
18 Assessment and simulation of crowd evacuation issues 175
N.KETCHELL, D.M.WEBBER, S.K.COLE, P.J.STEPHENS and
N.HIORNS
19 Integrated emergency planning 181
J.R.STEALEY and C.F.PAYNE
20 Fire Cover Computer Model 191
C.REYNOLDS
21 LINCE: Computerised emergency management 201
J.L.ROMAN MONZO
22 Analysing evacuation modelling techniques of mixed-ability 209
populations
L.RUBADIRI
217
PART TWO APPLICATIONS
23 Introduction 219
S.-E.MAGNUSSON
Section Applied Research and DevelopmentIndustrial Fire Safety 221
One
24 Foam and water for the protection of equipment engulfed in fire 223
J.CASAL, E.PLANAS, L.BORDIGNON and A.LANCIA
25 Deployment of fire prevention equipment: theory and 235
experiencefuture computerisation and the example of the
Bouches-du-Rhne
J.-C.DROUET
26 A critical insight in to the behaviour of windows in fire 247
S.K.S.HASSANI, G.W.H.SILCOCK and T.J.SHIELDS
27 Testing of axially loaded and restrained steel columns 259
W.I.SIMMS
28 Toxic combustion products from pesticide fires 269
L.SMITH-HANSEN
Section Legislation and RegulationTowards 277
Two EC Standards and Codes of Practice
29 European standards for fire safety: a summary of the 279
current position
P.R.WARREN
30 A commentary on the fire research/building design 287
applications interface
J.C.ANGELL and E.L.ANGELL
31 Fire legislation: a UK view of European fire safety 293
regulation
R.BARHAM
Section EC PerspectivesNew Horizons? 303
Three
32 Operability analysis as a tool for fire risk evaluation 305
N.PICCININI
33 Developing a geographical information systems-based 313
decision support system for emergency planning in
response to hazardous gas releases
S.CARVER and A.MYERS
34 Applying artificial intelligence to the scientific analysis of 329
timber in fire
C.A.GREEN, R.FOSTER, P.SMITH, G.W.BUTLER and M.T.
NIELSEN
35 Application of expert systems and machine learning in fire 335
investigation
P.J.IRVING, S.L.KENDAL and G.W.BUTLER
36 Making fire modelling software more accessible to end users 343
A.N.NDUMU, D.T.NDUMU, J.ROBERTS and A.K.PLATTEN
351
PART THREE EDUCATIONAL AND OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
37 Introduction 353
B.T.A.COLLINS
Section One Fire Technology Education and Training 357
38 Educating fire fighters for fire safe design 359
D.EVANS and J.ROBERTS
39 Addressing the need for European integrated postgraduate 367
education for fire safety
R.BARHAM
40 The development of fire engineering degree courses 377
D.A.EVANS
41 The implications of UK National Vocational Qualifications 385
for training and education in fire technology
B.C.MOTT
42 Implementing a distance learning course in fire safety for 405
technicians
K.PARSONS
43 Training for command at firesthe ICCARUS Project 413
K.WHITEHEAD
44 Training and research in fire safety in Moscow State 419
University of Civil Engineering (MSUCE)
A.V.ZABEGAYEV and A.N.BARATOV
Section Two Public Information Systems 427
45 Hazard management systems: information management at 429
major hazard incidents
D.T.DAVIS, B.CHEUNG and E.MORRIS
46 An emergency planning team as a source of public 441
information
S.M.CHAMBERS
47 A critical review of human behaviour in shopping malls 449
P.HUMPAGE
48 Assessing occupant response time: a key issue for fire 459
engineering
J.D.SIME
Section Three Risk AssessmentProbabilities and Public Perceptions 469
49 Reality and the perception of riskrisk assessment for the 471
fire service
R.A.KLEIN
50 Public perceptions and risk assessment: lessons from 483
industrial hazards in developing countries
P.S.FLORA
51 Analytical approaches to emergency planning and 491
assessment of emergency response
K.ODY and B.A.LEATHLEY
52 Airborne hazards: move or stay put? 503
J.R.STEALEY
Report of the Plenary Session 513

APPENDICES 519
Appendix One: A framework for research in the field of fire 521
safety in buildings by design
Appendix The role of public perception in the response 551

Two: planning for major incidents: public perception and
memory
retention questionnaire survey
S.CARVER and A.MYERS
Index 601
Introductions
Ren Montet President of CECAM (unreported)
Jean-Louis Mathicu Director of CECAM (unreported)
Edith Cresson European Commissioner for Science, Research and Development

Benjamin J.M.Ale Rijsinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Mijeuhygiene (The
Netherlands), Laboratorium voor Stralingsonderzoek (National Institute of Public Health
and Environmental Protection, Laboratory of Radiation Research)
Sven-Erik Magnusson Professor, Lund University (Sweden), Institute of Science and
Technology, Department of Fire Safety Engineering
Bryan T.A.Collins Her Majestys Chief Inspector of Fire Services, The Fire Service
Inspectorate of the The Home Office (U.K.)
Chairs of sessions
Roland Borghi Professor, LFMN-CORIA/Institut of Mechanics, Insa, Rouen (France)

Marita Kersken-Bradley Consulting Engineer, Ingenieur Bro Kersken+Partner,
Mnchen (Germany)
Sven-Erik Magnusson Professor, Lund University (Sweden), Institute of Science and
Technology, Department of Fire Safety Engineering
Lindiwe Rubadiri presently with University of Central Lancashire (England),
Department of Built Environment; shortly to become Lecturer, School of Engineering,
Gabarone, Botswana
Joo L.Porto Professor, Universidade do Porto (Portugal), Departamento de
Engenharia Civil (University of Porto, Department of Civil Engineering) and Director
Geral (Managing Director), Metro do Porto S.A. (Portugal)
Denis T.Davis Executive Chairman, Instituion of Fire Engineers; Chief Fire Officer,
Cheshire County Fire Brigade (England)
Ronald Barham Visiting Professor of Construction Economics to Fachhochscule
Augsburg (Germany), Fellow of Sheffield Univesity (England), Faculty of Law and
Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built
Environment
List of contributors
Angell, E.L. Chartered Architect, Preston (England)

Angell, J.C. Senior Lecturer, University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of
Built Environment
Areitio, J. Networks & Systems, Bilbao (Spain)
Areitio, M.T. Networks & Systems, Bilbao (Spain)
Baratov, A.N. Professor, Moscow State University of Building (Russia)
Barham, R. Visiting Professor of Construction Economics to Fachhochschule Augsburg
(Germany), Fellow of Sheffield Univesity (England), Faculty of Law and Senior
Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built
Environment
Borchiellini R. Polytecnico di Torino (Italy), Departimento di Energetica
Bordignon, L. Universitat Politecnica de Cataluya (Spain), Department of Chemical
Engineering and Tesca Ricerca & Innovazione srl, Scanzorosciate (BG) (Italy)
Bosley, K. Fire Research and Development Group, Fire and Emergency Planning
Department, The Home Office (U.K.)
Butler, G.W. Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade (England)
Cafaro, E. Politecnico di Torino (Italy), Dipartamento di Energetica
Cali M. Polytecnico di Torino (Italy), Departimento di Energetica
Carver, S. University of Leeds (England), School of Geography
Casal, J. Professor, Universitat Politcnica de Cataluya (Spain), Departament
dEnginyeria Quimica (Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Department of Chemical
Engineering
Chambers, S.M. Consultant, Get Science Write, Calbourne (England)
Cheung, B.T. Deputy Senior Operations Officer, Cheshire County Fire Brigade
(England)
Cole, S.K. Atomic Energy Authority Technology Consultancy Services (SRD) (England)
Davis, D. Chief Fire Officer, Cheshire County Fire Brigade (England)
Donegan, H.A. Univestity of Ulster at Jordanstown (U.K.), Department of Mathematics
Drouet, J-C. University Technology Institut of Aix-en-Provence (France), Health and
Safety Department
Dunlop, K.E. University of Ulster at Jordanstown (U.K.), Fire SERT Centre
Evans, D. University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built Environment
Fernndez-Becerra, R. Jefe del Gabinete Tcnico de Proteccin contra Incendios,
Gerencia Municipal de Urbanismo, Sevilla, formerly Director del Programma de
Prevenccion contra Incendios, Expo92 (Spain)
Flora, P. Lecturer, University of Central Lancashire (England), Faculty of Design and
Technology
Foster, R. University of Sunderland (England), School of Computing and Information
Systems
Gallina, G. CNR (Italian National Research Council)ICITESesto Ulteriano (MI)
(Italy)
Goldstein, R. Professor and Head of Laboratory, Institute for Problems in Mechanics of
the Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory on Mechanics of Strength and Fracture
Materials and Structures
Graham, T. University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built
Environment
Green, C.A. University of Sunderland (England), School of Computing and Information
Systems
Gremyachkin, V.M. Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the Russian Academy of
Sciences
Hassani, S.K.S. University of Ulster at Jordanstown (U.K.), Fire SERT Centre
Hiorns, N. Atomic Energy Authority Technology Consultancy Services (SRD) (England)
Humpage, P. West Midlands Fire Service (England)
Irving, P.J. University of Sunderland (England)
Kendal, S.L. University of Sunderland (England)
Ketchell, N. Atomic Energy Authority Technology Consultancy Services (SRD) (England)
Klein, R.A. Institt fur Physiologische Chemie der Universitt Bonn (Germany) and
Principal Scientific Adviser to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (England)
Lancia, A. Professor, Universitat Politecnica de Cataluya (Spain), Department of
Chemical Engineering and Tesca Ricerca & Innovazione srl, Scanzorosciate (BG)
(Italy)
Leathley, B.A. Risk Management Consultants, Four Elements Ltd., London (England)
Leisenheimer, B. Universitt Karlsruhe (Germany), Engler-Bunte-Institut, Lehrstuhl und
Bereich Feuerungstechnik
Leukel, W. Universitt Karlsruhe (Germany), Engler-Bunte-Institut, Lehrstuhl und
Bereich Feuerungstechnik
Makhviladze, G.M. Professor of Fire Engineering, University of Central Lancashire
(England), Department of Built Environment and Head of Research Centre for Fire
and Explosion Studies
Morris, E. Media and Education Officer, Cheshire County Fire Brigade (England)
Mott, B.C. Senior Lecturer, Bournmouth University (England), Department of Product
Design and Manufacture
Mutani, G. Polytecnico di Torino (Italy), Departimento di Energetica
Myers, M. Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning Unit (England), Fire and Civil Defence
Authority
Ndumu, A.N. University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built
Environment
Ndumu, D.T. University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built
Environment
Nielson, M.T. Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade (England)
Ody, K. Risk Management Consultants, Four Elements Ltd., London (England)
Onishcenko, D.A. All Russia Research and Design Institute for Offshore Oil and Gas
Recovery (VNIPIMORNEFTEGAS), Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the
Russian Academy of Sciences
Parsons, K. Lecturer, University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built
Environment
Payne, C.F. Emergency Planning Consultant, Christopher Payne & Associates,
(England)
Piccinini, N. Professor, Polytcnico di Turino (Italy), Dipartimento di Scienza del
Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica
Planas, E. Universitat Politecnica de Cataluya (Spain), Department of Chemical
Engineering
Platten, A. University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of Built Environment
Pollock, A.J. Univestity of Ulster at Jordanstown (U.K.), Department of Mathematics
Ranaboldo, L. Politecnico di Torino (Italy), Dipartamento di Energetica
Reynolds, C. Fire Research and Development Group, Fire and Emergency Planning
Department, The Home Office (U.K.)
Roberts, J.P. Professor and Head of Department, University of Central Lancashire
(England), Department of Built Environment
Roman, J.L. ITSAMAP FUEGO, Madrid (Spain)
Rubadiri, L. presently with University of Central Lancashire (England), Department of
Built Environment; shortly to become Lecturer, School of Engineering, Gabarone,
Botswana
Saluzzi, A. Politecnico di Torino (Italy), Dipartamento di Energetica
Sheilds, T.J. Professor and Director of Fire SERT Centre, University of Ulster at
Jordanstown (U.K.)
Silcock, G.W.H. University of Ulster at Jordanstown (U.K.), Fire SERT Centre
Sime, J. Research Consultant, Jonathan Sime Associates (England)
Simms, W.I. Univestity of Ulster at Jordanstown (U.K.), School of the Built Environment
Sini, M. Tesca Ricerca & Innovazione srl, Scanzorosciate (BG) (Italy)
Smith, P. University of Sunderland (England), School of Computing and Information
Systems
Smith-Hansen, L. National Laboratory (Denmark), Systems Analysis Department
Stealey, J.R. Emergency Planning Consultant, John Stealey Associates, (England)
Stephens, P.J. Atomic Energy Authority Technology Consultancy Services (SRD)
(England)
Volpert, A.I. Technicon (Israel), Department of Mathematics
Volpert, V.A. Universit-Lyon-1 (France), Laboratiore dAnalyse Numerique
Warren, P. Deputy Director, The Fire Research Station, Building Research Establishment
(England)
Webber, D.M. Atomic Energy Authority Technology Consultancy Services (SRD)
(England)
Whitehead, K. Greater Manchester Fire Brigade (England)
Zabegayev, A.V. Professor and Pro-Rector, Moscow State University of Building
(Russia)
.
Preface
Throughout Europe there is a considerable number of fires reported each year, resulting
in the loss of many lives. The amount of damage to environment and to property is
colossal, with re-instatement work on non-domestic property often costing hundreds of
millions of ecu. Add to this the cost of business interruption and increased insurance
premiums and the imperative of lessening the risk of fire, and for good emergency
planning, through education and research becomes obvious.
This book represents the proceedings of EuroFire95, the first European Symposium
on Research and Applications in Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning, held at the
Centre Europen de la Chambre des Artisans et des Mtiers (CECAM), Nmes, France,
from the 25th to the 27th of March, 1995. The Symposium was organised by the
Department of Built Environment (Centre for Research in Fire and Explosion Studies) of
the University of Central Lancashire, England, with the assistance of the European
Commission (Human Capital and Mobility Programme) and the Institution of Fire
Engineers. The intended purpose is to make a start on bridging the gap between the
various sectors of the European fire community, to promulgate state of the art
applications and to flag up new areas and trends in research and practice.
Themes
The Symposium took, as its themes for this inaugural meeting:

Fundamental Research
Applied Research
Education and Operations
These themes are reflected in the organisation and arrangement of this book, through
which the strategic objective of establishing a comprehensive and rigorous review of the
situation and trends in each of these areas, within the member states of the European
Union and within the world fire community, generally, is being pursued.
This strategic object has also been addressed by each if the contributing authors. Many
of the contributions also range across the boundaries between the main themes, clearly
indicating that there has been, in recent developments, an integration of education,
research and applications across the boundaries of the formerly separate and specific
domains of fire engineering and emergency planning. This also demonstrates that science
and engineering is now being considered in association with law and economics in
pursuance of a common goal: the protection of humanity and its environment.
Secondary aims
Over the last five years, or so, there has been an acceleration in the quest for more and
better tools for use in the provision of protection and the maintenance of safety.
Knowledge transfer facilitated by more widely-attended conferences, refereed journals
and other relevant publications, is vital, particularly in an emergent area of scientific
endeavour where there is an identified lack of communication between small cadres of
established and knowledgeable specialist researchers, an ever growing body of younger
researchers and an ever more inquisitive and interested body of users of the applied
science.
The Inaugural Symposium was convened, therefore, with the additional intention that
it should provide:
a vehicle for young researches involved in fire engineering and emergency planning to
meet and to participate in a significant high-level meeting and to benefit from contact
with established authorities with a high level of experience and expertise in the subject
area
a specifically European forum for the presentation of research findings and for the
publication of the results
a facility where, by exchange of results, knowledge and views, a significant step could
be taken towards the effective harmonisation of aspects of fire engineering safety,
operations and management in the member states of the European Union to assist with
the addressing of proposals to extend E.C. Directives and Codes of Practice affecting
fire safety and emergency planning
The reasoning behind this last proviso was an intention to establish a comprehensive and
rigorous research and knowledge base for E.U. wide common codes in fire safety which
required community wide collaboration and activity in the fundamental areas of fire
safety research. Action at a European level in a co-ordinated and structured manner,
encouraging the participation of the future leaders in these areas, is seen as a pre-requisite
of this and makes the organisation of international colloquia, symposia and conferences
important mechanisms for its achievement.
The future
The intended continuation of this initiative in the form of a series of biennial

conferences/symposia will make a substantial contribution to the goal of European
harmonisation and provide a facility for the exchange of information in the fields of fire
engineering and safety management.
This series of conferences, of which the contents of this publication record the first,
will continue to have direct relevance to improving health and safety standards by
increasing the necessary understanding of the scientific and engineering fundamentals
required for fire safe design of environments by increasing the quality and quantity of
both pure and applied research in the relevant areas. This first conference has identified
several areas where research and technological development is most urgently needed and
it is anticipated that future conferences will continue to facilitate advances in the
understanding of fire safety engineering.
And finally
It would be remiss of me not to pay tribute to those individuals and organisations, too
many to mention separately, whose enthusiastic and unstinting assistance has made it
possible to bring this project to fruition. To them I say a heartfelt thank-you, merci,
gracias, obrigado, danke, dank u, kiltos, grazie, tak, takk, tack, hvala,etcetera.
Dr. Ronald Barham
Editor Centre for Research in Fire and Explosion Studies
Department of Built Environment
University of Central Lancashire
Preston
Lancashire
England
PR1 2HE
EURO FIRE 95 INTRODUCTORY
REMARKS
EDITH CRESSON
European Commissioner for Science, Research and Development
A message forwarded by letter from the Cabinet of the Commissioner:

Mme Cresson regrets that she is unable to be with you today, due to the development
of an increasingly intensive workload but has asked that you be informed that she shares
your views that the subjects of fire safety, fire engineering, emergency planning and risk
management are important topics which have an impact on the quality of life of all
European citizens. Accordingly she asks that we bring to your attention the following
matters which are extracted from her recent presentation to the European Parliament:
One of the priorities of my portfolio as Commissioner for Science, Research and
Development is that of employment. Economic recovery is necessary for Europe and for
the creation of new jobsbut it cannot take place on its own. Major trans-European
research, which I spearheaded in 1989 under the French Presidency, will, in my opinion,
save the day. It is necessary, also, to come to a long-standing international agreement to
develop the competitiveness of our enterprises, notably in the areas vital to this future
namely: innovation and the development of industrial strategy. To this end, the White
Book on growth, competition and employment, introduced by M.Jaques Delors, put the
accent on two elements: research and education.
It is pleasing to note that these two domains of Community action, leading towards
the future, come under the auspices, now, of a single Commissioner. It is significant that
it will now be the same in most of the European member states. For example, in the
recent re-organisation of the German Government the combination of these two
responsibilities carries the name Minister for the FutureZukunfs Ministerium. My
primary concern will be, therefore, to strengthen the links between these two politics. In
this respect, the theme of Framework IV, to which the European Parliament attaches
much importance, is vital, i.e. the theme of applied socio-economic research which, to
some extent, covers the area that you are here to listen to today. I appreciate that the
joint efforts of Professor Ruberti, my predecessor, and the outgoing President, M.de
Sana, were subjected only to short delays with the less important financing schemes. As a
result, by this year, the execution of some twenty scientific programmes have, or will be,
commenced. Fundamental research will continue to be favoured but I attach a certain
importance to the visibility of action on the remaining priorities, in particular on
biotechnologies, transport, information technology and, most importantly, environment.
For your information it will be desirable that the remaining projects present, firstly, a
really European dimension and, secondly, take account of the needs of the citizens and
the market. It is equally important to ensure the diffusion of the results of research and
that they are explained and are readily available to all European citizens. The need for
research effort is fundamental. Therefore, it is necessary for the laboratories, the research
centres and the enterprises that the E.C. decisions on projects are made quickly and that
delays in payment of research funds are reduced. We must not forget that the European
institutions exist to conduct a European politic and, in the area of research and its
applications, we must look beyond our national practices to the position Europe faces in
the politics of research and innovation and from our principal competitors, the United
States and Japan. In the same spirit, I have to follow the open view of Professor Ruberti
for whom the Joint Research Centre made much of the research in Europe understandable
and to say that the European Parliament should pay attention to the scientific community
and to the European Commission on the necessity of putting research at the service of the
citizens of Europe in its efforts to encourage development.
I wish you every success for this important event.
PART ONE
FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES
1
INTRODUCTION
B.J.M.ALE
Rijsinstituut voor Volksgezondheid Mijeuhygiene
(The Netherlands), Laboratorium voor Stralingsonderzoek
(National Institute of Public Health and Environmental
Protection, Laboratory of Radiation Research)
The organisers have asked me to set the conference off by giving you an overview of
what you might expect and saying something about why you are here.
The fire research and fire fighting community is about the same as in other techniques
like chemicals. You have two main groups: at one extreme are the senior academics
who know it all and do very fine scientific research; at the other extreme, the fire-
fighterswho put the fires out and are supposed to have knowledge of what these
researchers have done, but unfortunately do not speak to them. In between these two
extremes you have the young, upcoming academicswho might have access to the
senior academics (if the senior academics have time) but are unlikely to see more of a fire
than the fire drill in the laboratory.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that fires become more complex. Not necessarily by
scale, because we used to have whole cities burn to the ground. In terms of fire
technology that is relatively easy to deal with because they were mainly wood firesbut
now fires are more complex: we now have fires in chemical industries; we have vapour
cloud explosions; and we frequently have to deal with complicated chemical reactions.
For example, you might have a fire on your hands in a nuclear power station but, equally,
a 747 might crash into an apartment building (as happened in the Netherlands three years
ago) and you might find yourself in the situation that we werewhere you need all the
equipment that you can possibly lay your hands on and you need all the knowledge that
you possibly can lay your hands onand within about half an hour, CNN has broadcast it
all over the world. Members of the families of those potentially involved in the accident
started to phone in from all over the world. This caused a breakdown of the telephone
system and, eventually, the radio communication system. At this point, they started to use
overseas short wave communication of their own, thus wrecking the radio system as well
and so, as you can see, things can get nasty.
Also, in such situations, your emergency planning and your evacuation planning is
subjected to severe complications. First of all people might no longer believe what you
tell them to do; and, secondly, you might end up with enormous traffic jams. In the
Boeing 747 disaster, we needed traffic policemen to actually direct the traffic of the
ambulances and the fire trucks, themselves. We also needed police assistance in keeping
out bystanders who wanted to make video tapes of the disaster for the home video. With
Fire engineering and emergency planning 4
all this complexity, it is necessary to understand not just the behaviour of complex fires
but also to understand the behaviour of a complex built environment and to understand
the behaviour of people within it.
These are the matters that we are going to discuss during this conference. The first day
will mainly be devoted to fundamental research, the second day will then slide
Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning. Edited by R.Barham.
Published in 1996 by E & FN Spon. ISBN 0 419 20180 7.
towards applications in concrete situations and emergency planning, and the last day will
mainly be spent looking at education, operations and emergency preparedness.
Other people will set the pace for the next days; I will shortly give you the pace for
today. First, we will cover flame behaviour, fire behaviour, combustion processes, and
flashoverlooking at how a small fire can become a big one in a very short time; and
then the behaviour of all sorts of new building materials that might create new problems.
In the second session, we then look at applications of those series into actual buildings.
We look at situations such as where you might have critical or vulnerable or very
expensive equipment (such as computer equipment) in a building which you need to
protect but still you want to take the fire out and, then, in the third session we look at
emergency planning and crowd control, the logistics of how to be there on time and how
to organise your preparedness plan.
These various matters should nicely fill the daystarting off with theory and ending
with practice. However, this day should not only be a listening day. As I said at the
beginning, one of the drawbacks of having a well-developed and very interesting science
is that the practical applications get lost because the academics get bogged down in
solving differential equations while others are trying to build more fire trucks. So if you
have time, and I hope you will take the time, speak to each other. Figure out what the
academics can mean to you. And to the academics, I say dont think that you know it
allbecause these fire-fighters have taken the heat of the actual fire and know, in all
probability, what they are facing in a live fire situation.
With that I wish you a very nice day.
SECTION ONE
FIRE ENGINEERING
2
RESEARCH IN FIRE ENGINEERING:
COMBUSTION AND EXPLOSION
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIAL PROBLEMS
G.M.MAKHVILADZE
Department of Built Environment,
University of Central Lancashire, UK
Abstract
The state of the art in fire engineering is crucially dependant on
achievements in combustion and explosion science and problems
originating from within industry. In this connection the following two
basic issues are considered: modern trends in combustion and explosion
science and modern industrial problems which are important for fire
engineering. Examples of recent studies are given.
Keywords: Fire engineering, research, combustion, explosion, industry.
1 Introduction
To begin a discussion on research in fire engineering the mutual links between Fire
Engineering, Combustion and Explosion Science and Industry (see Fig. 1) should be
considered.
Fire Engineering (FE) is essentially based on Combustion and Explosion Science
(CES) which has been providing the necessary background, solutions of principle, new
qualitative information, methods and techniques. Also, it puts forward new concepts for
FE and revises former approaches.
From this perspective, it is important to follow the modern trends in CES that seem
promising for FE and could be incorporated into FE research in the near future. This is
the first main question arising when evaluating the research in FE along with the link
CES FE (see sketch in Fig. 1):
What are the most important modern studies in CES from the perspective of FE?
In turn, FE tends to adopt, use and apply those issues originated with CES. Eventually,
this stimulates new engineering solutions, implementation and improvement of codes,
regulations and standards, development of proper preventive anti fire and anti-explosion
measures,

Fig. 1. Mutual links

provision of required fire design, implementation of adequate testing facilities and
equipment, and further development of legislation. All this allows FE to meet the needs
of modern industry in fire protection including building, petro-chemical industry,
transportation, and energetics. Obviously, a high enough level of education must be
achieved. That is why, along with the link FE Industry the second important
question arises:
What can be done for better provision of education for those concerned with fire
studies?
This question will be discussed in a different session of the conference and is not pursued
here.
From another perspective, FE is under permanent pressure from industry which poses
new technical problems and requirements. Along with the link Industry FE the third
question arises that needs to be answered:
What are the modern problems of FE originating from Industry?
This cycle of reciprocal links is closed: in its turn, FE with its efforts to resolve the
problems originated with industry has an influence on CES, demanding new methods,
Research in fire engineering 9
methodologies and approaches to be incorporated in research in fire and explosion

studies.
Hopefully, the questions posed above will be a catalyst for further discussion. Proper
answers to these questions and related discussions would give a chance to describe the
state-of-the-art of research in FE. Having said that, from here on the author is going to
answer, certainly partially, two of the basic questions posed above. These answers can
not be but affected by the personal interests of the author. Also, the field is too broad for
any detail review in one short talk. Nevertheless, this short introduction to our session
should help to formulate our tasks for further discussion.
2 Basic tendencies of modern CES
Flames, deflagrations, explosions, detonation used to be and still remain the main areas of
CES. But, like any modern science CES includes and makes use of results from many
related sciences, including heat and mass transfer, natural convection, gas dynamics of
reacting flows, chemical kinetics and thermodynamics, turbulence studies, computational
fluid dynamics (CFD), material science, environmental studies, many areas of applied
mathematics and experimental physics. This combination of disciplines results in new
developments in the field of CES. Consider some of those issues that will be important in
the future of FE.
2.1 New investigative techniques and methods. Laser spectroscopy

Over the last years new experimental delicate methods have been developed and
incorporated into combustion studies [1],[2].
Progress in the development of non-intrusive laser spectroscopic diagnostic techniques
and instrumentation now enables comprehensive investigations of reacting flows and the
fine structure of chemical reaction fronts [2],[3]. In particular, the application of Laser
Induced Fluorescence (LIF) provides images of the instantaneous spatial distributions of
species and temperatures in short duration, high speed flow fields, distribution of the
unburned fuel in non premixed turbulent flames. The Laser Spark emission technique
(LASS) is being developed as an in situ, real time monitor for the elemental composition
of individual coal and fly-ash particles and coal-ash deposits. The Infrared Computed
Tomography (ICT) method has been developed to measure two-dimensional temperature
distributions. During the last decade Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) has
proven to be very attractive for the diagnostics of various combustion processes. Laser
light scattering is the most promising method for the characterisation of droplets and
aerosols, in future it will be tested for spray combustion of hydrocarbon mixtures.
Laser spectroscopy as an analytical technique will be applied more and more in FE to
study the fine structure of fires, flames and mixing zones, to analyse the processes
relevant to properties and formation of the smoke particles and coal-ash deposits, to find
spatio-temporal distributions of smoke, to study the processes of multi-phase releases
resulting from a loss of containment.
2.2 New investigative techniques and methods. Computational

modelling
Already, numerical modelling has widely spread in FE. During the last ten years,
techniques of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) have been widely developed for
predicting the consequences of building fires [3],[4]. Based on the proliferation of
modern numerical methods, computer hardware and software into many areas of CES,
one could easily foresee the same tendency in FE.
On this stage, numerical modelling in CES is characterised by the adoption of
turbulence theory models and relevant computational field models for combustion
problems (see [1] to [3], [5],[6]). Obviously, the novel modelling being developed in CES
for turbulent flows with nonpremixed [7] and premixed ([8] to [10]) flames, spray
combustion [11] and two-phase reacting systems flows [12] will continue to be applied to
fire and explosion problems. This as well as efforts at further improving the credibility of
field models and submodels is expected to
Fig. 2. Cellular structure of flame,

propagating in plane channel.
Fig. 3. Flammability limits in a

combustible gaseous mixture in a
gravitational field.
be very intensive and in many connections will be responsible for the future level of
theoretical and numerical research in FE.
2.3 Transition to the spatial description of combustion processes

Over the last decade combustion studies having solved the main 1D problems and based
on the results obtained has turned to the spatial 2D and 3D description of combustion and
explosion phenomena. This has allowed consideration of more complicated and more
realistic gas dynamic situations. Such a development resulted in two important issues in
CES.
1. Renewal and revision of classical results (see e.g. [13]) obtained in the different areas
of CES (thermal explosion, self-ignition, ignition by heated surfaces, flame and
detonation propagation). Non-one-dimensional processes, in particular natural
convective flows, change significantly the critical conditions. When applied to FE this
results in new criteria for ignition, self-ignition and flammability limits and more
generally, a need to rethink matters.
For example, the whimsical cellular structure of a flame in a tube, arising due to the
spatial thermal-diffusional instability of a laminar flame front (see fig. 2 from [14]; a
flame propagating from left to right is shown at two successive moments; in the upper
parts: isotherms and flow fields, in lower parts; flame front; all the distributions are
symmetrical about the horizontal middle axis) results in the opposite dependence of flame
propagation velocity on Lewis number in comparison with classical formula (see [13]).
This is a significant factor in the estimation of flame velocities and quenching diameters.
It should be noted, that the value of the flammability limits and the flame propagation
velocity (fire spread velocity) depend on the relation between the characteristic time of
the chemical reaction in the flame, tr, and the characteristic time for heat losses, tcool. For
near-limit mixtures, close to flammability limits, these two specific times are of the same
order of magnitude, tr~tcool.
For gases, the heat losses time is actually a characteristic hydrodynamics time, thd,
because the intensity of heat and mass transfer processes depends on fluid motions.
Different combustible systems reveal different flow patterns and different characteristic
hydrodynamics times. Accordingly, the flammability limits and flame velocity will be
different.
This is illustrated clearly in Fig. 3, where summary results on numerical modelling of
flame propagation in a channel under a gravity force field, in a given mixture [15] are
presented. In the middle of the figure the flammability limits on the plane (Peclet number,
inverse Froude number) are plotted for the three different orientations of the channel
relative to the gravity force. Each curve separates the area of flame propagation (below
the curve) from the area of flame extinction (above the curve). In all the cases the flames
cool due to natural convective motions. Because of different flow patterns in each case,
the mechanism of flame extinction is also different. In a horizontal channel (upper
picture; flow field and chemical reaction zone are shown) the main mechanism for heat
losses is convective heat transfer through the upper wall. In a vertical channel and for
lower ignition (left: isotherms and flow field, right: chemical reaction zone) the flame is
cooled due to convective heat losses from lateral flame surfaces. For downward-
propagating flames (left: isotherms, right: flow field and chemical reaction zone),
extinction is due to the formation of longitudinal convective vortexes in the combustion
products; these vortices promote the heat transfer from the flame through lateral cold
walls.
This example shows the difficulty which is known to occur in FE, that results of tests
vary, sometimes significantly, depending on the testing facilities used in different
institutions. Even slight changes in geometry or in some conditions change the
characteristics of heat and mass transfer have considerable influence on combustion
characteristics under near-critical conditions.
2. Investigation (mostly by means of numerical methods) of large scale combustion and
related phenomena that can not be treated, in principle as 1D problems. Many have
became available for research in the last few years. Especially, one could note,
chemical reaction front propagation and combustion product movements in both,
confined volumes (closed and vented vessels, tubes, channels, enclosures) and in the
open atmosphere. These studies being applied to FE give a possibility to analyse on a
new level such problems as fire spread and smoke movement in enclosures (see
section 3.1), dynamics of big open fires and accompanying convective flows (see [1]
to [3]) and the behaviour of hazardous releases (dense vapour and particulate clouds,
plumes, jets, fireballs, pool fires).
2.4 Dynamics and combustion of multi-phase mixtures

This area is being developed intensively in CES, especially in connection with spray and
dust combustion [1],[2]. Different experimental and theoretical approaches have been
developed and applied, including those based on the dynamics of heterogeneous media
[16]. These studies are promising for FE because of their applicability for loss prevention
in process industries, in particular, for the study of phenomena relevant to the loss
containment (rupture of pressurised vessels, pipelines, etc.).
2.5 Deflagration-detonation transition, large scale detonation

Very often, fires begin with or are followed by explosions. For this reason such
traditional areas of CES as deflagration-detonation transition, flame propagation in
obstacle congested volumes, explosion scaling methodology, fast deflagrations, are of
interest for FE. For example, these phenomena are of concern to the petroleum
installations. In recent years significant attention has been given to numerical modelling
(see, e.g. the review[17]) and large scale laboratory and field experiments ([18],[19]).
The other very fast developing area is the study of reasons for the onset of
spontaneous accidental explosions (see e.g. [20],[21] and references there in). In
particular, the concept of spontaneous explosions generated in non-uniformities of auto-
ignition time delay has been recently treated by several teams. The concept could provide
insight into the onset of accidental explosions (for example, in vented vessels for pressure
relief systems [22]).
3 Modern problems of FE originated within industry
The broad spectrum of these problems reflects the industrial needs. It includes risk
assessment, fire resistance, toxicity assessment, early diagnostics of accidents, big fires
and ecology, testing, codes of practices, standards, regulations, etc.
We consider here only two problems taking into account their importance with regard
to human losses and world-wide spreading.
3.1 Fire spread and smoke movement in enclosures

Research on fires in multi-room housing and industrial buildings, atriums, off-and
onshore platforms is still in its infancy. But it is expected to develop very rapidly in the
future. The study should include multi-purpose targets: prediction of fire behaviour and
smoke movement inside compartments and buildings in whole, criteria of safety,
visibility and toxicity of the smoke, heat fluxes, effective fire and smoke control and
preventive measures (detection and fire protection systems, safety of escape routes, safe
havens, ventilation, suppression systems).
Fire modelling is growing rapidly, and much progress is being made in different
places [3]. There are four principal ways [23] to model enclosure fires: experimental,
stochastic, field and zone models.
Some advantages of zone modelling are not yet completely exploited. One can
remember an effective treatment of flashover phenomenon [24],[25] on the basis of
classical thermal explosion well studied in CES. Recent development of this approach
has been made [26] where modern non-linear dynamics was applied with the same aim.
At this conference, in line with classical explosion theory, critical conditions for
flashover are reported [27].
But the most attention in this area is given to the field modelling (see e.g. [3],[4]).
Considerable achievements connected with the UK Fire Research Stations activity have
resulted in the development of mathematical computer models and codes. Nevertheless,
fire safety of building needs further development of models describing fire dynamics in
enclosures, the study of gas dynamics, and the physical processes that are important in
many fire situations, such as two-phase flows accompanying fire in enclosures.
The dispersed phase (soot, ash, aerosols, droplets) in the fire process can be formed
from external sources such as interaction of sprinkler jets and extinguisher powders
with combustion products, from ruptured tubes and so on; and internal sources, for
example large enough smoke particles which are formed in fire and cannot be considered
as gaseous components, production of aerosols in chemical reactions and droplets from
plastics melting in fires. Fire-flow field interaction, models of fire growth, soot formation
process, analysis extension for complex enclosures, incorporation of some novel
computational methods (multigrid methods, parallel processors, various differencing
schemes) still remain as areas in which further activity is essential.
3.2. Large open fires

These fires arise on industrial sites as a result of loss containment followed by fuel
releases and, potentially, result in severe accidents. Industry poses the main tasks for
specialists in CES concerned with this sort of accidents: what are possible typical
scenarios of the accidents, including worst-case scenarios, effects on the surroundings
and how to estimate the fuel mass (energy) released.
The 1989 railway catastrophe in Russia, near the city of Ufa (capital of Bashkiria) in
the Eastern part of the Ural mountains is an extreme example of how dangerous the
releases of liquefied hydrocarbons into the atmosphere can be. The Ufa-catastrophe, the
Worlds largest disaster, followed such a the release into the atmosphere resulting in a
huge fire which killed or injured more than 1000 people.
The cause of the disaster was the rupture of a pipeline for pumping liquefied fuel
(propane, butane and heavier fractions of hydrocarbons) under a pressure of 28
atmospheres. As a result of hydrocarbon release a dense vapour cloud covered a large
forest area of 2.5km and railway tracks. Passenger trains travelling in opposite directions
came into the cloud. When they passed each other, a series of explosions initiated a huge
fire and fireball, heat radiation from which was the major killer of people.
Fire and the accompanying hydrodynamics consequence specified in [28], i.e.
hydrodynamics stage of accident following by multi-explosions, were the key
phenomena for the exploration of possible accident scenario and the estimation of the
involved fuel mass. This approach has proven to be useful. Analysis in [28] shows that
formation and rising of a buoyant fireball provides on explanation for the brief hurricane
that followed. Further study could lead to the creation of an independent method for the
assessment of vapour cloud hazards, based on relations between the mass of released fuel
and characteristics of the flow field induced by the fire.
4 Conclusion
This brief consideration shows clearly that the future development of FSE is dependant
on flexible and close reciprocal links with CES allowing for effective solutions of
modern problems coming from industry. Also, better provision of education for those
concerned with fire studies and fire protective communities should be born in mind
The motto of the EuroFire95 is Bridging the Gap. Being applied to research in FE,
this motto would denote necessary unification of efforts of specialists from these two
fields to go forward together.
5 Acknowledgement
The authors thanks British Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for
supporting his work in fire modelling, Grant Ref. GR/J85035, and fuel cloud behaviour,
Grant Ref. GR/K 13486.
6 References
1. Twenty-fifth Symposium (International) on Combustion. (1994) The Combustion Institute,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
2. Twenty-fourth Symposium (International) on Combustion. (1992) The Combustion Institute,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
3. Fire Safety ScienceProceedings of the Forth International Symposium. (1994). International
Association for Fire Safety Science, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
4. Cox, G. (1992) Some recent progress in the field modelling of fire, in Science and Technology
(ed. F.Weicheng, F.Zhuman), International Academic Publishers, Hefei, pp. 509.]
5. Bradley, D., Gaskell, P.H. and Gu, X.J. (1994) Application of a Reynolds stress, stretched
flamelet, mathematical model to computations of turbulent burning velocities and comparison
with experiments. Combustion and Flame, Vol. 96, No. 3, pp. 22148.
6. Achurst, Wm.T. (1994) Combustion modeling and turbulent structure, in Twenty-fifth
Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
7. Bray, K.N.S. (1990) Studies of the turbulent burning velocity. Proceedings of the Royal Society
London, Vol. 431, pp. 31535.
8. Cant, R.S., Bray, K.N.C., Kostiuk, L.W. and Rogg, B. (1994) Flow divergence effects in strained
laminar flamelets for premixed turbulent combustion. Combustion Science and Technology,
Vol. 95, No. 16, pp. 26176.
9. Duclos, J.M., Veynante, D. and Poinsot, T.A. (1993) A comparison of flamelet models for
premixed turbulent combustion. Combustion and Flames, Vol. 95, No. 5, pp. 10117.
10. Mantel, T. and Borghi, R. (1994) A new model of premixed wrinkled flame propagation based
on a scalar dissipation equation. Combustion and Flame, Vol. 96, No. 4, pp. 44357.
11. Borghi, R. and Loison, S. (1992) Studies of Dense-Spray Combustion by Numerical Simulation
with a Cellular Automation, in Twenty-fourth Symposium (International) on Combustion, The
Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pp. 15417.
12. Silverman, I. and Sirignano, W.A. (1994) Multi-droplet interaction effects in dense sprays.
International Journal of Multiphase Flow, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 99116.
13. Zeldovich, Ya.B., Barenblatt, G.I., Librovich, V.B. and Makhviladze, G.M. (1985)
Mathematical theory of combustion and explosions, Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York.
14. Zulinyan, G.A., Makhviladze, G.M. and Melikhov, V.I. (1992) Effect of the Lewis number on
the flame propagation mechanism. Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves, Vol. 28, No. 6, pp.
6149.
15. Makhviladze, G.M. and Melikhov, V.I. (1991) Flame propagation in a closed channel with cold
side walls. Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 17383.
16. Nigmatulin R.I. (1991) Dynamics of multiphase media, 2 volumes Academic Press,
Washington.
17. Hjertager, B.H. (1993) Computer modelling of turbulent gas explosions in complex 2D and 3D
geometries. Review Journal of Hazardous Materials, Vol. 34, part 2, p. 17397.
18. Lenoir, E.M. and Davenport, J.A. (1993) A survey of vapour cloud explosions: second update.
Process Safety Progress, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1233.
19. Bull, D.C. (1992) Review of large-scale explosion experiments. Plant/Operation Progress, Vol.
11, No. 1, p. 3340.
20. Makhviladze, G.M. and Rogatykh, D.I. (1991) Nonuniformities in initial temperature and
concentration as a cause of explosive chemical reactions in combustible gases. Combustion and
Flame, Vol. 87, No. 34, pp. 34756.
21. Proceedings of the Zeldovich memorial. (1994) Vol2: Combustion, detonation, shock waves.
Russian Section of the Combustion Institute, Moscow
22. Frolov, S.M., Gelfand, B.E. and Tsyganov, S.A. (1990) A possible mechanism for the onset of
pressure oscillation during venting. Journal of Loss Prevention in the process industries, Vol. 3,
No. 1, pp. 647.
23. SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering (1988) National Fire Protection Association,
USA.
24. Thomas, P.H. (1980/1) Fires and flashover in roomsa simplified theory. Fire Safety Journal,
Vol. 3, pp. 6776.
25. Thomas, P.H., Bullen, M.L., Quintiere, J.C. and McCaffrey, B.J. (1980) Flashover and
instabilities in fire behaviour. Combustion and Flame, Vol. 38, pp. 15971.
26. Bishop, S.R., Holborn, P.G., Beard, A.N. and Drysdale, D.D. (1993) Nonlinear dynamics of
flashover in compartment fires. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 1125.
27. Graham, T., Makhviladze, G. and Roberts, J. (1995) Critical conditions for flashover in
enclosed ventilated fires, in this book.
28. Gelfand, B.E., Makhviladze, G.M., Novozhilov, V.B., Taubkin, I.S. and Tsyganov, S.A. (1992)
Estimating the characteristics of an accidental explosion of a surface vapour air cloud
Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 17984.
3
CRITICAL CONDITIONS FOR
FLASHOVER IN ENCLOSED
VENTILATED FIRES
T.GRAHAM, G.MAKHVILADZE and J.ROBERTS
Abstract
This paper examines the nature, role, and critical relationship between non
dimensional parameters for flashover. A two-zone model for the
development of a fire in a ventilated enclosure is proposed and used. The
treatment of the model performed with the aid of non-dimensional
variables results in the formulation of critical conditions for flashover;
these critical conditions are obtained for small and high thermal inertia of
the walls.
Keywords: Compartment fire, enclosure, zone model, critical condition,
flashover
1 Fire development and flashover in a compartment
Typical fire development in an enclosure is characterised by a temperature history such

as that sketched in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. Stages in a compartment fire

temperature history.
Following ignition there is a slow growth period, which is limited by the pyrolysis rate of
the fuel supply (fuel controlled combustion). Early in the fire development the
combustion products are usually segregated in a well-stirred ceiling layer whose
properties are roughly homogeneous. The hot smoke and warming room boundaries
radiate heat back to the fire. Radiative feedback can enhance the reaction rate so that the
fire accelerates towards the fully developed stage.
The transition (which is usually very rapid) to a fully developed fire is called
flashover. Flashover fires are disastrous [1], and an increasing problem now [2] because
of the use of modern materials in buildings. It is a major objective of research to
understand and to predict this process so that precautions can be made during building
design. Apart from flashover, the regime of quasi-steady low-intensity fire is possible
(lower curve) with small heating of the upper layer.
Thomas [3] and Thomas et al [4] presented a theoretical treatment of the flashover
phenomena using the fundamentals of classical thermal explosion theory. Further
development of this approach was made by in [5,6] with the application of modern
nonlinear dynamics. In this treatment the flashover point is represented by a fold
catastrophe.
In this paper we suggest the two-zone model for the compartment fire and, in line with
the classical explosion theory approach we deduce the characteristics for the flashover
phenomenon, namely the analytical expression for the critical temperature and critical
conditions in terms of determining parameters.
2 The zone model
Zone models are known to assume that the compartment is divisible into two
homogeneous regions: a hot/smoke zone and a cool/lower zone. Each zone is represented
by average thermodynamic/gas properties. In this approach we lose local detail in return
for simplicity, but gain the ability to interpret complicated bulk phenomenon with
physical clarity. Another advantage is that one could specify a small number of the most
important (determining) parameters and obtain quite simple relationships, describing the
main features of the system.
Main assumptions:
the compartment can be divided into two zones which may be represented by average
temperatures,
the fluid motion is very slow in comparison to the velocity of sound,
flashover takes place during the early development of the fire, within the fuel controlled
combustion regime; during early fire development the density of the lower zone may
be assumed to be its initial value (L0),
the wall surfaces surrounding the zones can be described by two temperatures, the lower
zone and wall surfaces below the thermal discontinuity are at the initial temperature.
The equation of energy conservation takes the form of a heat balance:
(1)
Critical conditions for flashover in enclosed ventilated fires 21
The left hand side being the change in internal energy of the hot layer, t is the time, T is
the smoke/hot zone temperature, m is the total mass in the hot layer, cp is the specific heat
capacity (at constant pressure). On the right hand side G is the net heat gains and L is the
net heat losses from the hot zone. The initial condition is T(t=0)=To, where To is the
reference (ambient room) temperature.
We treat the case of a developing fire and reasonably assume that flashover occurs
during the early development of the fire, and do not account here for factors such as
fuel/air exhaustion. As a consequence of the assumption L0, at the beginning of
flashover the neutral plane and the thermal discontinuity plane coincide.
The heat gains for the smoke layer are given by:
(2)
where is the efficiency of the combustion process (the fraction of the theoretical heat
that would reach the smoke layer), hc is an effective heat of combustion, hvap is the
effective heat of vaporisation of the solid fuel, is the mass burning rate of the fuel, Af
is the pyrolysing area (surface area of fire), is the incident heat flux to the fuel
surface from the fire, U(T) is the radiation feedback coefficient from the hot layer at
temperature T, is the Stefan-Boltzman constant. The right hand side of the equation
contains two terms; the first being the heat gain to the smoke layer from a free-burning
fire, and the second term describes the radiation feedback to the fire from the upper zone
[3] and compartment walls.
The heat losses from the smoke layer are given by:
(3)
Here is the total mass flow of smoke/gas out of all vents and doorways, Av is the total
area of the vent, Au is the surface area of wall surrounding the smoke layer (including any
windows), D is the fractional height of the thermal discontinuity plane (D=ZD/Hv, ZD is
the height of the thermal discontinuity plane above the bottom of the vent, Hv is the
height of the vent), hc is the convective heat transfer coefficient for the hot wall surfaces,
Tw is the surface temperature of the walls surrounding the hot zone, hv is a convective
heat transfer constant for the vent, g is the emissivity of the gas layer, is the Stefan-
Boltzman constant, AL is the surface area of walls surrounding the cool/lower zone
(including referred parts of any vents), Tf is the surface temperature of the fuel bed.
The right hand side of (3) contains six terms. The first is an enthalpy flow out of the
vent. The second and third terms are convective heat losses to the walls surrounding the
hot layer, and out of the vent respectively. The last three terms are the radiative heat
transfer from the hot zone to the hot wall surfaces, the cool zone and the vent, and the
fuel bed areas respectively.
The parameter D varies from 0 to 1 and can in principle be found from the mass
balance equation (in line with the assumption L=0 we ignore the mass influx
into the room through the lower part of the vent under the neutral plane). However, this
makes further calculation algebraically difficult, and is not necessary at this stage in the
study. We shall assume that D is a constant (does not depend on T) and we will give
results for different values of D.
Henceforth we shall use dimensionless time introduced by the following formula
, where t*=mcpTo/Es is the characteristic time of heating of the upper layer by
heat from a freely burning fire, the value is the characteristic
heat flux (per unit time) to the smoke layer for a freely burning fire (that is to a smoke
layer at the ambient temperature), and dimensionless temperature, =T/T0. With these
dimensionless variables equation (1) with the initial condition takes the form:
(4)
where
Here out is a dimensionless scale for enthalpy flow out of the vents of the compartment,
R,j(j=W, L, f) is the dimensionless scale for radiative heat transfer from the hot zone to
the hot walls, to the lower zone and to the fire bed, C,k(k=H, L) is a dimensionless scale
for heat convected from the hot layer to the wall surfaces and the vent surfaces. Here on
we shall ignore the term out(1) in comparison with the heat gains due to heat flux from
the fire, because , but hc>>cp(TT0). Assuming also that
and determining the wall temperature Tw as in [5]

(w=1+(1), 01) we have:
(5)
where
(6)
The simplest model is described by the four determining parameters a1, a2, a3, and a4.
Solutions to (5) in the non-dimensional variables, also the initial condition and critical
condition are given by some function of these parameters and time:
(7)
3 Critical conditions
An intersection of the curves of gain function G and loss function L represents

quasisteady behaviour. Generally speaking, there are at most three solutions to the
balance condition (see Fig. 2, which is called Semenovs diagram in classical thermal
explosion theory) but the intermediate solution is unstable and not observed in practice.
This is because any small perturbations will result in a large change in temperature. The
number of intersections may change.
During fire development the losses and gain function curves move relative to each
other. With the approximations used here the gain curve does not actually move and Fig.
2 shows just a variation in losses.
Consider the behaviour of heat losses as the walls are heated. The heat conducted
away is proportional to the temperature difference; so losses begin to fall. A quasisteady
state in the fuel controlled regime (point P) moves towards higher temperatures (Fig. 2).
In the case of flashover this movement of the point continues until a tangency of the
curves occurs at the point P* followed by a rapid increase in temperature.
Fig. 2. Semenovs diagram, critical

points in development.
Small perturbations beyond the critical point lead to a catastrophic jump to the only
remaining quasi-steady state. This jump or bifurcation to a higher temperature represents
flashover. Extinction is represented by a jump to a lower temperature (for example when
fuel is depleted and heat gains decrease there would be such an extinction). The
phenomenon is well known in thermal explosion theory [7].
Differentiating the heat conservation equations gives the tangent to the curves. The
critical points are found where the tangent is zero. If the tangent is positive then gains
exceed losses and the fire develops, conversely a negative tangent represents a decaying
fire. Our aim is to study the lower critical point.
3.1 Walls of large thermal inertia

Consider different cases of (which describes the thermal response of the walls). In the
case of a large thermal inertia there is a delay for the wall surface temperature to rise
before flashover and =0.
The coefficients become:
a0=1, a1=KR,LR,fR,W, a2=C,H+C,L, a3=a4=0
(8)
and we have only two determining parameters. Equation (5) takes the form:
(9)
which gives the critical conditions:
(10)
Hence the critical temperature is
(11)
where is the total

inner surface area of the compartment. Clearly if >* there is no stationary solution,
gains exceed losses and flashover takes place. Equation (11) is a simple expression in
terms of the ratio of convection heat losses from the smoke layer, in comparison to the
net radiation heat gains.
Fig. 3. Critical temperature as a

function of dimensionless fire area.
The dependence of the critical temperature * as a function of the non-dimensional fire
area is presented in Fig. 3 for the value b2=34.25 (from the data in [5]).
The region of flashover is above these curves. The greater the fire area, the easier for
the fire to flashover. The greater the value of b1 (the more intensive the convective heat
losses, or the greater the vent area), or the greater the value of b2 (the less intensive the
heat release of the fire), the greater the critical temperature and the greater the difficulty
for the fire to achieve flashover. All these considerations are physically reasonable.
Noting that usually Av<<Au, hvhc, we have from (11)
(12)
In this limit, the critical temperature * does not depend upon the vent area.
It is physically clear that *1(a24a1), i.e.
(13)
This shows how the non-dimensional fire area is limited by the ratio of convective heat
losses to radiative heat gains for a quasi-stationary regime of fire to exist. This is a
necessary but insufficient condition for the existence of the quasi-steady state.
Substituting * from the second equation in (10) back into the first, gives the critical
relationship between the non-dimensional parameters a1 and a2 which can be presented in
the parametric form:
Fig 4 Regions of quasi-steady (low

intensity) fire and flashover.
(14)
This curve is shown in Fig. 4. The dotted straight line a2=4a1 is the asymptote of (14) at
*1 and also gives the range of parameters a2>4a1, where *>1. Thus, the quasi-steady
regime of low-intensity fire with little heating of the upper layer exists for the shaded
area of parameters lying under the solid curve. Outside this area flashover occurs.
3.2 Walls of low thermal inertia

If the walls have time to attain the temperature of the smoke layer, then =1, W= and
again the process is described by equation (9) with the two coefficients being:
a1=KR,LR,f, a2=C,L
(15)
In comparison with (8) these simply omit the radiative and heat losses R,W and C,H
because temperatures in the upper zone and surrounding walls are equal to each other.
The analysis of these equations is similar to that in section 3.1. The equations (9), (10),
(14) and Fig. 4 are the same. The formula for the critical temperature takes the form:
(16)
The greater the vent area and the smaller the fire area, and its intensity, the higher is the
critical temperature; as should be expected. In comparison with the case of walls of high
thermal inertia, the critical temperature depends significantly upon the vent area.
4 Conclusions
A reasonable assumption that heating of the lower zone is small during the earlier stage
of fire in a compartment, resulted in the formulation of a quite simple two-zone model
that allows the determination of the main characteristics of the system. As a result, the
behaviour of fire is described by two non-dimensional determining parameters a1 and a2
for both small and large values of thermal inertia of the walls. In the case of intermediate
values of thermal inertia in the compartment walls, the parameter should be taken into
account.
Simple explicit formulae for the critical temperature of flashover were obtained.
Flashover was considered to be the absence of a quasi-steady-state solution to the basic
heat balance equation. The relevant area of the parameters was also found.
References
1. SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering (1988) National Fire Protection Association,
USA.
2. Rasbash, D.J. (1991) Major disasters involving flashover. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 17, pp. 85
93.
3. Thomas, P.H., Bullen, M.L., Quintiere, J.G. and McCaffrey, B.J. (1980) Flashover and
instabilities in fire behaviour. Combustion and Flame, Vol. 38, pp. 15971.
4. Thomas, P.H. (1980/1) Fires and flashover in roomsa simplified theory. Fire Safety Journal,
Vol. 3, pp. 6776
5. Holborn, P.G., Bishop, S.R., Beard, A.N. and Drysdale, D.D. (1993) Nonlinear dynamics of
flashover in compartment fires. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 1145.
6. Drysdale, D.D., Holborn, P.G., Bishop, S.R. and Beard, A.N. (1993) Experimental and
theoretical models of flashover. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 25766.
7. Frank-Kamenetskii, F.K. (1969) Diffusion and heat transfer in chemical kinetics, Plenum
Publishing Corporation, New York.
4
THE THEORETICAL MODEL OF
CARBONIZED ORGANIC SOLID FUELS
COMBUSTION
V.M.GREMYACHKIN
Institute for Problems in Mechanics,
Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Modern buildings are faced inside by wood and plastic plates which are very dangerous
in case of buildings firing. There are two stages in wood or plastic plates combustion.
First stage is volatile materials burning out and the second stage is the combustion of
carbonized materials which are formed after volatile components burned out. The second
stage of the face plates combustion is the most dangerous because of combustion
temperature is highest in this stage. Besides, the carbonized materials at high temperature
can interact with carbon dioxide and steam but not only with oxygen. In this case the
gaseous fuels (mixture of carbon oxide and hydrogen) may be formed what is very
dangerous for fire development. These circumstances made the investigations of
carbonized materials combustion very important for the simulation of fire development in
modern buildings.
The most investigations deal with char particles combustion [14] for what the
kinetics of carbon interaction with different reactances is determined. Here we shall
consider the carbonized material plates combustion what is more important for buildings
fire consideration.
Lets have a plate of porous char and the gas layer over char surface having the
thickness . On the external boundary of the gas layer the temperature and the
composition of the gas phase are known:
.
Let us consider the diffusive equations in form of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms
conservation and the heat transfer equation in form of the full enthalpy conservation
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
where mj, and nj, and lj are the numbers of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms in
molecules and is the elimination flux of heat from char
surface, and
are the flows of substances and heat.

Also the next equations are considered
(5)
(6)
(7)
taking into consideration that the sum of relative mass concentrations is unit; the
alteration of mass flow is associated with rate of carbon consumption; the existing of gas
flow in porous char media is associated with pressure gradient by Darcys law.
It is necessary also to consider the equations of chemical reactions kinetics of char
interaction with reactances.
It can be assumed that all chemical reactions proceed in diffusive regime [56] on the
char surface and in the thin flame over the char surface. This diffusive model demands
nothing the kinetic data for utilization. Such model rather well describes the combustion
of liquid hydrocarbon fuels droplets, when only the homogeneous chemical reactions take
place. However, this model is not able to describe the complex regularities of char
combustion.
If the equations of all chemical reactions kinetics are considered [78], the most
common theoretical model takes place. However, the equations in this model are
nonlinear and very complex for solution. The big volume of information received in a
result of these equations numerical solution are very hard to analyze. The lack of real
kinetic data is also considerable hard for utilization of this model.
The estimations [9] show that in case of carbon combustion in air, as in case of liquid
droplets combustion the homogeneous reactions transfer from diffusive to kinetic regimes
for carbon particles size about a few microns only. However, the heterogeneous chemical
reactions proceed in kinetic regime. Thus it can be assumed that the heterogeneous
chemical reactions proceed in kinetic regime but the homogeneous chemical reactions
proceed in diffusive regime in process of char combustion and gasification.
It is necessary to note that the temperature of liquid droplets is limited by boiling
temperature of liquid fuels which is rater low. Because the homogeneous reactions in
case of liquid droplets combustion can proceed only in the thin flame where the
temperature is maximum. The temperature of char particles may be very high. In this case
the homogeneous chemical reactions can take place in gas phase everywhere but not only
in the thin flame front.
The theoretical model of carbonized organic solid fuels combustion 31
If the homogeneous reactions proceed in diffusive regime, when the chemical reaction
rate is significantly more reactances flows, the chemical equilibrium in gas phase must
take place as the process of chemical reaction proceedng is the process of chemical
equilibrium establishment. The conditions of chemical equilibrium give the additional
equations [10]
(8)
where Kj are the equilibrium constants of substances formation from elements.

If the heterogeneous reactions proceed in diffusive regime the equilibrium between
solid and gas phases must take place also. In this case the partial pressure of carbon vapor
must be equal to partial pressure of satiation carbon vapor inside the char. If the
heterogeneous reactions proceed in kinetic regime it is necessary to get the kinetic
equation for rate of carbon consumption
(9)
where zej are the equilibrium concentrations of reactances at the char surface and j are the
rate constants of the corresponding heterogeneous chemical reactions.
The boundary conditions for case of char plate combustion and gasification may be
written in form
Besides, it is necessary to determine the conditions on the char surface also. Such
conditions must be uninterruption of the temperature, the gas components concentrations
and the gas flow velocity.
It is necessary to mark that the theoretical model includes consideration of char porous
structure from which the penetration K and internal char surface S are depended.
The considering theoretical model of char plate combustion and gasification in a
mixture of gaseous reactances arbitrary composition and temperature is able to
determine:
(1) the char burning out rate in dependence on environment gas temeperature and
composition;
(2) the distributions of the temperature, pressure and reactances concentrations in gas
phase and inside porous char;
(3) the surface temperature of char and elimination flux from the char surface;
(4) the distribution of the carbon consumption rate inside char which depends on
temperature, pressure and reactances concentrations;
(5) the rates of the individual reactances formation (consumption) including hydrogen
and carbon oxide formation.
REFERENCES
1. Laurendau N.M., Progress in Energy and Combustion Sciences 4:221270 (1978)

2. Dutta S.,Wen C.Y., Belt R.J., Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev. 16:2028 (1977)
3. Chin G., Kimura S., Tone S., Otake T., Ind. Chem. Eng. 23:105120 (1983)
4. Smith I.W., Combust. Flame 14:237248 (1979)
5. Gloving A.M., Pesochin V.R., Tolmachev I.Y., Physica goreniya i vzriva 18(No 2): 2835
(1982)
6. Libby P.A., Blake T.R., Combust. Flame 36:139169 (1979)
7. Hitrin L.N., Physics of Combustion and Explosion, MGU, Moscow, 1957, p. 337411.
8. Srinevas B., Amundson R.N., AIChE Journal 26:487496 (1980)
9. Gremyachkin V.M., Schiborin F.B., Physica goreniya i vzriva 27(No 5):6773 (1991)
10. Thermodynamic properties of individual substances (Ref., V.P.Glushko,Ed.), Nauka, Moscow,
1978.
11. Lee S., Angus J.C., Edwards R.V., Gardner N.C., AIChE Journal 30:583593 (1984)
12. Gremyachkin V.M., Roschina L.M., Physica goreniya i vzriva 26(No5):6367 (1990)
5
SELF-GENERATED TURBULENCE OF
LAMINAR AND TURBULENT
TRANSIENT FLAME FRONTS INSIDE A
CLOSED SPHERICAL VESSEL
B.LEISENHEIMER and W.LEUCKEL
Universitt Karlsruhe, Engler-Bunte-Institut,
Lehrstuhl und Bereich Feuerungstechnik, Germany
Introduction
Optical measuring technique with very high resolution allows transient records of flame
front positions and thus supply new possibilities of evaluating laminar and turbulent
burning velocity (Palm-Leis et al., 1969, Dowdy et al., 1990). Therefore effort and good
progress has been made in investigating laminar deflagrations in closed vessels especially
in the early stage of explosion after ignition. Subject of this paper is the investigation of
laminar and turbulent flame front behaviour in the later stage of an explosion process,
where experimental data of burning velocity and knowledge about the effect of self-
generated turbulence in a spherical propagating flame front are still limited.
It will be shown that laminar explosion experiments led to a radial range of the
propagating flame front in which the influence of stretch due to the overall spherical
shape as well as compression of the unburnt gas can be neglected, so that the burning
velocity S is mainly influenced by self-generated acceleration processes. In this particular
regime of flame front radius also turbulent flame fronts are accelerated by additional self-
generated turbulence, and the flame front propagation is based on the effective turbulence
intensity (u/SL,p)eff resulting from superposition of fan-generated (u/Sd. and flame-
generated (u/SL,p)gen turbulence intensity. Finally, a linear increase of reduced turbulent
burning velocity ST/SL,p with increasing effective turbulence intensity (u/SL,p)eff can be
deduced.
Experimental
The pressure/time histories of premixed lean and rich fuelgas/air-mixture flame fronts
(p0= 1.013 bar, T0=298K) ignited by spark discharge (E=50mJ) in the centre of a closed
spherical explosion bomb (volume V=1.16m3, radius R=0.651m) were recorded by
piezoelectric pressure transducers (Piezotronics) in order to evaluate laminar and
turbulent burning velocity as function of radius (Fig. 1). By using different fuel gases
(CH4, H2,

CH4/H2, C2H2/N2), the laminar burning velocity of a theoretical one-dimensional planar

flame front SL,P was varied in a wide range between 0.2<SL,p<3.4m/s. In order to generate
a homogeneous mixture prior to ignition as well as to induce different scales of
turbulence, 2, 4 and 8 small (d=0.25m, 500<n<2500rpm) or 8 large (250<n< 1300rpm)
ventilation fans were mounted symmetrically inside the explosion vessel, and were run in
wide ranges of the rotational speed n.
Fig. 1: Experimental set-up

To determine the influence of turbulent velocity fluctuation amplitude and integral length
scale on flame shape, binarized images of laminar and turbulent propagating flame fronts
were recorded by a CCD-camera (Nanocam Proxitronic) in the early stage of combustion,
using laser light sheet illumination from a 4.5W Argon/lon laser (Innova 70).
An advanced method of measuring turbulence characteristics in the isothermal system
is introduced combining a 5-hole Pitot-probe sonde providing the values (=time
averaged mean value and spatial direction of velocity vector) with hot-wire anemometry
providing the u values (u=RMS-value of velocity fluctuation). The single hot wire
probe was orientated towards negative direction with respect to the mean velocity vector
Self-generated turbulence of laminar and turbulent transient flame fronts 35
, which leeds to the representative turbulence intensity u. The integral length scale LT
was obtained calculating the cross-correlation function (inverse Fourier Transformation
of cross power density spectra) of the signal of two hot-wire probes using a 16 bit signal
analyzer (Tectronix).
Calculation of burning velocity
Based on theoretical considerations using the base principles of mass and energy
conservation, and introducing several justified simplifications such as ideal gas law,
spherical flame propagation, isentropic compression of fresh and burnt mixture
(isentropic exponent = 1.4) and no heat loss to the vessel wall, it can be deduced (Lewis
et al., 1934) that pressure p increases proportionally to the increasing mass fraction of
burnt mixture M in the vessel (p~Mb), finally reaching the theoretical maximum pressure
pe at the end of explosion, corresponding to the final state of isochoric combustion.
Dissociation processes in the burnt gas were taken into account.
Although the experimental maximum pressure at the end of the combustion process
(inflection point) is actually lower than the theoretical one due to heat loss and reaction
quenching near to the wall, the simplifying considerations made above are justified in the
early stage of explosion. In addition to the geometrical assumption of spherical flame
propagation and neglect of the flame front volume compared to the fresh and burnt gas
volume, one obtains an analytic relation between motion of the flame dx relative to the
fuelgas/air-mixture and the pressure rise dp
(1)
Hence, introducing the dimensionless pressure p=(p/p01) and the reduced time
t=(pe1/3/R)t and replacing the flame motion dx by dx=S dt one arrives at:
(2)
In order to get an expression of S(p), it is suitable to plot the pressure/time record p1/3 as
a function of t in order to avoid a mathematical singularity at t=0 (dp=0) for numerical
integration. Transforming the first derivative of this function, which represents the
integrand of eq. 2, the burning velocity S can be evaluated as function of (p) in the range
p>1.02 bar respectively r>0.1m.
Results and Discussion
In order to define a radial regime during a deflagration process in which the flame front is
predominantly influenced by acceleration, laminar stoichiometric methane/air explosions
were investigated from the point of ignition up to the end of combustion. Taking into
account the experimental data of flame velocity in the very early stage of explosions in a
closed vessel (Bradley et al., 1993) the typical behaviour of burning velocity S, (Fig. 2) is
represented by three main zones, where SL is predominantly influenced by different
effects: Stretch, Acceleration and Compression.
Fig. 2: Reduced laminar burning

velocity SL/SL,P as a function of
reduced vessel radius r/R
For spherical flame propagation with increasing radius the influence of flame front
stretch (flame curvature and straining, hydrodynamic effects) reduces the one-
dimensional planar laminar burning velocity SL,P linearly with the stretch factor k
(Markstein, 1951, Clavin, 1985): SL=SL,P Lk, where k=(1/A)(dA/dt)=(2/r)(dr/dt)and
L=Markstein lenght scale (Stretch).
Above a certain radius r/R0.02 of a spherically propagating flame front, stretch effect
due to the overall spherical shape of the flame front can be neglected compared with the
instantaneous local flame curvature due to flame instabilities or turbulence motion. In this
regime of Acceleration we determined an approximately linear increase of SL with vessel
radius r: SL/SL,p~r/R. During laminar deflagration, hydrodynamic flame instabilities due
to thermal expansion of the gas and transport effects implies an initial wrinkling of the
flame front (Sivashinsky, 1977). Under those conditions of diffusional-thermal

instability, Sivashinsky (1977) emphasized that the flame front spontaneously becomes
turbulent characterized by a constant increase in its mean propagation velocity, which is
in good aggreement with our experimental results (laser light sheet images, burning
velocity SL) of spherical laminar flame propagation (Fig. 2).
The following exponential increase of SL (Compression) can be described by a
function SL ~(p/p0)z, (p/p0)z, where z represents pressure (SL~p0.47) and temperature
(SL~T2) dependency of the laminar burning velocity SL of stoichiometric methane/air
flames (Andrews et al., 1972) which leads to z=0.1 and is also in good agreement with
the experimental behavior of SL (Fig. 2). In the last stage of combustion the flame front is
close to the wall, and the quenching of combustion process due to heat losses causes a
sharp decrease of SL.
Introducing the commonly used Markstein number Ma=L/L(L=0.15mm; Bradley et
al. 1993) and Karlovitz number Ka=kL/SL(L= laminar flame thickness), the typical
behaviour of SL for laminar deflagration of stoichiometric methane/air-mixtures in closed
vessels can be described in a wide radial range (r/R<0.9) by superposition of stretch,
acceleration and compression:
(3)
Concluding these results there is a region of the propagating flame front between 0.02<
r/R<0.6, in which the influence of stretch due to the overall spherical shape as well as
compression of the unburnt gas can be neglected, hence the burning velocity is mainly
influenced by acceleration processes and further evaluation in this direction is promising.
In order to study the acceleration of various fuel gases during turbulent explosion
experiments, turbulence parameters of the fan-generated turbulent flow field were
measured. In the region of evaluation of turbulent burning velocity ST, turbulent macro
length scale is fairly constant LT24 mm and independent of the number, size and speed
of the fans. Turbulence intensity u increases approximately linearly from 1.4m/s
(r/R=0.1) up to the maximum value 2.4m/s (r/R 0.5) and followed by a weak decrease to
2.3m/s around r/R= 0.65.
Moreover, variation of the orientation of the hot wire probe in the explosion bomb has
shown, that the fan induced turbulent flow field in this inner region of the vessel can be
regarded as isentropic but not homogeneous. These destributions are linear functions
between the centre of the explosion bomb and half of radial distance to the wall, which
represents the regime of detailed evaluation.
Fig. 3: Reduced turbulent burning

velocity ST/SL,P as a function of vessel
radius r[m]
As a consequence of these turbulence conditions a strong increase of turbulent burning
velocity ST during turbulent flame front propagation in the vessel was obtained (Fig. 3).
Hence, assuming the preservation of the isotropic turbulent flow field during each
explosion experiment, ST can be correlated with turbulence intensity u at each respective
radial posi-tion, and it became obvious that ST increases progressively.
On the other hand, under moderate turbulence conditions like in the present case,
linear increase of ST with increasing u must be assumed (Abdel-Gayed et al., 1984,
Fansler et al., 1990, Leuckel et al., 1990).
Therfore, as could be expected from the laminar experiments described above, it can
be deduced that the turbulent flame front is accelerated by self-generated additional to the
fan-generated turbulence, i.e. the propagation of the flame front is based on the effective
turbulence intensity (u/SL,p)eff resulting from superposition of fan-generated (u/SL,p)eff
and self-generated (u/SL,p)meas turbulence. This generated part of turbulence increases
in direct proportion to the increasing overall flame front surface (u/SL,P)gen~(r/R)2
Fig. 4: Reduced turbulent burning

velocity ST/SL,P as a function of
effective turbulence intensity
(u/SL,p)eff
Taking into account additional self-generated turbulence for all fuelgas/air mixtures and
turbulence conditions investigated, the reduced turbulent burning velocity ST/SL,P plotted
against effective turbulence intensity (u/SL,p)eff demonstrates the expected linear
behaviour (Fig. 4).
Conclusions
Based on the evaluation of laminar burning velocity SL as well as on fan-generated

turbulent burning velocity ST of premixed transient fuelgas/air explosions inside a
constant volume spherical vessel as a function of various turbulence characteristcs of
flow fieldnamely turbulence intensity u and macro length scale LTthe following
results can be concluded:
- Fan-generated turbulence intensity u increases approximately linearly with increasing
vessel radius and fan speed.
- Turbulent macro lenght LT=242mm is constant along the vessel radius and
independent of number, diameter and speed of the fans generating turbulence.
- Self-generated turbulence causes linear increase of SL/SL,p~(r/R)2 during the laminar
explosion process in good agreement with theorical predictions.
- Self-generated turbulence causes a progressive increase of ST/SL,p~(r/R)2 during an

explosion process with initial fan-generated turbulence.
- With respect to additional self-generated turbulence the reduced turbulent burning
velocity ST/SL,p increases linearly with increasing effective turbulence intensity
(u/SL,p)eff.
References
Abdel-Gayed, R.G., Al-Khishali, K.J. and Bradley, D. (1984). Turbulent Burning Velocities and
Flame Straining in Explosions. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A391, p. 393.
Andrews, G.E. and Bradley, D. (1972). Ihe Burning Velocity of Methane-Air Mixtures. Comb.
Flame 19, p. 275.
Bradley, D., Ali, Y., Lawes, M. and Mushi, E.M.J. (1993). Problems of the Measurement of
Markstein Lengths with Explosion Flames. Joint Meeting of the British and German Sections of
the Combustion Institute, Queens College, Cambridge, p. 404.
Clavin, P. (1985). Dynamic Behaviour of Premixed Flame Fronts in Laminar and Turbulent Flows.
Prog. Energy Combust. Sci. 1 1, p. 1.
Dowdy, D.R., Smith, D.B. and Taylor, S.C. (1990). The Use of Expanding Spherical Flames to
Determine Burning Velocities and Stretch Effects in Hydrogen/Air Mixtures. Twenty-third
Symposium (International) on Combustion, p. 325, the Combustion Institute.
Fansler, T.D. and Groff, E.G. (1990). Turbulence Characteristics of a Fan-Stiffed Combustion
Vessel. Comb. Flame 80, p. 350.
Leuckel, W., Nastoll, W. and Zarzalis, N. (1990). Experimental Investigation of the Influence of
Turbulence on the Transient Premixed Flame Propagation Inside Closed Vessels. Twenty-third
Symposium (International) on Combustion, p.729, the Combustion Institute.
Lewis, B. and Von Elbe, G. (1934). Determination of the Speed of Flames and the Temperature
Distribution in a Spherical Bomb from Time-Pressure Explosion Records. Jour. Chem. Phys. 2,
p. 283.
Markstein, G.H. (1951). Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Flame-Front Stability. J. Aero.
Sci. 18, p. 199.
Palm-Leis, A. and Strehlow, R.A. (1969). On the Propagation of Turbulent Flames. Comb. Flame
13, p. 111.
Sivashinsky, G.I. (1977). Nonlinear Analysis of Hydrodynamic Instability in Laminar Flames-I.
Derivation of Basic Equations. Acta Astronautica 4, p. 1177.
6
ALGORITHMS FOR THE CALCULATION
OF EGRESS COMPLEXITY
A.J.POLLOCK and H.A.DONEGAN
School of Computing and Mathematics, University of Ulster at
Jordanstown, Newtownabbey, UK
Abstract
Any set of building compartments expressed as a network of nodes and
arcs can be viewed as a system of egress. Information measures, based on
Shannon entropy, can be derived from such a system to reflect its
complexity.
Egress complexity measures can be used to compare buildings under
normal or adverse working conditions and they can assist in determining
the best position to place an additional exit to an existing network. This
paper provides the algorithms necessary to calculate these measures and
illustrates their application with examples.
Keywords: Building, complexity, egress, entropy, fire safety, graph,
network, algorithm.
1 Introduction
Suppose that a naive occupant is positioned at a random location within a building. It is a

fundamental question to askhow much information does the occupant need to infer
before successful egress occurs? Proposed measures for such information were recently
introduced by Donegan et al[1]. However, the measures were restricted to network
representations of buildings without circuits. This paper resolves this restriction and
proposes enhanced algorithms. The algorithms are based on a pseudo information
measure (1) referred to as the nodal information, adapted from Quinlans ID3 algorithm
[2].
(1)

The values for ni+ and ni represent positive and negative information steps respectively
and k is the total number of non-exit nodes. A positive information step is a traversal
between two compartments via a previously untravelled path. When a path is visited a
second time then backtrack occurs and this is called a negative information step.
2 Calculating Complexity Measures
It is possible to calculate an egress complexity measure k Ii referred to as the exit

complexity, envisaged as the resistance of that exit. Algorithm A1 characterises the
procedure for calculating this value for a given floor network G.
A1 Algorithm to calculate the exit complexity for a floor network having a single exit, no circuits
and k non-exit nodes
S1.1 Initialise i=1;
S1.2 n+=k;
do
{
S1.3 Select non-exit node Ni in the floor network G;
S1.4 Denote the number of arcs on the shortest route to the exit as x;
S1.5 n=n+x;
S1.6 Substitute the values for n+ and n into equation (1) to obtain the nodal information
value Ii for Ni;
S1.7 i=i+1;
} while (ik)
S1.8 Calculate k Ii to obtain the exit complexity value for G.
When an additional exit is inserted into a floor network the new egress complexity value
should be decreased ie the chance of egress is improved. Therefore A1 requires
modification to reflect such phenomenon. In a multiple exit situation this can be modelled
as follows, see[3]:
(2)
where cj represents the exit complexity for the jth exit and r is the global complexity. An
algorithm to calculate r follows.
A2- Algorithm to calculate the global complexity for a floor network with m exits and no circuits
S2.1 Initialise j=1;
do S2.2 Select exit node Ej in G;
{
S2.3 Remove exit nodes E1Ej1, Ej+1Em and afortiori connecting paths from G to obtain
G;
S2.4 Apply A1 to G to calculate the exit complexity value Ej for Ej;
S2.5 j=j+1;
} while (jm)
S2.6 Calculate [1/E1++1/Em ]1= the global complexity r.
Algorithms for the calculation of egress complexity 43
These algorithms are unable to cope with a floor network G containing circuits. To
overcome this situation the following method based on graphical spanning trees is
proposed. Each spanning tree for G must include a single exit and all the non-exit nodes
in G. Such spanning trees are classified as admissible spanning trees, The spanning tree
with the maximal (or worst case) exit complexity is then used to represent the global
complexity value for G. Consider the floor network N1 in Fig. 1:
Fig. 1. Floor Network N1

The first step towards generating an exit complexity value for N1 is to examine all its
admissible spanning trees. Graph theory permits 16 admissible spanning trees which are
shown in Fig. 2 with their resultant exit complexity values outlined in Table 1.
Table 1. Spanning Tree Complexity Values
Spanning Tree Exit Complexity
S1 23.43
S2 21.53
S3 21.53
S4 21.53
S5 16.02
S6 21.53
S7 19.63
S8 16.02
Spanning Tree Exit Complexity

S9 21.53
S10 19.63
S11 16.02
S12 21.53
S13 16.02
S14 16.02
S15 19.63
S16 16.02
Clearly, the trees 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16 are isomorphic ie they have the same structure,
hence obtaining the same value of 16.02 for exit complexity. This is also true for trees 2,
3, 4, 6, 9, 12 having the measure 21.53 and trees 7, 10, 15 with 19.63. The global
complexity for N1 is 23.43, the largest (or worst case) value. An algorithm to formalise
the above procedure is outlined in A3.
A3- Algorithm to calculate the global complexity for a floor network with circuits and a single
exit
S3.1 Generate a set T of admissible spanning trees for G;
S3.2 Denote the total number of admissible spanning trees as t;
S3.3 Initialise h=1;
do {
S3.4 Select admissible spanning tree Th;
S3.5 Apply A1 to Th to calculate the exit complexity Eh for Th;
S3.6 h=h+1;
} while (ht)
S3.7 The global complexity=max{E1Et}.
Fig. 2. Admissible Spanning Trees

The algorithm A3 is a primer for A4 which characterises floor networks with multiple
exits.
A4- Algorithm to calculate the global complexity of a floor network with circuits and m exits
do{
S4.3 Select an exit node Ej in G;
S4.4 Select the subset Tj of admissible spanning trees from T containing exit Ej;
S4.5 Denote the total number of spanning trees in Tj as t;
do{
S4.7 Select admissible spanning tree Th from Tj;
S4.8 Apply A1 to Th to calculate the exit complexity Eh for Th;
S4.9 h=h+1;
}while (ht)
S4.10 The exit complexity Cj for Ej=max{E1Et};
S4.11 j=j+1;
while (jm)
S4.12 Calculate [1/Ci++1/Cm]1=the global complexity r.
3 Egress Comparison using Complexity Measures
Consider a four-storey building A represented by networks illustrated in figure 3.

Suppose that B is another building also represented by the networks in figure 3, but with
the following exits and stairwells removed: EX2, SW1.2, SW2.2 and SW3.2. The results
are shown in table 2.
Table 2. Buildings Complexity Results
A Ground Floor Result First Floor Result Second Floor Result Third Floor Result
EX1 196.34 SW1.1 131.78 SW2.1 130.53 SW3.1 127.73
EX2 188.14 SW1.2 139.75 SW2.2 138.49 SW3.2 141.00
Global 96.08 Global 67.82 Global 67.20 Global 67.02
B Ground Floor Result First Floor Result Second Floor Result Third Floor Result
EX1 196.34 SW1.1 131.78 SW2.1 130.53 SW3.1 127.73
Global 196.34 Global 131.78 Global 130.53 Global 127.73
Fig. 3. Four Storey Network
3.1 Some Observations

Clearly because of the increased number of exits in A the global complexity values for B
are correspondingly larger than for A.
Since the ground floor in A has two additional non-exit nodes it has a larger global
complexity than its counterparts on the remaining floors. This is also the case for building
B.
Since there are circuits on the first floor of building A, both of the exits yield higher
exit complexity values than the corresponding exits on the second floor.
A key observation is illustrated by comparing the exit complexities for SW2.2 and
SW3.2. The latter has the higher value as it connects to a node with a greater number of
connecting paths.
4 Positioning Exits
Optimal positions for additional exits are based on the relative maximal amount of
backtrack associated with each position. The following algorithm determines appropriate
backtrack values.
A5- Algorithm to calculate backtrack for a floor network with k non-exit nodes and m exits
S5.2 Initialise i=1;
do {
S5.3 Select non-exit node Ni in G;
do{
S5.5 Select an exit node Ej in G;
S5.6 Select the subset Tj of admissible spanning trees from T containing exit Ej;
S5.7 Denote the total number of admissible spanning trees in Tj as t;
do {
S5.9 Select admissible spanning tree Th from Tj;
S5.10 Denote the number of arcs on the shortest route to exit Ej as x;
S5.11 The backtrack B1.h for Th=kx;
S5.12 h=h+1;
} while (ht)
S5.13 The backtrack B2.j for Ej=max{B1.1B1.t};
S5.14 j=j+1;
} while (jm)
S5.15 The backtrack B3.i for Ni=max{B2.1B2.m};
S5.16 i=i+1;
} while (ik)
S5.17 The backtrack for G is (B3.1+...+B3.k).
4.1 Example of Backtrack Usage

Consider figure 4 which illustrates a floor plan with a single exit and suppose that a
second exit is to be added at any of 9 possible locations.
Fig. 4. Potential Exits

The respective backtrack values are shown in table 3.
Table 3. Backtrack Results
2nd Exit Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Backtrack Value 76 77 76 78 76 77 76 72 72
From these results the optimal position for the second exit is at node 4. Algorithm A5
uses the notion of association[4] to determine optimal locations. It places an additional
exit at a position with least association to other exits on the floor and simultaneously
maximises association with non-exit nodes.
5 References
1. Donegan, H.A., Pollock A.J. and Taylor I.R. (1994) Egress Complexity of a Building, Proc. 4th
ISFSS, Ottawa Canada, pp.601612.
2. Quinlan, J.R. (1982) Semi-autonomous Acquisition of Pattern-based Knowledge, Introductory
Readings in Expert Systems, Gordon and Breach, New York, pp. 192207.
3. Donegan, H.A. and Pollock, A.J. (1995) A Mathematical Basis for Egress Complexity,
(submitted for publication).
4. Kernohan, G., Rankin, G.D., Wallace, G.D. and Walters, R.J. (1973) PHASE: An Interactive
Appraisal Package for Whole Hospital Design, Computer Aided Design, Vol 5., pp.8189.
7
MODELIZATION OF COMBUSTION
WITH COMPLEX KINETICS
V.A.VOLPERT
Laboratoire danalyse numrique, Universit Lyon, France
A.I.VOLPERT
Department of Mathematics, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Abstract
This paper is devoted to a new approach to study combustion waves and
branching chain flames with complex kinetics. We develop a
mathematical theory of travelling wave solutions for some classes of
parabolic systems, and show that reaction-diffusion systems desribing
chemical waves under some conditions can be reduced to these classes of
systems. We obtain conditions of uniqueness and stability of combustion
waves and cold flames, and find their velocity.
Key words: combustion, cold flames, complex kinetics.
1. Introduction
Development of the modern combustion theory is determined to the large extent by the
works of Zeldovich and Frank-Kamenetskii on the thermal propagation of flames and by
the works of Semenov on branching chain flames. In the first case the chemical reaction
is strongly activated, and the propagation of the flame occurs basically due to the heat
diffusion. The simplest example can be given by the one-step chemical reaction of the
first order,
AB.
The reaction rate under the mass action law in this case has the form
where A and B denotes also the concentration of the corresponding species, T is the
temperature, E the activation energy, R the gas constant, k is the pre-
exponential factor. If the activation energy E is sufficiently large, then the reaction takes
place in a narrow temperature interval near the adiabatic temperature, and the reaction
zone is localized in space. It allows to apply the infinitely narrow reaction zone method
developed by Zeldovich and Frank-Kamenetskii [28],[29] and to find the wave velocity
and the condition of its stability.
The simplest reaction describing branching chain flames is the following one-step
autocatalytical reaction:
A+B2B.
The propagation of the flame in this case occurs due to the diffusion of the active center
B. If we suppose that the diffusion coefficients of the species A and B equal to each other,
then the model describing the propagation of the cold flame in this case is the same as
considered by Kolomogorov, Petrovskii, and Piskunov in [9]. We know that the waves
exist for all values of velocities greater or equal to the minimal velocity, they are stable in
a certain sense, and the value of the minimal velocity is found explicitly.
It appears that even these very simple examples describe the basic properties of
flames. However the aim to describe a more realistic complex chemistry seems very
attractive, and there are many works devoted to this problem.
The method of infinitely narrow reaction zone can be generalized for more
complicated chemical reactions [6][8],[13],[25]. The best studied examples are
independent reactions:
AB, CD,
consecutive reactions:
ABC,
and parallel or competitive reactions:

AB, AB.
If each reaction occurs in its own narrow reaction zone and the interaction between them
is only due to the temperature field, then the infinitely narrow reaction zone method is
applicable. There are some other examples and generalizations [1],[26], [27]. Sometimes
physical arguments help to simplify a problem and to reduce it usually to one of the
examples above [14],[15].
There are also some other approaches to study more mathematical questions of
existence of solutions [2][5],[10],[19] and to study some properties of attractors of the
corresponding dynamical systems [11].
In our works [18][24] we develop another approach. It is based on the following two
ideas:
We develop a mathematical theory of travelling wave solutions for the monotone
parabolic systems:
(1)
where u=(u1,, un), F=(F1,, Fn), a is a diagonal matrix, and the function F
satisfies the following condition
Modelization of combustion with complex kinetics 53
(2)
We find, in particular, the wave velocity and show its stability,

We show that under some conditions the models describing combustion waves or
branching chain flames with complex kinetics can be reduced to the systems of
equations from this class.
Thus we can apply the developed mathematical theory to study chemical waves.
2 Reaction-diffusion systems
We consider a chemical reaction of the general form
(3)
Here A1,, Am are concentrations of the reactants, ij, ij the stoichometric coefficients.
Under the usual approximation of constant density the distribution of the temperature and
the concentrations can be described by the reaction-diffusion system
(4)
(5)
where T is the temperature, , and d are the coefficients of the heat and mass diffusion,
respectively, qi is the adiabatic heat release of the i-th reaction, ij= ijij, ij, Wi is the
rate of the i-th reaction,
The functions Ki(T) determine the temperature dependence of the reaction rate and
usually have the form of the Arrhenius exponent,
where is a constant, Ei is the activation energy of the i-th reaction, R is the gas
constant.
We consider the case where the diffusion coefficients of all species are equal to each
other and to the coefficient of thermal diffusivity . It means physically that we consider
a reaction in the gaseous phase, and the molecular weights of gases are close to each
other. Some of the results, namely those on the wave existence, can be obtained without
this condition. However in this work we discuss basically the questions of wave stability,
unicity and velocity. It is well known for the simple one-step kinetics that conditions of
stability depend on the relation between and d. If and the dimensionless

parameter called Zeldovich number, is sufficiently large, then the flame is
unstable [28]. (Here Tb is the adiabatic temperature.) If =d, then it is always stable.
We can put the question whether the flame with complex kinetics is stable in the case
where =d. The answer is known. For the parallel reactions (see the examples in Section
1) the wave can be nonunique [7],[8]. Under some conditions on parameters there are
three waves propagating with different velocities. Two of them are stable and one is
unstable.
So we can say that there are two types of instabilities of chemical waves: the thermo-
diffusional instability which can appear if even for a simple kinetics, and the
kinetic instability which can appear for a complex kinetics even if =d. We discuss here
conditions of the kinetic stability. Using the results for monotone systems [19][23], we
can say that the wave is unique and stable if the reaction-diffusion system can be reduced
to the monotone system. Thus the conditions of reducibility to the monotone systems give
the conditions of stability and uniqueness of the wave.
3 Conditions of reducibility
We consider the kinetic system of equations
(6)
where A is the vector of concentrations, W is the vector of reaction rates, the matrix of
stoichometric coefficients,
Denote by r the rank of the matrix . Without loss of generality we can suppose that the
first r columns of this matrix are linearly independent. We introduce the new functions ui,
i=1,, n by the equalities
(7)
where are positive constants which determine the balance polyhedron. Since the
columns r+1,, n of the matrix are linearly dependent of the first r columns, then we
have
(8)
where are some numbers. Substituting these expressions into the system of equations
(6), we obtain after some transformations
(9)
If the reactions are not isothermic, we need also the expression of the temperature
through the new variables:
(10)
where T+ determines the value of the adiabatic temperature, qi is the heat release of the i-
th reaction.
After making the indicated substitutions, we denote the right hand-side of (9) by Fi(u):
(11)
We find now the conditions of monotonicity, i.e. the conditions of validity of the
inequality (2). We assume that all functions Ki(T) are nondecreasing. This condition is
satisfied, in particuluar, for the Arrhenius temperature dependence of the reaction rate.
The direct computations give:
Sufficient conditions of monotonicity take the form
for all i, j=1,, r, , l=r+1,, n, k=1,, m.

These conditions are not necessary. For example we can consider the heat releases qj
of alternating signs. Moreover these conditions are not convenient for application. They
can be given in a different form and simplified [19]. However here we restrict ourselves
to some more simple particular cases and examples.
An important particular case is that of linearly independent reactions. It means that the
rank of the matrix is n and its columns are linearly independent. In this case the
conditions of monotonicity become very simple:
If each species is consumed in no more than one reaction and all reactions are
exothermic, then the condition of monotonicity is satisfied.
Thus we obtain the following result. If the reaction does not contain parallel stages and
all elementary reaction are exothermic, then the flame in kinetically stable and unique. Its
velocity admits the minimax representation.
We recall the result of Khaikin and Khudyaev which we mentioned in the previous
section. For an example of two parallel reactions they show that the combustion wave can
be nonunique [7],[8]. Thus if the conditions of unicity and stability are not satisfied, the
solution can really be nonunique and unstable.
Here are some examples of reaction without parallel stages.

Independent reaction:
A1+A2, A3+A4, A5+A6,
sequantial reactions:
A1A2A3
or
A1+A2A3, A3+A4A5, A5+A6A7,
nonbranching chain reactions

A2+BAB+A, B2+AAB+B,
We note finally that we obtain the conditions of monotonicity for reactions with parallel
stages, with heat releases of alternating signs, for linearly dependent reaction, for
reversible reaction, and for other classes of reactions [19][23].
References
[1] Berestycki H., Nicolaenko B., Scheurer B. (1985) Travelling wave solutions to combustion
models and their singular limits, SIAM Journal of Mathematical Analysis, 16, No. 6, pp. 1207
1242.
[2] Bonnet A. (1992) Travelling waves for plannar flames with complex chemistry reaction
network. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathathematics, 45, No. 12.
[3] Heinze S. (1987) Traveling waves in combustion processes with complex chemical networks.
Transactions of American Mathematical Society, 304, No. 1, pp. 405416.
[4] Kanel Ya.I. (1963) The stationary solution of the set of equations in the theory of combustion,
Doklady Physical Chemistry, 149, No. 16, pp. 241243.
[5] Kanel Ya.I. (1990) Existence of a traveling-wave solution of a BelousovZhabotinskii system,
Differential Equations, 26, No. 4, pp. 478485.
[6] Khaikin B.I., Filonenko A.K., Khudyaev S.I. (1968) Flame propagation in the presence of two
successive gas-phase reactions, Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves, 4, No. 4, pp. 343
349.
[7] Khaikin B.I., Khudyaev S.I. (1978) On nonuniqueness of stationary propagating reaction zones
with competing reactions, Preprint of the Institute of Chemical Physics, Chernogolovka, 13 p.
(in Russian).
[8] Khaikin B.I., Khudyaev S.I. (1979) Nonuniqueness of combustion temperature and rate when
competing reactions take place, Doklady Physical Chemistry, 245, No. 13, pp. 225228.
[9] Kolmogorov A.N., Petrovsky I.G., Piskunov N.S. (1937) A study of the equation of diffusion
with increase in the quantity of matter, with application to a biological problem, Bulletin of
Moscow Uniiersity, Mathematics and Mechanics, 1, pp. 126 (in Russian).
[10] Manley O., Marion M., Temam R. (1987) Equations of combustion in the presence of complex
chemistry, Indiana University Mathematical Journal, 42, No. 3, pp. 941967.
[11] Marion M. (1991) Attractors and turbulence for some combustion models, IMA Volumes in
Mathematics and Applications, Vol. 35.
[12] Matkowsky B.J., Sivashinsky G.I. (1979) An asymptotic derivation of two models in flame
theroy associated with the constant density approximation, SIAM Journal of Applied
Mathematics, 37, 686699.
[13] Merzhanov A.G., Rumanov E.N., Khaikin B.I. (1972) Multizone burning of condensed
systems, Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 6, pp. 99105 (in Russian).
[14] Novozhilov B.V., Posvyansky V.S. (1973) Propagation velocity of a cold flame, Combustion,
Explosion and Shock Waves, 9, No. 2, pp. 191194.
[15] Novozhilov B.V., Posvyansky V.S. (1974) Verification of the method of quasistationary
concentrations in the problem of cold-flame propagation, Combustion, Explosion and Shock
Waves, 10, No. 1, pp. 8186.
[16] Tang M.M., Fife P.C. (1980) Propagating fronts for competing species equations with
diffusion, Arch. Ration. Mech. and Anal., 73, pp. 6978.
[17] Terman D. (1988) Traveling wave solutions arising from a twostep combustion model,
SIAM Jornal of Mathematical Analysis, 19, No. 5.
[18] Volpert A.I., Volpert V.A. (1990) Application of the rotation theory of vector fields to the
study of wave solutions of parabolic equations. Transactions of Moscow Mathematical Society,
Vol. 52, pp. 59108.
[19] A.I.Volpert, V.A.Volpert, V.A.Volpert (1994) Travelling wave solutions of parabolic systems.
American Math. Society, Providence.
[20] Volpert V.A., Volpert A.I. (1989) Existence and stability of traveling waves in chemical
kinetics. In: Dynamics of Chemical and Biological Systems, Nauka, Novosibirsk, pp. 56131 (in
Russian).
[21] Volpert V.A., Volpert A.I. (1989) Waves of chemical transformation having complex kinetics.
Doklady Physical Chemistry 309, No. 13, pp. 877879.
[22] Volpert V.A., Volpert A.I. (1990) Existence and stability of waves in chemical kinetics.
Khimicheskaya Fizika, 9, No. 2, pp. 238245 (in Russian).
[23] Volpert V.A., Volpert A.I. (1990) Some mathematical problems of wave propagation in
chemical active media. Khimicheskaya Fizika, 9, No. 8, pp. 11181127 (in Russian).
[24] Volpert V.A., Volpert A.I. Wave trains described by monotone parabolic systems. To apppear
in Nonlinear World.
[25] Volpert V.A., Khaikin B.I., Khudyaev S.I. (1981) Combustion waves with independent
reactions, In: Problems of Technological Combustion Vol. 1, Chernogolovka, pp. 110113 (in
Russian).
[26] Volpert V.A., Krishenik P.M. (1986) Stability in two-stage combustion wave propagation
under controlled conditions, Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves, 22, No. 2, pp. 148156.
[27] Volpert V.A., Krishenik P.M. (1986) Nonsteady propagation of combustion waves in a system
of successive reactions with endothermal stages, Combustion, Explosion and Shock Waves 22,
No. 3, pp. 285292.
[28] Zeldovich Ya.B., Barenblatt G.I., Librovich V.B., Makhviladze G.M. (1985) The
Mathematical Theory of Combustion and Explosions, Consultants Bureau, New York.
[29] Zeldovich Ya.B., Frank-Kamenetsky D.A. (1938) A theory of thermal propagation of flame,
Acta Physicochimia U.S.S.R., 9, pp. 341350.
SECTION TWO
PROTECTION OF BUILT
ENVIRONMENT
8
RESULTS COMPARISON OF SMOKE
MOVEMENT ANALYSIS IN BUILDINGS
USING STEADY-STATE AND
TRANSIENT MODELS
R.BORCHIELLINI, M.CALI and G.MUTANI
Dipartimento di Energetica, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Abstract
In this paper, two mathematical models are compared regarding their
predictive ability to perform fire hazard analysis connected with smoke
and toxic gases diffusion. After a classification of the computer programs
used to estimate fire and smoke behaviour into buildings, the attention is
turned on differentiation between two types of models: the transient
models which are able to describe in detail fire behaviour and the steady
state models, less detailed but easier to use. For instance, the transient
models provide the temperature profile in the fire origin room, while the
steady state models need this profile as an input.
In this work a comparison of the results obtained with three computer
programs which simulate smoke movement represent the building with a
uni-dimensional fluid network is exposed. The parameters varied in this
study are the wind effect on the external facades of the building, the
thermal gradients between the nodes of the network and finally the type of
building examined.
The steady state models are expected to be used more frequently
owing to their simplicity while the transient ones analyse in particular
the event. This paper focuses on application limits of both models.
1. Introduction
In these last years fire simulation with computer programs is gaining an important part in
fire safety analysis. Actually, using these tools it is possible to estimate the diffusion of
fire into a building with low expense of time and money.
The development of a fire is a really complex phenomenon and computer programs
use different keys to identify the problem. There are two main ways to classify models
describing the fire course into a building; those classifications depend on the way the

building and the fire behaviour are considered. The first classification is based on
building representation in which the phenomenon develops. It can be used a uni- or
bidirectional network with nodes, representing zones or compartments, connected by
branches that are windows or doors. Along this network there is fire and smoke spread;
those models, very flexible and easy to use for big structures with high number of
compartments and connections are called zone models. Besides, field models work
on a tri-dimensional dominion and are used to describe fire spread with much more detail
into a few compartments.
Independently from first classification, a second one stands, which differently selects
the models: the ones that describe the event giving time dependent results and others that
give a steady fire analysis; the first are called transient and the second are steady state
models. The comparison between these two last types of models could give the right
conditions in which a transient model is useful and whereas should be used a steady state
one. The utilisation of these two types of models involves different costs in time and
money, so, for a detailed analysis it is sometimes required to use a transient model while
in other cases the steady-state one is sufficient. The aim of this work consists in the
determination of the application limits of these two types of models and for this reason
there were selected three different but still comparable, computer programs.
2. The examined programs for the comparison
The comparison is made between three programs: CFAST 2.0 [1], ASCOS [2] and
CONTAM [3]. These programs were used to estimate, the first the complete fire course,
the second and the third the smoke diffusion and airflow into confined spaces. Those
three programs utilise a zone model representation; CFAST 2.0 uses a transient,
while ASCOS with CONTAM a steady-state approach to study the event. This work
compares the smoke net flow across the building which results from the three programs
changing the data that mainly influence the smoke spread into a building: wind velocities
thermal gradients and types of building.
2.1. CFAST 2.0: simulation of fire behaviour with a transient model

CFAST 2.0 has been developed to improve in FAST [4] (Fire And Smoke Transport) the
fire characteristics and to introduce the vertical connections between compartments.
CFAST 2.O is a zone model with two homogeneous volumes in every zone: in the lower
there is mainly air, in the upper the hot smoke and gases coming out from the burning
objects, and in the burn room there is a fire plume convecting mass and energy between
the zones.
The solution is obtained by solving the following set of equations over small
increments of time: conservation of enthalpy, mass, and the Bernoulli equation for
momentum coupled with the ideal gas law.
Results comparison of smoke movement analysis in buildings 63
This program calculates the evolving distribution of the time-dependant characteristics

that vary with the fire behaviour.
2.2. ASCOS: estimate of smoke propagation with a steady-state model

ASCOS (Analysis of Smoke Control Systems) is a program for steady air flow analysis
of smoke control systems along a network. The purpose of this program is to verify how
the ventilation system can be utilised to evacuate smoke which is due to fire or how it
limits the smoke movement into the building.
ASCOS is a uni-directional network model that connects several nodes (every one
with homogeneous characteristics) through vents located at reference heights for every
zone level.
The solution is obtained by solving the following set of equations: conservation of
mass, and the Bernoulli equation for momentum coupled with ideal gas law. The output
gives the steady state pressures and net flows along the examined network.
2.3. CONTAM (version 94): a program for the airflow analysis

CONTAM represents the building as a mono-dimensional network in which every node
is an enclosed region (as a room), with uniform air, temperature and contaminant
concentration. CONTAM was developed to have a contaminant diffusion and airflow
analysis program utilising a mouse-driven graphic interface. CONTAM combines most
of the capabilities of many previous programs in which there is ASCOS.
The airflows calculation may be made in three simulation modes: steady, transient (up
to 24 hours) and cyclic (24-hours steady-periodic). In this paper the airflows analysis is
made in the steady state mode.
3. Tests cases
The correspondence among CFAST 2.0, ASCOS and CONTAM has been found by
testing three cases significant to understand which are the main variables causing and
influencing the smoke flow.
The selection about the test cases was made considering at first a simple case where
there are only two zones connected by a vertical vent. Then, in the second case, the
network becomes more complex with addition of two levels and a shaft. These two first
buildings are paper cases because of compartments and vents dimensions which allow an
easy description of the network with all the programs. Finally the last case takes place
into an existing apartment.
In this comparison the first step is to sketch a network representing the building and
the path along which the fire develops with a zone model. Then, the resulting smoke flow
from CFAST 2.0, ASCOS and CONTAM is analysed by changing the following
variables:
1. the wind velocity working on the outside facades of the building; the considered
values are: 0, 1, 3 and 9m/s. In CFAST and ASCOS it must be described as a wind power
law; the values needed to describe this law are: an exponent of 0.2 and a reference height
of 10m for wind speed, instead CONTAM requires a wind pressure profile for every
opening connected with outside;
2. the fire power used in CFAST is as follows:
type A: the material heat of combustion is 34,3MJ/kg, the fire area is 3m2 and the heat
release is 1, 6 MW (after 15 minutes from the ignition both are constant) and the mass
ratio of hydrogen to carbon produced in pyrolysis is 0,333;
type B: the material heat of combustion is 17kJ/kg, the fire area is 3m2 and the heat
release is 784W (after 15 minutes from the ignition both are constant) and the mass ratio
of hydrogen to carbon produced in pyrolysis is 0,333.
With these two types of fire CFAST 2.0 gives for every test case a different
temperatures distribution; the first with higher and the second with lower temperature
gradients.
The outside ambient conditions are always the following: temperature 21C,
barometer absolute pressure 101325 Pa, relative humidity 60% and altitude meteo station
0m.
To compare the three programs the relation of the temperature of every zone is the
following:
(1)
where: T is the temperature and V is the volume (because CFAST divides the zone in two
layers, while ASCOS and CONTAM have only one zone with homogeneous
characteristics).
The comparison of the resulting mass flows (kg/s) is made calculating the relative
difference in percent by the term calculated as follows:
(2)
3.1. Case 1: two connected zones on different levels

This first case is a paper test case very simple and analytically easy to solve. With these
characteristics it is possible to control how the Codes treat the data.
The building with the relative network used by the computer programs in Case 1 is
shown in Figure 1. The particular shape is made to consider the stack-effect having a
simple network. The dimension of the two nodes are: width 3m, depth 5m and height 3
m. All the vents are opened having a flow area of 1m2 at a relative height of 1,5m from
the floor of the considered node. The fire is into the node 1.
3.2. Case 2: four zones on different levels connected with a shaft

This second case is a paper test case with two more levels and a shaft. The building with
the relative network used by the computer programs in Case 2 is shown in Figure 2. The
dimensions of the four nodes are: width 3m, depth 5m and height 3m and the horizontal
area of the shaft has the same dimensions of the area four zones. All the vents connected
with the outside are partially closed with a flow area of 0,01m2 at a relative height of 1,5
m from the floor of the considered node; the inside vents are opened doors with an area
of 2m2. The fire is into the node 1.
3.3. Case 3: house test floor

This last case is a real apartment located at the ground floor of a house. This floor with
the relative network, the dimensions of the six nodes and the relative connections are
Figuer 1: building layout for Case 1

shown in Figure 3. All the vents connected with the outside are partially closed with a
flow area that is 1% of the effective area; the inside vents are opened doors with a flow
area of 1,68m2. The fire is in the entrance (node 3 in the network).
4. Results
In each case the total airflow passing through the building is compared for given external
and internal conditions. The equation 2 gives the comparison index of the three programs.
4.1. Results for Case 1

The geometrical characteristics of the building given as input are all the same for the
programs tested. The results for Case 1, changing the wind speed and the type of fire (and
so the temperature distribution do the building), are shown in Figures 4 and 5. The
considerable mass flows at high wind velocities is due to the three vents completely
opened (1m2 of flow area).
From the two Figures 4 and 5 it is very clear that the results have almost the same
behaviour. The transient and the steady state models have similar mass flows even with
distinct mathematical models; the between these two models is always under the 10%.
From the same figures, the programs have a more increased slope with Fire B where
here are law thermal gradients; this means that the results are more influenced by the
values due to the wind velocity effect. The between the three programs reaches only
once about the 50% (comparison between the steady state programs and CFAST with fire
B and no wind); this last time the net mass flows that pass the building are really low and
so the is not a good comparison value.

The geometrical characteristics of the building are simplified for steady-state programs
(example: the vents areas are at a fixed reference heights for every level), while for the
transient program are given with detail as in a building project. This time the network is
more complicated with more connected levels and a shaft which represents a stairwell.
This is a typical network for a building with apartments in every floor.
The results for Case 2, changing the wind speed and the temperature distribution into
the building, are shown in Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 gives an almost independent total
mass flow from the outside conditions. This means that changing the wind pressure on
the building facades, the mass flows are due only by the strong thermal gradients that
there are between the inside zones (it must be reminded that this time the vents flow area
is only 0.01m2). In Figure 7 there are the results with low thermal gradients (Fire B); this
time the outside conditions differently influence the resulting mass flows comparing
transient and steady-state models.
Another thing to notice from Figures 6 and 7 is the big difference, not only in the
behaviour, but in the values of the resulting mass flows using the transient, CFAST, and
the steady-state models ASCOS and CONTAM. In Figure 8 there is a bar chart which
shows the index to compare the three programs for the case with low thermal gradient.
Figuer 4: mass flows for Case 1Fire

A

B

A

B
Figuer 8: percent index for Case 2

Fire B

A
In the legend there are the ways the programs are compared; for example:
Contam/Ascos means that these two programs are compared by the term with the Ascos
mass flow in the denominator of equation 2. Between CFAST and ASCOS or CONTAM
the is far from admissible values (with an average value of 88%). Instead between the
two steady state models the has an average value of 0.7%; these last models are made
with the aim to solve complicated networks and so should be used in these cases.

This last test case is the most important one because it takes place in an existing
apartment. The geometrical characteristics of the building are given in detail by the
transient program, while they are approximately given for the steady-state programs.
The results for Case 3, changing the wind speed and the temperature distribution into
the building are shown in Figures 9 and 10. These figures show that, between transient
and steady-state models resulting smoke flows there is no correlation. From the bar chart
in Figure 11 there is the calculated in case of high thermal gradients (Fire A). Between
ASCOS and CONTAM the arises 31% (fire A and no wind). Certainly with such low
mass flows the results can be considered equal. From Figure 12 it is possible to
understand how low are the differences between the resulting mass flows between
CONTAM and ASCOS for the second and the third case with fire A: when zero is a
permitted value, percentage differences can be very misleading.
With a complex network the mathematical model used makes the difference.
5. Conclusions
In this work is exposed a comparison of the results obtained with three computer
programs simulating the smoke movement in building. These programs are different even
if they all use a zone model describing the smoke spread along a network: one is a
transient and the others are steady-state programs.
Even if the smoke movement is not a steady-state phenomenon to compare these
codes, it was necessary to find steady conditions with the transient program (fire with
characteristics no more time dependent). Then transient model was useful to determine
the temperature profiles produced by a fire. Simulations with this type of programs are
long and with a detailed introductions of the data. With the steady-state programs
everything gets easier, but those last ones are just valid for people with good technical
abilities in fire safety and especially, just satisfying for some applications: one is the
study of the ventilation system to evacuate the smoke due to a fire. In this case, the
ventilation system induces homogeneous zones into the building (zone with fixed
characteristics) and every zone could be represented with a homogeneous node of the
network These programs are the most flexible and easy to use for big buildings with
many levels and connections obtaining results with certain degree of approximation
which has to be controlled. These kind of conclusions could be given from the results of
Case 2 where the complexity of the network has a substantial importance on the solution.
In these cases the use of steady-state models gives sufficient degree of approximation.
To study the smoke movement for fire security the transient models, as CFAST,
seamed to be the more detailed. With this kind of program it is possible to know, not only
the smoke net flow that passes through a building, but even how the smoke is distributed
in a room and how the people in the rooms are involved with fire effects.
From this work it is possible to stress that in fire security analysis the best thing to do
is
Figure 10: mass flows for Case 3

Fire B
Figure 11: percent indexes for Case

3Fire A
Figure 12: resulting differences

between ASCOS and CONTAM for
Fire A
to verify analyses with at least two models. Today, for the fire safety project, still remains
the use of H2O spray sprinklers in buildings; sprinklers eliminate fire and smoke with
95% reliability.
6. Acknowledgements
The authors want to express gratefulness to Scot Deal and George Walton (NIST,
Gaithersburg, MD, USA) for the precious collaboration and the friendly support in
getting at first the computer programs and then the right results.
7. References
[1] Portier R.W., Reneke P.A, Jones W.W., Peacock R.D. (December 1992): A Users Guide for
CFAST Version 1.6, BFRL, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD.
[2] Klote J.H., Milke J.A (1992): DESIGN OF SMOKE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, ASHRAE
Special Publications, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning
Engineers, Inc., Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Atlanta, GA.
[3] Walton George N. (March 1994): CONTAM93 User Manual, NISTIR 5385, NIST,
Gaithersburg, MD.
[4] Peacock R.D., Jones W.W., Bulcowski R W., Forney C.L. (June 1991): Technical Reference
Guide for HAZARD I Fire Hazard Assessment Method, BFRL, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD.
9
FIRE PROTECTION IN MODERN
COMPUTER NETWORKS CENTRES
M.T.AREITIO and J.AREITIO
Networks & Systems, Bilbao, Spain
Abstract
This paper analyzes new issues for fire protection in modern computer
networks centres. Fire is the single most feared physical hazard that can
strike a information processing facility. Fortunately major fires are rare
occurrences due to the high level of cleanliness and the controlled
environment which are to be found within the majority of installations.
However, there are no completely non-combustible computers. Circuits
boards, resistors, network interface cards, capacitors, transformers, wiring
and other components can provide fuel for a fire. The risk of fire is
increased when paper and plastic items are introduced into the computer
networks room. It is essential that, should a fire start, it is detected and
then extinguished rapidly in order that total disaster is avoided. This paper
introduces a specific strategy in order to prevent fire in computer
networks centres.
Keywords: Computer networks, detection, extinguishment system, fire
protection, prevention, stategies.
1 Initial aspects
A computer networks centre can only function when all environmental controls and
services are reliable and continuous. From a security standpoint, this paper shows how
the environment is becoming increasingly important. For example, the situation could
arise where an access control system, installed at considerable expense to prevent
unauthorized access to vandals, burglars, etc was fully functioning but the entire
computer networks centre was put out of action by a fire.
There are three keywords that come up in discussions of computer networks security:
vulnerabilities, threats and countermeasures. A vulnerability is a point where a system is
susceptible to attack. A threat is a possible danger to the system, the
danger might be an event (a fire, a flood,), a person (a spy,), a thing (a faulty piece
of equipment) that might exploit a vulnerability of the system. Techniques for protecting
your system are called countermeasures. Computer networks security is concerned with
identifying vulnerabilities in systems and in protecting against threats to those systems.
Every computer networks system is vulnerable to attack. Security policies and

products may reduce the likelihood that an attack will actually be able to penetrate your
systems defenses, or they may require an intruder to invest so much time and so many
resources that its just not worth it, but theres no such thing as a completely secure
system. Computer networks are very vulnerable to natural disaters and to environmental
threats. Disasters such as fire can wreck your computer network and destroy your data.
Natural and physical threats are the threats that imperil every physical plant and piece of
equipment: fires, power failures, and other disasters. You cant always prevent such
disaters, but you can find out quickly if one occurs (with fire alarms, temperature gauges,
and surge protectors). You can minimize the chance that the damage will be severe (e.g.,
with certain types of sprinkler systems). You can institute policies that guard against
hazards posing special dangers to computers (like smoking). You can also plan for disater
(by backing up critical data off-site and by arranging for the use of a backup system
(alternative computers network) that can be used if an emergency does occur).
Despite advances in computer security and communications security, physical security
remains vitally important component of your total security plan. Physical security
measures are tangible defenses that you can take to protect your facility, equipment, and
information from theft, tampering, careless misuse, and natural disasters. In some ways,
physical security is the easiest and the most rewarding type of security. Its very visible
and reassuring. Its a tangible signal to employees and clients that you take security
seriously. Building, computers room, computers, and media locks provide an important
outer, physical perimeter of security. Within this perimeter, access controls and other
types of security provide finer-grained protection of information.
Some important considerations:
1. Install smoke detectors near your equipment and check them periodically.
2. Keep fire extinguishers in and near your computer networks rooms, and be sure
everyone knows theyre there.
3. Enforce no-smoking policies, these are also important to controlling smoke, another
hazard to computer networks.
4. Consider using specially formulated gases such as Argonite, which smothers fires and
avoids the danger of water damage.
2 Prevention system
The facility should be constructed from fire-resistant materials, including floor-to-ceiling,

fire-resistant barriers in order that the facility is completely separate from, for example,
office areas. This is particularly important as such external areas normally receive a far
lower level of fire protection than the computers room. A large proportion of recorded
computer room fires started outside and burnt their way into the computers room. Items
such as furniture, decorations, etc. should be fire-resistant. Strict limitations should be
placed on the amount of combustible material which is unavoidably introduced such a
manuals, books, stationery, cleaning fluids, aerosols, etc
The computers room (i.e. server farm) must obviously be designated as a non-smoking
area and all food and drink must be excluded. At the same time, acceptable rest and
refreshment areas should be provided for staff. Regulations must be introduced for the
Fire protection in modern computer networks centres 75
removal of rubbish; the underfloor void must be cleaned at least quarterly. Despite the
introduction of preventative measures, staff awareness and good housekeeping practices
can achieve much in this area.
3 Detection system
In the event of a fire outbreak within the facility, the early detection of the fire is essential
to prevent its spread and the resulting severe damage. A fire may be detected by one of
the following methods:
1. Observation (artificial, human,).
2. Heat Detectors.
3. Smoke Detectors.
4. Combustion Detectors.
The detection system must be linked to a central system which will sound an alarm and
activate the extinguishing system. The reliance on human intervention to observe the
outbreak of fire, possibly out of normal working hours, and then to raise the alarm should
be ruled out as far as a computer installation in concerned. Automatic detectors must be
installed. Their purposes could be:
1. To alert personnel to the fire in order that they could tackle it with portable
extinguishers if safe to do so, prior to the operation of an automatic extinguishing
system.
2. To summon the fire brigade.
3. To additionally initiate controls of special extinguishing systems such as air
conditioning closedown, door closing, etc.
The usual method of detection is by the use of smoke detectors. The sensitivity of this
type of detector is such that low levels of smoke particles are rapidly dispersed long
before flames become visible or a significant temperature rise has occurred.
Extinguishment at an early stage is able to take place. The system should be designed in
such a way that more than one detector must confirm the presence of smoke prior to
extinguihment release. In this way detection system fault can be avoided. Specialist
advise should be sought for detector installation, but the following guidelines should be
observed:
1. The efficiency of the detector could be considerably reduced if it is sited within the
airflow of an air conditioning unit. Smoke could be diffused to such a level that the
fire would only be detected once it had grown to considerably proportions.
2. The detector should be capable of detecting different types of smoke. For example,
smoke produced by burning plastic, often used in wiring insulation, may not be
detected.
3. Smoke detectors should be installed in the periphery of the computers room in addition
to within it. As previously discussed, a fire which starts outside the computers room
can dangerously develop, so it is advisable to install a zone of detectors at least within
the areas inmediately surrounding the facility. Such detectors should form part of the
corporate fire protection system but there must be an indication of the special nature of
a detected fire in these areas, prompting special action.
4. Smoke detectors should also be fitted in the underfloor void and within air
conditioning ducts.
It should be noted that the activation of the detection system can have no benefit unless a
response take place. When the system is planned, the detector zone should be kept as
small as possible to minimize the damage a fire would cause. More important is the level
of response to the alarm which may mean the different between a small fire being quickly
extinguished and a major conflagration.
4 Extinguishment system
The agents used for fire suppression within the computing environment are:
1. Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
2. Halon Compounds.
3. Water. Its not a good fire protector for computer systems rooms. In fact, more
destruction has been done by sprinkler systems trying to stop fires in computers rooms
than by fires themselves.
4. Argonite (50% Ar-50% N2). Its a clean agent. (No Observe Adverse Effect
Level=40% Ozone Deplection Potential=Global Warning Potential=0).
5. Inergen (52%-N2, 40%-Ar, 8%-CO2). Its a clean agent.
6. Argon (100%-Ar). Its a clean agent.
During the past decade the use of CO2 has generally been discontinued as it depends on
the displacement of air to inhibit combustion and concentrations of up to 46% may be
required. Used in occupied areas, the hazard of suffocating personnel would be present.
However, small capacity, CO2 extinguishers are in use although concern has been
expressed regarding the thermal shock effect produced by the gas which could cause
chips and circuit boards to crack. CO2 has been replaced by Halon as the premise gas
extinguishing agent because:
1. Halon interrupts the oxidation chain reaction, thus extinguishing the fire.
2. A concentration of only 6% is required, at which level it can be considered to be non-
toxic.
3. Halon is non-conductive, non-corrosive and, when discharged, leaves no messy residue
to clean up.
4. Halon can operate via an automatic release system, preferably equipped with a manual
release override.
Halon compounds used in extinguishing systems are either Halon 1211
(Bromochlorodifluoromethane, or BCF) or Halon 1301 (Bromotrifluoromethane, or
BTM). The differing physical properties of these two distate that 1301 system is suitable
for fixed installation and 1211 more appropiate for portable extinguishers. A Halon 1301
system should be considered where there is:
Fire protection in modern computer networks centres 77
1. The need to reduce equipment fire damage by way of early automatic fire
extinguishment.
2. A critical need to facilitate a swift return to service of the equipment after the fire.
3. A critical need to protect data being processed.
4. The need to protect void spaces not suitable for water sprinkler protection.
It is argued that water sprinkler systems are more effective in extinguishing fire than the
other available means. It is agree that the majority of Halon systems release the gas only
once, or at most twice, and this may not be sufficient to put out a deepseated fire. In
addition, unless the system receives on-going expert attention, correct Halon
concentrations are difficult to maintain. To ensure the effectiveness of a Halon system all
ducting, doors and windows must be sealed, as, operating under pressure, the gas may
dissipate rendering it ineffective and causing the fire to re-ignite. Despite all such
precations a door or window left open could have the same effect, as could a fire which
burnt its way into the computer networks room from outside. The Halon will escape
through the entrance made by the fire. It is further argued that should the Halon system
fail to supress the fire, more damage is inflicted by the indiscriminate use of fire hoses by
the fire brigade.
Some organizations have banned the use of any other systems but water sprinklers.
Sprinkler heads of the wet type i.e. when water is held back by a heat activated valve at
the head itself, have an extremely low failure rate and the introduction of dry pipes,
water retained in a remote tanks, have further contributed to their reliability. However,
the concer of water coming into contact with electrical equipment may rule out their
usage. Automatic equipment power-down should precede the activation of sprinklers. It
is often the case that the surrounding areas, officies and storage, are protected by spriklers
and the computer networks room itself is equipped with Halon.
A growing trend is the use of foam extinguishants. Previously widely used in aviation,
marine and petrochemical industries, foam, particularly of the high expansion type, has
now been used by a number of financial institutions. A use for a foam system could be
for the protection of the underfloor void which could take place separately from the main
extinguishing system, thus avoiding a total discharge situation.
Portable extinguishers must be made available both within and outside the computers
facility. Those within the facility should be either Halon 1211 or CO2. It must be
emphasized that dry chemical extinguishers should never be used in the computers room
as the extinguishing agent contains corrosive substances which will attack electronic
equipment. An inspection should take place, at least monthly, to ensure that the
appliances are in their correct positions, have not been discharged or lost pressure. All
staff should receive adequate training not only in the operation of fire extinguishers, but
also which extinguisher to use.
5 Final considerations
A defense against fire is careful placement of a computing facility. A windowless

location with fire-resistant access doors and nonflammable full-height walls can prevent a
fire from spreading from adjacent areas to the computing room. With a fire-and smoke-
resistant facility, personnel merely shut down the system and leave, perhaps carrying out
the most important media.
Fire prevention is quite effective, especially since most computer goods are not
especially flammable. Advance planning, reinforced with simulation drills, can help to
make good use of the small amount of time available before evacuation is necesary.
6 Bibliography
1. Areitio, J. and Areitio, M.T. (1994) Aplicacin multidimensional de la seguridad informtica

operacional. Revista Espaola de Electrnica, Barcelona, No. 481 pp. 4348.
2. DataPro (1992) Network Services, McGraw-Hill, New York.
3. Ferry, T.S. (1988) Modern Accident Investigation and Analysis, (ed. T.S.Ferry), U.S.
4. National Fire Protection Association (1991) Fire Protection Guide on Hazardous Materials.
NFPA, U.S.
5. National Fire Protection Association (1986) Fire Protection Handbook. NFPA, U.S.
10
DOMESTIC FIRST AID FIREFIGHTING
C.REYNOLDS and K.BOSLEY
Fire Research and Development Group,
Fire and Emergency Planning, The Home Office, UK
Abstract
There were over 61,000 domestic fires reported to fire brigades in the UK
in 1992. However, the British Crime Survey of 1988 indicates that
approximately 9 out of 10 fires in the home go unreported. This suggests
that many fires are being dealt with successfully by the householder,
despite the fact that advice from the fire brigades and the Home Office is
to leave the house and call the fire brigade.
The Fire Research and Development Group of the Home Office
commissioned a study to assess the level and extent of first aid
firefighting in the home, with the aim of providing information to review
the current advice.
The study involved a detailed questionnaire completed by 1,000
members of the general public, another more specific questionnaire for
450 people who had experienced a fire in the home in the last 5 years,
together with some practical tests of methods of tackling typical
household fires.
This paper provides details of the findings of the study.
INTRODUCTION
In 1981 the number of injuries from fire in the home reported to the Home Office by fire
brigades was 6,343. Since then, the number has increased steadily and the latest figure
(1992) stands at 13,440.
Against this background, the 1988 British Crime Survey indicated that approximately
90% of fires in the home are not reported to fire brigades and therefore any injuries
ensuing from those fires are not recorded in the annual fire statistics.
Standard advice from fire brigades and the Home Office is that in case of fire the
public should evacuate buildings as quickly as possible and call the fire brigade to deal
with the fire. The only exception to this is a chip pan fire for which the householder is
given specific first aid firefighting advice.
It is clear that the annual statistics need supplementing to provide a more exact picture.
Hence a project has been undertaken to determine the level and extent of first aid
firefighting in the domestic environment and, where appropriate to help formulate best
practice advice for dealing with fire in the home.
Two surveys were carried out for the Home Office by the opinion surveyors MORI.
The first, the General Public Survey, involved approximately 1000 people chosen to be
representative of the general population. The second, the Experienced Fire Survey,
involved approximately 450 people who had experienced a fire in the home in the last
five years. Both surveys were conducted by field workers completing a questionnaire
whilst talking to the respondents in their homes. These surveys were complemented by a
limited set of practical trials undertaken at the Fire Experimental Unit.
GENERAL PUBLIC SURVEY
This survey involved approximately 1000 people and aimed to gauge their perceptions of
the dangers of fire. The questionnaire consisted of over 70 questions on topics such as the
perception of danger, fire safety measures, perceptions of ignition and training and
information on firefighting. These are discussed in more detail below.
Perceived Risks
The results of this survey indicated that whilst domestic fires were relatively uncommon,
the risk from fire was apparent to many people. Figure 1 shows that a fire in the home is
high on the list of concern of those in the sample although its occurrence within the
sample is relatively low.
Figure 1 Perceived risks from fire

(base 1053)
Fire Safety Equipment

As a consequence of this perceived risk, and also of recent advertising campaigns, many
domestic dwellings now contain fire safety equipment.
Domestic 'first aid' firefighting 81
Figure 2 shows that, according to the survey, by far the most common fire safety
equipment in the home is a smoke alarm (70%), which is consistent with other recent
surveys on smoke alarm ownership. Twenty three percent of households had planned
their escape routes and ownership of fire extinguishers and fire blankets stood at 21% and
8%.
Figure 2: Prevalence of fire safety

measures (base 1,053)
The majority of households now have some form of fire safety equipment, although
knowledge about how to use it in the event of a fire is often incomplete. Thirty eight
percent of those surveyed who owned a fire extinguisher, did not know what their fire
Figure 3: Colour and Presumed

Contents of Household Extinguishers
(base 135)
Training
Only 18% of those surveyed said that they had received training on how to deal with a
fire, and 62% were unaware of a standard set of instructions, such as Get out, call the
fire brigade out and Stay Out. Figure 4 shows the basic, overall message that those who
had been trained remembered from their training varied considerably.
Figure 4: Basic message of training

(base 188)
EXPERIENCED FIRE SURVEY
The second survey involved approximately 450 people who had experienced a fire in the
home in the last five years. They were asked to complete the same questionnaire as the
general public survey, followed by an additional questionnaire which requested
information on such things as, how fires started, whether anyone fought it, whether the
fire brigade was called and whether the experience of fire had prompted a change in
lifestyle or home.
How Fires Started

The results showed that one quarter of those questioned cited Lack of concentration as
the initial cause of the fire, with a further 20% suggesting that carelessness was to blame.
Many of those questioned sited diverse other reasons as the cause of the fire which did
not fit into one of the main categories, shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: How, or why, fires started

(base 449)
Causes of Fire
The majority (66%) of the fires in the survey involved cooking. Figure 6 displays the
causes of the fires which had taken place in the homes of those questioned.
Figure 6: Causes of household fires in

the last five years (base 449)
Timescales of Fires
The majority (69%) of those who did tackle the fire, did something straight away, without
stopping to think about how best to respond to the situation. The majority of fires (53%)
had been discovered within about a minute of starting and the average time to fight a fire
was 2.5 minutes. (Figure 7).
Figure 7: Timescales of fires (base

449)
FirefightingAttitudes
Eighty percent of those who had experienced a fire did not call the fire brigade but tried
to put it out themselves. Ten percent more men than women said they would tackle a fire.
The two most common initial actions were turning off the source of the heat (19%)
and fighting the fire with a damp cloth (16%). However 8% said that they moved the item
on fire, despite the fact that moving a burning object can be extremely dangerous. Fires
involving electrical appliances caused the greatest concern when first discovered. They
were also more likely to produce lots of smoke and to result in damage to property.
Seventy three percent of the fires in this survey had flames less than one foot high at
worst and 81% of those questioned described the fire as small and easy to put out. This
indicates that most people will try to fight fires less than a foot in height.
FirefightingTechniques and Equipment

A range of items were used whilst tackling the fire. The most commonly used item was a
damp cloth (15%), 9% said they had beaten out the fire, 6% said they had used a small
container of water and 3% a bucket of water. Few mentioned using a fire blanket (1%) or
a fire extinguisher (1%). Figure 8 provides details of the most common firefighting
techniques and equipment.
Figure 8: Techniques used to fight fire

(base 331)
Most fires were extinguished using a damp cloth or water, and few people used a fire
extinguisher or fire blanket. This indicates that using items readily to hand was a more
instinctive reaction than using specific firefighting equipment.
Reporting of Fires
The fire brigade was called to only 19% of the fires experienced, but this seemed to be
dependant upon the type of fire. Figure 9 shows that only 9% of cooking fires were
reported, whilst the fire brigade were called to 51% of fires caused by heaters/open fires.
This suggests that people are less likely to fight fire involving electrical equipment and
open fires.
Figure 9: The reporting of domestic

fires (base 449)
Consequences of Fire
Six out of ten people reported that since the fire they had become more aware of the
danger of fire and had changed their home or lifestyle accordingly; for example, by
unplugging electrical appliances that were not in use and buying smoke alarms (Figure
10). Many people had made minor other changes to their home or lifestyle which they
felt also contributed to increased fire safety. In the course of fighting the fire, almost six
in ten felt either calm or in control and the majority had put the fire out in an estimated
two minutes. Only 3% said that their efforts had made the fire worse and only 5% of the
fires had led to any kind of personal injury.
Figure 10: Changes made in the home

after experiencing a fire (base 449)
Overall, three quarters (74%) said that the fire was quickly extinguished. Twenty eight
percent of the fires caused damage to property estimated at greater than 50.
Publicity and Education

Over 70% of all questioned remembered seeing or hearing information about fires in the
home. Most of these were from television, but others also mentioned newspapers, leaflets
and fire brigade visits. Almost 90% still said that they would like more information on
dealing with fires, the majority suggesting television as the most suitable media.
PRACTICAL FIRE TESTS
Practical fire tests were conducted to establish the most effective, practical method of
extinguishing domestic fires. The fires were fought by staff who had not been trained in
firefighting with a range of firefighting equipment likely to be found in the home.
Domestic Fire Scenarios

A series of practical fire tests were conducted involving typical domestic fire scenarios:
* electrical appliances such as irons and televisions,
* chip and grill pan fires,
* clothes and material on a clothes horse,
* fires in a mattress and sofa, and
* fires in a waste bin.
These fires were fought using a variety of techniques and equipment including:
* various amounts of water applied at different stages in the fire,
* smothering with a damp cloth,
* fire blankets, and
* dry powder fire extinguishers.
The fires were confined to a single source and the possible spread of the fire was not
considered. Each type of fire was first allowed to burn freely in a room. The levels of
smoke, air temperature and thermal radiation were assessed in the enclosed environment.
This gave an indication of the environment that would be encountered by a householder
discovering a fire.
Application of Water
For most categories of fire other than hot fat fires and electrical fires, applying water was
found to be the quickest and cheapest option to extinguish the fire. In the tests, applying a
small amount of water quickly controlled the fire even if it was not completely
extinguished immediately. In a domestic scenario, this controlling action would allow the
householder sufficient time for further, safer firefighting.
The tests highlighted that a small amount of water applied at an early stage in the fire
controlled the potentially hazardous situation more effectively than applying a larger
amount of water at a later stage. Once water had been applied to a fire, any unburned fire
load was difficult to reignite and any burning areas were cooled.
Smothering with a Damp Cloth

For hot fat fires the Home Office advice for tackling chip pan fires is to use a damp tea
towel. During the tests, this method proved to be the most effective method of tackling
the fire in terms of safety, availability and ease of use. If the initial application was
unsuccessful the first tea towel could be left in position, controlling the fire sufficientfy to
enable the application of another damp tea towel in relative safety.
Dry Powder Extinguishers

Multi purpose dry powder extinguishers successfully extinguished all fires except those
involving hot fat. The dry powder extinguishers did however prove to be both messy and
expensive and therefore were considered unlikely to be suitable for the domestic
environment. Additionally, during the tests on hot fat fires, the extinguisher forced the
hot fat out of its container, effectively adding to the hazard from the fire. The
extinguishers contents did not cool the fat sufficiently to prevent re-ignition.
Fire Blankets
The fire blankets used during the tests were found to have four main drawbacks for
fighting domestic fires:
1. The material construction of the blankets meant that they were too rigid to form a seal
around the fire.
2. The blankets were too big to apply easily to small fires that were not contained.
3. It was found to be very difficult to assess the state of the fire when a blanket had been
placed over it.
4 The blankets did not cool the materials in and around the fire and therefore did not
prevent re-ignition of the fire when the blanket was removed.
SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS
The findings of the study provide the following conclusions:

1. Concern about fire in the home is relatively high amongst the general public despite its
low incidence.
2. The publicity campaigns for smoke alarms have been very successful.
3. The majority of fires were discovered within a minute of starting and the average time
taken to tackle a fire was 2.5 minutes. This indicates that the both the discovery and
fighting of fire is very quick, giving little time for thought.
4. Seventy three percent of the fires in this survey had flames less than one foot at worst
and 81% of those questioned described the fire as small and easy to put out. This
indicates that most people will try to fight fires less than a foot in height.
5. Most fires were extinguished using a damp cloth or water, and few people used a fire
extinguisher or fire blanket. This indicates that using items readily to hand was a more
instinctive reaction than using specific firefighting equipment.
6. Six out of ten people reported that since the fire they had become more aware of the
danger of fire and had changed their home or lifestyle accordingly.
7. Almost 90% of those surveyed said that they would like more information on dealing
with fires, the majority suggesting television as the most suitable media.
8. For most categories of fire other than hot fat fires and electrical fires, applying water
was found to be the quickest and cheapest option. A small amount of water applied at
an early stage in the fire controlled the potentially hazardous situation more effectively
than applying a larger amount of water at a later stage.
9. For hot fat fires, application of a damp cloth to test fires proved to be the most
effective method of tackling the fire in terms of safety, availability and ease of use.
10. Multi purpose dry powder extinguishers successfully fought all fires except those
involving hot fat. They did, however, prove to be both messy and expensive and
consequently were considered unlikely to be suitable for the domestic environment.
11. The fire blankets used during the tests were found to have four main drawbacks for
fighting domestic fires: they were too rigid and bulky, they obscured the progress of
the fire and did not prevent re-ignition.
11
DYNAMIC MODELLING OF FIRES IN
BUILDINGS
E.CAFARO, L.RANABOLDO and A.SALUZZI
Dipartimento di Energetica, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
Abstract
The transient fire growth in enclosed spaces is modelled using concepts of
non linear dynamical systems theory and the theory of stochastic
processes. The mathematical model, derived by a simplified
thermodynamic approach to the problem, keeps into account two non
linear effects on the burning rate of the fire: the radiation feedback from
the hot layer to the fuel and the switch-over between fuel and ventilation
control. The zone model used to derive the evolution of the temperature
excess of the hot smoke layer is recast in the form of a gradient type
dynamical system. A swallowtail catastrophe function is introduced to
approximate the fire potential function and to define the boundaries of
stable system behaviour. To perform a probabilistic analysis the
temperature excess of the smoke layer is considered to be a stochastic
variable the time evolution of which is modelled by a Langevin equation.
The numerical solution of the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation
allows to determine the probability density function of the stochastic
process.
Introduction
Fires in enclosed spaces represent phenomena exhibiting a complex dynamical behaviour

at variation of the ratio of air mass flow rate to volatilized fuel mass flow rate. Flashover
and extinction jumps as well as hysteresis between the fuel volatilization rate and
openings on the compartment have been experimentally observed and recast in
mathematical models [1]. Deterministic and stochastic approaches have been used to
model the fire growth process: the former tend to fall within the two categories of zone
models and field models while the latter views fire spread as a percolation process [1,2].
In a previous paper, by developing a thermodynamic approach introduced in [3], we
derived a two layer type dimensionless model, keeping into account the radiation
feedback effect and the transition effect from fuel control to ventilation control of the
burning rate. Emphasis is placed on jumping phenomena and hysteresis [4]. The
evolution of the temperature excess of the smoke layer has been modelled by a first order
ordinary differential equation depending on a set of control parameters characterizing the
heat and mass transfer processes in the compartment. The numerical integration of the
model, performed by a fourth order Runge-Kutta method for time dependent cases and by
a Gauss method for steady state conditions, shows the existence of two stable branches of
solution and an unstable one depending on the values of control parameters.
In the present paper the derived model is recast in the form of a dynamical system by
introducing a fire potential function recognized as a swallowtail catastrophe function
[5,6]. To perform a stochastic analysis of the problem we perturb the system by a white
noise term and transform the Langevin equation into a Ito-type stochastic differential
equation. Finally we determine the probability density function for the temperature
excess stochastic variable by numerical solution of the corresponding monodimensional
time dependent Fokker-Planck equation [7,8].
Deterministic model
The dimensionless mathematical model is defined by the following first order ordinary
differential equation [4]:
(1)
where
(2)
(3)
The quantity represent the temperature excess of smoke layer, the dimensionless time,
V the ratio of the smoke volume to the compartment volume, the dimensionless fuel-
ventilation control function, Nv the control parameter defined as the product of the
ventilation parameter and the inverse heat release parameter, the ratio of the
combustion energy to a reference energy, mf* the dimensionless fuel mass flow rate,
the dimensionless area of the volatilized fuel, the radiation heat exchanged by flame and
fuel, the global emissivity of the smoke layer.
The adopted in the model structure of dimensionless fuel-ventilation control function
is recovered from correlation of some experimental results about the combustion
efficiency of polymeric materials [9].
The model can be recast in the form of a dynamical system:
(4)
where
(5)
Dynamical modelling of fires in buildings 93
The shapes of the fire potential function P for different values of control parameters are
showed in figs. 1, 2.
fig.1
fig.2
Comparing the figs.2 with the following fig.3 we notice that varying the Nv parameter
the potential function P shows either three or one noteful points corresponding to the
stationary solution branches of the temperature excess evolution equation.
The first point of minimum represent the extinction jump, the point of maximum the
unstable solution branch, the second point of minimum the flashover jump. When the
solution exhibits one noteful point only it represent the flashover jump.
fig.3
The fire potential function can be approximated by means of the following swallowtail
catastrophe function [5,6]:
(6)
The coefficients of the polynomial have been determined by spline interpolation of the
potential function.
Stochastic analysis
Let us consider the smoke layer temperature a stochastic variable the time evolution of
which Is governed by the Langevin equation [7]:
(7)
where
In the eq. (7) the quantity is a white noise term with zero mean value and variable
dependent variance function.
The Langevin equation can be rewritten as a Ito-Stratonovich stochastic differential
equation [7]:
(8)
where is a standard Wiener process and D is the infinitesimal variance function

which characterize the intensity of the noise.
The probability density function of a stochastic differential equation obeys a
deterministic partial differential equation called Fokker-Planck equation [7,8]:
(9)
As the probability density function converges to a stationary density which is

either a generalized function or a proper probability density function depending on the
form of the potential function and the infinitesimal variance function.
The stationary solution of the Fokker-Planck equation when the infinitesimal variance
function is constant reads:
(10)
where C is a normalization constant.

The eq. (10) implies:
(11)
The eq. (11) defines an affine transformation of the potential function. Therefore, the
whole apparatus of catastrophe theory, in particular, the classification of the degenerate
singularities of the potential function, now applies without change to the logarithm of the
stationary probability density function.
In the interior of its domain the stationary probability density function has
differentiable relative maxima (modes) and minima (antimodes) which coincide with the
relative minima and maxima of the potential function.
The modes and antimodes of the stationary probability density function are non
trivially related to the relative minima and maxima of the potential function if the
variance function is dependent from the stochastic variable. In this case, namely, the
stationary probability density function is given by:
(12)
The eq. (12) can be rewritten as:

(13)
Lets define the shape function of F* to be
(14)
From the eqs.(13, 14) it can be seen that the modes and the antimodes of the stationary
probability density occur at the zeroes of the shape function which do not necessarily
coincide with the zeroes of the fire potential function.
The values of the control parameters selected in the numerical integration of the
Fokker-Planck equation correspond to those used for determining the shape of the
potential function showed in fig.1.a . Some results of the stochastic analysis are showed
in figs. 4, 5, 6, 7.
fig. 4
fig. 5
fig. 6
fig. 7
Conclusions
The analysis performed show how the catastrophe theory and the stochastic processes
theory can be used to understand the main features of the complex dynamical behaviour
of the fires in buildings. The reduction of fires growth process in compartments to a
dynamical system of polynomial type allows to determine the exact scaling of the control
parameters in physical simulation of the interesting process. The most relevant control
parameters result to be the ratio of the air mass flow rate to the global heat exchange
coefficient and the fuel mass flow rate.
The probabilistic analysis allows to affirm that stochastic systems with multiple stable
equilibria may nevertheless exhibit unimodal stationary probability densities.
References
1) D.D.Drysdale,An introduction to fire dynamics, Wiley, Chichester, 1985.

2) H.E.Mitler,The Harvard fire model, Fire Safety Journal, 9, 716, 1985.
V.Bennardo, E.Cafaro, N.Inzaghi, A zone model for the hot smoke layer evolution, Antincendio
12, 715, 1994.
N.C.Markatos, G.Cox, Hydrodynamics and heat transfer in enclusures containing a fire source,
Physico Chem. Hydrodynam., 5, 5766, 1984.
E.Cafaro, A.Saluzzi, Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis for a fire detection and suppression
in Mini Pressurized Logistic Module, Alenia-Spazio s.p.a, Grant, 199394.
T.Beer, Percolation and fire spread, Combust. Sci. Tech., 72, 297304, 1990.
3) P.H.Thomas, M.L.Bullen, J.G.Quintiere, B.J.McCaffrey, Flashover and instabilities in fire

behaviour, Combust. Flame 38, 159171, 1980.
4) V.Bennardo, E.Cafaro, N.Inzaghi, Thermodynamic model for confined fires, Antincendio, 8,
713, 1994.
5) R.Thom, Structural stability and morphogenesis, Benjamin, N.Y., 1975.
6) T.Poston, I.N.Stewart, Catastrophe theory and its applications, Pittman, San Francisco, 1978.
7) T.T.Soong, Random differential equation in science and engeneering, Academic, N.Y., 1973.
8) E.Cafaro, C.Cima, A.Saluzzi, Numerical analysis of non linear physical systems stochastically
perturbed, 46 Congresso Nazionale ATI, V 189200, 1991.
9) A.Tewarson, F.H.Jiang, T.Morikawa, Ventilation controlled combustion of polimers, Comb.
Flame, 95, 151169, 1993.
12
AN HIERARCHICAL APPROACH TO
FIRE RESISTANCE IMPROVEMENT OF
COMPLEX TECHNICAL SYSTEMS
R.V.GOLDSTEIN
Institute for Problems in Mechanics, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Moscow, Russia
Abstract
An discrete-continual approach is developed for analysis of the problems
on fireresistance estimation and improvement in hierarchical complex
technical systems. The generalized characteristic of the catastrophic
accidents scale. namely, the rank of the catastrophe is introduced. The
conditions of the catastrophe transition from one rank to another are
formulated. As an example of the approach application the model problem
on improvement of fireresistance by means of protection distribution
through the system structural levels is considered and the resuits of its
analytical and numerical solution are given.
Keywords: Hierarchical complex technical system. fireresistance,
protection distribution levels.
1 Introduction
Catastrophic accidents on complex technical systems, in particular accidents induced or

accompanied by fire propagation, envelop, as a rule, many scale levels. These levels
correlate with the scales of separate objects forming the complex technical system or
their sets as well as with the scales inherent to appropriate physical processes.
Prediction of the catastrophic accidents and development of recommendations for
improvement of resistance (e.g., fireresistance) of the complex technical systems to such
catastrophes require description of conformities of their initiation and propagation in
hierarchical systems taking into account the physical and/or chemical fields leading to the
catastrophe and the properties of media being in contact with the complex technical
system under consideration.
To analyze such problems we developed a multiscale approach which allows to model
processes on various scales by discrete or continual manner [1]. The concept on the rank
of the catastrophe relative to given physical field acting on the system is introduced. The
rank is a generalized characteristic of the catastrophe scale. The conditions of the
catastrophe transition from one rank to another are formulated.
As an example of the approach application we considered together with Dr.

D.A.Onishcenko the problem on improvement of the fireresistance of a complex
multiscale technical system by appropriate distribution
of protective means on various scales. It is shown that the probability of the fire
propagation in large scale can be reduced strongly by an optimal distribution of
protective means on different scale levels of the system. Some results of the numerical
modeling of the problem are obtained.
2 A discrete-continual approach
Assume that in the complex technical system one can settle out elements and/or their
groups having the characteristic scales L1,, Lk (L1<<Lk). It is possible but not
necessary that elements of one or several scales represent gemetrically identical or similar
objects.
We will believe that the disturbance of the system technical state is catastrophic if it is
accompanied by rise and propagation of dangerous field of action in media surrounding
the system and/or being in contact with it. By the dangerous field we mean here the fields
dangerous from the ecological or mechanical point of view (e.g., fire induced
temperature, radiation and pressure fields).
Denote by df1,, dfp the dangerous fields caused by a catastrophe.
If the field dfk envelops the scale Lj one will say that the catastrophe has the rank rjk
relative to the field dfk.
Let rj1,, rjp. be the catastrophe ranks of the system under consideration relative to the
fields df1,, dfp, respectively. Then the rank, r, of the catastrophe of the system is by
definition equal to maximum of the ranks rj1,, rjp:
(1)
Variation of the catastrophe rank relative to the field ield dfk, rjk, is determined by
kinetics and dynamics of this field. Different fields dfm and dfk. can be conjugated and the
appropriate ranks rjm. and rnk. inter related. The relation between the ranks rjm. and rnk. can
be changed when the catastrophe rank increases. Increase of the catastrophe rank, relative
to one field, (its scale) can be accompanied by decrease of the rank relative to other
dangerous field (e.g., localization of harmful contaminants issuing at fracture caused by
fire embrasing increasing scales).
We will mainly consider later on catastrophs connected with partual or total fracture of
the complex technical system caused by fire. The catastrophe rank r =i will be correlated
with the scale of the fire embrased region Li.
The catastrophe of i-th rank generation can be caused directly by the fire and fracture
process of elements of the scale Li or can be a result of formation of catastrophe zone of
the scale Li because of fire induced fracture of a certain set of elements of the scale Li1.
An hierarchical approach to fire resistance improvement of complex technical systems 105
Description and modeling of the process of a definite rank catastrophe formation and
extension as well as its rank increasing provide for availability of conditions which
specify transition of an element of the system in the limit state, transition to the limit state
of other elements of the same scale under the action of the perturbation field induced by
the fire and/or fracture of an initial element as well as conditions of the next (larger) rank
catastrophe formation.
The conditions of the first and second groups can be written similarly to nesessary and
sufficient conditions of formation of an hierarchy of structures of fracture [2,3].
The peculiarity of the catastrophe extension process consists in its instability
(dynamics). In this connection a specific role play media transmiting perturbations of
different fields caused by fire and fracture of an element of the complex technical system.
Namely these processes are ascartaining for formation of the second and third group
conditions.
Indeed, a perturbation propagation depends upon both the situation in the
neighborhood of the fructured element and the reaction of the system in larger scales or
as a whole on the arised perturbation. The system reaction is essentially determined by its
capacity to retain and maintain the regime of perturbation localization as well as to
provide transition to regimes of propagation of distributed perturbations.
While it is convenient to consider in frames of a discrete approach conditions of
catastrophic fire induced fracture of separate elements, the analysis of the system (or its
subsystem) reaction as a whole on a local perturbations can be performed using a
continual approach taking into account the system structure. By the way we obtain the
possibility to separate the whole problem of the catastrophe formation and extension in
multiscale system onto a series of inner and outer problems.
The analysis of the process on the scale Li represents an inner problem relative to
larger scales (Li+1, etc.). This problem is solved by incorporating specific mechanisms of
fire and fracture in the scale Li and actions on the element under consideration from
larger scales.
In turn, the problem on perturbation distribution in the complex technical system or in
its subsystems of the scale Li+1 represents an outer problem relative to the scale Li. In the
outer problem one considers the process of propagation of a field induced by fire and/or
fracture in an element of the scale Li. Analysis of the outer problem can be performed in
frames of a continual approach. The appropriate continuum can be modeled as an
equivalent (generally nonlinear) composite medium (see [1]).
On can model perturbations caused by the processes in the scale Li as specific body
sources.
Note, that regimes with peaking at perturbation propogation can appear in such
nonlinear medium with the body sources. Similar regimes have been described in [4] in
the case of the heat field.
Unstable regimes, e.g. regimes with peaking, can lead to appearence of a correlation
between processes in several elements of the scale Li. This correlation, in turn, will
promote increasing of the catastrophe rank.
The formulated approach allows to model the processes of catastrophe initiation and
propagation in multiscale systems, It can be used also for consideration of the problems
on the catastrophe protection and preventation leading to hierarchical principle of
constuction of active and passive (or combined) protection.
3 A model of fire protection circuit in hierarchical complex technical

systems
3.1 Main assumptions of the model

We will now consider a hierarchical complex technical system of the following type:
- on the rank o the system structure consists of elements of the same type;
- the system structure of rank (j+1) is a set of blocks formed by pairwise join of j-rank
blocks;
- the whole system coincides with the structure of rank n which can be represented as join
of two blocks of (n1)-rank;
Note, that the described structure corresponds to a fractal tree.
Assume that the intensity of an action depends on fire included structural level. Further,
the system is provided with a fire protection. The protection resourses can be distributed
through various structural levels of the system. The problem under consideration consists
in searching for an optimal protection circuit. Here we will analyze the problem in
assumption that all protection must be concentrated on a certain structural level and it is
required to choice this level to achive maximum efficiency of the protection. More
general case as well as detailed results of numerical calculations will be considered in
separate publication with D.A.Onishcenko.
Let us formulate now the assumptions on the fire (and fracture) propagation in our
hierarchical system.
The fire process can start from the structure of o-rank. Assume that a certain element
of o-rank perished or failed due to fire. Then this element exerts an action of the given
type on a conjugate element. Remind, that both these elements form one of the blocks of
1-rank. The conjugate element can also exert with certain probability which is determined
by an appropriate distribution function and the action intensity. If this event arises one
can say that a block of 1-rank is out of action.
Fracture of the block of 1-rank exerts an action on elements of a block conjugated to
him. There exist two such elements for the block of 1-rank. Note, that the action caused
by the failed block is constant up to fracture or perish of both of these elements forming
the conjugate block. A refusal of these both elements is equivalent to a refusal of 1-rank
block conjugate to failed one. Hence, two conjugate blocks of 1-rank are out of action.
This means that a block of 2-rank is failed (or perished). The fire propagation by such a
way leads to refusal of (n1)-rank block. The refusal of the whole system takes place if
both (n1)-rank blocks fall out.
Let us assume now that a certain mechanism of reduction of an action on a given
block exists on each level of the system hierarchy. Denote by rj the value of the action
reduction on j-rank block. Then the action on the given j-rank block, qj, can be
represented as follows
qj=sjRj
(2)
where sj is the action induced by the refusal of the conjugate j-rank block and Rj equals to
the sum of the protection resources on all levels of the hierarchy from o-rank up to j-rank
(3)
3.2 A model problem on optimal distribution of fire protection resources

Assume that the protection volume is fixed and equals to Vo. For definiteness we will
believe that the protection is achieved by using of special shell. The shell thickness
determines the degree of the fire action reduction. Assume for simplicity that the shell is
of cylindrical type when the elements of the system are placed in a plane square region
and the shell is closed one when the elements are placed in a cubic region in 3D-space.
In a general case the protection resources can be distributed partly on various levels of
the hierarchical structure of the system.
We will consider the simplest approach when the whole protection is concentrated on
one level only. Then the problem on protection optimization consists in searching for
number of the hierarchy level where the protection efficiency has maximum. We will
assume that the probability of complete fracture of the system is a measure of the
protection efficiency. Hence, the maximum protection efficiency corresponds to
minimum of this probability.
First let us analyze the case when all system elements are placed in a plane.
Assume that the height of the protection wall equals to h independent on the structural
level. Denote by tj the thickness of the protection wall placed on j-th level.
Let us estimate the required extension of the protection wall. Suppose that it is equal
to the total perimeter of all j-rank blocks. Then the protection volume Vj equals to
Vj=4 1or(nj)/2htj
(4)
where 1o is the characteristic size of o-rank element. Taking in mind that the protection
volume is given one can equate Vj=Vo in assumption that the total protection is
concentrated on j-th level. Then from (4) we obtain
tj=to 2j/2
(5)
Note that in the case when the system elements are placed in a cubic region similarly
tj=to 2j/3
(6)
Assume that the protection degree is proportional to a certain power of the shell
thickness. Then the sequence {rj} is increasing one such that
rj=ro. aj, a>1
(7)
The law of the action sj increasing with the structural level growth can be sufficiently
arbitrary.
We will now show on numerical examples that the situations are possible when the
protection distribution on the o-th level is not optimal.
Suppose that the strength distribution of o-th rank elements is described by the
Weibull one
F(o) (x)=1exp(x2)
(8)
We will analyze the two following variants:

1. the j-dependences of sj and rj are linear
sj=so+j/3, rj=ro+j/3;
(9)
2. sj is the quadratic function on j and rj is the linear one

sj=so+[(j+5)225]/60
rj=ro+j/4 (10)
where so=0.6, ro=0.45.

The hierarchy level n equals to 10 in the both cases.
The probabi1ities of total fracture of the system were calculated according to the
formulae (11)(13) given in subsection 3.3. The results of calculation are presented
below
Table
Protection Variant
1 2
1
with no protection 2.21. 10 3.02. 101
with protection on the level 0 1.32. 103 1.27. 103
1 4.09. 104 1.98. 104
2 8.60. 104 1.49. 104
3 4.24. 103 9.08. 104
4 1.50. 102 1.18. 102
5 3.35. 102 7.86. 102
It is seen from the Table that in Variant 1 the optimal protection is achieved if the
protection is ccncentrated at o-rank elements while in Variant 2-at 2-rank blocks.
Moreover, in the last Variant the probability of total fracture of the system is almost one
order of magnitude smaller with protection at 2-rank blocks than that for the protection at
o-rank elements.
3.3 Probability of refusal of the total system

In this subsection we will give a formula for calculation of the probability of refusal of
the total system. This formula follows directly from some general results obtained in [5].
Omiting details we will only formulate the final result.
Denote by D(j) the probability of refusal of j-rank block having initially a refused
element. In particular, D(o)=1 since the initial fire damage of o-rank element is accepted
as a certain event. The value D(n) is equal to the desired probability of refusal of the total
system.
Let p(j)(x) be the integral distribution function of block strength under the local
action of the intensity x. This function depends on the distribution function of o-rank
element strength, F(o)(x), the scale variation of the action, sj, and on the distribution of the
protection resources through the structural levels, rj.
Under the above assumptions one can write the following formula for the value D(n) of
the total system refusal
(11)
where
(12)
and
p(j)(q)=2p(j1)(q+sj1)[p(j1)(q)]2
j=1,, (n1) (13)
4 References
1. Goldstein R.V. (1993) About an structural-continual approach in mechanics of catastrophic

fracture of complex technical systems. Reports of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 330, 4547
(in Russian).
2. Goldstein R.V., Osipenko N.M. (1978) Fracture and structure formation. Reports of the USSR
Academy of Sciences, 249, 829832 (in Russian).
3. Goldstein R.V., Osipenko N.M. (1978) Structures of fracture (Conditions of formation. Echelons
of cracks). Preprint N 110. Institute for Problems in Mechanics, USSR Academy of Sciences (in
Russian).
4. Danilov V.G. (1991) Asymptotic finite solutions of degrenerate quasi1inear parabolic equations
with small diffusion. Mathematical notes, 50, 7788 (in Russian).
5. Onishcenko D.A. (1992) Refusalresistant building structures, in Reliabi1ity, lifeteme and safety
of technical systems, SPb, 1994, PP. 102107 (in Russian).
13
A SOFTWARE PACKAGE FOR
DETERMINISTIC AND STOCHASTIC
MODELLING OF FIRES IN BUILDINGS
WITH A CAD-BASED GRAPHICAL USER
INTERFACE
A.LANCIA, L.BORDIGNON and M.SINI
TRI srl, Scanzorosciate (BG), Italy
G.GALLINA
CNRICITE, Sesto Ulteriano (MI), Italy
ABSTRACT: Fire risk assessment in buildings can be performed by

running a representative set of simulations including modelling for fire
dynamics, smoke transport and occupants movement. A software package
is described allowing the user to define the modelling data while working
in a friendly CAD environment. The analyst can choose to perform a
certain simulation in a deterministic way or to indicate statistical
distributions for input parameters and then generating and running a
given number of simulations (stochostic mode). A graphical and numeric
statistical post-processor is also added to help in the evaluation of
stochastic modelling results. Fire and smoke transport modelling is
accomplished by the CFAST (W: Jones et al.) multi-compartment zone
model while evacuation is simulated by a rule-based proprietary code. A
sample application of the package is given for a 13 compartments
building hosting an applied research laboratory. Typical expected
applications of the developed system such as cost/benefit analysis,
performance oriented design and support for fire engineering courses are
discussed.
1. Introduction to the TRISTAR project
The TRISTAR project was started in 1989 with the aim of bridging the gap between fire
modelling research and its application to practical problems in fire safety engineering for
large buildings where such an approach can be useful and potentially cost effective.
The project was executed by the R&D group of the company Tecsa SpA within the
framework of Progetto Finalizzato Edilizia which is a large R&D actions (total budget
about 50 million ECU) promoted by the Italian National Council of Research (CNR)
through their ICITE Institute (the body in charge of building technology). The project
was completed in 1994 by TRI srl which is a company formed in 1993 by detaching from
Tecsa SpA the R&D and the technology departments. A close co-operation with the
researchers of ICITE was maintained during the work and a joint effort is still in progress
with the aim of refining the software and applying it on a series of test cases.
The following basic needs were identified from the beginning of our work:
allowing the software to be applied by fire safety engineers in a user friendly way
taking into account a representative set of fire scenarios and the variability of their
development
incorporating a fire & smoke transport modelling software with a sufficient accuracy
but within the execution time constraints related to the need to run the models
thousand of times with a reasonable time and computing budget
incorporating a suitable model for the prediction of the occupants movement
producing results in a form useful to fire safety engineers
The problem of user friendliness is a general one for engineering packages. In the case of
multi-compartment fire models the main discouraging aspect for the users is the long and
boring procedure which is necessary to prepare the data sef which is describing the
building
and the input variables needed for the computation. The decision was therefore taken in
the project to use a CAD environment as the main MMI (man-machine interface) and
developing a series of procedures to input the required data while interacting with the
graphical building layout.
A major issue in the project was the need to take into account for each fire scenario the
variabilily of its development. Regardless the complexity and the accuracy of the fire
model being used, a single deterministic computation is just producing a set of output
data that cannot be taken as the meaningful answer to the problem of forecasting the
consequence of a certain fire initiation. The main reasons for this are the following:
the description of the building and its contents is necessarily incomplete
a significant uncertainty often exists in the actual input data
the combustible items in the building are often subject to changes in their position
within compartments
any of the doors and windows are never always open or close at different times
models are more or less precise but they are never reproducing exactly the actual
phenomena
the behaviour of peoples movement is not deterministic
the variability of people behaviour affects the chances to escape safely but also the fire
scenario dynamics (e.g. they open or close the doors)
the response of fire detection and fire suppression systems cannot be modelled
sufficiently well and such systems are characterised by a rather good but limited
reliability
Therefore a meaningful evaluation of the outcome of an initial fire scenario requires to
carry out a large number of calculations where the scenario development is different by
reflecting the input data variabilily and the branching processes related to the decisions of
A software package for deterministic and stochastic modelling of fires in buildings 113
occupants and to the consequences of such decisions on fire and smoke transport
dynamics.
A basic choice had to be made initially on the type of model to be used for fire
dynamics and smoke transport. The use of CFD models (field models) was excluded for
the impossibility to run such codes automatically and for a large number of times within
reasonable computing resources. The only major limitation in choosing zone models was
that they are applicable only to sets of small or medium size compartments and therefore
they cannot deal with large atria, underground stations, industrial spaces with single large
volumes, etc. This is not however a very important problem since most of the buildings
we are interested in are made of a number of small compartments (offices, hospitals,
schools, etc.).
Concerning evacuation modelling we chose to exclude any deterministic model based
on the optimisation of evacuation or on the straightforward application of queue theory
on predetermined pathways. The reason for this is that such models are useful only for
preparing emergency evacuation plans or in those cases where the building is accessible
only to certain persons and all of them have been trained to follow predetermined escape
ways (e.g. the case of military ships, certain research centres, etc.). For our purpose we
wanted an evacuation model that could simulate the actual behaviour of the occupants
taking into account the results of the recent studies on the behaviour of people in fires
(e.g. J.Sime et al.).
Running multiple fire simulations is necessary for our purpose but the huge set of
output data is impossible to be evaluated directly regardless the forms in which such
results are produced. Therefore we decided to design a module to merge the results of the
individual simulations and to produce a series of tables and graphs in order to show the
overall results and to evaluate the statistical distributions, the correlation and the
sensitivity of the outcome to certain input parameters.
Fig. 1 shows a simplified diagram of the first conception of the TRISTAR system. A
module for deterministic modelling was included to offer the possibility to use the data
input by CAD for running without large efforts some modelling programs such as
EVACNET and CFAST.
The first year of the CNR TRISTAR project was devoted to the reviewing of available
modelling programs and to collect additional information for designing the software. The
system design was carried out in the second year and the software was developed in its
first version during the third year.
This section contains a summary of the functional specification of the TRISTAR
software package version as it was implemented in 1994.
Fig. 1 shows the structure of the system indicating the main software modules and the
principal sets of data files.
2. General information on the system
TRISTAR provides the user with the following main functions:

entering the description of the building model by defining a virtual building
description (VBD) within an application using a standard architectural CAD
executing the fire & smoke dynamics models
performing the evacuation simulation for a defined VBD

displaying in graphical form the results of modelling
generating series of varied VBD and executing the related modelling in order to
perform sensitivity analysis and randomised studies
analysing the results of the execution of multiple VBD modelling
The drawing of the building can be prepared or imported in the CAD system and can be
used as a graphical background for defining the VBD.
Fire and smoke dynamics modelling is performed by the program CFAST by W.Jones
at al. (US-NIST). The VBD structure is defined by nodes and arcs. VBD nodes and arcs
directly correspond to the nodes (compartments and ventilation nodes) and arcs (links
between nodes) used by CFAST. A description of CFAST can be found in the documents
produced by NIST and available through the US NTIS.
Evacuation modelling is performed by a proprietary TRI software hereby indicated as
EMS (evacuation modelling system). A subset of VBD nodes and arcs corresponds to the
occupants movement network used by EMS. The EMS model is based on the assumption
that occupants at a node make a decision on what they should do and then they execute
the selected move until they reach another node where they will make next decision.
Decision making for the occupants is based on a set of rules that are used to set statistical
likelihood for the possible alternative decisions (i.e. moving to a certain node, waiting,
etc.). The actual move is determined by a random choice weighted on the calculated
likelihood. The rules can be chosen by the user and they reflect the current knowledge on
occupants behaviour. The data used for computing the rules are the relevant perception of
the occupant such as the presence of an escape way sign, the view of some other
occupants on one end of a corridor, the presence of smoke, an audible alarm, etc. The
actual movement of the occupants from one node to the other is based on the usual
algorithms used in deterministic modelling of people movement in buildings. This model
is still being refined at TRI.
The user defines the VBD by creating, deleting and editing nodes and arcs which are
corresponding to certain graphic patterns within CAD and to which a list of editable
attributes is associated. The nodes and arcs attributes comprise all the information related
to modelling by CFAST and EMS plus certain data indicating if and how the individual
information must be varied to generate the stochastic data sets (when the user is asked for
data which can be randomised to generate a set of input data files, he is given the
possibility to definein addition to a base valuea statistical distribution for the input
data).
The user navigates in the system without accessing the operating system command
level by interacting with a supervisor system software.
The system has been developed on an IBM RS6000 workstation using as a main
developing shell the Microstation CAD system by Intergraph. The modules not
developed within Microstation are written in C language.
In the first program version the models were running on a PC connected by a TCP-IP
ethernet link while the current version is fully implemented on the workstation following
the kind decision of NIST to make the CFAST source files available.
3. Applications of the TRISTAR system
TRISTAR can be applied to different problems in fire safety engineering. We mention

here the principal ones with a few short comments.
3.1 cost vs. benefit analysis

A common problem in fire safety engineering is deciding which is the most cost effective
way to reduce risk in a certain building. This can be accomplished by selecting a set of
reference fire scenarios (they might be the worst cases) and then running a stochastic
simulation for each of the possible changes introduced to improve the safety level (e.g.
one more escape way, fire detectors, smoke venting, stairwell pressurisation, etc.).
A engineering decision can be made by comparing the expected improvements and
taking into account the cost of the alternate solutions. In some case the cost will just be
limited by a maximum budget and the system will help to select the best solution or
combination of solutions within such economic constraint.
3.2 evaluation of the fire safety impact of changes in building

structure or in its use
In this case the reference fire scenarios are identified and the stochastic simulations are
run with and without taking into account a planned modification to the building or its
contents and use. The risk histograms produced from the simulation will help in deciding
if authorising the change or conditioning the permission to the implementation of better
prevention and/or protection means.
3.3 performance oriented design

The idea of performance oriented design consists in setting a safety goal and then leaving
the building designers and the fire safety engineers free to adopt the solutions they wish,
providing that the safety goal is reached. In the most common opinion this will not
however cause the relaxation of a series of basic rules such as the maximum distance
between fire exits, the availability of fire extinguishers etc. Performance oriented design
looks to be the only way to allow architects and engineers to create new buildings
without rule based constraints only but within the respect of safety. Cost benefit analysis
concepts are frequently used within this kind of application.
3.4 risk analysis

A system like TRISTAR can be used for the evaluation of risk (to human lives or to
property). In this case the basic approach consists in:
selecting or generating a representative set of fire scenarios
running stochastic simulation for each scenario
adding the risk from each simulation after multiplying it for the expected frequency of
the relevant scenario
An absolute risk evaluation can be useful in a number of cases such as the negotiation of
insurance costs and conditions.
3.5 training
TRISTAR could be used in training courses for fire safety engineers, fire brigades
officers, civil engineers, etc. The software can be a tool to be used by a teacher in the
classroom with the help of a computer screen projector and/or accessed by the trainees
for carrying out exercises aiming to explore through modelling a series of notions such as
how the building design features affect fire dynamics and smoke movement.
3.6 research in fire safety engineering

The TRISTAR system is designed in such a way to allow the replacement of the fire
model with a limited effort. Thus the researchers can use the system as a test bench for
their models allowing the user friendly input of building data, carrying out sensitivity
analysis and comparing the predictions by different models.
4. An example application of the TRISTAR system
In order to give an example of the use of TRISTAR we report in this section a relatively
simple exercise demonstrating the kind of application mentioned in 3.2.
This example is explained in great detail in Volume II of the final TRISTAR report to
CNR and here we will just give a minimum of information to illustrate the application
example.
The building used for the exercise is a two storey rectangular premise used by a
department of a research institute for the development of special electro-optics
instrumentation.
The building layout is represented in the annexed printouts of computer screens
documenting the data input process. Two rows of offices and laboratories are stacked
along one of the longer sides of the building while the other part is occupied by a large
hall conceived to carry our experiments and miscellaneous work without constraints, with
a flexible use of space and with the possibility to move large items in and out through the
large doors at the two extremities of the hall. Structural beams are dividing the building
and particularly the ceiling of the test hall into three sections. The hall was therefore
simulated by three large rooms with open intercommunicating tall doors.
A total of 13 persons are normally present in the building (their work, functions and
habits are described in the CNR report)
The example calculation we give here is related to the problem of deciding if
authorising or not the regular use of flammable substances in the test hall. This problem
arises because former simulations demonstrated that a fire in the test hall can make the
evacuation of the upper rooms impossible in a few second unless costly changes are made
such as the installation of smoke vents on the ceiling or the closure of the balcony and the
stairwell e.g. with a series of air tight glass panels.
The fire scenario used for this example arises at an apparatus for generating
atmospheric samples containing organic pollutants. A two litres glass bottle containing a
mixture of alkylnitryles dissolved in n-hexane falls and breaks. The vapours are ignited
and a spill fire rapidly develops. The fire area is however limited by confinement to about
1 square meter. Hexane combustion is completed within 40 sec but fire continues due to
the combustion of plastic parts of the equipment including polyurethans, polyethylene
and polypropylene. The generation of CO and HCN was considered and their dispersion
modelled by CFAST. In this fire the heat release is quite high for a short time followed
by a variable but mild combustion. Simulations were carried out for a fire time of 1000
sec.
The most critical element in the stochastic simulation are the status of doors and the
distribution of occupants. The following values and statistical distribution were used in
the exercise.
input variable type of distribution parameters of the distribution
door status 59 binary P(0.00)=0.5; P(1.00)=0.5
n. occupants cmpt. 1 4 values int. P(0)=0.1; P(1)=0.8; P(2)=0.1; P(3)=0.0
n. occupants cmpt. 5 4 values int. P(0)=0.2; P(1)= 0.3 P(2)=0.4; P(3)=0.1
n. occupants cmpt. 6 4 values int. P(0)=0.1; P(1 )=0.8; P(2)=0.1; P(3)=0.0
n. occupants cmpt. 1 1 4 values int. P(0)=0.1; P(1)=0.3: P(2)=0.6; P(3)=0.0
n. occupants cmpt. 12 4 values int. P(0)=0.1; P(1)= 0.3; P(2)=0.6; P(3)=0.0
The exercise is addressing the evaluation of the usefulness of an automatic fire detection
system that could be installed in order to allow the use of flammable substances in the
hall. Therefore the stochastic simulation is repeated for the following three data sets.
data set alarm tripping time
A 15 sec i.e. the detection system is correctly functioning
B 120 sec due to the undetected failure of smoke detector in cmpt. 8
C 2000 secthe system doesnt work or it is not installed
The exercise was carried out before the models were ported to the RS6000 workstation
and therefore the number of modelling run was limited to 30 due to the time required to
run the modelling on a 66 MHz 80486 based PC (each CFAST calculation took between
12 and 150 minutes). Even though smooth converged distributions are not reached, the
limited number of runs is sufficient to demonstrate the technique.
The three tables in Fig. 9, 10 and 11 collect the door status and the number of
occupants of 7 compartments for each of the data input files in each set of simulations.
The results are reported in by specifying the number of successfully evacuated occupants
for each run and by giving the statistical frequency distribution of total evacuees from
each room for the set of simulations.
Fig. 12 compares the (total) occupants frequency histogram for the three data sets in
order to verify that there were no large differences between the three sets.
Fig. 13 summarises the results of the three stochastic simulations in the form of
frequency distributions of the number of non-evacuees (potential victims) in the
individual simulations.
In the A case only exceptional victims are reported (corresponding to the case in which
some of the occupants do not start moving following the alarm)
Case B demonstrates that 2 minutes of detection response time is sufficient to cause a
relevant number of victims due to the fast descent of the smoke layer on the balcony
communicating with the test hall
Case C shows a potential very severe loss of lives.
The analysis of the details of the simulations for data set C shows that the only occupants
of the upper floor that escape safely are the ones with the door open since smoke acts as
an alarm for them.
5. Current status of the TRISTAR project and planned developments
TRISTAR is at the moment a research tool being used for pilot studies on the use of
modelling technique in fire safety engineering. No commercialisation was attempted yet
but a first series of releases to external pilot users could start soon following the
completion of some refinements being done on the EMS model (subject to the
availability of funding).
The main planned developments for the future include the following main
enhancements:
full integration of CFAST and EMS (now EMS is run following CFAST while we are
working on the insertion of EMS as a procedure within CFAST so that the occupants
actions will have the possibility to change the CFAST parameterse.g. door
openingdynamically)
enhancement of the EMS model by adding a more complex set of rules and
validating/calibrating the parameters on the basis of evacuation case histories and
experiments
implementation of important sampling techniques as an alternative to Montecarlo
randomisation in order to reduce the overall run time
implementation of functions activating alarms, smoke management systems and fire

suppression systems within the modelling software
implementation of functions to generate and manage a set of scenarios in order to carry
out a complete risk analysis process without a manual housekeeping of scenarios
6. Acknowledgements
The authors wishes to thank CNR for funding the TRISTAR project and the modelling
team and the directors of US NIST for the making the CFAST source code available to
the project team.
1. Basic scheme of the TRISTAR

original design
2. Structure of the actual

implemention of the TRISTAR system
3. Printout of a TRISTAR screen

while inputing data.
4. Example of module display of

variable vs. time for a CFAST
simulation
5. CAD drawing of test building

imported into the system (before data
input begins)
6. CAD drawing of test building

imported into the system (following
the completion of data input begins)
7. TRISTAR CAD drawing of test

building representation without the
background view of the original
drawing (VBD visualisation)
8. Examples of experimental HRR

(heat release rate curves) used to
simulate the heat relead of two
different computers in some of the
fire modeling test exercises
Data set ATable of randomized input and evacuation success

Compt. 1 Compt. 5 Compt. 6 Compt. Compt. Compt. 12 Compt. totals
10 11 13
R D O E D O E D O E D O E D O E D O E D O E O E Tr
u o c v o c v o c v o c v o c v o c v o c v c v a
n o c a o c a o c a o c a o c a o c a o c a c a p
# r c r c r c r c r c r c r c c
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 3 8 8 0
2 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 12 12 0
3 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 3 3 10 10 0
4 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 9 9 0
5 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 10 10 0
6 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 2 9 8 1
7 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 2 2 9 9 0
8 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 10 10 0
9 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 2 2 1 3 3 11 11 0
10 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 3 3 12 12 0
11 1 1 1 1 3 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 3 11 11 0
12 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 3 3 10 10 0
13 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 3 3 13 13 0
14 1 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 9 9 0
15 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 9 9 0
16 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 3 3 10 10 0
17 1 2 2 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 2 2 12 11 1
18 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 8 8 0
19 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 9 9 0
20 1 1 1 1 3 3 0 1 1 0 3 3 1 2 2 1 2 2 0 1 1 13 13 0
21 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 3 3 11 11 0
22 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 3 3 12 12 0
23 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 3 3 14 14 0
24 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 2 10 10 0
25 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 3 3 10 10 0
26 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 3 3 12 12 0
27 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 3 3 9 9 0
28 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 10 10 0
29 1 2 2 0 3 3 0 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 2 2 15 15 0
30 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 3 3 12 12 0
F(0) 0. 0. 0. 0 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.
0 1 1 .4 1 1 8 1 1 9 1 1 9 1 1 7 07 1 9 1 1 0 0 93
0 0 0 7 3 3 7 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 3 3 0 3 0 0 0 0
F(1) 1. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.3 0.1 0.8 0.8 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
0 7 7 5 3 3 3 3 3 7 0 0 0 3 3 7 0 7 7 7 7 0 0 07
0 7 7 3 3
F(2) 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.
0 1 1 0 4 0 0 7 7 0 3 3 0 3 3 0 3 3 0 0 3 0 0 00
0 3 3 0 0
F(3) 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.
0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 00
0 0 0 0 3
F(4) 0.0 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
0 0 0 0
F(5) 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
0 0 0 0 0
F(6) 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
0 0 0 0 0
F(7) 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
0 0 0 0 0
F(8) 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 00
0 0 0 0 0
F(9) 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 00
0 0 0 0 0
F 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.
(10) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 00
0 0 0 0 0
F 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.
(11) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 00
0 0 0 0 0
F 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.
(12) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 00
0 0 0 0 0
F 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
(13) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 00
0 0 0 0 0
F 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
(14) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 00
0 0 0 0 0
F( 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.
15) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 00
0 0 0 0 0
TO 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.
TF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
0 0 0 0 0
A 1. 1. 1. 0. 1. 1.5 0.1 0.9 0.9 0.0 1.7 1.7 0.1 1.4 1.4 0.2 1.5 1.5 0.0 2.3 2.3 10. 10. 0.
VG 0 0 0 5 5 3 3 7 7 7 7 7 0 0 0 7 7 3 7 7 3 63 57 07
0 3 3 3 3
ST 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.9 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.9 0.9 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.2 1.0 0.9 1.7 1. 0.
DE 0 4 4 5 9 0 5 1 1 5 7 7 1 2 2 5 3 8 5 0 9 5 77 25
V 0 9 9 1 0
M 1. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.0 8. 0.
IN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00
0 0 0 0 0
M 1. 2. 2. 1. 3. 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 15. 15. 1.
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 00
X 0 0 0 0 0 0
9. Data set A-Table of randomized input and

evacuation success
Data set BTable of randomized input and evacuation success
Compt. 1 Compt. Compt. 6 Compt. Compt. 11 Compt. 12 Compt. totals
5 10 13
Ru D O E D O E D Oc E D O Ev Do Oc Ev Do Oc Ev Do Oc Ev O Ev trap
n# o c v o c v o c V o cc ac or c ac or c ac or c ac cc ac
o c a o c a o A O
r c r c r c r
1 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 2 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 3 1 14 9 5
2 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 7 6 1
3 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 12 7 5
4 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 2 12 10 2
5 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 3 0 10 4 6
6 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 0 0 1 2 10 9 1
7 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 2 1 12 11 1
8 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3 1 12 8 4
9 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 2 0 10 7 3
10 1 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 3 2 11 9 2
11 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 3 1 9 5 4
12 1 2 2 0 3 3 0 1 1 0 3 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 13 8 5
13 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 2 8 7 1
14 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 3 2 9 7 2
15 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 1 3 0 11 6 5
16 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 3 10 7 3
17 1 1 1 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 11 9 2
18 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 10 8 2
19 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 3 0 10 7 3
20 1 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 3 1 13 8 5
21 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 1 12 10 2
22 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 9 5 4
23 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 2 12 7 5
24 1 2 2 1 3 3 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 10 2
25 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 1 11 5 6
26 1 1 1 0 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 9 6 3
27 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 0 2 1 0 2 2 0 3 1 12 9 3
28 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 7 6 1
29 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 0 10 6 4
30 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 11 9 5
F(0) 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.9 0.1 0.3 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.9 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.00
0 0 0 7 3 3 7 7 0 3 0 7 0 0 7 0 7 3 7 0 0 0
7
F(1) 1.0 0. 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.07 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.00 0.17
0 7 7 3 0 0 3 3 0 0 3 7 3 7 0 3 3 7 3 3 0
7
F(2) 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.57 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.00 0.00 0.27
0 3 3 0 3 3 0 3 3 0 7 3 0 3 0 0 7 0 3 3
F(3) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.5 0. 0. 0.00 0.17
0 0 0 00 3 3 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 03 00
F(4) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0. 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.03 0.13
0 0 0 00 0 0 00 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
F(5) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0. 0.10 0.20
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 00
F(6) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0. 0.17 0.07
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
F(7) 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.00 0. 0.0 0.0 0.23 0.00
0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 7
F(8) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.03 0.13 0.00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
F(9) 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.13 0.20 0.00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
F(10) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.23 0.10 0.00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
F(11) 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.17 0.0 0.00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
F(12) 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.27 0.00 0.00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
F(13) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.07 0.00 0.00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0
F(14) 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.03 0.00 0.00
0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
F(15) 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0
TOT 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1. 1.0 1.0 1.00 1.0 1.0 1.00 1.00 1.00
F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AVG 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 1.5 1.5 0.1 1.0 1.0 0.1 1.6 1.0 0.1 1.5 1.0 0.3 1.4 0.8 0.07 2.3 1.0 10.63 7.50 3.13
0 3 3 3 7 7 3 7 7 0 7 3 3 3 0 3 7 0 0 0
STD 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.35 0.4 0.4 0.31 1.0 0.9 0.3 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.25 0.9 0.8 1.71 1.76 1.59
EV 0 9 9 1 0 0 5 5 3 3 5 8 9 8 8 5 5 3
MIN 1.0 0.0 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 7.00 4.00 1.00
0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MA 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 3. 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 3.0 3.0 14.00 11.00 6.00
X 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10. Data set B-Table of randomized input and

evacuation success
Data set CTable of randomized input and evacuation success
Compt. 1 Compt. 5 Compt. 6 Compt. 10 Compt. 1 1 Compt. 12 Compt. 13 totals
Ru Do O Ev Do O Ev D Oc Ev Do Oc Ev Do Oc Ev Do Oc Ev Do O E O Ev Tr
n# or cc ac or cc ac oor c a or c a or c ac or c ac or cc va cc ac ap
c c c
1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 10 3 7
2 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 12 4 8
3 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 1 11 4 7
4 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 11 6 5
5 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 10 5 5
6 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3 0 10 5 5
7 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 10 6 4
8 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 0 2 1 12 5 7
9 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 12 6 6
10 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 2 2 0 2 0 1 2 1 0 1 1 10 6 4
11 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 9 2 7
12 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 12 3 9
13 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 8 8 0
14 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 10 7 3
15 1 1 1 1 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 13 6 7
16 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 8 4 4
17 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 9 4 5
18 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 2 2 10 9 1
19 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 7 2 5
20 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 1 10 6 4
21 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 13 5 8
22 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3 0 12 7 5
23 1 1 1 1 3 3 0 1 0 1 3 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 12 9 3
24 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 3 2 12 6 6
25 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 3 0 10 4 6
26 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 7 5 2
27 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 10 2 8
28 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3 2 11 8 3
29 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 3 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 12 7 5
30 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 1 11 6 5
F(0) 0.0 0.1 0.10 0.4 0.1 0. 0. 0.1 0.4 0.8 0.0 0.5 0. 0.1 0.5 0.7 0.1 0.5 0. 0.1 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0
0 0 3 7 17 0 3 0 7 7 0 87 0 3 7 3 7 93 0 7 0 0 3
F(1) 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.5 0. 0.2 0.1 0.7 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.40 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0
0 3 3 7 27 7 0 7 7 3 7 0 3 3 7 3 7 7 0 7 0 0 3
F(2) 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 0. 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0
0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 7 7 0 7 0 0 0 3 0 7 7 0 0 3
7
F(3) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
0 0 0 0 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 7 0
F(4) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 3
F(5) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7
F(6) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
F(7) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 7
F(8) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 0
F(9) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 7 3
F(10) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
F(11) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
F(12) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0
F(13) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0
F(14) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
F(15) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTF 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AVG 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.5 1.4 1.4 0.1 0.9 0.6 0.1
1.9 0.6 0.1 1.4 0.5 0.2 1.4 0.4 0.0 2.2 0.6 10.4 5.3 5.1
0 7 7 7 7 7 0 7 3 3 0 3 3 7 7 3 7 7 7 3 0 7 3 3
STDEV 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.30. 0.7 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.2 1.0 0.7 1.6 1.9 2.1
0 1 1 0 6 6 1 9 6 5 9 6 5 8 8 3 3 7 5 1 7 1 2 3
2
MIN 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.0 2.0 0.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MAX 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 9.0 9.0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0
11. Data set C-Table of randomized input and

evacuation success
12. Frequency hystogram comparing

the number of occupants in stochastic
run A, B, and C
13. Frequency hystogram of non

evacuated occupants in stochastic
run A, B, and C
14. Example of a CFAST input file

generated automatically by the
TRISTAR VBD editor
7. APPENDIX: Structure of the TRISTAR system
The user interacts with five functional modules:

Main Menu
VBD Editor
Single Run Viewer
Multiple Input Generator
Statistical Post-Processor
The following part of this section gives a concise account of the commands and functions
available in the TRISTAR system.
7.1 Main Menu

This is the top level navigation node where the user can choose between:
Accessing VBD Editor
Accessing Single Run Viewer
Accessing Multiple Input Generator
Activating the Multiple Run Manager
Accessing Statistical Post-Processor
Exiting from the system
7.2 VBD Editor
7.2.1 TRISTAR File

Open: Opens a previously saved VBD file.
New: Creates a new VBD file.
Save: Saves the current VBD file.
Save as: Saves the current VBD file with a user given name.
Statistics: Displays a window containing the main information on the present VBD.
Summary: Displays a scrollable window containing the complete information on the
present VBD.
View Virtual Building: Displays a 3-D view of the virtual building structure
representing nodes and arcs with solid symbols (cubelets, spheres and pipes).
7.2.2 TRISTAR Navigation

Exit: Exit from the VBD editor environment and returns control to main menu.
Run CFAST: Executes the CFAST program on current VBD and then allows to check
the output main file.
Run EMS: Executes the EMS program on current VBD and using the result from the
execution of CFAST. Then allows to check the output main file.
View Results: Transfers control to an application displaying the modelling results in
tabular and in graphics form.
7.2.3 TRISTAR Options

Edit Options: Gives the user the means for setting a series of parameters related to how
the VBD is represented (colours, etc.)
Select Database Files: The user is prompted to select which database files to use for
building the VBD (e.g. thermal properties, objects, etc.)
Edit Defaults: Gives the user to set the default values used in the data entry windows
(e.g. the height of compartments, etc.)
7.2.4 TRISTAR Virtual Building Editor

The Virtual Building Editor Functions are the ones used to construct and update a VBD
and to assign all the data required for modelling.
New: This command is used to ask in a menu based way to insert a new element in the
VBD. The immediate effect is displaying a list of the possible types of elements to be
inserted. The user selects the type of element to be inserted and this causes the
popping up of the relevant dialog box. After filling the dialog box and accepting the
contents (pressing OK) the element is inserted in the data structure and displayed at
the upper left corner of the drawing window. The user is then allowed to relocate and
resize the element on the screen.
Show VDB cell picker: This command causes the appearance of a small window
containing the pictorial symbols of all the possible elements that can be added to the
VBD. This window can be closed using its standard button on the left of the title bar.
This tool provides an alternate and generally more handy way of doing the new
operation. The user clicks on an element symbol and gets the symbol attached to the
mouse pointer in order to position it. Positioning is done by clicking the 1st mouse
button at the proper place in the drawing window. Following the placement of the
image, the relevant window is popped up asking for the elements parameters. The
object sizing can be done following the clearance of the dialog box input.
Select by mouse: This command gives the possibility to select an element by the mouse
in order to edit its properties or to delete it. The user is provided with the mouse
pointer function of object selection and following the clicking over an element
displays the relevant dialog box allowing the user to change the field values or to
delete the element.
Select by List: The command is equivalent to the former one and differs in the fact that
the user is prompted by a list of types of elements (including the ones for which a
graphical representation does not exist). The user selects the type of element and this
causes the list of such element to be displayed allowing the selection of the individual
element to be edited or deleted through the dialog box.
Show Links: This command has the effect of generating coloured lines which shows the
linkages between the object on the screen. Different colours are used for the
compartment arcs and for the ventilation connections. The function is used to verify
that the connections are correct.
Hide Links: This command clear the connection lines drawn by the previous command.
7.2.5 List of the VBD elements

This item contains the list of the elements of the VBD which are managed by the above
VBD editing functions.
Compartments Nodes: Compartment Nodes are the actual rooms, corridors, landings,
etc.
TRISTAR has in addition to CFAST the data on the position of the room in the
building, a room name and data on occupancy.
Compartments Arcs: Compartment Arcs are corresponding to the openings between
compartments and are relevant for both fire & smoke modelling and evacuation
simulation. They correspond to the vents defined in CFAST by the keywords CVENT,
HVENT and VVENT. More data are present in TRISTAR than in CFAST for the
vents in order to represent the physical position of the vent in the compartment and to
give information related to the dynamic of evacuation through the arc.
Ventilation Nodes: Ventilation Nodes are used to represent the mechanical ventilation
system and are just connection points characterised by a height. They are defined in
CFAST by the keyword INELV. A physical representation is used in TRISTAR for
ventilation nodes.
Ventilation Openings: Ventilation Openings are the openings in a compartment to
which a Ventilation Node is attached. They are the objects defined by the keyword
MVOPN in CFAST. More data are present in TRISTAR than in CFAST for the
Ventilation Openings in order to represent their physical position in the compartment.
Ventilation Ducts: Ventilation Ducts are the ducts connecting Ventilation Nodes. They
correspond to the MVDCT keyword defined in CFAST. More data are present in
TRISTAR than in CFAST for the ventilation ducts in order to represent their physical
position and pathway.
Ventilation Fans: Ventilation Fans are the ones defined by the keyword MVFAN in
CFAST and they are attached to Ventilation Nodes. More data are present in
TRISTAR than in CFAST for the Ventilation Points in order to represent their
physical position in the building.
Fire Node: A certain single symbol is used for the user to position the fire node and a
dialog box is provided to edit the data required by CFAST through the keywords
CHEMI, CJET, FAREA, FHIGH, FMASS, FPOS, FQDOT, FTIME, LFBO, LFBT,
HCN, HCL, CT, HCR, O2, OD and CO.
Objects: CFAST objects can be positioned at cerlain points. Their name is specified
and their burning behaviour is fetched from a database. It is the equivalent of the
CFAST keyword OBJECT.
Environment: A dialog box is available in order to edit the environmental data which
are currently required by CFAST by the keywords EAMB, TAMB, WIND.
Modelling Parameters: The user has the possibility to enter and edit the following
information: Restart file information; Run Version Identification; Time intervals for
simulation, print, history, display; Printing control information; Output files names
7.3 Single Run Viewer

This is a second application running in the CAD environment. It is called by the VBD
editor and works on the output files generated by running CFAST and the EMS program
executed from the VBD editor.
The run viewer resembles a tape recorder that allows to take a dynamic look at the
modelled fire history, to take snapshot stills and to browse back and forth in time.
Further functions are provided to define the building view and the data to be
displayed.
7.3.1 Set Modelling Movie View

This menu section is devoted to setting how the building view will appear and which data
will be displayed, how and where.
compartments colours coding
The user is first asked to select the parameter being used for the colour coding of the
virtual building compartments. Then the user is asked to define the range limits
corresponding to each colour code and the colour to be used for each of such ranges.
data display tags
the user is prompted with the following sub-menu:
general setting
new
edit
delete
If general setting is selected a dialog box is displayed giving the chance to the user to set
automatically the display of data tags for all the compartments.
If new is selected the user selects the relevant compartment by the mouse on the
drawing or selecting it in a list displayed in a dialog box. Then the user interacts with the
Data Display Dialog Box to select the data to be displayed and its format (pls. refer to
Dialog Box section in this document). At last the user uses the mouse to position the data
display tag on the drawing.
If edit the user selects the relevant compartment by the mouse on the drawing or
selecting it in a list displayed in a dialog box. Then he is asked to select the Data Display
Tag between the ones defined for that compartment in a list displayed in a dialog box. At
last the user interacts with the Data Display Dialog Box (pls. refer to Dialog Box section
in this document) and is finally allowed to move the Data Display Tag to a new position.
If delele is selected the user selects the relevant compartment by the mouse on the
drawing or selecting it in a list displayed in a dialog box. Then he is asked to select the
Data Display Tag to be deleted in a list displayed in a dialog box between the ones
defined for that compartment.
7.3.2 data vs. time graphs

the user is prompted with the following sub-menu:
graph auto arrange
new
edit
delete
If graph auto arrange is selected a dialog box is displayed giving the chance to the user
to arrange a certain number of graphs according to standard patterns (e.g. a single row on
the display bottom, etc.). The user can define for each graph which data to show.
If new is selected the user selects the data to be displayed in a list inside a dialog box
and specify the graphs details (scale etc.). Then the user interacts uses the mouse to
position the Graph Box on the drawing.
If edit the user selects the relevant graph box by the mouse or within a list in a dialog
box.
The user is allowed to modify the display parameter of to reposition it by the mouse.
If delete is selected the user selects by the mouse on the drawing or selecting it in a
list displayed in a dialog box which is the Graph Box to be deleted.
legend
The user is asked to dcfine the format of the legend to be displayed in a title box and
then position it by the mouse on the display.
titling
The user is asked to define the text to be displayed in a title box and then position it by
the mouse on the display.
7.3.3 Modelling Movie Recorder Control

This menu offers a choice of control commands
run: starts the movie view from the beginning or after a pause
pause: pauses the movie view
step forward: advances to next one time interval in pause mode
step backward: goes back to previous time interval in pause mode
fast forward: advances at maximum run speed
fast backward: goes backward at maximum run speed
rewind: resets the movie to its beginning entering in pause mode
go to time: goes to pause mode at a time given by the user
movie speed: sets the actual display speed of the simulation movie
sequence start and stop times: defined the time interval of interest in the complete
movie file
dump view file: creates a graphic image file of the present view
print/plot: prints or plots a graphic image of the present view
7.3.4 Selected Data Output

view result files: enters a file viewer to examine the tabular output of the simulation
programs
view data vs. time graph: enables the user to display a sizeable window where he can
display any single or multiple line graph of any variables as a function of time
7.3.5 TRISTAR Navigation

exit: returns control to the main TRISTAR menu
VBD editor: returns to the VBD editing application
7.3.6 Options
save settings file: saves all the set parameters for movie viewing into a file
load settings file: loads all the set parameters previously saved for movie viewing into
a file
print/plot selection: selects the output physical device and allows to set the relevant
parameters
graphic display defaults: prompts the user with a dialog box allowing the definition of
a number of default choices for the movie images (colours, etc.)
7.4 Multiple Input Generator

This program is used to generate series of VBD files where ccrtain parameters are varied
so that the user can perform sensitivity studies and randomised calculations.
In practice the program just asks to the user how may files to generate and they
common name. The information for the base case and for the variation of each field is
contained in the VBD file prepared in the CAD environment.
Additionally the user specifies which data to keep for the modelling results in order to
avoid the generation of a monstrous output data set.
7.5 Statistical Post-Processor

This program is used to examine the data produced by the multiple run manager.
The user has a number of tabular and graphics utilities including the following ones:
statistics on a certain output parameter including histograms
correlation analysis and correlation (scatter) plots for any two output parameters
correlation analysis and correlation (scatter) plots for one input and one output
parameter
multivariate analysis of input and output data sets
generation of summary tables
14
THE PROBABILITY OF PROGRESSIVE
FIRE PROPAGATION IN COMPLEX
SYSTEMS
D.A.ONISHCENKO
VNIPIMORNEFTEGAS, Moscow, Russia
Abstract
This paper presents a model describing progressive fire propagation in a
discrete multicomponent system with combustible elements. Each element
of the system can catch fire with some probability which depends on fire
intensity and elements fire resistance, where the last is supposed to be
random.
The propagation of fire over the system is characterized by means of a
stepwise procedure. The ignition of the next element or elements results in
load increase for elements that are not yet in flames. If the intensity of fire
load exceeds the corresponding value of fire resistance for some elements,
these ones are considered to be ignited at this procedure step. With a view
of obtaining conservative results, the conjecture of instantaneous ignition
is adopted. If at any step none of the elements catches fire, this means the
fire localization; otherwise, the progressive fire covers all the system.
The principal characteristic of fire emergency for the system is the
probability of progressive fire propagation. It is shown that an analytical
recurrence relation for the required probability can be found. Previously,
similar approaches were used in the progressive collapse analysis of
redundant engineering structures. As an example, the results of
calculations for model systems are presented. Some directions for future
research are also proposed.
Keywords: analytical estimation, complex system, fire path, probabilistic
approach, progressive fire propagation.
1 Introduction
The process of fire propagation in a complex system composed of many elements

(objects) is often characterized by successive ignition of the constituents. For systems in
which the origin of fire is a negative phenomenon, it is desirable to have a localization
property, e.g. fire stop following the ignitions of some elements. When analyzing
complex systems, the probabilistic approach is used as adequate one. In this case the fire
resistance of a system is characterized by the probability of fire localization, while its fire
emergency is characterized by a complementary probability, with respect to 1, of the
beginning of global fire covering all the system.
Note that the probabilistic nature of fire propagation process can be caused by various
reasons, including random character of loads, scattering of element fire resistance, the
presence of randomness in an ignition criterion and so on. Besides, if the system consists
of similar elements, the probabilistic setting of the problem is one of the approaches used
for proper description of multivariant progressive failure process in complex systems [6].
In many cases, the process of fire propagation and, more general, the process of
progressive failure has a hierarchical feature. It is caused by natural and artificial
hierarchy of systems structure as well as internal properties of the process [7]. As a
result, some intricate and interesting problems arise. An example of the study of such a
problem may be found in [5], where one model system is analysing. The present paper
proposes a probabilistic model which describes a fire propagation process in complex
system with combustible elements under the condition that all elements are of the same
hierarchy level. The parameter of element fire resistance is supposed to be random. A
recursion relation for the calculation of the desired probability is analytically found.
Some results of model system analysis are also presented.
2 The principal features of the model
Consider a system being a collection of n elements arbitrary enumerated. Let us assume

that the elements of the system are combustible and that after their ignition they influence
on non burning elements by means of fire loading. We assume that the loads have
prescribed values which may differ for different elements. When some elements are in
flames, the corresponding loads are summarized.
Let us suppose further that every element has the property to withstand fire loading.
The corresponding quantitative measure is characterized by fire resistance that we will
designate r. Under some load, the ignition of non burning element can only occur if the
load intensity q exceeds the fire resistance r. So, the ignition criterion takes the form of
r<q.
(1)
Now describe the process of fire propagation over the system. Let us assume that the
system, in its initial state, is subjected to any external influence which may cause the
ignition of the elements with some definite probability. Note that in the capacity of such
influence we can also consider the action from the element that accidentally caught fire.
The process of fire propagation will be analyzed with the help of step by step
techniques. At the first step we select all those elements whose parameters of fire
resistance are smaller then the intensity of the load on them. According to the criterion
(1), such elements must catch fire. At the next step we determine loads on non burning
elements. Their values equal the sum of the initial load and the loads caused by inflamed
elements. It is clear that the new values of the loads are, at any case, no less then those at
The probability of progressive fire propagation in complex systems 145
the preceding step. We find again those non burning elements that are overload in
accordance with (1), and then they are regarded to be in fire. And so on.
The stepwise procedure described may come to its close in two ways. In the first
variant, the consecutive ignition of all elements will occur after a number of steps. In
another one, the step will be found where the criterion (1) will not be satisfied for any
non burning element, i.e. the process of fire propagation will stop and the fire will be
localized. Such states we will call the stationary ones.
Let us make an important remark. For the sake of simplicity, we will consider the case
when the ignition criterion takes into account the intensity of loading only, but not its
duration. In this paper the subject of inquiry is the systems with instantaneous ignition of
elements, that is the limiting case. The analysis of such systems has usually resulted in
conservative estimations when one investigate the question of fire resistance of complex
systems.
For the convenience of further presentation, refer a sequence of the elements ignitions
as a fire path. Then introduce the notion of a critical state of the system. First of all, the
ignition of all elements of a system is, obviously, a critical state. Besides, there may exist
such states that, by virtue of some reasons, can be considered as identical to the full
system collapse. The critical states can be characterized by the fact of the ignition of the
most important elements or by the event in which the ignition of preassigned, generally
speaking, great enough number of elements take place. Below, we suppose the collection
of critical states to be defined in advance.
We say now that the fire resistance of a system is ensured under given external load
and for given values of elements fire resistance, if the relevant fire path will not lead to
any critical state. Otherwise, the fire resistance is considered to be not ensured.
The above presented model is not of any interest, when all parameters of the system
and the loading are determinate quantity. On the other hand, if at least some of the
parameters are random, then the problem of the system fire resistance estimation
complicates significantly.
We will not treat the question of random loading and will regard the loads as
determinate parameters. As to fire resistance parameters, let us suppose that they are
random and are characterized by given distribution functions.
In this case, a fire path is a random entity. Indeed, at any step of the procedure
describing the process of fire propagation every non-burning element may catch fire
with some probability. Hence, the consequence of elements ignitions is random. It means
that the fire path can reach any critical states with some probability only. Within this
approach, system fire resistance may be quantitatively characterized by the probability of
the event that the fire path will come to a stationary state.
Note that the described statement of a question is similar to a considerable extent to
that widely used in the study of engineering structures reliability [1,3]. The common
feature of these two problems is the presence of redundancy factor: ignition (failure) of
one or several elements does not immediately lead to system collapse, since the system
continues to operate in a damaged state. The outlined probabilistic model of fire
propagation is similar, in its common features, to the models that were earlier applied by
the author to the analysis of carrying capacity and reliability of complex technical
systems [8,9].
It may be shown that, within the scope of the model presented, the required probability
can be found with the help of analytical methods in a form of a recursion relation (See
Appendix A). This relation defining the quantity complementary with respect to 1, i.e. the
probability of global fire emergence, may be written as
q(n)=L(q(n1), q(n2),, q(1)),
(2)
where L is a linear function, and q(nj) is the probability of global fire emergence for a
subsystem in the initial state of which j elements are already in flames. The coefficients
in (2) depend only on the probability of elements ignition when the system is in its initial
undamaged state. The formula (2) is recurrent, and the probabilities q(nj) for all j are
determined by appropriate initial states.
It should be emphasized that despite a relatively simplicity of the deciding relation (2),
the execution of the relevant calculations will entail great difficulties, a part of which are,
however, typical, when one programmers recurrent formulae. First of all, as n increases,
the number of treatment of the formula (2) is enlarged abruptly. For example, the number
of different system states considered as initial is of order 2n, that raises the required
computer time up to the inaccessible level when a straightforward algorithm is used even
on n=2030. The other obstacle is associated with the dangerous of loss of significant
figures. This is caused by the next reason. The terms in the right side of (2) have
alternating signs and large absolute values. At the same time their sum, being a
probability, should be of order 1 and below. Because register length and, hence, number
precision in computers are bounded (for instance, the latter equals 20 for Turbo Pascal),
some significant digits may be lost even on moderate values of n.
The elaboration of appropriate stable and effective algorithms for n large enough
demands an additional investigation. Nevertheless, some recommendations can be stated
just now. Firstly, the cases are often met when if the ignition of several elements occurs,
the load on the other elements abruptly increases. The process of fire propagation
becomes of avalanche type. So, one may assume that if the fire covers more then some
definite number of elements (for example, 10 or more from total 50), then all the
probabilities q(m) with m<40 may be taken at once equal to 1 instead of their direct
computation. The necessary enumeration of various system states will be principally
reduced.
Secondly, the qualitative analyses of possible fire paths in a given system may lead to
a conclusion that some of them cant be realized at all, or may be realized with very little
probability in comparison with others. In this case there are good reasons to put the
corresponding quantities q(m) equal to 0, since their full accounting would give a little
correction only. Note that such states may be numerous. The similar approach has been
earlier applied repeatedly in analyses of structural reliability [4,10].
3 The results of a model system analysis
As an illustration, we will present some results concerning the systems composed of

uniform elements. The uniformity we will treat here as an identity of all determinate
parameters of the elements. As to random characteristic of fire resistance, we assume that

for all elements it obeys to the same probability distribution.
Determine some parameters of the system analyzed. Let the system contains n
elements. We define loads on the elements in the following way: 1) the initial load has
the intensity s0; 2) when an arbitrary element catches fire, the load on each of the
remaining (non-burning) elements increases by the value s1. Thus, if m elements are in
flame, the remaining nm elements are influenced by fire load with the intensity s0+ms1.
Let F(x) with 0x<, be a distribution function of elements fire resistance which is a
random parameter.
In such a situation the common relation (2) may be rewritten in a considerably more
short form:
(3)
where q(k)(xk) is the probability of global fire emergence in a system consisting of k

elements under initial load xk; are the binomial coefficients equal to k!/[i!(ki)!], and
xk equals s0+(nk)s1.
Note an interesting analogy with the model describing the classical problem on the
strength of fiber bundles resolved by H.Daniels [2]. It was found [11] that the relation,
derived previously by Daniels, may be written in another way, similar to (3). In Daniels
model the quantities q(k) equal the probability of rupture of a bundle consisting of n
fibers; the function F(x) describes the strength distribution for individual fiber, and xk are
defined slightly differently:
xk=(n/k)s0,
where s0 is a specific load (per fiber) on a bundle. The total load is equal then to ns0. The
main qualitative difference between the two models is that as fire (failure) propagates, the
load on remaining elements increases linearly in our model, while in Daniels modelin
accordance with the hyperbolic law. Below, some numerical results in comparison for
both models are presented.
Let s1=s0 in the fire model; this corresponds to the case when the initial external
influence is caused by some burning element. In this case, the initial loads in both models
are the same. As a distribution of random parameter of fire resistance (strength) of
elements we take the Weibull one:
F(x)=1exp[(x/x*]m,
(4)
where x* and m are some constants. Let for definiteness x*=1, m=2. In Table 1 and
corresponding Fig.1 some relevant results of the calculations are given.
Table 1. The probabilities of system collapse

Initial Fire model Model of a bundle
load n=1 n=10 n=40 n=1 n=10 n=40
3 1 1 3 4
0.1 9.9510 1.2610 2.2210 9.9510 <10 <104
0.2 3.92102 1.67101 7.85101 3.92102 <104 <104
0.3 8.61102 5.56101 9.36101 8.61102 9.20103 1.60104
0.4 1.48101 7.93101 9.85101 1.48101 1.21101 9.79102
0.5 2.21101 9.18101 9.90101 2.21101 4.31101 7.34101
0.6 3.02101 9.73101 1.00 3.02101 7.56101 9.89101
Fig. 1 The probabilities of system

collapse
It should be noted, firstly, that under various loads the probability of system collapse for
fire model are essentially greater then for Daniels model, in particular, in the range of
small probabilities. Secondly, as to the fire model, one can see that as the system size n
increases, the distribution of the system fire resistance gradually narrows (the distribution
function becomes steeper) and shifts to the left. This means that over the examined range
of the parameters s0 and n, the raising of the probability of global fire emergence is
observed when n is growing. Is this tendency holds or not up to the smallest values s0,
will be established subsequently.
In connection with this note that in Daniels (bundle) model there exists the asymptotic
threshold value s* of specific initial load. When n is large enough, the probability of
bundle rupture is close to 0 for s0<s* and to 1 for s0>s*.
4 Conclusion
In this paper, the model is presented which describes the process of fire propagation in a
system, consisting of discrete combustible elements. Fire resistance of elements is
specified by means of probabilistic distribution, so the system fire resistance is
characterized by the probability of fire localization. An analytical calculation formula is
found for the probability of global fire propagation. As an example, some results of
calculations for a model system consisting of similar elements are presented. A
comparison was made with the well-known Daniels model of fiber bundle, when the
fibers have random strength.
In the future the following questions are planned for treatment:
1. elaborate a computer code realizing the calculations on the formula (2) in a general
case;
2. investigate the process of fire propagation in complex systems with regard for fire load
reducing as a distance is increasing;
3. consider a case of fireproofing setting;
4. carry on the analysis of possible stable regimes of fire propagation in uniform systems
with a great number of elements;
5. develop a fire propagation model with consideration for influence of fire duration on
the elements of the system.
References
1. Bennett, R.M. and Ang, A.H.-S. (1986) Formulations of structural system reliability. Journal of
Engineering Mechanics, 112(11), 11351151.
2. Daniels, H.E. (1945) The statistical theory of the strength of bundle of threads. I. Proceedings of
Royal Society of London, 183(A), 405435.
3. Ditlevsen, O. and Bjerager, P. (1986) Methods of structural systems reliability. Structural
Safety, 3(34), 195229.
4. Feng, Y. (1988) Enumerating significant failure modes of a structural system by using criterion
methods. Computations and Structures, 30(5), 11531157.
5. Goldstein, R.V. (1995) An hierarchical approach to fireresistence improvement of complex
technical systems, in Proceedings of European Symposium on Research and Applications in
Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning.
6. Liebowits, H. (Ed) (1968) Mathematical Fundamentals, vol. 5 of Fracture. Academic Press,
New York and London.
7. Marshall, V.C. (1987) Major Chemical Hazards. Ellis Harwood Ltd. Publisher, Chichester.
8. Onishcenko, D.A. (1994) Analytical estimations for the failure probability of a redundant
complex technical system in quasistatic approximation. Problems of Safety, in press (in
Russia).
9. Onishcenko, D.A. (1992) Fault-tolerant building structuresanalysis and research methods, in
Reliability, Survival and Safety of Technical Systems (Proceedings of scientific seminar, 34
March, 1992, St. Petersburg), St. Petersburg, 1992, pp. 102107 (in Russia).
10. Rashedi, R. and Moses, F. (1988) Identification of failure modes in system reliability. Journal
of Structural Engineering (USA), 114(2), 292313.
11. Vizir, P.L. (1981) An estimation of reliability of parallel structure with regard for load
redistribution. Structural Mechanics and Analysis of Structures, (1), 1518 (in Russia).
Appendix A. The defining formula
The model of fire propagation presented here is quite similar, from the mathematical
point of view, to that describing the developing process of complex technical system
failure, the investigation of which was carried out by the author in [8,9]. If one takes
advantage of the approach there stated, the following relation defining the probability of
global fire emergence may be obtained for the case when fire load on the elements that
are not yet in flames increases:
(A1)
Here:
- the symbol means that in the sum all the collections of m mutually
exclusive integer from the set In must be taken;
- aj=Fj(s0j), j=1,, n, where s0j is the load on the element j in the initial system state,
and Fj(x) is a distribution function of fire resistance for this element;
- q(In\{i1,, im} is the probability of global fire emergence, under appropriate load, in
the system consisting of the elements with the numbers from the set In\{i1,, im};
- formula (A1) is recursion. To calculate the quantities q(Im) with Im={i1,, im}, where
m<n, it is necessary to substitute the set Im in place of In if Im does not relate a critical
state, and otherwise to put q(Im)=1.
SECTION THREE
STRATEGIC EMERGENCY
PLANNING
15
EMERGENCY PLANNING
T.J.SHEILDS
Fire SERT Centre, University of Ulster, Jordanstown, UK
Abstract
Planning for a disaster or emergency is complex since they are largely
unscheduled. In this context, issues are raised and questions posed
regarding the current status of disaster planning. Since current planning
relies heavily on training exercise designed to cope with known types of
disaster, it is suggested that they may be too stereotyped and as such not
sufficient or acceptable.
It is also proposed that since the age of quality control has arrived,
disaster emergency planning be made more transparent and rendered
capable of being assessed.
Keywords: disasters, crisis management, emergency planning, training,
quality assessment.
1 Introduction
Emergency planning for the purposes of this symposium can be considered as a process
by which civil authorities prepare for a range of possible disasters and will include:
identification and analysis of the potential hazards and if possible the mitigation or
elimination of their consequences,
analysis of the resources available to cope with any potential disaster, and
post disaster response and recovery planning.
The primary purpose of emergency planning is not the acquisition of additional resources
but rather the anticipation of foreseeable problems and development of achievable
possible solutions within existing constraints. Basically the process includes:
analysis of hazards and resources,
identification of necessary post disaster tasks,
allocation of these tasks to organisations and individuals,
co-ordination of the planning of all responding groups to ensure a cohesive and

effective response.
In this connection, disasters may be categorised as:

natural,
technological,
ecological.
The problems which arise with respect to emergency planning are all the more acute
because the cause, timing, location and extent of a future disaster is by definition
unknown. Further and thankfully, the vast majority of emergency plans are never
subjected to the heat of battle in a real life emergency. It follows that the mere existence
of an emergency plan in itself, may not be sufficient to cope with a real emergency event.
In one report of an emergency, it was concluded that local governments continue to be
surprised when standard procedures in their lengthy plans prove irrelevant in the
real disaster. Here it must be understood that emergency planning operates at several
levels, eg, when national security is threatened.
2 Frequency of Disasters
Through the 1980s and early 1990s in the United Kingdom it would appear that the
occurrence of serious incidents has significantly increased. The collapse of syndicates at
Lloyds of London would support this hypothesis. Given such a trend, four questions
arise:
are disasters predictable?
what are the underlying causes?
were the emergency plans adequate, effective and sufficient?
can disasters be rated in an acceptable universal scale?
3 Disaster Conceptualization
In the actual preparation of emergency plans how do the planners identify, organise and
hence conceptualise an otherwise collection of rare diverse events? Unless the planners
have actual experience of a disaster it is probable that the disaster scenarios envisaged
will be conceptualised in terms familiar to the planner, ie, accidents. This perhaps
explains why after successful trials of emergency procedures the planners are
inevitably pleased and optimistic. Are planners prepared to actually countenance failure,
and acknowledge that events can and will occur, with which they may not be able to
cope? Acknowledging that the impact of a potential disaster may have a local or wide
zone of influence, it may be necessary to consider that the nucleus of the emergency
services may have been located at the epicentre of the emergency. Since the majority of
disasters are unscheduled and capable of causing various levels of chaos, it is left to the
imagination as to the frenetic nature of the activities contingent upon the occurrence of
such an event. Thus stereotyped emergency planning may not be sufficient or acceptable
in todays modern world.
Emergency planning 155
4 Disaster Management Syndrome
There are few who are not aware of the theatrical expression it will be alright on the
night. This notion suggests that rehearsal after rehearsal with practically everything
going awry, the cast and the entire company will somehow on opening night contrive to
give a faultless performance.
On the other side of this particular coin is, that a disaster might have been averted, or
its effects minimised if the crisis manager had not believed that his emergency plan was
entirely flawless. Is it a matter of those who believe do not need to understand?
Closely associated with the disaster management syndrome is an increasing
dependence on technologies which in effect sideline the crisis manager for periods of
time during which crucial decisions may have to be taken. How many such managers will
in the future be confident enough to hit the manual override button and take control?
With the increasing use of computers in emergency response planning, how many back
up systems are required and how confident are we that the software has been completely
debugged?
5 Issues of Concern
5.1 Information systems

There is much ongoing work with regard to the development of different types of
information systems. Questions arise such as:
do the eventual end users of information systems understand the objectives of the
software?
do the end users of information systems understand the algorithms contained in the
software?
does the software force decisions and are the decisions always right? Who decides?
who is sufficiently competent to assimilate, interpret, cumulated information which on
occasions may be extremely sparse?
in the context of crisis management is good news always welcome?
5.2 Training
Is it possible in training to overcome optimistic mind sets?, ie:
is training actually realisticcan it be?
are worst case scenarios used?
why assume competency in front line management whose training may have little or no
bearing on the reality?
is there is a need to develop agreed structures for the assessment of training methods?
5.3 Crisis Management

It is clear from the literature that the division of responsibilities at national, regional and
local level can affect the nature and effectiveness of the immediate response in an
emergency. There are many issues here to be addressed:
which Government department or departments are responsible and for precisely what?
how is co-ordination effected?
is the management system hierarchical?
do people operate on a need to know basis?
what if a link in the system is missing?
at national/regional/local levels, who is actually in control?
is control vested in one individual? There is evidence to suggest that crisis management
teams are more effective.
how are tasks allocated; roles and responsibilities determined?
how is incoming information collated, assessed and disseminated in digestible
information packages?.
how are the information packages prioritized? Too much information sometimes
leads to confusion.
there is clear evidence that in many situations there is an appalling failure to share
informationin one case in Melbourne, Australia, there was a better exchange of
information between some people on the ground in Melbourne and experts in Norway
than with colleagues in Melbourne.
is it sufficiently understood that normal management systems are too inflexible and too
slow to cope with a disaster?
there is evidence to suggest that leadership and management styles change during a
disasterare such learning curves (if thats what they are) acceptable/affordable?
5.4 Media Management

Most authorities tend to agree that crisis management should include a strategy of dealing
with the media and communications. In any crisis situation, factual information is
preferable to rumour and it is clear in the literature, that the supply of misinformation to
the media has often back-fired with sometimes devastating affect on those involved.
However, it appears that there has been little attempt to identify aspects of crisis
management where the media can positively contribute. Further, the overall impact of
such contributions in mitigating the potential outcomes of a disaster have not been
quantified.
5.5 Emergency Planning and Crisis Management

The literature is almost silent on the contribution of the planning for, and the actual
management of, an emergency to the final outcomes. This silence suggests that good
planning and management are assumed. In many cases were it so, this was soon to be an
assumption too many. Notwithstanding, there is no universally agreed method of
Emergency planning 157
assessment for emergency planning and crisis management. In an age which has seen the
advent of total quality control, such a basic requirement should not be left unsatisfied.
6 Concluding Remarks
The purpose of this paper is to raise obvious issues of concern and to hopefully generate
useful discussion. The issues raised due to transnational complexities are necessarily
general and as such serve to illustrate underlying national and regional complexities. For
example, is it well known that if the weather conditions had been different, the Lockerbie
air disaster might well have happened somewhere in Ireland. One final issue to be
addressed is simply that many disasters, for example, the Challenge space shuttle, are
predictable but commercial pressures determine that the risk is worth taking. In many of
our normal activities, who actually decides to take the risk of a disaster occurring?
16
EXPO 92: A REVIEW OF ITS
EMERGENCY PLANNING INTEGRATED
DESIGN
R.BARHAM
R.FERNNDEZ-BECERRA
Jefe del Gabinete Tcnico de Proteccin contra Incendios,
Gerencia Municipal de Urbanismo, Sevilla, Spain
ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the emergency planning provision of the EXPO92
site in Seville. The site was intensively developed ab initio with a
completely new infrastructure and a comprehensive set of new and unique
buildings. Playing host to 110 nationalities and with some 85 individual
building constructions, the developing authority took special steps to
ensure that, in the event of a civil emergency, a natural disaster or a major
outbreak of fire, its estimated 500,000 plus daily visitors would have the
benefit of a well planned response. The constructed provision included
new river crossings, evacuation areas, segregated traffic, segregated water
supplies and unique fire regulations and materials specifications.
Introduction
In 1976, the idea of holding a universal exposition in 1992, to celebrate the discovery of
America by Columbus, was put to the Paris Bureau International des Expositions (Bureau
of International Expositions). The Bureau decided, originally, to split the universal
exposition onto two sites and took as the subject the Age of Discoveryfrom the
discovery of America to the latest technological discoveries. Chicago was allocated the
exhibition for technological discovery and Seville that for historical and artistic
discoveries. However, by 1985 local politics in the American town resulted in its
withdrawal from the proposed twin venue EXPO and Seville was asked to take on the
whole exposition. By 1983, Seville had almost completed its design for the smaller more
compact cultural EXPO and so, when Chicago dropped out in 1985, it was necessary to
redesign and expand the original proposals with very little time remaining. The change
also placed responsibility for the whole universal exposition onto the local development
team in Seville which suddenly found it necessary to revise its design provision of
buildings from 300,000m2 to 650,000m2 to accommodate the increase in participating

nations from 60 to 111.
Background to the Site
The first priority for Seville was to find an appropriate site. For site selection, there are
always at least two alternatives: i) a location where the infrastructure is already in place
and all that is necessary is to remodel and/or recondition it, or ii) to go somewhere where
there is nothing and start from scratch. Where there is infrastructure, there is usually life.
To expropriate land for a development is socially very difficult, so Seville chose the
second option.
Seville exists because of its river, the Guadalquivir. Like in London or Paris, the river
is what makes the city, but in contrast to Paris and London where the river is an urban
route, Seville has its back to the riverit is no longer an economic axis; the port of
Seville moved down to the south of the city many years ago and large ships no longer
come upriver.
Floods in 1973 had re-opened a previously silted up dead meander and left a large
triangular island to the south of the city. This so-called island, of some 3,000,000m2,
was a public area (no mans land) and was the property of the city. It was unused and
since it was subject to occasional flooding, there was nothing there. No-one had built;
there were no trees, no water; no electricity; no natural gas network and no sewerage. The
only structure on the site was the Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas, a monastery
of the Carthusian or charterhouse monks, built about 1460. As a result, Seville decided to
create the universal exposition thereon the island of La Cartuja on which, co-
incidentally, was the monastery where Columbus had prepared for his trips.
To create an EXPO on such a site, is a challenge to any professional. In 1987, the team
met for the first time. Thirty-five strong, it consisted of exposition experts, architects,
designers, landscape architects and, of course, fire safety experts. This executive team
relied, for detailed advice, development and implementation of the emergency planning
and fire protection proposals, on the Directorate del Programma del Construccion y
Proteccin contra Incendios.
Emergency Planning
Coping with civil emergencies and disasters, security against fire (including fire safety
for a building or a set of buildings) starts at the design stage. So, for example, if we
design a city so that the primary concept of its traffic circulation routes is to provide ease
of access for fire fighting, we would gain a fifty percent increase in fire safety. This
would also make the response to other emergency situations much easier. In just such a
way, the island chosen for the development of the EXPO92 gave the possibility of
designing the road layouts ab initio with emergency planning in mind.
EXPO '92 161
The first decision was that the island of La Cartuja should be reconnected to the main
area of the City of Seville by a new causeway. This causeway would split the island into
two areasthe main expositions area and the area for support and expansion. That was
one of the primary design constraints identified at the very beginning and imposed
because the EXPO would introduce an extremely large number of people to an area
where the seismic prediction of earthquake was up to 7 on the Richter Scale. In the event
of an earthquake at any time during the six months of EXPO, it would have been very
difficult to evacuate the island because the only evacuation routes would have been over
a small number of bridges and there would have been a collective mix situation
vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The bridges would have been bottlenecks. Any mass
evacuation of the EXPO site would have needed to be of massive proportions and would
have created havoc on the bridges. An alternative had to be found where people could be
evacuated from the area developed with buildings without having to cross the water or
pass through constricted egress points.
One of the primary access points to the island necessitated the construction of a new
bridge. It was decided, therefore, to bisect the island site with an access road leading from
this bridge, thereby segregating the public access area, which would be developed with
the expositions buildings, from the open and undeveloped area into which people could
be evacuated. (See Figure 1) The original proposal from the highway engineers was to
construct this road at ground level but, on the grounds of safety, it was constructed as an
elevated highway so that people could pass under it and flee into the evacuation area
through underpasses without having to fight their way through evacuating vehicular
traffic. With the provision of a sufficiently large number of underpass connections people
could easily be evacuated in that direction. That was the first and primary emergency
planning consideration. The undeveloped evacuation area was also planted with saplings
so that the resultant forest could provide a green lung for the locality.
The second major decision by the emergency planning team was to provide a helipad
or heliport. This was considered to be essential for special evacuations. Whilst not
mandatory, it was considered essential because the only medical facility planned for the
site was a first aid unit (albeit a very large first aid unit). There was to be no purpose-
built hospital and, therefore, it was decided that a helicopter pad was needed for
evacuations to hospital. To clarify this point: in Spain, the provision of such a facility is
not mandatory in either national or local law. Spain has a national ordinance for fire
protection and another one for civil defence. The civil defence regulations do not require
any specific provision, such as a helipad, for any particular type of development
However, it does provide a philosophy for the security of new developments and the
protection of existing facilities. That being so, each developer is left to apply that
philosophy (indeed, is required to apply the philosophy) to its own proposals. As a result,
the design team for EXPO92 concluded that the inclusion of medi-vac facilities was
necessary and included the helipad area in the preliminary layout.
Road layout
These two primary decisions set the basic constraints or limits to the layout design within
which the planners and the architects would have to work. Following a design
competition, the master plan for the exposition was finalised in 1987 and this set out the
formal and functional areas and produced the finally accepted road layout.
The plan was very simple: the internal site roadways, and the service roads or service
lanes, mesh together in a so-called comb. The site is divided, internally, by a large canal
(which has a sluice or lock down by the river) leading from an ornamental lake and a
major roadway, called the Way of Discoveries, the main access which approximately
divided the Spanish pavilions from the international pavilions. These divisions resulted in
the creation of two zones: A and B, (the monastery itself was considered as a separate
area, C). Around the lake was a crescent of pavilions occupied by the self-governing
regions of Spain together with a couple of the theme pavilions and parallel to the river
and central canal were the Pavilion of the Future, the Pavilion of Major Discoveries, and
the Seafaring or Navigation Pavilion.
Figure 1 Isla de La Cartuja and the

EXPO92 site
In the international area (see Figure 2), it can be seen that the road layout is based on a
double comb, two combs each fitting into the other, but each tooth of each comb having,
to all intents and purposes, a dead end. One comb forms the basis of the pedestrian
areastraffic free avenues. The other comb forms the access for serviceservice lanes
for vehicles and service access for pipes, etc. which then run into the backs of the
pavilions. In this way, there is no interference between the two systemspedestrian
visitors and service vehicles, delivery trucks and emergency vehicles (ambulances, fire
tenders, etc.)the service warehouses, the fire station and the security offices, etc. were
at the rear of the site.
EXPO '92 163
Figure 2 The segregated road layout in

the international area
Fire-fighting Water Supply
In making a comprehensive development of a virgin site, it is possible to let the safety

consultant step in at the design stage. In this way it is not only possible to control the
design but is also possible to control budget costs. That is what was done in the run up to
EXPO92. A comprehensive emergency provision costs less money than if each building
has its own safety standard because there are many things that can be done overall instead
of building by building and thus economies of scale can be achieved.
As has been explained, the first major consideration was traffic. The second was the
fire-fighting water. All cities have a fire fighting network but normally they share it with
their drinking water supply and this latter is provided subject to the local water pressure
available. For EXPO92 it was decided that the network should be fire exclusive. So what
was provided was a segregated network, drinking/fire,in this way it was possible to
give it sufficient pressure so that the fire hydrant could be independent and fires could be
fought from the hydrant itself without having to through a pump vehicle or via an
independent building-located emergency water supply storage. It was decided that, for a
scheme like EXPO, it would be preferable to have 7 kilo of pressurea minimum of 7
kilo. The unsegregated water supply in the city was not 7 kilo; it was, at most, about 4
or 5 kilo. With a segregated supply of fire-fighting water, supplied via a ring main, it is
possible to maintain pressure even if one wants to set one area or close it down to do
repairs or maintenance (testing, etc.). Good design was necessary because of the decision
to use hydrant-supplied water for fire-fighting. It was necessary, therefore, to locate fire
hydrants so that all pavilions could be more than adequately covered by their output.
A further consideration, in the planning stage, was the quality of the water uptake for
fire-fighting supply. It was decided, in the end that it should be the same quality as the
local drinking water supply. The design team started off thinking about using the river
water but analysis showed that it contained too many colloids. As a result, the sprinklers
would be susceptible to becoming clogged up with impurities, mainly lime. If the quality
required was the same as that of drinking water, why not use drinking water? The city of
Seville had an adequate supply of drinking water; the only problem was that it was not at
the required pressure and, because of leaks, etc., maintenance of constant pressure could
not be guaranteed. This problem was resolved by the use of pumps to reinforce the
pressureto bring it up to the required 7 kilos pressure. Because a constant pressure was
required, a fail-safe plan was needed. Contingency panning, therefore demanded the
installation of back-up pumps. The final back-up installation consisted of two diesel oil
sets and two electric sets and two jockey pumpsso that automatically on a reduction of
the pressure in the ring main they would go into action. If the diesel sets were unable to
deliver the required pressure, the electric pumps would cut in and, if there was co-
incidentally, an electricity failure, then there was still a third set of pumps to provide the
ring main with the required pressure of 7 kilos. The pumps, and the fire-fighting ring
main, were provided with a secondary water supply from an 11 cubic metre reservoir fed
permanently from the external water supply.
As a special safety precaution, in case there was an external interference with the
water supply (e.g. by terrorist activity or major accident, etc.) and the supply of mains
water was cut off, a second safety measure was a connection to the river waterso there
would never be a lack of water, even though in this last eventuality it would not be clean.
And in the case of all the pumps failing on the mains supply, which would be virtually
impossible, the river supply could also be used, in which case the pressure available
through the small riverside pumping station would be at 5 kilos. Consideration was given
to providing filtration facilities for the river water but it was decided that the water
coming in from the west side comes in relatively clean and having to use that facility was
a very remote possibility. Because the normal feed for the fire-fighting ring main was to
be clean water (from a reservoir) of drinking quality, the only filters that were installed
on the water supplies on the site were put in for a different safety reason. They were
installed to filter the cooling water for air conditioners. The fire-fighting ring main, itself,
actually consists of a number of separately identifiable rings. They vary in diameter from
360 to 340 to 300cm. The main advantage of using a ring main is that it was then not
necessary to provide any independent emergency water storage facilities in any of the
pavilions. In this way, the cost was much lower than having to build reservoirs in the
buildings. No pavilion had to do any pressure pumping because they had water at the
required pressure already, thus saving a considerable amount on the initial construction
expense.
At the planning stage, a worst case scenario was assumed. This was considered to be a
fire-fight requiring the use of three hydrants running at full capacity and, in addition, two
buildings with all their sprinkler installations also fully operational, i.e. three hydrants in
use attending to the fire in a building, with its sprinklers also going, and the sprinklers
fully in use in one of the adjoining buildings. Normally, according to the design, one
hydrant would have had enough capacity to deal with a single building fire.
EXPO '92 165
Conclusion
The emergency precautions built into the EXPO development scheme were not called
into use during the six months that the exposition was open to the public; EXPO92
passed without major incident. The one major fire that did occur, and which totally
destroyed one of the pavilions, occurred during the construction phase. It was not, at that
time, subject to the fire prevention controls of the EXPO Authority. Control and
responsibility of the pavilion construction site still remained with the builder, as on all
constuction sites in the majority of European countries. The problem, for the fire-fight,
was that the service installations were not completed; the occupational health and safety
law in Spain places responsibility on building companies to provide adequate fire
prevention fire supression facilites on the construction site up to the time of building
hand-over. In the circumstances the builders provision proved inadequate
This incident apart, it can be seen that the contingency planning for EXPO was very
detailed. The reason for this was a realisation by the EXPO Authority and its
development team that, because they were dealing with an International Universal
Exposition, any incident on the site, no matter how minor, would be international news.
In the normal course of events, if there was to be a fire in Seville with a resultant fatality,
it would be reported in the local press and, possiblly, it would also recieve a small
mention in a Madrid newspaper. But in reation to Spains staging of the EXPO92, if
there was to any type of incident, especially one resulting in a fatality, the Authoriy was
concious of the fact that there would be some 18,000 international newspapermen on site,
bored and looking for a good news story. It was, therefore, prudent to ensure total safety
both from a technical point of view and also from the social and political point.
17
TOWARDS THE QUANTIFICATION OF
EMERGENCY EGRESS CAPABILITIES
FOR DISABLED PEOPLE
K.E.DUNLOP, T.J.SHIELDS and G.W.H.SILCOCK
Fire SERT Centre, School of the Built Environment,
University of Ulster, UK
Abstract
The numbers of disabled people using buildings to which the public have
access has increased significantly in recent years. However, the provision
of accessible means of escape from fire for disabled people has not been
adequately addressed and in general it is hoped that the traditional
codified approaches to the provision of means of escape are sufficient. It
is not unreasonable to assume that with ongoing societal and cultural
changes in attitudes to disability more disabled people will gain access
to and use buildings at will. Hence, the need for the provision of adequate
and accessible means of escape will become more acute.
In order to address this emerging situation it is essential to have
accurate knowledge of the numbers of disabled people using different
types of buildings, the nature of their disabilities and their corresponding
capabilities with regard to effecting their escape in the event of an
emergency. This paper describes a programme of work designed to obtain
this essential information.
Keywords: disability, egress, capability, occupancy profiles,
categorisation, locomotion, dexterity, seeing, hearing
1 Introduction
Over the past decades there has been growing concern for the life safety potential in a fire
emergency of people with disabilities. Studies have identified [1,2,3 4]:
the lack of useful data with respect to the numbers and capabilities of disabled persons
and the manner in which they interact with each other and their environment,
that building codes, in the absence of such information are not adequately addressing
the problem,
that communication systems are not compatible with the needs of end users,
that fire emergency plans do not adequately address the needs of end users, and
the lack of education and training of staff/management with respect to the needs of
disabled persons.
The contextual backcloth for these concerns lies in the increasing provision of access to
buildings over the past two decades for people with disabilities.
This paper describes a programme of research designed to produce information with
regard to the numbers of disabled people using particular types of buildings, the nature of
their disabilities and the corresponding egress capability profiles.
2 Prevalence of Disability
In 1988, the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) published a series of
reports [5] giving information on the prevalence of disability among adults and children
in Great Britain. According to the definitions and measurements used in the surveys, it
was estimated that over 6 million, ie, 14.2% of adults in the Great Britain have a
disability. Similar surveys, commissioned by various government departments were
conducted in Northern Ireland during 1989 and 1990 by the Policy Planning and
Research Unit, (PPRU) [6,7]. From these studies the overall rate of disability amongst
adults in Northern Ireland was estimated to be 174 per thousand.
3 Experimental Programme
The focus of this research [8] was to quantify the physical capabilities of people which
affect their ability to evacuate a fire threatened space to a place of safety. The research
was not concerned with establishing pre-movement times for different evacuation
scenarios. From consideration of the necessary evacuation activities and different
disabilities defined in [5,6,7], five areas of disability were considered to have an impact
on the capability of persons to escape a fire threatened building. Four of these disabilities,
namely, locomotion, dexterity/strength, seeing and hearing, formed the contextual basis
for the corresponding experimental design.
3.1 Sample Design

Day care centres were identified as the best potential providers of subjects to participate
in the experimental programme; five day centres were chosen on the basis that they
provided the largest number of potential participants, with the widest possible range of
disabilities, severity of disability and age. Within each day centre, participants were
selected randomly. In order to extrapolate from this sample population to the disabled
population of Northern Ireland as a whole (or indeed the UK), each participant was
surveyed prior to commencement of the experiments to determine characteristic data such
as age, sex, nature and severity of disability, and locomotion aid normally used.
Towards the quantification of emergency egress capabilities for disabled people 169
3.2 Experiment 1Locomotion

This experiment was designed to test individual capability with respect to movement on
both horizontal and inclined surfaces, ie stairs and ramps.
3.2.1 Horizontal Movement

Each participant was asked to move in a prompt manner along a horizontal route within
the day centre. The general design parameters for the horizontal route were that it should:
be approximately 50m long,
contain at least one 90 or 180 turn, and
contain at least one door.
Individuals not capable of walking 50m were only invited to walk a distance along the
route which was commensurate with their ability, and participants who normally required
assistance to walk on level ground were assisted throughout the experiment.
The following measurements were made:
time required to traverse each direct horizontal section of the route,
time required to pass through the door (measured from a distance of 1m either side),
time required to turn through the 90 angle (measured 1m either side angle), and
frequency and duration of rest periods.
In addition, the following observations were made:
effective width of participant (and assistor),
portion of route utilised, and
extent of use of handrails.
3.2.2 Inclined MovementStairs

Each participant was asked to ascend and descend a stairway in the day care centre. After
ascending the stairs, participants were allowed to rest before beginning their descent. The
desired parameters for the stairs were that it should incorporate a landing and comprise,
where possible, not less than 12 steps.
The following measurements were made:
times required to ascend stairs,
times required to descend stairs,
times required to negotiate landing,
time, position and duration of rest periods.
In addition, the following observations were made:
the effective width of participant (and assistor),
the portion of the stairs utilised,
the extent of use of handrail, and
the continuity of movement.

Once again, participants who normally required assistance to ascend/descend stairs were
assisted throughout the experiment.
3.3.3 Inclined MovementRamps

Each participant was asked to traverse a ramp in the day care centre; participants who
normally required assistance to traverse ramps, were assisted throughout.
The outputs obtained from this experiment included the:
time taken to traverse the ramp of known length, downwards and upwards,
time, position and duration of rest periods,
effective width of participant (and assistor).
In addition the following observations were made:
the portion of the ramps utilised, and
the extent of use of handrail.
3.3 Experiment 2Dexterity/Strength

In order to assess individual capability with respect to dexterity as pertaining to
evacuation, it was necessary to design a suite of experiments to measure capabilities with
regard to:
turning door knobs,
operating lever type door handles,
unlocking a door,
applying sufficient force to operate a manual fire alarm system, and
opening doors with varying opening resistances.
In this experiment the following measurements were made:
maximum torque which can be applied by individuals using a knob type handle,
maximum force which can be applied by individuals using a lever type handle,
maximum force which can be applied using a finger/thumb,
maximum force which can be applied using a hammer,
time required to lift a key out of break glass box and open lock.
In order to measure the capability of people with respect to negotiating doors subjected to
a range of closing forces, a fully instrumented, demountable door assembly was
constructed.
Each participant was asked to open and move through the door for each door setting
and mode of operation, ie, pushing and pulling. The door closing forces were varied
randomly such that the participants were not aware of the relative degree of difficulty of
consecutive tasks.
The outputs obtained from this experiment included the:
opening angle of the door at the point when each individual was deemed to have passed
through the door, ie when the door was able to close freely,
total time to open and move through the door, and
characteristics opening patterns for each individual.
3.3 Experiment 3Hearing

Each participant was invited to listen to a tape recording of alarm bells over the range 55
dBA to 80 dBA with incremental intervals of 5 dBA. The experiments were conducted in
quiet rooms in order to eliminate background noise.
The output obtained from this experiment was the lower threshold of hearing of each
participant with respect to the alarm bell.
3.4 Experiment 4Seeing

Each participant was invited to locate and read three types of exit signs ie, ordinary
(complying with BS 5499 Part 1), illuminated and LED. The outputs obtained from this
experiment included the:
maximum distance at which the participants could locate each exit sign (ie, the distance
at which they are aware of the position of the sign) and
maximum distance at which participants could read the exit sign.
4 Analysis of Results
Initially the results of the experimental programme were analyzed to produce descriptive
statistics by presence or absence of a particular, relevant disability. For example, with
respect to the locomotion activities, descriptive statistics were produced for speed on
horizontal, ramps and stairs by presence/absence of a locomotion disability, and also by
level of assistance given. For each area of measurement, statistical analysis of the
differences between the capabilities of disabled and non-disabled subjects was conducted.
Given that the initial analysis revealed considerable variation among the samples of
disabled persons with respect to each activity, it was considered necessary to identify and
characterise distinct sub-groups within each of the disability areas. In this respect, further
analysis of the results produced:
descriptive statistics for speed on horizontal, ramps and stairs by locomotion aid used
and level of assistance given,
descriptive statistics for times to negotiate 90 and 180 bends by locomotion aid used
and level of assistance given,
probability of successful negotiation of a door subjected to a range of closing forces by
persons with locomotion/dexterity disabilities,
given successful negotiation of the door, descriptive statistics for the time required to
negotiate a passage through the door by locomotion aid and presence/absence of a
dexterity disability,
descriptive statistics for the distances at which subjects could read and locate exit signs
by seeing severity, and
descriptive statistics for the dBA level at which subjects could hear an alarm bell by
hearing severity.
Statistical analysis of the differences between respective sub-groups in each disability
area indicated that:
the speed of movement of persons with locomotion disabilities can conveniently be
described in terms of the mobility aid which they may or may not use; in this respect
five distinct locomotion sub-categories, representing different capabilities and space
requirements can be identified;
the distances at which persons with seeing disabilities could read and locate exit signs
was related to the severity of their seeing disability (as defined in [5,6,7]; in this
respect two distinct seeing sub-categories can be defined;
the dBA level at which persons with hearing disabilities can hear an alarm bell is related
to the severity of their hearing disability (as defined in [5,6,7]; in this respect two
distinct hearing sub-categories can be defined.
5 Building Occupancy Profiles
As mentioned earlier a comprehensive survey of disability in Northern Ireland was

conducted by the Policy Planning and Research Unit, N. Ireland in 1990. Although the
main aim of the Northern Ireland Disability Survey was to estimate the overall
prevalence of disability in Northern Ireland, useful information was also collected with
respect to the degree of mobility of disabled persons, the specific disabilities that they
possess, the severity of those disabilities, the aids (locomotion, seeing, hearing) that they
use and the extent of their involvement in leisure and social activities. Recognising the
potential of this data to provide information with respect to the buildings that disabled
persons might be expected to occupy, the authors obtained and conducted detailed
analysis of the data to provide information with respect to the numbers of disabled
persons who are mobile in the community and the numbers of persons in each disability
category (as defined through the experimental programme) likely to be found in:
private and communal dwellings,
cinema/theatres,
hotels/boarding houses,
leisure centres/sports clubs,
educational establishments, and
places of employment.
In some instances, it has been possible to predict actual percentages of disabled persons
in particular building populations. The data thus provided represents occupancy profiles
for particular building types which could be used as input to fire risk assessment
modelling.
6 Concluding Remarks
The results obtained from the experimental programme indicate that within each
disability area, distinct sub-categories, each representing different capabilities with
respect to emergency egress activities, can be defined. The consolidated data derived for
each sub-category is considered sufficiently detailed for use in fire engineering risk
assessment models.
In this programme of research it has also been possible to predict the percentage of
disabled persons in each disability category likely to be out and about in the community
and present in any building to which the public have access. It some instances it has also
been possible to predict the percentages of disabled people by disability category likely to
be found in a particular building occupancy at any time, eg theatres. It is considered an
added advantage that the types of buildings for which data has been elicited easily maps
onto the building purpose groups used in building regulations.
For the purposes of risk assessment, it is now possible to predict with some
confidence:
the likelihood of the presence of disabled people in buildings by disability category, and
the capability of each category of disabled to perform the various emergency egress
activities.
Regulators, designers and those charged with the management of buildings in use, now
have sufficient knowledge regarding the likelihood of the presence of disabled people in
buildings, to make, what they consider to be necessary and sufficient provisions to ensure
equitable life safety options for all building populations.
7 References
1. Marchant E W (Ed) (1975) Proceedings of Seminar: Fire Safety for the Handicapped, University
of Edinburgh.
2. Levin B M (Ed) (1980) Fire Safety and Life Safety for the Handicapped: Conference and
Preparatory Workshop Reports, NBSIR 801965, National Bureau of Standards, Department of
Commerce, Washington DC.
3. Shields T J (Ed) (1993) Proceedings Engineering Fire Safety for People with Mixed Abilities,
CIB W14 International Symposium and Workshops, Volume 1, University of Ulster.
4. Shields T J (1993) Fire and Disabled Persons in Buildings, BR 231, Building Research
Establishment Report, 1993.
5. OPCS Surveys of Disability in Great Britain (1988) Report 1: The Prevalence of Disability
Among Adults, HMSO, London.
6. McCoy D, Smith M (1992) The Prevalence of Disability Among Adults, Report 1, of the PPRU
Surveys of Disability, Policy Planning and Research Unit, Statistics and Social Division.
7. McCoy D, Smith M (1993) The Prevalence of Disability Among Children, Report 2, of the PPRU
Surveys of Disability, Policy Planning and Research Unit, Statistics and Social Division.
8. Private Communication to Fire Research Station, Building Research Establishment, 1995.
18
ASSESSMENT AND SIMULATION OF
CROWD EVACUATION ISSUES
N.KETCHELL, D.M.WEBBER, S.K.COLE,
P.J.STEPHENS and N.HIORNS
AEA Technology Consultancy Services, Risley, Cheshire, UK
Abstract
Ensuring the safety of people in the built environment requires that the
issues of fire initiation, fire and smoke spread, and evacuation are
effectively addressed. With increasingly complex structures, and in the
light of recent accidents, the ability to simulate likely events is therefore
becoming progressively more important. The paper discusses the methods
of assessing the evacuation, from applications of the appropriate standards
to detailed simulations using the AEA EGRESS code developed by the
authors. The issues of dealing with large buildings and large crowds, and
taking account of the fire and smoke spread and human response to an
emergency will be discussed, along with an overview of the modelling
and examples of simulations.
Keywords: Evacuation, simulation, crowd, modelling
1 Introduction
The need to evacuate people from structures, particularly during fires, continues to be an
essential requirement for safety.
For office buildings in the UK, for example, evacuation standards are set in the British
Standard [1], and Building Regulations. These standards are based largely on the ability
to evacuate people to a protected area (eg outside, or a protected stairwell) within 2
minutes. This leads to constraints on building populations dependent on the available
stairwells. This and other standards provide an excellent baseline against which to assess
evacuation provisions.
With increasingly complex building designs however, it becomes important to
consider the evacuation provisions in relation to the possible fire spread within the
building. This is the area where simulation can make a significant contribution.
The authors have developed the AEA EGRESS evacuation modelling computer
code for this purpose.

Evacuation modelling can enhance safety assessments in a number of ways including:
design changes can be assessed before any detailed design or construction is carried
out,
the effect of different numbers of people and scenarios can be studied in a simple
manner,
there is no interruption to existing systems or services,
modelling can speed up the assessment, resulting in significant time and cost
reductions.
AEA EGRESS has not been developed as a fire or smoke simulation code. However the
results of such analyses can be input as scenarios which may affect the evacuation
process.
2 Modelling crowd movement
In generating any evacuation model, it is important to understand the available

experimental data which can be used for calibration and validation. Figure 1 gives an
overview of the flow rates which can be calculated from the work of three well known
authors in the field. This collection of data is by no means exhaustive, however Figure 1
serves to show the possible variations in flow rates which may be produced if different
models are used.
The data in Figure 1 is taken for essentially uniform density crowds. In reality, and in
detailed simulations, crowd densities are rarely spatially or temporally uniform, which
can also call the use of such data into question. Another assumption, frequently made, is
that the maximum flow rate can always be achieved.
To overcome these shortcoming a more sophisticated modelling approach has been
adopted in AEA EGRESS. AEA EGRESS models people as individuals located on a
hexagonal grid (Figure 2) which covers the floors of the building structure. The technique
is based on the use of cellular automata. At each timestep the people move from cell
to cell based on the throw of a weighed die. The usefulness of the technique is
determined by the ability of the model to represent the experimental evidence. In the case
of AEA EGRESS the weights required for the die can be calibrated against information
on speed, or flow, as a function of density, so that the experimental data can be
adequately represented where it is valid.
In all grided codes there is some asymmetry between on-axis and off-axis directions.
Directions 1, 2 and 3 in Figure 2 are on-axis. Direction 4 is off-axis; movement in this
secondary direction is achieved by the shortest permissible, zig-zag (dotted line), path
with a length which is a factor of longer than the direct distance. The time taken to
move in this direction is therefore approximately 13% longer than in directions 1, 2 and
3. This uncertainty is small, or comparable, with the other uncertainties involved. If a
rectangular grid had been used then this error would have been significantly larger.
Based on this simple underlying technique the model is able to cope with thousands of
people, distributed over areas of over a square kilometre, running on an IBM compatible
PC running Windows.
Assessment and simulation of crowd evacuation issues 177
Fig. 1. Illustration of flow rates from

various authors [2],[3],[4]
Fig. 2. AEA EGRESS griddefinition

of directions
The use of the automaton system makes the model very flexible, as all decisions can be
made at the person level. This allows group behaviours to be easily input and the building
plan to be changed with time (due to an incident) and affect the people.
3 Verification and validation
Verification and validation of any simulation model is essential to have confidence in its
predictions; verification ensures that the code operates in accordance with the underlying
mathematical models, validation concerns itself with the accuracy of the model when
compared with real life situations.
Verifications of unimpeded movement speeds and standard deviations, and flows
through openings have conducted [5]. For the first case a discrepancy of 4% was
observed, which is consistent with the approximations in the implementation of the
algorithm. For flows down corridors good agreement was similarly observed with the
optimum experimental flow rates. However for flows through doorways, it is possible to
achieve model flows of 60% higher than the optimal uniform density flows. This is
caused by the rapid change of density across a doorway, and the ability in the model to
achieve an unrealistically optimal approach of people to the doorway; in practical
simulations such conditions are rarely achieved. This highlights one of the problems in
the experimental data noted above, in that it relates to uniform density; if the density is
rapidly varying it is difficult to accurately define an appropriate uniform density.
Experimental data does show an increased flow through doorways [4], and whilst this is
not to the same extent the AEA EGRESS calculations are reasonable when problems with
the definitions, and realistic situations are considered.
For validation we have chosen to use a range of available data, then simply draw up
the configurations and use all the default parameters (in some cases these may not be the
most appropriate) rather that fine tune the model on any specific example [5]. Validation
simulations have been conducted for an aircraft, a double-decker bus, two theatres [5],
and other cases. The general agreement between code and measured evacuation times
was of order 20%. An exception being for an over-wing aircraft evacuation which was
affected by the use of a difficult exit, which was not modelled; in line with the
philosophy above. Given the complexity of the evacuations, and some of the data in
Figure 1, this degree of agreement is very encouraging.
4 Example Simulation
An overview of a simulated evacuation from a small hotel is presented below, as an

example. The hotel in question has only a single staircase, in the centre, which would be
in breach of a number of design codes. The hotel has four floors, including the ground
floor; these are shown in Figure 3. The ground floor is at the bottom right, and is
connected to the floor above it by the staircase shown in the centre of the view. The view
at the top right is in turn connected by the central staircase to the view at the bottom left.
On the upper floors there are a range of hotel bedrooms depicted, and a conference room
on the top floor. On the ground floor various areas
Assessment and simulation of crowd evacuation issues 179
Fig. 3. Initial situation for hotel

simulation
Fig. 4. Simulation after 30 seconds

are represented including reception, lobby, dining room and a small bar. The people are
represented by small dots on the plan. There are a significant number in the bar and
restaurant (top of Floor 1) who are at the tables. Outside the building on the ground floor
an area has been defined which represents a place of safety. During the simulation people
are removed when they reach this area.
For demonstration purposes a scenario has been included where a fire occurs in a
store-room behind the staircase on Floor 2. This spreads throughout the hotel as time
progresses. Figure 4 shows the simulated situation 30 seconds after the alarm has been
sounded, and people have begun to evacuate. Some crowding occurs around the staircase
on Floor 1, and people are still leaving the lobby area, but this simulation results in a
successful evacuation.
This example has included some very simple assumptions, and is for a very small
building only for simplicity. AEA EGRESS is more usually employed for larger cases,
including different groups of people, with varying response times, and a variety of
objectives, dictated by their expected behavioural response. Once the plan has been
drawn up it becomes relatively easy to examine the effects of both structural and
procedural changes in relation to a variety of scenarios. However, it is hoped that this
simple example has given a feel for AEA EGRESS and has illustrated some of the
flexibility of these techniques.
9 Acknowledgements
This work has been sponsored under a Joint Industry Project by AEA, Exxon, HSE,
Shell, and Texaco, for offshore studies, and under the framework of Major Industrial
Hazards, with support of the CEC, HSE and AEA. We would like to acknowledge
additional support and interest from London Underground Ltd.
References
1. British Standard BS5588: Fire precautions in the design and construction of buildings, British
Standards Institution.
2. Fruin, J.J., Pedestrian Planning and Design, Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and
Environmental Planners, New York, 1971.
3. Pauls, J., Movement of People, SFPE Handbook, Section 1, Chapter 16, pp246268, 1st Ed.,
National Fire Protection Association (1990)
4. Predtechenskii, V.M., and Milinskii, A.I., Planning for Foot Traffic Flow in Buildings,
Amerind Publishing, New Delhi (1978)
5. Ketchell, N., Hiorns, N., Webber, D.M. and Marriott, C.A., When and How Will People
Muster? A Simulation Approach. In Response to Offshore Incidents Conference Proceedings,
Marriott Hotel, Aberdeen, June 1993.
19
INTEGRATED EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
J.R.STEALEY
John Stealey & Associates, Bickley, Kent, UK
C.F.PAYNE
Christopher Payne & Associates, Hutton Rudby, Cleveland, UK
Abstract
Emergency planning is a structured, framework designed and tested to
deal with and manage unusual or extreme events in exceptional
circumstances. Development of a plan requires both quantitative and
qualitative techniques recognising that human activity and decision
making in conditions of uncertainty are as much a contribution to the
initiation of an emergency as to its successful resolution. Planning also
extends beyond the immediate response and damage limitation capability.
It is a powerful management tool which looks to identify how and why
emergencies might arise, suggests options for reducing hazards and
consequences, sets out procedures for dealing with initial events and
provides a system for maximising recovery and business continuity. Its
strengths lie in flexibility to respond to a wide range of unusual events in
extraordinary circumstances, outside normal management and operational
experience. At its best emergency planning should fit seamlessly into an
organisations policy and culture of good working practice. Its integration
into the total management system is as much in the interests of the outside
public and customer base as for the internal organisational use; for this
reason it should be considered as a responsibility by everyone working in
an organisation and as open and transparent as possible.
Keywords: Emergency planning, integration, management, policy, risk
assessment.
1. Introduction
Organisations, whether large or small, simple of complex, have to deal with a continual
series of minor disruptions and breakdowns caused by a variety of internal and external
influences. People working at all levels in the organisation manage these disruptions as
part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
However, once disruption reaches a level where the system has failed or ceased to
function either as designed, or specified, then the future of the organisation as a
recognised and effective entity is threatened. This vulnerability, where normal
experience and practice are insufficient to cope with restoration, requires special
arrangements to manage the situation:-should disruption continue unchecked the
organisation may never recover its former competence. Procedures and arrangements for
this particular management problem have developed over many years and consequently,
are referred to in various ways including disaster limitation, business recovery and
continuation, crisis management and emergency planning; a diversity of terms which
reflect differences in priorities rather than concept or content.
This paper uses the term emergency planning for simplicity but is applicable across
any other of the procedures including the integrated management functions.
2. The planning concept
Emergency planning should not be simply a reactive management tool brought out when
all else fails. As a proactive function it has four main aims, Table 1, which, whilst
addressing different time scale priorities, such as immediate response or long term
business restoration, are nevertheless interconnected.
Table 1. Aims of emergency planning.
1. To identify and describe potential hazards and recommend effective solutions to remove or
minimise those hazards.
2. To provide a tried and tested management framework which can respond to emergencies and
deal effectively with the immediate response.
3. To identify the requirements for longer term recovery and business continuity.
4. To designate management responsibilities for resource allocation to meet both the immediate
response and continuity needs.
The implementation of any or all of these aims does not usually generate any direct
income for the organisation and for this reason activity is sometimes trimmed to the
minimum requirement, commensurate with say a statutory responsibility. However, the
process can provide other benefits which are not always readily apparent.
For example, it contributes to good and caring management practice both for the on-
site workforce and to the surrounding off-site location. It offers a method for minimising
loss control and maximising operational efficiency; furthermore, in the event of a disaster
or emergency occuring, it links directly into business recovery and continuity to bring an
organisation back onto a full operational basis as quickly and cost effectively as possible
and retain the customer and market base.
Disruption which results in activation of an emergency plan frequently has damage
and loss components. In extreme cases it can include injury and death and contamination
to the surrounding environment. However, it should be stressed that it is not only those
events which make headline news that might be termed disasters or emergencies and for
which the emergency planning process is relevant. Any organisation trying to manage its
Integrated emergency management 183
operations but outside its normal experience is facing an emergency. For example, the
loss of financial trading through breakdown of information technology hardware, the
evacuation of staff from premises for security reasons or the identification of potentially
dangerous operations forcing closure of manufacturing, production or distribution can all
lead to an uncertain future.
Thus, emergency planning is a conceptual framework such that it becomes part of an
organisations policy and culture with a recognised commitment from the top of the
office, be that the board, the chief executive, the general manager or the owner,
dowawards. Operational recovery and business continuity are likely to be the touchstones
and as a consequence the planning should be as open and transparent as possible: it
becomes the hallmark of the quality of the organisation giving confidence to the outside
world and the customer base. The planning and response capability are as much to the
benefit of the organisations clients as to the organisation itself and applicable to a very
wide range of operational systems, from chemical process industries and City financial
institutions, to local government practice, food retailing companies and small businesses.
Equally, it is important to recognise that the view that planning, once carried out will
suffice forever is inappropriate. In addition, the response by the organisation to
emergencies needs to be managed in a manner outside normal experience but unless
thought and commitment have been given to planning, training and evaluation of this
particular capability then the efficiency and effectiveness of the response will be low in
quality.
The development of this argument sets emergency planning into a framework of an
integrated system with inputs, outputs, feedback and interactions. In this way the systems
becomes a dynamic entity, moving and responding to accommodate new ideas and
experiences. But this integration is not solely the recognition of ensuring cross
relationships or correlation across service delivery heads for, unlike many other
management functions which are designated to a particular working level in a hierarchy,
an input to emergency planning is required from every person working in the operational
system recognising their contribution and rle should the need arise in the event of an
emergency.
Certainly, there is a need to encourage those who are responsible for delivering a
service also take responsibility for planning how that service must be given in
extraordinary circumstances. And, should a plan ever need activating then there is a even
greater need to look at what happened, and why, and feed this information back into the
improvement of the system.
However, there is something perhaps a little more subtle than looking at emergencies
(real or simulated) as the only source of data to the planning function, its evaluation and
modification. An understanding of the way people perform and manage daily
uncertainties are a genuine input to the emergency planning process for there may not be
a discrete step between what is day to day management under stress of uncertainty to
where this situation becomes a crisis or emergency.
Whilst this may already exist in some organisations it is by no means the universal
practice, and more importantly it is not carried through in a methodical manner.
Therefore, what one groups thinks is important to collect and analyse does not always
relate to that by another. This leads to difficulties in sharing or pooling ideas and
evaluating the real quality of the output.
Thus, the conceptual framework requires a structured and methodical process which
can be recognised and implemented by all those working in the operational system. These
general principles of integrated emergency management might be expressed in an
alternative manner as: Generality: Devolved delegation: Co-operation.
Generality recognises that there are many similarities in dealing with emergencies and
coping with consequences. In this way plans are built on more day to day routine
arrangements in a graduated, incremental manner responding appropriately to their scale
and nature of need. Furthermore, there is a recognition that the response itself will be
made up on a number of elements, each in themselves capable of use in different
circumstances, such that the task of management reflects dealing with effects and not
with cause.
Devolved delegation of responsibility to the most appropriate level of management for
control, direction and use of resources is a widely accepted and agreed principle in
management today. This same philosophy must apply to emergency management such
that responsibility for planning the response lies where the resources are normally
controlled. But, as importantly, delegation lays stress on the need for co-ordination.
No one style of management practice can be recommended; it is something which very
much reflects the culture of the organisation. Some prefer strong centralised decision
making whereas others tend towards a collegiate style, perhaps operating in a pivotal or
facilitating rle.
However, if the goal of integration is to be reached then co-ordination of planning
requires the strongest co-operation between various managers to whom responsibility for
planning has been delegated.
Consequently, whilst it may be possible to separate the organisations policy on
emergency management from the operational command levels responsible for delivering
that service, maximisation of effectiveness will occur only if and when these two
management structures interact and co-operate.
3. Planning process and method
There is an important issue to be addressed in looking at the emergency planning process:

that is, the process offers an approach to problem solving. There are no prescribed rules
or procedures; neither is there a best solution although some ways of tackling the problem
may be better than others however that comparative judgement is made.
However, it should address the four interactive factors described in Table 2:
Table 2 Emergency Planning Objectives
Prevention
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
The prevention phase encompasses measures which are adopted in advance of an

emergency and which seek to prevent that emergency occurring. Obviously this phase
links closely to preparedness which addresses how systems might fail, the range of
possible hazards which might ensue and the consequences which might arise. This
information can be used to calculate relative risks, perceived or actual, and would assist
in identifying where best to direct resources or arrange stock piles as part of the
prevention phase. The analysis also should identify options to prevent or reduce system
fragility by increasing the reliability and performance characteristics.
At the same time, the process recognises that disruption may still occur and there is a
need to be prepared and able to respond to the extraordinary circumstances. Finally, there
is a requirement to recover from the disruption as quickly, efficiently and effectively as
possible.
The concept of integrated emergency management process extends back over a
number of years. In 1983 The US federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
published a paper [1] setting out their conceptual view of the process. This view stated
that the most effective way to achieve emergency management preparedness was through
increased emphasis on developing the common and unique capabilities required to
perform specific functions across the full spectrum of hazards rather than focusing on the
requirements of specific hazards.
The systematic approach developed by FEMA contained a number of detailed steps
set out in Table 3 upon which reasonable and justifiable plans could be made and
effective action taken to increase emergency management activities.
Table 3 US FEMA Emergency planning process
overview
Hazard analysis
Current capability assessment
Emergency operations plans
Maintenance
Consequence management
Emergency operations
Evaluation
This framework has been used by others to develop the concept of integrated planning
further such that hazard analysis contains elements for scenario modelling and risk
assessment. Knowing what might happen, the likelihood of it happening and an
assessment of the magnitude of the problems which might occur are essential first
ingredients to emergency planning.
The next step would then be to assess the current capability for dealing with a range of
hazards identified in the first step. However, this assessment must be made against
predetermined standards or criteria and include other related functions; for example
alerting and warning populations, evacuation methods and plans, emergency
communications, monitoring the effects of the hazard, consequence management and

decision making all influence the current capability.
Once emergency operations plans have been developed the ability to take appropriate
and effective action against hazards must be maintained continually or the value of those
plans will diminish with time. Attention to maintenance of planning through simulated
activities may be of great importance to those areas or organisations which do not
experience frequent activation of plans.
Consequence management is as important as the planning to prevent phase of
integrated emergency management. Significant effort applied to resource allocation and
utilisation is likely to affect markedly the level of loss or suffering.
Finally, should emergency operations ever need activating then the response should
use current and existing plans. Attempts to incorporate proposed upgrades and revisions
are likely to lead to failure since not all personnel involved in the system may be aware of
the changes. At the same time, output from dealing with the emergency provides first
class data for feeding back into existing capabilities under real operational conditions.
Thus, any plan should have, as part of its content, a capacity to record and log
information not pertinent to management of the emergency itself but as back up for
subsequent analysis; this capacity should not be at the expense of handling the emergency
itself in the first instance.
The outcome of emergencies must be analysed and assessed in terms of actual versus
required and expected capabilities and results fed back into the reformation and structure
of the emergency plan and the management capability. This evaluation process should be
extended to include the lessons and experiences gained from exercises, training, rle
plays and simulations.
4. Preparing a plan
Contents of individual emergency plans are likely to differ, reflecting the particular
circumstances for which they were written. However, a outline plan might include the
general elements shown in Table 4.
Table 4. An emergency plan outline structure
Hazard assessment
Scenario evaluation,
Consequence modelling
Risk analysis
Technical data gathering
Command, control and co-ordination
arrangements
Emergency management information
Other agencies
Public relations
Business recovery strategy
The development of some or all of these elements can be supported by a range of

techniques and methods designed to examine and evaluate the added value acquired from
carrying out that development.
Quantitative techniques, such as problem analysis, hazard assessment, command and
control operational design, cost/benefit evaluation and risk management have a strong
rle to play. In addition, as systems become more complex, and the use of automated
processes increases, so the opportunities for human involvement are likely to occur only
at critical control and management steps when automated finctions may have broken
down or key decisions have to be taken. Human response, behaviour and decision
making, perhaps under great uncertainty, whilst very much subjective and qualitative in
content, may dominate the analysis and evaluation at these stages.
Analytical techniques, including quantified risk assessment (QRA), cost:benefit
analysis (CBA) environmental risk assessment (ERA) have come to the fore over recent
years as regulatory authorities have responded to and formulated legislation to deal with
potentially hazardous industries. But these have been tempered by the need not to over
prescribe and inhibit industry through excessive costs of regulation. Therefore, concepts
to minimise hazardous activity related to cost have been devised including use of best
available techniques not entailing excessive cost (BATNEEC), as low as reasonably
possible (ALARP) and best practical environmental option (BPEO).
5. Validating a plan
Once prepared a plan must be tested, understood and validated.. Lessons learnt are fed
back into the planning process and the plan revised. This requires training and exercising
to ensure that all parties recognise and have practised their responsibilities. Table 5 offers
a number of ways in which a plan might be validated and tested through exercises.
Table 5 Emergency plan validation
Awareness exercise
Discussion seminar
Table top exercise
Command, communication and co-ordination exercise
Full scale exercise
Techniques range from simple awareness and discussion seminars and exercises where
participants talk about options in response to certain challenges. Table top and command
exercises involve a certain level of rle play against structured scenarios with external
directing staff influencing and modifying the stages in further action according to output
of previous activity. Full scale exercises offer the potential of investigating the capability
of the system to respond under the most realistic conditions, but equally they are very
costly both to prepare and produce as well as tying up staff time throughout the play of
the exercise. Consequently, their use could be very limiting and should only be
considered after the other techniques have been exhausted and detailed cost:benefit
analysis has been carried out.
6. Managing the complexity
Emergency management is a complex, dynamic function which could lend itself to a

systems study generally described in Table 6.
Table 6 Integrated emergency management; a
systems approach
Make clear statement of objectives
Define outcome measures and state in terms of objectives
Define system to be studied
Identify alternative plans and evaluate against outcome measuressensitivity analysis
Choose best plansvalidate and revise system
This methodology brings together the management functions (making clear the policy,
objectives and requirements and stating the outcome measures) with the operational
functions (defining the system, identifying alternative plans, investigating uncertainty and
validation) in an integrated manner.
This might be more readily seen in Figure 1 which shows that integrated emergency
planning has many layers any of which might have flaws or uncertainty in their aims,
objectives, operational readiness or response capability. At any time various internal and
external factors contrive to bring these faults together in such a way that disaster occurs.
Figure 1 The lavers of integrated

emergency management
Summary
An emergency can occur at any time in an organisations working life and should that
happen then special measures will be required to restore normality. Thus, a responsibility
is placed on everyone working in that organisation to consider their own working
practices and identify where experience can be used as input to produce the integrated
emergency planning and management process.
Quantitative techniques are available to help in the planning process; however, the
qualitative factors involving human response and decision making are likely to be as
equally important
Human activity may well cause the emergency in the first instance but at the end of
the day human resourcefulness will probably prove to be the salvation in managing the
emergency to a proper conclusion.
Reference
1 US Federal Emergency Management Agency: An Integrated Emergency Management System,

Washington DC 1983.
20
FIRE COVER COMPUTER MODEL
C.REYNOLDS
Fire Research Development Group, Fire and Emergency
Planning Department, The Home Office, UK
Abstract
The Fire Research and Development Group of the Home Office have
developed a computer model to assist local authority fire brigades with the
task of fire cover planning. The model was first written in the 1970s as an
ambulance routing program and over the years has developed to be used
to assess risk categorisation. The model has recently been further
developed to use a Geographical Information System.
The model takes into account the main aspects of a fire brigade which can affect its fire
cover. These include:
* the geography of the area and the road network of the brigade
* the number of incidents and their location
* travel times of appliances attending incidents
* turn out times of appliances
* risk categorisation within the brigade
* brigades resources (the number, siting and crewing of stations)
and,
* the standards of fire cover which the brigade should meet.
The model uses tree spanning algorithms and probability theory to predict attendance at
incidents, using information on road networks and incidents. It provides on-screen maps
of the brigade area, visual representation of fire cover, performance indicators and
detailed information in a series of output screens and tables.
This paper describes the principles behind the model and provides some examples of
use.
Introduction
The Fire Research and Development Group of the Home Office undertakes fire research
in support of UK local authority fire brigades. The group is based at two separate sites:
Horseferry House in London and on the site of the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-
Marsh, where the Fire Experimental Unit is located.
The work undertaken by the group ranges from practical tests of equipment and
tactics, through ergonomics and human factors studies to the application of management
sciences and operational research. The group generally has approximately 40 projects
active at any one time.
The Fire Cover Model
The fire cover computer model was written in the 1970s as a tool for routing of
ambulances. Over the years it has developed into a management decision tool for
achieving the optimum disposition of operational resources within a fire service.
Planning Fire Cover
The task of planning fire cover is a relatively complex one which must take into account
the national standards and also all of the factors listed here:
Figure 1: Planning Fire Cover

National The national requirement for fire cover
Standards
Brigade The number, type, crewing and location of appliances
Resources
Road Network The roads most used by appliances and the time taken to travel along them.
Workloads How busy appliances are, where and when incidents occur.
Brigade Policy Any local policies which may affect fire cover, eg remote rural classification of
risk.
Let us look at each of these considerations in turn.

Fire cover computer model 193
National Standards of Fire Cover
The UK currently has national guidelines for the weight and timeliness of responses to
fire calls. These guidelines depend largely upon the amount of risk of fire spread within
the area. The risk of an area is assessed and divided into four broad categories; A, B,
C and D.
Risk 1st appliance 2nd appliance 3rd appliance
A 5 mins 5 mins 8 mins
B 5 mins 8 mins
C 10 mins
D 20 mins
Brigade Resources
The main considerations in assessing resource availability are:

Station siting Where stations are located in relation to the road network and the incidents they
attend.
Type of Fire appliances can be crewed by wholetime, day staffed or retained personnel.
staffing The type of crewing affects the time taken to mobilise an appliance on receiving a
call.
Number of The number of appliances located at a station can vary and also some specialist
appliances appliances may be available.
Local policy Local policy may affect how the appliances are mobilised, for example, some
brigades move appliances between stations (standby moves) during a large
incident.
The Road Network
The road network is a vital consideration when planning fire cover. Response time
estimates are based upon the type of roads to be used and expected travel speeds. The
following average travel speeds for different road types are assumed, although these can
be changed locally and globally.
Type Speed (mph)
Motorway 40
Class A road 30
Class B road 27
Class C road 25
Unclassified 20
The road network is characterised by the road types and intersections, but for the
purposes of modelling, it can be reduced to a number of main and minor roads which are
regularly used by appliances when attending incidents.
Figure 2: The Road Network

The road network is modelled using a series of road links and junctions (nodes). Figure 3
depicts nodes placed on each of the major road junctions in the area and then numbered
sequentially. Fire stations have also been located on the map on appropriate nodes.
Figure 3: Modelling the Road Network

A model of the road network can now be built using these nodes as reference points
and using travel times between the nodes as direct links.
Figure 4: Travel Times Between

Nodes
The travel time between adjoining nodes is calculated from the scale of maps employed
by the user. From this a matrix of minimum travel times from each station to all nodes
can be built, using Djikstras spanning tree algorithm.
Figure 5: Choosing Shortest Routes
Workloads: Modelling Incidents
The following characteristics of incidents are used to model the requirements within an
area:
* location,
* time of day,
* number and type of appliances attending,
* average time taken to deal with an incident,
* incident type.
In order to model the often large numbers of incidents effectively, the area under study is
divided into small areas, or zones. These zones surround a single node and are assigned a
single risk. Figure 6 shows each node in the area has a corresponding zone, which has
been coloured to indicate risk category.
Incidents can then be plotted onto this zonal map and all incidents falling within each
zone are assigned to their corresponding node. In this way, very complex incident
patterns can be effectively modelled.
Workloads and Average Attendance Times
How busy appliances are attending incidents has a direct effect upon the average
attendance times. Where appliances are not busy, the majority of incidents will be
attended by appliances from the nearest station. However, when appliances are busy then
the nearest station to an incident may be empty and appliances need to travel from the
next nearest station to attend incidents. This has the effect of increasing the average travel
time to all incidents.
This effect can be calculated by the following iterative process. Firstly, assume the
probability that an appliance is available is 1 and therefore it has no initial workload.
Then, repeat steps 1 and 2 below until the change in the probability that an appliance is
available is negligible:
1. Calculate expected attendance times for each appliance
2. Use this to refine the estimate that the appliance is available
Consider first the expected attendance time calculation (step 1).
Let
Pi = the current estimate of the probability that the ith nearest pump is available
IncidentRaten = the number of incidents at the node n
Attend Time = the average length of attendance at each incident
The probability that the first appliance is available is P1 Therefore, the initial workload
for the first appliance in attending single appliance incidents at node 1 should be
incremented by
P1*AttendTime *IncidentRate1
However, there is a probability (1P1) that the incidents at this node are answered by the
second nearest appliance, providing it is available. The probability that the appliance will
have to come from the second nearest location is
(1P1)*P2
and the corresponding additional workload for the second nearest appliance is
AttendTime *IncidentRate1*(1P1)*P2
But again, there is a probability that incidents remain to be attended by the third nearest
appliance, providing it is available, which is given by (1P1)*(1P2)
Hence, the corresponding increase in workload for the third nearest appliance will be
(1P1)*(1P2)*P3*AttendTime*IncidentRate1
This allocation of work at each node continues in this way until the 10th nearest
appliance has been considered, although in practice the probability yet to be allocated
usually becomes negligible before the 10th nearest appliance is reached.
Where the requirement is for two or more appliances to each incident, then the
allocation can be generalised such that (P1 *P2 ) is the probability that two appliances will
come from the nearest and next nearest locations.
So
P1 *P2 *AttendTime *IncidentRate1
should be added to the workload for these appliances. However, there is a probability
(1(P1 *P2))
that the incidents at this node cannot be serviced by this combination of appliances, so the
next alternative is to consider attendance from the nearest and third nearest appliances.
The probability that the second appliance will have to come from the third nearest
location is
(1(P1 *P2)) *P1 *P3
so
(1(P1 *P2)) *P1 *P3 *AttendTime *IncidentRate1
should be added to the workload of the first and third nearest appliances.
This process continues for all appliance pairs in the area to provide steady state
availability probabilities for all appliances.
Figure 8: Steady State Appliance

Availability
These can then be used to calculate which appliances attend incidents and, therefore,
average attendance times.
Uses of the Model
When all the relevant data has been input, attendance times can be calculated, and the
model can be used to study a variety of fire cover scenarios. These scenarios may involve
moving stations from one site to another, examining the effect of traffic calming
measures, planning emergency cover during major incidents, or planning for future
incident patterns and densities.
The model can predict the level and extent of fire cover within an area for different
fire cover scenarios, quickly and easily, without carrying out the changes In real life.
Results from the Model
The model provides information on the level and extent of fire cover in a series of results
using fire cover terms such as:
* attendance time,
* areas where standards are not met
* overall percentage of time when standards were not met
The model also provides two indicators in order to compare varying scenarios.
The fire cover failure index is based upon the number of incidents attended where
standards were not met, and by how much time the standards were failed. This indicator
will, therefore, rise in scenarios where fire cover is worsening and fall where changes in
resource disposition improves fire cover.
The overall performance measure also considers incidents where fire cover
standards have been met and by how much time the attendance was inside the standard.
This index, therefore, gives an overall measure of performance for fire cover within the
area.
In summary, the fire cover model is a management decision tool for use by fire
brigade officers, designed to answer what would happen if? questions.
21
LINCE: COMPUTERISED EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
J.L.ROMAN MONZO
Instituto Tecnologico de Seguridad Mapfre, Madrid, Spain
Abstract: The LINCE (Logical Informtico para el Control de

Emergencias) programme, is an advanced computerised application,
designed to establish specific recommendations for intervention, resource
management and other vital information needed during an emergency at
industrial installations, harbours and other areas where hazardous
materials could be involved.
This management is performed in real time, presenting the user graphic
information of the accident scene over the users own drawings and plans.
The programme provides the management structure for a multitude of
emergencies including conventional fire situations, Haz-Mat spills with or
without fire, toxic or inflammable vapour clouds, BLEVE, solid explosive
detonations, hydrocarbon land or sea spills and a host of other potential
disaster situations.
Keywords: Lince, computerised, emergency, management, haz-mat,
accident, resources.
1. PREFACE.
The LINCE (Logical Informtico para el Control de Emergencias) programme, is an

advanced computerised application, designed to establish specific recommendations for
intervention, resource management and other vital information needed during an
emergency at industrial installations, harbours and other areas where hazardous materials
could be involved.
This management is performed in real time, presenting the user graphic information of
the accident scene over the users own drawings and plans.
The programme provides the management structure for a multitude of emergencies
including conventional fire situations, Haz-Mat spills with or without fire, toxic or
inflammable vapour clouds, BLEVE, solid explosive detonations, hydrocarbon land or
sea spills and a host of other potential disaster situations.
Needed advises for management of the emergency are presented in real time
conditions, offering the user the necessary guidelines and data (including graphics) which
facilitate the labours of intervention, human and material resource activation, and
virtually eliminates delays or errors as it permits total recall of all the possible response
variables contemplated in the Emergency Plan.
Fig. 1. Type of information supplied

by the Emergency Control Software
LINCE.
The programme provides graphic information on the areas affected by the emergency,
drawing the effects of the accident over that area (in the form of concentration of the
'LINCE' 203
toxic cloud, radius of BLEVE, heat radiation levels, etc.) identifying the specific units or
sectors affected by the emergency (buildings, process areas, reservoirs, streets, drains and
sewage systems, underground wells, etc.).
LINCE, indicates the actions to be taken in each case depending on:
1. The accident type
2. Vulnerability of affected units
3. Occupation of the plant
4. Availability of resources
5. Other aspects of influence
The programme also indicates who must do what, when and where during every possible
situation such as shifts, holidays, absence, etc.; giving the operator relevant information
(phone number, radio frequency, extension, etc.) to locate whatever resource needed.
The LINCE programme provides also a vast data base on dangerous substances which
permits accurate estimates of the consequences of technical accidents (including but not
limited to fires, explosions, Haz- Mat incidents) which could occur in the plant or
installation being considered. This particular application makes it an extraordinary tool
for use in the phase of risk evaluation as well as a training aid for the people who must
manage the emergency and for the development of drill scenarios in all phases.
The data base of substances contains relevant information for intervention and first
aids in emergencies with some 1,300 dangerous substances, with a rapid recall system
which locates the required file by UN number, substance name, hazardous properties and
other specific means.
The resources data bank includes the categories and characteristics of all human and
material resources, including location, status, amounts available and all other pertinent
and needed information.
LINCE, can be operated in any of three modes:
1. Reference consulting and updating
2. Emergency
3. Utilities (auxiliary mode)
Information is presented via windows and Pop-up menus, in a real user friendly way.
2. REFERENCE CONSULTING AND UPDATING MODE
This is the part of the programme which allows for initial definition, up-dating and
consultation of any and all information concerning risks, resources, installations,
hazardous materials, transport of substances, historical background of incidents, as well
as the estimation of consequences of potential incidents in order to create preincident
scenarios and preplanning.
Access is protected by soft (password) and hardware which avoids entry by
unauthorised persons, thus eliminating the possibility of accidental or intentionally
unwanted modifications.
3. EMERGENCY MODE
This is the emergency management part of the programme which facilitates, in real time
sequence, all of the possible variables in the course of emergency situations, from initial
response to resource management, avoiding errors or delays, as the programme analyses
all of the possible solutions to every accident suggesting the best of them, according with
the guidelines defined in the Emergency Plan.
Fig. 2. Site Plan: Area affected by an

ammonia release incident.
'LINCE' 205
Fig. 3. Software LINCES Menu of

Possible Accidents in Emergency
Mode.
5. TYPES OF EMERGENCIES
LINCE, can manage all of the emergency situations contemplated in Emergency and
Disaster Plans (fires, chemical spills, bomb threats, explosions, sinking, etc.), providing,
in the cases that this is possible, the estimation of consequences based on mathematical
models, if hazardous materials are involved in the incident.
Authorised user (with password) can also define up to six additional types of
emergencies over and above those contemplated in the programme.
Fig. 4. LINCEs Software: Material

Resources Menu QUERY Mode
6. HAZ MAT FILES
LINCE has a built-in data base of the intervention instructions index of Haz-Mat
incidents according to the IMDG codes, complemented by instructions of other
'LINCE' 207
internationally recognised entities for some 1,300 dangerous substances, by means of a

rapid search system which presents the required data using UN numbers, product names,
dangerous nature of the products, etc..
The LINCE is delivered also with a data base which contains the physical-chemical
properties of a vast number of dangerous substances in order to estimate the
consequences of technological accidents (fire, explosion, gas escapes, spills).
The incorporation of information and data about news substances, including properties
and response information can be easily performed by the operator.
7. ESTIMATION OF CONSEQUENCES
The programme incorporates several models for estimating the consequences of different
incidents involving hazardous materials:
1. Stationary fire (solid or pool fire)
2. Jet fire
3. Vapour cloud explosions
4. Reservoir explosion
5. BLEVE
6. Boil-over
7. Ignition or explosion of solids.
8. Gas cloud dispersion (toxic or flammable)
9. Toxic or contaminating marine spills.
10. Toxic or contaminating spills on land.
Accident scenarios can be defined for any type of physical situation (storage tanks, on-
board ship, pipe lines, process units, etc.) and for different meteorological conditions.
With the aid of these models the operator can analyse and define by himself the
possible consequences of accidents postulated for his installations. These results can be
stored (prerecorded scenarios) for future consultation.
7.1. PREPARATION OF EMERGENCY SCENARIOS

This package includes the possibility of prerecording emergency scenarios (in Consult
Mode) for different physical-chemical-meteorological characteristics, so that they can be
used at any time (in Emergency mode) by any one, eliminating the need to reintroduce
data.
This option substantially reduces response time during an emergency as it eliminates
the need to introduce information which has been previously recorded. This also permits
advanced estimations of damages, and recommendations of actions, even when
uncertainties still exist concerning some information (for example meteorological
information) and which can be corrected later if necessary.
8. GRAPHICS
The LINCE, programme incorporates the cartography of the zones so that the projections
of the consequences (shape and spread of clouds, spills, explosions, etc.) are made on
these maps and plans, giving a true picture of the nature and gravity of the
emergencies.
The cartography can be easily modified by the user via a CAD package, as an
interface for DXF files is incorporated.
9. UTILISATION
Once installed, LINCE can be used in a number of different applications:
9.1. Direct assistance during emergencies

Through interaction with the user. He will feed the necessary information concerning the
incident to the programme, which will give him in return concrete recommendations
and/or relevant information (laycuts, electrical switch gear, etc.) to manage the
emergency in a real time condition.
9.2. Emergency simulator

Which permits the user through periodic use, to become more completely familiar with
hazards and the possible solutions to emergency situations which could affect his plan to
this application mode is particularly useful in a variety of ways:
1. To identify and correct defects in the safety systems and the Emergency Plan.
2. Evaluate possible improvements in these systems, and
3. Anticipate problems which could occur during a real emergency.
9.3. Training tool.

By an extensive and periodical use of the above mentioned capabilities of the
programme.
22
ANALYSING EVACUATION
MODELLING TECHNIQUES OF MIXED-
ABILITY POPULATIONS
L.RUBADIRI
Abstract
With an average of over eight hundred persons dying in fires in the UK
each year, and several more suffering injuries as a result of fire, there is a
pressing need to investigate the critical aspects affecting fire safety in
different occupancy settings. This paper discusses the basic principles of
evacuation models that investigate occupant movement in fire
emergencies and discusses, in particular, their limitations; the most
prominent being the omission of disabled people from the simulated
populations. The notable effects of disability on occupant movement are
revealed by using a novel concept that provides a mechanism for
measuring evacuation capabilities of various classes of disabled people.
This concept is developed through the use of an evacuation performance
index (EPI) which is the relative ease of evacuating a disabled person
compared to evacuating an able-bodied person. The application and use of
the concept in research in Fire Safety Engineering is described in the final
section of the paper.
Keywords: Evacuation modelling, evacuation performance index, fires
1 Introduction
Fire has significant potential to cause costly destruction. A vivid reminder of the large
number of lives lost and the extent of damage in fires is illustrated in major disasters such
as the Bradford [1], Hillsborough [2] and Woolworths fires [3]. Both structural design
and occupant behaviour were seen to be at fault in these scenarios due to the lack of early
warning and the delayed occupant response in attempting to evacuate. A strategic
approach towards understanding the relationship between the design of fire warning
systems and occupant response in fires is therefore essential.
Evacuation modelling techniques are generally used for this purpose and some current
ones are described in subsequent sections.
The basic principle of evacuation modelling is defined by the following equation
which should be satisfied if occupants are to evacuate safely during an emergency: tTLt,
where tTL specifies the time for tenability levels to exceed their allowable limits for
different classes of fires, and t specifies the maximum likely evacuation time of the
occupants to leave a building.
For the purposes of this paper the emphasis is on t the available evacuation time and
the sub-components that affect this value.
2 Background of basic model categories
Most of the current evacuation models can be grouped into two basic categories:
psychological [4] [5] [6] and mathematical [7] [8] [9]. In both categories, models can be
probabilistic, in that a range of possible occurrences is allowed for, or they may be
deterministic which means that they are scenario specific and predict single possible
outcomes. Most models are predominantly mathematical in that their underlying
relationships are described by mathematical functions. Alternatively, mathematical
models can be described as phenomenological in that they simulate the actual physical
phenomena that affect safety. They can be further divided into several groups which
include: analogue, empiric, systemic and knowledge-based models.
Psychological models focus on human behavioural aspects and can be sub-divided into
two groups, namely: those with a time-based approach describing specific occupant
behavioural stages and those with a time-based approach defined by discrete time frames.
The fundamental difference between the approaches lies in the fact that the former
emphasises the stages in behaviour that occupants experience as a fire develops and
environmental conditions change. These stages are described as occurring within a series
time frames of no specific duration. In the latter group, at every discrete time frame of a
specific duration the action of an occupant can be determined as a result of analysing the
surrounding environmental conditions. In this group the development of stages in
behaviour are not discrete because they are governed by momentary changes in the
surrounding conditions and are not necessarily manifested in clearly defined stages.
3 Objectives
The objective of this paper is to highlight the relevance of evacuation modelling in fire
safety engineering, from a research viewpoint. Oftentimes greater emphasis is given to
fire modelling and the time components affecting tTL. The paper identifies the areas in
which there is a significant need for further research into occupant movement and
behaviour in fire emergencies. Some notable limitations are highlighted, particularly the
need for investigative studies into the evacuation of occupants with disabilities and the
need for a coherent framework relating current research findings on evacuation
movement, which at present tend to be somewhat isolated. In attempting to find a
solution to the above mentioned problem, the author describes a system for measuring
Analysing evacuation modelling techniques of mixed-ability populations 211
evacuation capability of a mixed-ability population using an evacuation performance

index (EPI) which relates three aspects of fire safety, namely; individual characteristics of
disabled occupants, the amount of assistance they require, and building design and
environmental factors. The author believes that the evacuation performance index of a
class of individuals is primarily dependent on these three categories. Use of the index
enables the assessment of the relative effects on the evacuation capability of an evacuee
of changes to the amount and type of assistance provided to the evacuee, and changes to
the building design and environmental factors. The concept encourages the use of a
coherent approach to analytical research methods in evacuation modelling [10].
The following section discusses some of the weaknesses in evacuation modelling. The
author hopes that this overview will highlight key areas that warrant further research and
where improvements to modelling techniques can be made.
4 Limitations in Evacuation Modelling
There are several limitations in evacuation modelling of which the most important are as
follows:
Evacuation modelling does not lend itself to precise observation or analysis.

As a result several assumptions are made during the use of simulation methods to study
occupant movement and behaviour during fires. According to Kendik [11] who has
analysed a number of major evacuation models, all of them appear to make several
assumptions partially to overcome the gaps in technical literature which makes their
validations against real-world events or fire drills necessary. She continues by stating
that only a few of these models are in fact calibrated in this manner and are able to
provide quantitative results.
The use of complex of equations and the attaching of unjustified significance to

numbers in these equations
Basic principles are sometimes hidden behind sophisticated and complex notations. This
limits the scope of understanding of those responsible for the application of model
findings in the design of means of escape. According to the EGOLF research group [12]
the quantification of levels of safety rely heavily on statistical information and
techniques. The models are mainly computer-based and are criticised by some engineers
as being too complicated. Frequently unjustified significance is attached to numbers
resulting from model equations because they cannot be interpreted with adequate
background knowledge.
Simulated populations are limited to able-bodied occupants

Empirical studies on occupant movement are often limited to able-bodied populations.
Occupants with disabilities that may their hinder movement and that of others, are rarely
acknowledged. This is despite the fact that disabled people appear to be at the greatest
risk in fire emergencies where movement speed is so important. However, both disability
and unsympathetic design of buildings appear to be key negative influences on occupant
movement and the techniques used to measure movement are so diverse, often leading to
inconsistent results.
Outdated validation studies

The empirical data to test the validity of models is often outdated. It is unfortunate that
the cost and the complexities associated with setting up validation studies for various
models are prohibitive. However, they are essential in research to ascertain the credibility
of these models.
Large numbers of parameters to analyse

Some complexities arise from the development of models with a large number of
parameters. In addition, the depth of analysis in these models is questionable. Hinks [13]
states that these parameters will have varying levels of importance and influence on
escape potentials of occupants. It is essential therefore to have a system that classifies
these parameters in some hierarchial arrangement and that has provision for accurately
measuring their effects.
Closed characteristic of most models

The closed characteristic of most models limits their expansion when new research
information becomes available. This limitation implies that additional information may
be continually tagged on to existing information with the risk of losing track of the
primary objective of a given model.
Summary
It is true to say that, fire safety is often considered in a fragmentary way [14]. The
elements which combine to produce fire and possible loss of life and property tend to be
effectively regarded as independent of each other. There is a lack of coherency in the
techniques used in evacuation modelling. What is lacking is a unifying philosophy that
links the approaches to modelling in such a way that these approaches are recognised as
extensions of a basic safety criterion.
5 A Coherent Approach to Evacuation ModellingEPI Concept
In this section the author describes a coherent approach to evacuation modelling that
provides a method for predicting evacuation times and for applying these results to the
design of escape routes [12]. In order to predict the time an occupant would take to
evacuate a building, it is necessary to have a quantifiable attribute which defines his/her
evacuation capability and which is sensitive to variable external conditions, for example,
building design. This measure of the intrinsic evacuation capability of an occupant is
described as his/her evacuation performance index (EPI), which is defined as the
unassisted speed of a person relative to that of an able-bodied person along a straight
obstacle-free route of a pre-specified distance.
Basic EPIs of occupants are determined primarily by their respective disabilities and
mobility aids. During evacuations this basic EPI is dynamically modified into an
effective EPI which determines the actual evacuation capability of the occupant during an
emergency. The modification of basic EPI into effective EPI is brought about by the
following primary factors.
1) Individual characteristics: of occupants can be either physical and psychological.
Physical characteristics include occupants disability-mobility aid combinations while
psychological characteristics include behavioural factors such as panic.
2) Managerial aspects: can be measured in terms of the assistance provided to
occupants. EPIs have been observed to undergo notable changes if additional help is
provided [10] [15]. Whenever necessary assistance is provided to evacuating disabled
people, this has the general effect of increasing their speeds or EPIs. Unnecessary
assistance typically leaves the EPI unchanged or may even reduce it.
3) Environmental factors: generally expressed as crowd densities have been shown to
influence occupant speeds [10] [16]. The authors observed that at low crowd densities,
able-bodied occupants make purposeful attempts to avoid being an obstacle to disabled
people. In some cases, they may even assist a disabled person by, for example, opening
doors. In large crowd densities, however, occupant speeds tend to decrease.
4) Building design factors: such as the configuration or geometry of building layouts,
number and positions of fire doors, dimensions of corridors, positions of lighting, floor
coverings and textures also influence EPIs.
6 Application to Research
The actual process of measuring EPIs begins by deconstructing a given evacuation route
into primary sections such as the rooms, corridors, stairwells etc. Having classified
occupants according to their disability-mobility aid combinations, their EPIs could be
measured along each section of the route. This could be carried out by using carefully
monitored fire drills. The time taken to traverse each section could be recorded using
strategically placed video cameras with a time-display mechanism. The simplest building
layout would require not more than eight mounted cameras and some observers to
monitor the evacuation.
Characteristic times could be calculated for each disability-mobility aid combination,
made possible through the use of a design procedure incorporating measures of EPI. A
first approximation of the proposed design procedure might proceed as follows: Consider
that nominal EPIs have been determined for different disability-mobility aid
combinations. Design in such a case may proceed along the lines of, for each evacuation
route out of the building:
1) First, the designer computes the time tTL for tenability levels to exceed their
allowable levels, and the travel distance d through the escape route.
2) Second, the effective EPI of each disability-mobility aid combination along the
evacuation route is calculated. This calculation will utilise expressions defined to take
into account any assistance which will be available to disabled evacuees, and any
building design and environmental factors of the evacuation route that might modify the
nominal evacuation performance indices of the evacuees.
3) Next, the worst case evacuation time, tw is computed from Equation (1)
(1)
where, IM is the smallest effective EPI computed from Step (2) above, and v0 is the
nominal evacuation speed of an able-bodied person. Note that v0 itself varies with
building design and environmental factors, although not with level and type of assistance.
4) Finally, the designer ensures that tTLtwSF, where SF is a factor of safety.
If the inequality tTLtWSF cannot be satisfied, the designer has to modify the
assistance to be made available to disabled evacuees and the building environmental
factors such that Step (2) returns a high enough IM. However, if the fire safety evaluation
is being performed at the architectural design stage, then the layout of the building may
be modified so that Step (1) returns a higher value for tTL or a smaller value for d. Once
the inequality has been satisfied for a particular combination of level and type of
assistance to be made available to evacuees and building environmental factors, then
managerial steps have to be taken to ensure that these conditions prevail in an emergency.
A real design situation is more complex as the inter-relations between a number of
different possible routes have to be analysed.
The design procedure described above computes a lower bound or ultra-safe
evacuation time since tw is based on IM, the smallest effective EPI over the range of
disability-mobility aid combinations. An alternative procedure which is perhaps more
realistic and which returns an upper bound value of tw is to use characteristic times in
place of the above relation in Step (c) such that,
(2)
where, i=1,, n subdivides the evacuation route into elemental sections for which EPIs
are known and the summation in Equation (2) is computed for each disability-mobility
aid combination.
7 The Value of the EPI Concept in Research
This novel concept defines a coherent procedure for fire safety engineering design
founded on a measure of evacuation capability. The evident strengths in this concept
from a research viewpoint include:
The use of simple, economical empirical exercises

The suggested evacuation exercises to obtain EPIs are simple and inexpensive. Resources
are limited to ordinary video cameras and measuring equipment such as tapes for
measuring distances. In this way the difficulties experienced with complex experimental
methods are avoided.
Flexibility in the number of parameters analysed in a given scenario

Any number of parameters can be analysed in a given scenario. A wide range of
parameters whose effects on evacuation capability are considered critical can be
measured. The model is therefore flexible and grows with increasing knowledge from
research.
Recognition and classification of disabled people

The presence of disabled people is acknowledged using a classification system based on

their disability-mobility aid combinations. Thus the differences in evacuation capabilities
in an evacuating crowd are adequately represented.
The precise definition of evacuation capability and the flexibility of EPI

EPI provides a precise definition of evacuation capability which is measurable. Although
it shares some similarities with alternative measures of escape potential [17] [18], its
uniqueness lies in its clear description of evacuation capability and its flexible
nature.which is manifested by its variation with changes in surrounding conditions.
The use of simple methods for determining evacuation capabilities

The determination of EPIs and the use of the design procedure are not complicated and
simple to understand.
EPI provides link between research findings and design

There has often been some degree of conflict between research findings and their
application in the codes of practice. EPI provides a gateway for channelling results from
research into a format that can be easily adopted by the design codes.
The role of EPI as an assessment tool

The efficiency of an evacuation route can be assessed by computing characteristic times
using EPIs. If EPIs are below acceptable levels for any class of people then the
corresponding times will be too high and modifications may be implemented at the
drawing board stage.
The wide scope of application

The transferability of the concept to various occupancy settings is an added advantage.
8 Conclusions and prospects for further work
The EPI concept provides a valuable stepping stone for future strategies in research in
evacuation modelling of mixed-ability populations. It is evident that this concept links all
approaches to research without necessarily favouring any particular one. It provides a
framework that coherently links all approaches to modelling all the while ensuring that
the scope for investigating all critical evacuation parameters is sufficiently broad. It is a
useful assessment and design tool that is simple to understand and apply. Further work in
developing the concept is encouraged by the author using as many ranges of disability-
mobility aid combinations to provide a representative mixed-ability population. The
results could be adopted by the codes of practice. While the EPI concept may not solve
all the drawbacks of modelling it has attempted to address some of the primary
limitations.
9 References
1. Popplewell (1986) Committee of Inquiry into Crowd Safety and Control at Sports Grounds:
Final Report. HMSO.
2. Taylor (1990) Inquiry into the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster: Final Report. HMSO,
London.
3. Joint Fire Prevention Committee (1980) Report of the Planning/Legislation Sub-Committee
on the Fire at Woolworths Piccadilly, Manchester on 8 May 1979. HMSO. Fire
Department.
4. Canter, D and Matthews, R. (1976) The Behaviour of People in Fire Situations: Possibilities
for Research. CP 11/76, BRE.
5. Sime, J. (Private Communication).
6. Bryan, J.L (1988). Behavioural response to fire and smoke. SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection
Engineering. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, section 1, ch. 16, pp. 269285.
7. Hallberg, G and Nyberg, M. (1987) Human Dimension and Interior Space. Department of
Building Function Analysis, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
8. Galea, E.R., Galparsoro J.M.P. and Pearce J. (1993) A brief description of the EXODUS
evacuation model, Proc. Int. Conf. on Fire Safety, 18, pp.149162.
9. Rubadiri L. (1992) Transfer report from MPhil to PhD, University of Central Lancashire.
10. Rubadiri, L., Roberts, J.P. and Ndumu, D.T. (1993) Towards a coherent approach to
engineering fire safety for disabled people, Proc. CIB W14 Seminar/Workshop on Fire
Safety Engineering. Ulster University, Northern Ireland.
11. Kendik, E. (1986) Methods of design for means of egressTowards a quantitative comparison
of national code requirements, Fire Safety ScienceProceedings of the First International
Symposium, Grant, C and Pagni, P.J (ed.), pp.497511.
12. EGOLF (1994) A Framework For Research in the Field of Fire Safety in Buildings by
Design.
13. Hinks, A (Private Communication)
14. Beard, A. (1986) Towards a Systemic Approach to Fire Safety, Fire Safety Science
Proceedings of the First International Symposium, Grant, C and Pagni, P.J (ed.), pp. 943
952.
15. Rubadiri L. and Roberts J.P. (1994) A review of the effects of mixed-ability populations on
evacuation model predictions, submitted to Safety and Health Practitioner Journal.
16. Rubadiri L., Ndumu D.T. and Roberts J.P. (1994) Assessment of human and structural safety of
sports grounds, to appear IABSE Symp. on Places of Assembly and Long-Span Building
Structures, Birmingham, 79 September.
17. Marchant, E.W. and Finucane, M. (1978) Hospital fire safetyNon-attendance and patient
mobility, 2nd International Seminar on Human Behaviour in Fire Emergencies, Edinburgh,
pp 115144.
18. Hallberg, G. (1988) Evacuation safety in dwellings for the elderly, Safety in the Built
Environment, Sime, J. (ed.) SPON.
PART TWO
APPLICATIONS
23
INTRODUCTION
S.-E.MAGNUSSON
Department of Fire Safety Engineering,
Institute of Science and Technology, Lund University, Sweden
There are many new and interesting developments taking place in industrial fire safety
and I would just like to mention a few of these to introduce whats going to happen today.
As you all know, industrial safety was started in the nuclear industry and in the airplane
industry. It has now found a wide application in other areas such as the chemical process
industry and the off-shore industry and what is happening now, I think, (and this is very
important) is a number of developments.
The use of quantitative risk assessment is coming into force over a large number of
sectorsat the same time really. So I think that what will be required in the next few
years is the introduction of much more stringent procedures. This can be by the
standardisation of calculation models; it can be the standardisation of the selection of
scenarios, or it can be by the standardisation of input data and its presentation. Anyway,
things are going to be much more strict and stringent in the next few years. It will not be
a numbers game any longer, which it has been for the last ten years.
The management of quality, or quality management, is becoming a very important
issue in this area and, of course, you are all aware of the Euro-standards such as ISO
9000 and so on. These are going to have a large impact on the way we are doing these
things.
There are other factors emerging, such as the emphasis on environment and, all in all,
it points to the fact that procedures which have been widely diverging across a number of
industrial sectors now are converging. This is a result, not the least, of the CEC Major
Industrial Hazards Project. Environment protection is an area under quite rapid expansion
and development; therefore, todays papers are very topical and they point to that fact.
The first subject that we will hear about raises some of these issues while addressing
the subject of the use of foam and water for the protection of equipment engulfed in fire.
Later we will hear a review of the experimental results from a major industrial research
project on fires in chemical warehouses. This is a project which is still ongoingand will
hopefully be finished in 1996. However, a lot more research remains to be done in this
areabut I do think that we are now seeing some progress.
We are also going to hear about some very interesting research with practical
applications. The behaviour of glass in fire is an important subject and deserves much
more study than has been possible up to now. We are, therefore, going to listen to what I
know will be a very interesting paper on this topic. It is a very practical problem and I,
for one, am looking forward to the development of more research in this area in the
future. Also, today, we have a paper about the testing of axially loaded and restrained
steel columns. This is a very complicated problem. I, myself, was doing research on this
in the early 1970s and I must admit that the results were rather meagre. I am very pleased
to see that progress is being made in this area.
Later in the day, the emphasis goes from looking at the applied research and
development of the various fire safety aspects to a wider area entitled E.C.
Perspectives. This will start with a review of the very large and complex area of
European standards and then look at other aspects of laws and directives which affect fire
safety. There has been a lot of European activity in these areas during the last few years.
This wider perspectives theme then allows us to introduce some papers later in the day
which take us into looking at several varied techniquesunderlying principles and
applications of various types of modelling, fault tree analysis, decision support systems,
neural networks, knowledge-based systems, etc.
It is good to see that there is such a lot of challenging work going on and that we are
now seeing the start of a steady flow of knowledge from research into actual applications
in fire safety operations.
SECTION ONE
APPLIED RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
INDUSTRIAL FIRE SAFETY
24
FOAM AND WATER FOR THE
PROTECTION OF EQUIPMENT
ENGULFED IN FIRE
J.CASAL and E.PLANAS
Department of Chemical Engineering,
Universitat Politcnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
L.BORDIGNON and A.LANCIA
TRI srl, Scanzorosciate (BG), Italy
Abstract
This communication presents some results of the work which is being
developed at Barcelona to treat a part of the large amount of original data
collected in the frame of the project Foam and water deluge system for
offshore oil platforms CEC Project TH-15125/89-IT, developed by the
Italian firms SABO SpA, Tecsa Spa and TRI-Tecsa Ricerca &
Innovazione srl and the British company RM Consultants Ltd.
A set of 92 large-scale tests were effectuated, including pool-fires,
liquid jet-fires and 3D-fires. Amongst them a group of 8 tests has been
selected in which a tank was completely engulfed in pool-fires of hexane
and kerosene (4m2 and 12m2); a foam and water deluge system was used
to extinguish the fire. The evolution of tank temperatures and fire
structure as a function of time is described, for the different operating
conditions. Conclusions are derived on the efficiency of the system.
Keywords: cooling, equipment, large-scale tests, fire, foam & water
1 Introduction
In the event of a fire in an industrial installation with a high density of equipment and
with a significant inventory of potentially hazardous materials-like, for example, an
offshore oil platform or a process plant-the two objectives of an active fire protection
system are:
1. Extinguishing or at least controlling the fire.
2. Cooling the structures and the equipment.
The second scope is often the most important one since further structural damages mean
further loss and specially because the damage to certain objects can result in additional
loss of containment of flammable substances and hence in the escalation of the fire
scenario. This is particularly true for the offshore rigs, where a scenario scalation can
result in the loss of a number of lives and even of the complete platform, with possible
consequences on the environment.
In the conventional approach, cooling and extinguishing are addressed by two different
sistems: water deluge systems and foam systems.
Several interesting features have made water the most used fire extinguishing agent: it
has high specific heat and very high latent heat of vaporization, and furthermore it is
usually available at a low cost. However, the use of water has as well several
disadvantages, the main one being originated by its relatively high density, which makes
it more dense than most hydrocarbon fuels. Furthermore, hydrocarbons are also
immiscible with water; therefore, in the event of a pool-fire water will nor cover the
burning fuel-thus extingishing or reducing fire-neither mix and dilute it. The hydrocarbon
will maintain a lighter burning layer, and even in some cases water may flash (if it enters
a hot mass of fuel) and spread fuel.
If a cover for the burning surface is required-and this will help significantly in the
control of fire-foam solutions must be used. However. foam agents are much more
expensive than water, and on the other hand usually they are available in much more
reduced amounts.
An interesting approach relies on using a single deluge system which discharges
foaming solution for a given minimum time and then continues discharging water. Such
systems, known as Foam & Water Deluge Systems, should discharge a kind of foam
which is fluid enough to behave like water for cooling purposes but stable enough to
possess useful extinguishing properties in spill fires.
F&W deluge systems are quite attractive, specially for oil off-shore platforms and
process plants, due to the possibility to achieve a fast fire control, to the simplification in
the plant structure and in its operating procedures, and finally due to the resulting
reduction in the costs of the system.
The actual deluge systems are the ones where the foam discharge heads are located
over the fire area and apply the foam in the form of a snow fall. This paper is mostly
adressing the use of F&W spray systems, i.e. based on a number of spray heads which are
discharging the cooling fluid directly onto the surface of the parts to be protected.
In all these systems, calculation methods are available and widely used for one of the
aspects involved, the fluid flow through piping. However, there are no calculation
procedures available for the other aspects related specifically to the operation of
sprinklers; this is due to the fact that very complex mechanisms play a role in the
extintion of a fire with water or foam, with badly-known variables like, for example, the
size and behaviour of droplets. Therefore, the design of sprinkler systems is rather based
on empirical approaches. This is why an effort should be done-and this was the aim of
this project-to contribute to the progress in designing this kind of fire protection systems.
Foam and water for the protection of equipment engulfed in fire 225
Fig. 1. Structure of the platform

module mock-up used for the full scale
tests series in Bors.
2 Experimental installation
A total of 93 full scale fire tests were conducted at the indoor fire test facility of SP (the
national Swedish testing laboratory) in Bors [1].The tests were carried out within a
specially constructed rig simulating a typical offshore or process plant module and
comprising in particular the mock-up of a leaking pump, of a pipe rack and of a pressure
vessel. Two sides were closed by steel bulkheads and a series of deluge manifolds were
pre-installed (Fig 1).
The mock-up was equiped with 90 thermocouples and 8 plate radiometers (Fig. 2).
Total and convective heat release rates were measured by the SP Industrial Calorimeter
Fig. 2. Positioning of some

thermocouples.
which is able to measure up to 17 MW HRR. 3 radiometers were installed in the vicinity

of the fire module. Pressure and flow rate of the deluge system were also logged. One
Hughes thermographic camera and two camrecorders were used in all tests.
3 Description of the tests
8 tests were effectuated in which a horizontal cylindrical tank was

completely engulfed in a pool-fire. During the test, temperature was measured at 20
points on the inner wall of the tank; furthermore, temperature was measured at 4 external
points (gas temperature). 4 tests were effectuated with hexane (with a pool surface of 4
m2) and 4 with kerosene (with a surface of 12m2).
Table 1. Description of the selected experiments.
Test Pool Fuel Extintion Configuration S.A.R.[2] (1 Deluge
number area with min1m2) flow (1
min1)
12 4m2 Hexane Foam two SPK0/125 14, 2 246
2
13 4m Hexane Foam two 14, 2+ 296
SPK0/125+SPY0/90
14 4m2 Hexane Water two 14, 2+ 296
SPK0/125+SPY0/90
15 4m2 Hexane Water two SPK0/125 14, 2 246
88 12m2 Kerosene Foam two 14, 2+ 296
SPK0/125+SPY0/90
89 12m2 Kerosene Foam two 14, 2+ 296
SPK1/90+SPY0/90
90 12m2 Kerosene Foam two SPK0/125 6, 5 112
2
91 12m Kerosene Foam two SPK1/120 6, 5 112
SPK0, SPK1 are medium velocity sprinklers, from two different manufacturers.
SPY0, SPY1 are pig-tail spiral shaped sprayers, from two different manufacturers.
The distribution of the 20 thermocouples and the 4 plate radiometers on the tank walls
can be seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows the position of the three radiometers installed at a
certain distance from the tank.
Fig. 3. Position of the radiometers with

respect to the cxperimental module.
4 Reproducibility of tests
In order to verify the reliability and reproducibility of experimental measures, the

evolution of temperature (during the first minute of the test) has been plotted for runs
number 12, 13, 14 and 15, and 88, 89, 90 and 91 as a function of time for each
thermocouple; the values should be identical for these tests for the time previous to the
sprinklers operation.
Generally speaking, these results show a practically linear trend (Fig.4-a), essentially
identical for the three first tests; run number 15 shows lightly higher values with respect
to the rest of results, although the trend is similar. It should be noted that the
thermocouple number 14 exhibited a different trend, rather parabolic than linear. For the
12m2 pools (Kerosene), the development of fire over the whole surface of the pool was
much slower (fig.4-b) and less reproducible.
Fig. 4. Evolution of temperature as a

function of time for different tests
(thermocouple number 5).
Fig. 5. Radiation intensity vs time at

three different points external to the
experimental module (test number 13).
On the other hand, the data obtained from the radiometers have been used to plot the
variation of radiation intensity as a function of time (Fig. 5); as it can be observed, after
the first minute the fire can be considered to be fully developed and with a regime
practically stationary.
5 Discussion
The study of the diverse plots of temperature vs. time show that in most of them five
different zones can be established, the transition from one to the next one being indicated
by a change in the slope (Fig. 6). A careful analysis of the video films taken during the
different tests helped in the interpretation of this behaviour.
First of all there is an initial step in which fire develops to steady state (corresponding
approximately to the first minute after the ignition); in this stage the vessel temperature
increases linearly with time, at a high rate. The slope of the line varies with the location
of the thermocouple (depending on the degree of flame impingement). The slope changes
significantly (decreases) in the moment in which the operation of sprinklers starts.
With the start-up of sprinklers the presence of important turbulences is observed, with
a wind stream from the W wall of the module (see Fig. 7 (g) and (h)); this makes the
flames tilt towards the E side. Thus, the W side of the vessel is less affected by flame
impingement and the thermocouples located on this side measure lower temperatures,
with the corresponding decrease in the slope of the plot; at the same time, in the E side
the oposite phenomenon is observed, with an increase in the slope.
At a certain moment, however, a maximum temperature is reached and the slope
becomes negative; this situation corresponds to the moment in which the cooling effect of
water starts. Nevertheless, as flame impingement continues, the temperature decreases
slowly.
Later on, as the pool has been progressively covered by the foam, the flames become
smaller and there is no more impingement on the tank wall; the cooling action of water is
Fig. 6. Variation of temperature as a

function of time for Ch6 (test n12).
Fig. 7. Flame shape at different

moments during the test (test n12).
now very strong and the slope changes significantly, with a dramatic decrease of wall
temperature. Finally, when the flow from the sprinklers is stopped, a light increase of
temperature is observed again due to the radiation from the module hot walls surrounding
the tank.
The different heat transfer mechanisms actuating in each step can be summarized as
follows:
Convection from hot gases
Step 1 Radiation from hot gases
Conduction through the steel
Convection from hot gases
Convection from water
Convection from water
Step 4
Radiation from surrounding walls
Step 5 convection to air
conduction through the steel
Heat conduction through the wall of the tank is not important, as the heat conductivity of
steel is very high, the prevailing mechanisms being therefore those actuating on the
external surface (convection and radiation).
These comments concern to the more complete plots (Fig. 6). In some cases, one of
the intermediate steps did not appear; for example, if flame impingement finished in the
same moment in which water reached the measuring point, then step 3 did not exist: just
after the maximum a sudden decrease of temperature was observed (Fig. 8-a).
Fig. 8. Variation of temperature as a

function of time a) for Ch12 b) for
Ch5.
A different behaviour was observed in the bottom zone of the tank. Here, there was flame
impingement during practically all the test and cooling water could not reach this zone;
therefore the change in the slope was smoother, with much lower cooling rates (Fig.8-b).
All these results concern to the tests in which foam and water mixtures were used.
When only water was used as extinguishing agent, a similar behaviour was observed,
although the existence of the different steps was not so clearly notticeable; this was due
to the fact that in most runs the extintion of fire was not reached and even the control of
flames was difficult. Therefore, only the three first steps were observed and in many
cases the temperature increased again at the end of the test
In tests 13 and 14 the extintion system was provided as well with one sprayer in the
central zone of the tank bottom (besides the two aforementioned sprinklers). This
originated a much faster cooling of tank wall in this zone. The effect of this sprayer was
practically the same both when only water or foam and water mixtures were used;
however, foam was useful to cool the wall and simultaneously it contributed to extinguish
the fire, while water had only a cooling effect
In the case of tests 88 to 91 with 12m2 pool, the temperatures observed were usually
higher than for the other cases; nevertheless the trend of the plots of temperature vs. time
were very similar to previous tests. In tests 88 and 89 the fire was easy to control,
probably because the preburn time was established on 30 seconds and the fire was not
totally developed. In tests 90 and 91 the extintion was difficult, and even impossible
when only water was used as extinguishing agent.
Conclusions
The use of foam and water mixtures applied directly on the equipment engulfed in fire
has proved to be useful both for the protection of this equipmentcoolingand for
extinguishing the fire. The action of foam is essentialspecially during an initial time
to reduce the fire by the formation of a covering layer on the pool. As this decreases
progressively the impingement of flame on the equipment surface, the foam/water
mixture or only water in a subsequent step leads to an intense cooling of equipment; this
process is clearly shown in the temperature vs. time plots, where the changes in slope
show the transition from one step to the next one. Water, very useful for the cooling
purposes, is much less efficient in the first step, the control of fire being essentially
achieved by foam.
The presence of a vessel shadowing a pool fire area from the direct deluge application
has a negative effect on fire control performance by the deluge system. This problem can
be solved when upward sprayers are mounted below the vessel for cooling reasons. In
such a case an increase of deluge rate is not required.
For the 12m2 pool fires, longer preburn time has a negative effect, but not very strong.
The request for limiting the system actuation time to 30s can be justified more in terms of
fire effect on plant than on the ability to control the fire.
References
1. Foam and water deluge systems for off-shore oil platforms, Project Summary Report. EC
Contract: TH-15.125/89-IT.
2. Fixed water spray and deluge protection for oil and chemical plants, IRI Information IM.
12.2.1.2, June 3, 1991.
25
DEPLOYMENT OF FIRE PREVENTION
EQUIPMENT: THEORY AND
EXPERIENCEFUTURE
COMPUTERISATION AND THE
EXAMPLE OF THE BOUCHES-DU-
RHNE
J.-C.DROUET
University Technology Institut of Aix-en-Provence,
Health & Safety Department, Marseille, France
Can the number of fire appliances

that will be needed to deal with a particular
risk situation predicted?
If so, how and when?
The paper that follows is the answer to
this question from the Fire and Emergency Department
of the French county (Dpartement) of Bouches-du-
Rhne.
PRESENT SITUATION.
On every summer evening, just before 6p.m., the French weather bureau (Mto
France) broadcasts a weather forecast for the afternoon of the following day which
includes predictions of fire risk bases upon available data. The bulletin is updated ans
broadcast again just before 10a.m. the next morning.
The information is routinely telexed to the different services concerned. It is also
accessible on the French videotex system (MINITEL) by using a particular password,
where it is accompanied by the hourly or 3-hourly observations from the automatic
weather stations together with the calculations.
At the levels of the regions, this prediction of risk is one of the factors taken into
account in deciding whether the water bomber aircraft should take off as a preventive
measure. This decision is taken by the Civil Defence Interregional Centre for Operational
Coordination (CIRCOSC) located at Valabre near Aix-en-Provence. A similar decision

has to be taken in each county concerning the deployment of land-based teams by the
county Fire and Emergency Operational Centre (CODIS).
The decision-making process can be very precise because each county is divided into
meteorological zones and forecasts are issued for each (there are five in the Bouches-
du-Rhne). The following information is broadcast for each zone:
-shade temperature;
-wind speed and direction;
-dew point and relative humidity;
-cloud cover;
-the ground temperature
This value can now be calculated, it is measured and given on request by the
Marignane station only. This reading was originally introduced for research purposes.
From these data, the ground moisture index is calculated using Thornthwaites formula.
The following aids to decision-making are also calculated and broadcast:
-the speed of propagation of fires;
-the possible fire threshold (the contribution of the wind to the probability of a fire
starting);
-the numerical risk;
-the final risk.
These will be descripted in the order given.
Speed of fire propagation on the wind, and other factors used to determine
the fire configuration.
The method used for calculating fire propagation speed comes from the thesis by
J.C.Drouet, published in its final version in 1972. The problem originally put (1966) to
the author by Captain Maret (now Inspecting Colonel in the Civil Defence), then Director
of the Valabre test centre, was to devise a gometrical model for the fire. The idea was
that by knowing the position of the fire in advance it is possible to take decisions about
deploying appliances on the ground in order to put down a chemical barrier.
The elliptical configuration was chosen primarily because the shape of a free fire in its
early stages, seen from above, resembles thet of an ellipse and, secondly, because to a
first approximation the envelope curve obtained for two circles of the same radius whose
centres are very slightly apart is an ellipse. This very low eccentricity is obtained with a
very light wind for a fire propagating in a isotropic environment. The mode of
propagation will be described later in the paper. The functions and variables were
determined by logical reasoning or from information known elsewhere and the values
assigned to the different coefficients were deduced from observations made on the
ground.
The modele therefore uses what is now called a semi-empirical approach; it was
produced in 1972 and observations made in situ since then have confirmed its validity.
The formula used by Mto France is the following:
VPmto=180*Exp(TE*1.714)*Tgh((100Res)/150*(1*2*(0.843*Tgh(V/301.25)))
This is the reduced version of the formula: it is possible to add the possibility of
knowing the influence of sunlight on the fire propagation speed on the wind:
Deployment of fire prevention equipment 237
replacing exp (T*1.714) by Exp(TE*(1+(XSE/1.4))*0.035)

The width of the ellipse is obtained using the formula:
VPE=VSA*SIN((3.14/2)*(((V/140)+1)/((V/140)+)))
where VSA is the propagation speed disregarding the effect or the wind.
The values obtained correspond to a fire propagating in homogeneous and isotropic
vagatation on horizontal ground with kermes oaks and argeiras, the correction factors
(multiplying coefficients) are for pines (1V/250) and holm oaks (1V/250)*Exp(
XSE*0.11).
Where:
-VPmto=propagation speed of the fire on the wind for horizontal terrain and
homogeneous vegetation -mixed vegetation dominated by kermes oaks- broadcast by
Mto France;
-exp=exponential;
-TE=temperature un degrees Celsius;
-Tgh=hyperbolic tangent;
-Res=ground moisture index (saturation to 150mm);
-V=wind speed;
-XSE=sunlight factor (focal number of a camera divised by 10 wich gives 10 in full
sunlight);
-VPE=speed perpendicular to the wind, semi-latus rectum of the ellipse.
Various correction factors exist and are put in by the hand:
-the geological nature of the ground (for types of vegetation on an unusual subsoil
leading to changes in propagation speed);
-other plant combinations (indicated above);
-correction for the moisture content of vegetation (during the growing season it is
richer in water for a given ground moisture index that when maturethesis by Ollivier
U3 Marseille 1975).
-an unusual drought (1989 with impact on 1990) leads to a 5mm moisture index with
an increase in speed of 25%.
-when the vegetation dies down during the winter the moisture index is fixed at 45 mm
because the vegetation tested manually burns in the same way as when the reserve is 45
mm in the summer.
The ground relief is taken into account as follows:
The boundary of the fire is taken to be the intersection of a cone penetrating point
downwards into the ground with the boundary of the fire on horizontal ground, the apex
of the cone being vertically below the starting point of the fire.
The authors task is to inform CODIS 13 in advance (since vehicule registration
numbers in the Bouches-du-Rhne county include a 13 the practice is to give this
number to the countys services) of the status of the different correction factors and to
observe events to see whether the different theories do in fact apply on the ground. The
objective is to ensure that knowledge and experience acquired by the service can be
applied in the future as automatically as possible by the computer system now being set
up. It is important to note that the computers function will be to suggest solutions to the
CODIS 13 staff but the actual deployment of aquipment towards the fire will always
require manual confirmation by an operator.
At present the entire operation of controlling forest fires relies upon early detection of
the fires and the immediate reflex despatch of large numbers of personnel and
equipment for rapid and effective action. It is a matter of anticipating needs so as not to
be controlled by events.
The objective of computerisation is therefore to determine in advance the personnel
and equipment requirements necessary for effective firefighting. The practical result
should be that the person responsible for directing operations will find sufficient
ressources when he reaches the location to make it unnecessary to call for reinforcements.
The notion of the influence of the wind on the possible starting of fires.
(originaly known as the possible fire threshols) comes from the propagation model for
the fire front described below. The principle is that if radiation from the fire directed
forward and downwards into the ground cannot vaporise the moisture present in the
ground debris and raise its temperature to the ignition point, the fire is unable to
propagate. Radiation represents about 10% of the energy produced by the fire
(conduction 1%) and the radiation used for propagating the fire varies from 25% of the
total in zero wind to a little over 30% when the wind is flattening the flames. The height
of the flames can be calculated fairly precisely by assuming that the combustion gases
rise in the horizontal air flow of the wind. This height is the greater the more the situation
is stoichiometric because the Oxygen Limit Index (OLI) must be taken into account. For
light debris burning in these flames the index is about 14.75%, meaning that only a
quarter of the oxygen in the air is used (50% in the embers).
In practice this means that a burning brand falling to the ground cannot cause a new
fire if the moisture content of the ground debris is above a certain value.
As the wind increases, the flames are flattened, increasing the quantity of radiation
reaching the ground. The fire moving up a slope produces the same effect. The heat taken
by the convection gases, which is about 90% of the heat given off by the fire, serve to dry
and ignite the upper parts of the vegetation but has little effect on propagation (excluding
fire propagating through tree tops).
The moisture content of the ground debris is obtained from tables as a function of the
water vapour content of the air (the dew point is used to quantify the phenomenon) and
the ground temperature. This can be measured using a suitable thermometer or calculated
using a formula developed by Mto France (Bernard Sol) utilising conventional
meteorological data. The result is expressed as the difference between the wind speed and
the speed theorecally necessary for the fire to advance.
A favourable slope increases the wind by 10km/h as does the presence of dry grass
standing clear of the ground.
The numerical risk

The numerical risk was developed in 1988 by Mto France (Bernard Sol) at the request
of the county fire services who wanted information on the forest fire risk expressed as a
single number.
The result obtained reflects the risk of a fire starting and the risk of propagation.
Current work is concerned with developing an index for the fire initiation risk alone. At
present the propagation speed can be taken as a propagation index and the effect of the
wind as the initiation index. The initiation-index correlation which appears capable of
improvement explains that research is in progress on this topic.
The numerical risk was determined as follows:
In 198788 Mto France was doing statistical tests on the various risk indices
proposed at the time using criteria suggested by CODIS 13.
The proposals made included one from Pierre Carrga, Senior Lecturer at the Nice
Institut of Geography. In order to improve the results, J.C.Drouet suggested that the
functions proposed in this index should be replaced by those used in the calculation of
propagation speed, while retaining the same structure. The outcome was an appreciable
improvement in the results. Finally, purely mathematical work was done to improve the
results.
The final risk

The final risk as broadcast has preserved the appearance of the old index developed in
1962 by Mr Orieux, then an engineer with the National Meteorological Office. In practice
the final risk can now be modified by Mto France engineer present at CIRCOSC
according to the other risk indices and recent events (rain for example) while still
retaining the appearance of the Orieux Risk. This is given in one of four categories:
Low, Normal, Severe and very Severe.
Manual plot of the fire configuration

Using the propagation speeds of the fire parallel and perpendicular to the wind it is
possible to plot the fire boundary by hand on a map. In order to allow for changes in the
fire boundary caused by slopes that favour or hinder propagation, the method mentioned
above involving the cone was originaly proposed. For the purposes of the computer
system now being installed, consideration is being given to using a multiplying
coefficient obtained from the ratio of the angles of the radiation directed towards the
ground with and without slope (ratio between the quantities of radiation received by the
ground).
The initial process, by applying other rules, could also give an indication to the risk
that the fire could leap an obstacle.
It will be noted that this method could not easily handle changes in the boundary
related to changes in vegetation or wind direction. With the computer system, the
boundary of the fire will be plotted by considering each point on the boundary is a new
initiation point (using points located less than 150m apart) and that the fire boundary is
the envelope curve of all the ellipses obtained. In each stage of the calculation, the
distance travelled by the fire is limited to a particular distance (about 150m at the most).
For the convenient calculatio of propagation speeds in the field, a circular slide rule
was used first, then programs were tranfered to a pocket calculator ( CASIO FX850).
Originaly (1970 onwards) such a calculation required a fixed computer taking up more
than 1 cubic metre, wich illustrates the improvements in computing and the resulting
possibilities for managing fires. The first plots of the fire boundary (homofocal ellipses)
were made on transparencies and showed the successive boundaries of the fire at half-
hour intervals on a 1/25,000 scale for a propagation speed of 1000m/h.
Equipment in service
The basic appliance used for fighting forest fires in the Bouches-du-Rhne is a 4-wheel
drive vehicule carrying 2000 litres of water and four men. The current tendency is to
increase this water capacity to a maximum of 3000 litres. For reasons of efficiency
concerning their capacity, wich is increasing, and control, wich has been simplified, these
vehicles normally attend fires in groups or four constituting an intervention group.
Each group is commanded by an NCO or officer who has had special training and who
travels in a light all-terrain vehicle with a driver. The group therefore consists of 18
people with an increasing proportion of women (2 to 3 per group in 1993).
There are also similar vehicles carrying four people and 4000 litres of water
(maximum 6000). These vehicles account for a small proportion of the fleet in the
Bouches-du-Rhne but are present in largers numbers in certain counties.
The vehicules carrying 2000 litres have a 30m3/h pump, a reel with 80 metres of
23mm semi-rigid hose and another reel carrying 80 metres of 45mm flexible hose.
The current trend is to provide protection for the personnel; they now travel in a cab
and there are no more exposed seats. The cab is provided with compressed air supplies so
that the occupents do not breathe in smoke if the vehicle is halted by the fire. Individual
protective gear (hoods, capes, etc.) is also carried. Finally, the more recent vehicles
carrying 4000 litres and more are provided with spray systems for self-dousing if
necessary. The county has about two hundred vehicles, half of wich are formed into
groups on days when the risk so justifies.
In the conventional way the fleet includes by road tankers (42) carrying about 10,000
litres of water which replenish the other vehicles as close as possible to the fire. They
collect their water either from natural resources (very scarce), from artifical reserves
(buried tanks holding 60 to 120m3, artificial lakes of various sizes), canals and piped
water supplies. The Bouches-du-Rhne has 40 tankers at present.
Over the last two or three years, new vehicles with very different characteristics have
appeared.
First are the mist generators which direct a very fine spray of mist using a special
lance. The water is fed through nozzles and entrained by the flow air from a fan. The
water flow reaches 21,000 litres an hour and the air flow 55,000m3/h. In the absence of
wind the jet carries about 30m. These units are extremely useful for industrial fires (the
building are filled with air that is not propitious to sustaining combustion, the surfaces are
wetted and cooled and smoke or air-mixed gases are reduced).
In the forest they appear particularly useful for putting down chemical barriers
because they can be used to place a very fine film of fire-repellant chemical on the
vegetation with no run-off. Moreover the wind, by helping to carry the water, improves
their performance on the days whenit also encourages the propagation of the fire.
Heavy duty vehicles have also appeared (66) which carry, together with a 3-man
crew, 10,000 litres of water, 350 litres of emulsifier for forest firesand 650 litres of multi-
purpose emulsifier for liquid fuel fires (hydrocarbons and polar solvents). These vehicles
are fitted with a water/foam cannon that can deliver 180m3/h with a useful range of 65m
in the absence of wind. This range is increased to over 80m with a following wind
blowing at 60km/h and is still 30 to 35m against the wind. This is extremely important
because such a distance is over twice the width of the flame band at the head of a fire
propagating at 1800m/h. The equipment for hydrocarbon fires means that these vehicles
are used throughout the year which improves their viability.
NEW CALCULATIONS TO BE INTRODUCED AFTER

COMPUTERISATION.
To beable to determine what equipment is necessary to deal with a fire just reported but
for which detailled information is lacking, reasoning and calculational facilities are
needed for predicting how the fire will develop.
The first assumption made is that the fire wille develop in the best way it can. In fact it
is better to start sending aquipment towards the fire and then call a halt, than to delay and
have to deal with a free moving fire of great intensity.
Confirmation of the actual growth of the fire usaually comes fairly quickly because the
network of lookout posts (32) gives good coverage of the area. This is supplemented by
the surveillance patrol vehicles (50) wich head for every reported fire (the working area
assigned to a vehicle is such that it can reach any point from its location at the time of the
alert within about 5 minutes). These patrol vehicles carry two men and 600 litres of
water; they are fitted with a 6m3/h pump with 80 metres of 23mm semi-rigid hose.
The following calculations (detailled in the example at the end of the text) involve
approximations that all err in the direction of safety, i.e. the calculated amounts of water
are the largest possible while being compatible with the resources available to the fire
brigades.
Thes calculations are the mathematical interpretation of the knowledge and experience
built up by the personnel of the Bouches-du-Rhne county and more particularly those of
CODIS 13.
The methods to be used for the computer calculations are as follows:
-the boundary of the fire is regarded as a rectangle of width equal to the width of the
theoretical ellipse as regards the following wind part of the fire. As regards the edges,
the length of the rectangle will be the distance between the point at which the fire started
and the leading edge; the upwind part is neglected.
-the water needed for extinguishing the fire consists of two parts. First, the water used
to douse the flames, i.e., it is assumed that the water is projected in a suitable form into
the flame and that its vaporisation during a given period absorbs all the heat given off by
the fire during this time in the area treated. The paradox according to which the faster the
lance is moved the less water is needed per metre of fire front is confirmed by
experience. The other part concerns the cooling of the ground. This is a metter of
vaporising water using the heat accumulated by ground in the area covered by the flames.
These data are used to calculate an amount of water theoretically needed to extinguish
the fire. From this value it is possible to calculate the number of firefighting groups
needed to carry out the operation having regard to the time they required to arrive and the
time it will take to empty their water tanks.
The numerical data used for obtaining these results are as follows:
-arrival times: there are programs which give this type of answer once the distances
between the various intersections in the sector of study and the average speed at which
vehicles travel on the linking roads are entered into the machine.
-heat given off by the flames: the Byram formula is applied only to the lighter parts of
vegetation which burn in the flames. In fact the band of fire consists of fine parts which
burn in about 30 seconds in the flames regime. The parts which burn behind the flames
do not affect the propagation of the fire. The values to be taken into account are nearly
always the same because leaves constitute a perfect solar trap of constant surface area
(about 1.8 times the surface area of the ground with thicknesses for the leaves fairly close
by), and as regards the fuel on the ground which can be mobilised in this mode of
combustion it is considered to consist of fallen leaves from the previous year which have
not yet been biologically destroyed.
Pines can be an exception because the needles are slow to decompose but there is then
a lack of oxygen which slows down combustion and also because fine dry needles remain
on the trunks and branches and form an excellent fuel.
-this calculation is limited by the fact that the lances cannot be moved as far and as
quickly as would be desirable; thus the leading edge of the fire a displacement of 25cm/s
is taken and for the sides a length of 300m at the most as being capable of being treated
by one group, while the water carried would make it possible to treat much more. To fix
our ideas, the water requirements calculated in this way are as follows for a fire
propagating at 1800m/h (fifty centimetres a second).
-for onr metre of fire front at its leading edge with the heat given off being 18.81kJ per
gramme of material and a water absorption between ambient temperature and 100C of
2.5kJ per gramme of vaporised water we have: 500*18.81/2.5=3.762g/s.
-the mass of fuel is taken as 1kg/m2 or 400g (very high value) for fine parts (solar
trap), the same value for ground debris and a margin of safety for the dry grass that
might be present.
-for the heat absorbed by the ground, assuming that the flames constitute a perfect
black body parallel to the ground and that this absorbs without re-radiating, for a flame
temperature of 1250K (by definition this is reached only during a period lesse than the
total time of passage of the flame1000K would appear more reasonable-).
(30*31)/2*(5.67*108)*(1250)4/2*(1/2.5)=25,668 g of water.
In total therefore, if the water can be brought to the fire front in a suitable form, less
than 30 litres of water is needed per metre of front to stop the fire. In fact the movement
of the lance is more likely to be 25cm/s rather than 100, wich multiplies the initial
amount of water by four. In wich case the water requirement is 40 litres a metre, an
amount which only the new appliances carrying 10000 litres of water can provide.
It must be noted here that the speed of propagation of a fire which the firefighting
system can now control with virtual certainty (meaning that the fire is burning less 100
hectares) comes out at 1660m/h for 1994 with an improvement of 30m a year (in practice
100m every three years).
It must be admited that if the extinguishing operation is not successful, it is not
through lack of water but essentially because when the appliqnces arrive they discover a
fire too far from the nearest point they can reach and that the hoses they have available
cannot be laid on hot ground.
In fact the condition laid down is that they arrive within 10 minutes at the most, which
in our example corrresponds to a maximum propagation of 300m. The operation then
means moving the appliances in order to reach the flames, a manoeuvre which is not
always successful.
It must be added that many fires do not propagate, because they are under trees which
slow down the wind such that the propagation speeds observed are much less than those
calculated for a free fire. This considerably facilitates firefighting.
Mention may be made of other methods of calculating the water necessary to stop a
fire.
The first involves calculating the amount of heat necessary to bring materials on the
ground to their ignition temperature, on the assumption that the fire cannot propagate if
the ground is wet enough over an adequate width. This is equivalent to assuming that
high vagetation burns under the effect of pilot flames which are those produced by the
combustion of fine material on the ground.
The second method involves using statistics about the amounts of water used on actual
fires in the past. This approach gives a value of 20 litres per metre of fire front. This
value lies between that calculated above for the leading point of the fire and that for the
sides of the fires for wich the same method of calculation gives 10 litres per metre or fire
front.
The third method involves using statistics about the number of appliances present at a
fire at the time it stops advancing. The values are found to lie on a curve shaped like an
equilateral hyperbola passing through the following points:
-at 10 minutes there is one vehicle per 20 metres of fire front,
-at 30 minutes to one hour there is one vehicle every 50 metres
-and over a very long period of time the result tends asymptotically to the value of one
vehicle every 100 metres.
RESULTS GIVEN BY THE COMPUTER SYSTEM
At the moment these are predictions because the computerisation process should be
completed during October 1994.
Within a very short period-of the order of 15 to 30 seconds-an image will form on the
operators screen known as the reflex screen (at present the initial phase of work after a
fire has been reported is known as the reflex phase) showing the following information:
-a map plot showing the boundaries or the fire predicted at 10 minutes intervals for the
first hour of propagation. To permit rapid calculations, the boundaries of the fire will
ellipses corrected only for any difference in altitude between the point at which the fire
started and the upwinf end of the ellipse. The wind direction and the type of vegetation
will be those at the point and time at which the fire began.
-the water requirements curve calculated using the simplified rectangle method and
that of the amounts of water available according to the predicted arrival of appliances and
groups at the site of the fire. The curves will be plotted until the time at which the
available water overtakes that of the water requirements, plus 15 to 30 minutes.
-the highlighting of any sensitive points located inside the ellipse, with a resulting
proposed increase in water requirements.
The orders to deploy appliances and groups can be issued on the basis of these data. It
must be pointed out that for a first report it will be difficult to determine the starting point
of the fire within the 75 metre mesh of the map. Since the theoretical ellipses are wider
than the real ellipses a safety margin will have to be found in this difference.
The fact that data are displayed so quickly means that it is possible to deal with several
fires that might occur at about the same time.
Next comes the program which draws the fire boundary as precisely as possible, with
each point on the boundary at any time being regarded as a new fire initiation point with
the data known for the nearest point on the map (75-metre mesh-). The programming will
be such that the normal points used will never more than a certain distance (between
100 and 200m, to be specified) apart.
The results displayed will not be very different from those of the first calculation but
will be more presice and will take into account factors such as obstacles o the fire. It will
also be possible to interven manually, for example using the mouse, to intoduce
corections to incorporate observations from the site or to feed in experience acquired by
CODIS operators.
FIRE AT MARTIGUES-PONTEAU ON 10/8/93
The following is a description of an an actual fire and of what should happen when the
situation is dealt with by the computer.
This fire occured in the commune of Martigues near the Ponteau power station. It was
reported at 4.58p.m. (1458h UT) as suspicious smoke and identified as the beginnings of
a fire a few minutes later.
The starting point of the fire was on the line on the maps linking the meteorological
stations of Istres and La Couronne which are 21.5km apart, and 3.5km to the north of La
Couronne. The wind direction was virtually parallel to this line.
The propagation speeds broadcast on the Minitel at 5p.m. local time (15h UT
Universal Time, Greenwich meridian-) were 2100m/h for La Couronne and 1200m/h for
Istres. Because of rounding, the figure of 2100 should be taken as meaning between
2100 and 2200 and 1200 to mean between 1200 and 1300.
Interpolation of the propagation speeds, xhich can be programmed on the computers,
gives 200m/h. Interpolation of the wind speeds would give a similar result.
The vegetation was known and at the starting point of the fire ans for the first 300
metres consisted of dense Aleppo pines, about 6 m hight. The propagation speed is lower
in this environment at 1616m/h.
Apart from the fact that the fire was tackled very quickly, there are two causes of
deceleration which must be taken into account (not done in this paper), i.e., a descending
slope over these 300 metres followed by a rise where because of the very low density of
vegetation which may equally well slow down the propagation of the fire through lack of
fuel or speed it up by facilitating its transmission by burning brands.
The fire started along a road at a point exposed to the wind. Hence the fire gained
speed immediately as indicated by the fact that thepines burned over their full height
from the outset of the fire.
The speed of propagation observed was 875m in 36 to 37 minutes (this uncertainty of

one minute is used to demonstrate that ther are uncetainties on the observations made)
giving a speed of 1418m/h. Ignoring the deceleration of the fire owing to the low
vegetation density on the rising slope, which introduces a safety margin, the difference
between the calculation and reality is 198m, or 12.2%.
At the time the fire was stopped, after 45 minutes of progress, the water requirements
were as follows:
-dimensions used:
length 21100m for the sides and 550m for the leading edge using rounded-up
values.
-to douse the flames the requirements were: 10004.54.18550(1418/3
600)/2.5=1626 litres of water for a lance jet moving at 1 metre per second.
The water requirement for the sides is the same. In fact one cannot expect the lance to
move at more than 0.25m/s, which multiplies the water requirement by four if no account
is taken of the distance the fire moves during the watering time.
-for soaking the needs wers: at the leading edge (138/2.5)3030.5/2.5= 20.203g of
water per metre of fire front.
at the side: (138/10X3003.5/2.5=5050g of water per metre of fire front.
In total therefore, the requirement is 101/m for the sides and 301/m for the leading
edge.
The necessary amount of water is therefore: (102200)+(30550)=385001.
This would be true if the appliances had free access to the fire, which is far from being
the case.
For the leading edge therefore, assuming it is accessible, provision must be made for
two groups which represents 20000 litres for a calculated requirement of 16500 litres, and
for the sides thres groups for each side (1100m compared with 1200m of possible attack).
In fact as far as the sides are concerned, it is not the amount of water available which
limits the work that can be expected of an intervention group, but the mobility of the jets.
We reach a total ot 10 groups while in fact 12 were deployed, and our reasoning does
not take into account the appliances which had to work at the starting point of the fire to
protect dwellings.
The statistical method, for extinction after 45 minutes and a fire front of 2800m,
would lead to 2800/50=56 appliances approximately, in other words very close to the
number of vehicles deployed (12 attack groups, 2 isolated appliances and 2 carrying
11000 litres).
The result is that the calculations give values that are very close to reality and in a
number of very different ways.
It may be pointed out that if helicopters with cannons had been available to bring to
the fire only the necessary amounts of water, the total water consumptionhad been lower.
The question of aircraft may also be considered since they would have very good
access to the sides of the fire.
There was a problem with the particular fire in question, since it developped under
power lines which largely prevented the use of aircraft in the operation.
CONCLUSION
The experience gained in fighting forest fires and the organisation of preparations for
these operations in the Bouches-du-Rhne, based upon theoretical studies confirmed on
the ground, can be transposed to a computer system. Once this system is up and working,
further iprovements can be made since it will then be possible to maintain recors that will
be easy to consult. With experience it schould become possible to improve the operation
of the system.
The computerisation of the Bouches-du-Rhne fire service will be realised by
INTERGRAPH, french part of the american company INTERGRAPH.
Bibliography:
Publications of the author in Revue Technique du Feu; Revue Gnrale de Surit F 38100
Grenoble.
26
A CRITICAL INSIGHT INTO THE
BEHAVIOUR OF WINDOWS IN FIRE
S.K.S.HASSANI, G.W.H.SILCOCK
and T.J.SHIELDS
Fire SERT Centre, University of Ulster, Jordanstown, UK
Abstract
Windows constituting part of enclosure walls are important features in
that they depict the maximin potential ventilation opening should the
glazing fail. Thus in the development of fire safety engineering solutions,
it is necessary to be able to accurately predict the behaviour of glazing
systems subjected to different thermal fields. This paper reviews the
current level of knowledge gained through both analytical and
experimental work reported in literature relevant to this phenomenon. It is
also intended to highlight the limitations in the current knowledge base
and point out areas where future research is required.
Keywords:
1 Introduction
It is well understood that the growth and development of a fire in an enclosure is

influenced by the performance of the glazing system. Until recently it has been assumed
that glazing always fails catastrophically when the temperature difference between the
shaded region and exposed section of the glass reaches a predetermined value [6,7,10].
Such an event will turn the window into a vent through which a fresh supply of oxygen is
transported into the fire enclosure which will then increase or decrease the level of fire
severity within the enclosure. The cause of the initial edge cracking is known to be due to
the thermal expansion of the central exposed region of the glass which is heated directly
by radiation from flames and hot surfaces and by convection from the hot gases. Since
the edges of the glass are shaded by the frame they remain at much lower temperature.
Compared to the rest of the glass, this mismatch in thermal expansion in the glass puts
the edges of the brittle glass pane in tension and ultimately causes cracking at stress
concentration sites along the edge.
In the development of fire safety engineering models it has long been desirable to
predict the time when a glazing system fails during the development of an enclosure fire.
In the context of fire modelling the definition of the glazing failure is still ambiguous, for
example, in the majority of cases, it seems that the time at which the first crack occurs is
taken as the time of failure. However, recent experiments carried

out in the Fire SERT Centre of University of Ulster [17,18] have shown that the pane of
glass may remain in place for a long time after the initiation of the first crack. The aim of
this paper is to review current Knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon and
suggest areas of further in depth research.
2 Literature Review
Following an initial literature review of glass cracking as the result of thermal insult, it
was concluded that the investigations carried out in solar induced thermal cracking
[1,2,3,4] would also serve in the further development of a general understanding of
behaviour of glazing in enclosure fires. This is due to the fact that in both cases of solar
and fire induced failure of glazing system there is a common mechanism prevailing and
that the stress a in either cases can be represented by Hookes Law, ie,
=constant.ET (from solar literature)
(1)
or
y=E (TT0) (from fire literature)
(2)
when:
E = Youngs modulus for glass
= coefficient of linear thermal expansion
T = temperature difference between shaded and unshaded part of glass
T0 = initial temperature
T = temperature of central exposed section of glass
In this regard a matrix was generated in which relevant conclusions and findings from
research carried out on solar induced glazing failure were reported, table (1).
From a closer examination of this information, several important findings were
obtained. For example, the thermally induced stresses were constant over the edge length
with the exception of the corners where the stress was reduced to zero when the exposed
section of glazing was heated uniformly. However, when a shadow was cast over a part
of the pane of glass this altered the stress profile at the edges. The effect of non-uniform
heating as the result of window shading was thought to be analogous to non-uniform
heating due to two zone gas layer in an enclosure fire.
It must be noted that recent literatuare in fire engineering domain [table 2] has not
fully dealt with the effect of two zone gas layer environment on the performance of
glazing systems.
A critical insight in to the behaviour of windows in fire 249
3 Development of Experimental Research Programme
Because the phenomenon of glass breakage in real fire is influenced by many factors the
current analytical models are unable to predict the behaviour of glazing in all the
situations. This is in part due to the oversimplification of boundary conditions which do
not always reflect the two layer gas zone condition imposed by a typical enclosure fire.
Thus, in order to gain a better understanding of glass cracking and breakage in fire
necessary for the development of analytical models a sequence of tests involving glazing
systems in configurations typical of domestic dwellings were commenced and are
currently in progress. To date, the data from these tests have yielded the information
necessary to enhance our knowledge base in relation to the stress fields generated with
respect to timeby the thermal impact of the descending hot as layer [17].
It is anticipated that the resulting bifurcation patterns that occur after cracking can be
related in an empirical manner to the evaluated stress fields.
From observations made in these and other tests [10,13,18] it is probable that with
certain types of bifurcation patterns the glazing will remain in place for periods in excess
of 20 minutes.
This outcome will have an important bearing on the use of current and future fire
models to predict the severity of enclosure fires.
4 Analysis and Discussion of Preliminary Results
To explore the effect of two zone fire a series of tests were carried out at University of
Ulster at Jordanstown in which a large window was employed in a half scale room
[17,18]. From the gas temperature profile over the height of glazing it was evident that
the window is subjected to a descending hot gas layer. This is ignored by the analytical
models [see table 2] in which it is presumed that glass is uniformly heated over the
exposed area. The implication of such non-uniform heating was explored further by
investigating the in-situ stresses in the part of glass as the fire developed employing strain
gauges[17]. The resulting thermal and stress fields in the glazing were evaluated in
conjunction with the bifurcation patterns. It was concluded that in the case of tall
windows in an enclosure fire the cracking will occur in the top section of the glass which
is impinged by hot gases during the initial stages of an enclosure fire where there exists a
well defined hot upper gas layer. It was also noted that the crack bifurcations did not
propagate instantaneously and that the lower edge section of the glass tended to remain
stress free or in a state of compression. This may explain why the glazing remained in
place for periods in excess of 20 minutes. Therefore, if the glass can remain in place for
20 minutes iis it valid to assume that the glass has failed when the first crack appears?
5 Conclusions
1 A comprehensive literature review is essential when developing a programme of
research in this or any other fire related topic.
2 Glazing systems will in the main be subjected to the effects of a descending hot gas
layer during an enclosure fire.
3 The edge cracks developed due to the thermal insult from the descending hot gas layer
generate in turn bifurcation patterns which will ultimately determine whether or not
the glass will fall out.
4 The long held assumption that glazing will fail when the upper gas layer temperature
exceeds 600C is no longer valid. Also, the time to first crack may not be considered
feasible as a criterion for the glass failure.
No. Auther Thermal Executive summary
& date Environment
1. Bligrt, Solar - glass was heated by insertion into a hot cabinet.
G.E. 1974 Experimental
- heat absorption of clear and reflective glass was compared;
clear glass absorbs less, remains cooler, less susceptible
to thermal fracture.
- hkmac (demountable) gauges were used for strain
measurement.
a. glass is isotropic but increases with increasing
temperature for T>60C.
b. stress in shaded edge is uniaxial tension parallel to edge. In
the heated area stress is uniaxial compression parallel to
edge. in the comers stress approximates to an isotropic
compression.
c. by using Griffith criterion t=const. (y/EC) explains why
cracks initiate at edge and are controlled by defects.
d. stress in shaded edge increases with increasing edge width.
e. there is a size effect with induced edge strains increasing
with increasing glass size.
f. recommends the use of a conducting strip to direct heat into
the shaded region to minimise thermal stress.
2. Stahn, D. Solar Analytical - predicts thermal stresses for various temperature
1980 distributions imposed by different shadow geometrys by
finite element technique using solid SAP (Static Analysis
Prog.).
output:
a. thermal stress is constant over majority of edge length and
reduces to zero at comers.
b. tensile stresses at the edges are equal to principal stresses
except at comers these can be directly used for safety
assessments.
Table 1 Literature dealing with the thermal

fracture of solar control glazing.
No. Author & Thermal Executive Summary

Date environment
3. Mai, Y.W. Solar Analytical - use of stress analysis (partial differential equations
Jacob, and determined numerically to predict stress from =const.
L.J.S. Experimental ET.
1980
- use of fracture mechanics, concepts to predict stress from
where; Kic=stress intensity factor,

r=mirror radius of fracture
- experimental evaluation of stress in the glass utilising
strain gauges.
output:
a. experimental and predicted values of stress agreed well.
b. shadows increase thermal stresses by 10%.
c. the use of thermal conductive sealant is suggested.
4. Pilette, Solar Analytical - uses finite element analysis to investigate the effect of
C.F. varying parameters on thermal stresses in double glazed
Taylor, windows.
D.A. 1988
- model: three dimensional solid elements for sealant and
gasket and thin shell element for glass. parameters
investigated: window size, frame absorption, outdoor air
temperature, gasket, solar heat flux, sealant stiffness,
exterior air film conductance, influence of vertical and
horizontal shadows.
output:
a. maximum thermal stress occurs along the edge where
shadow line intersects the edge.
b. three dimensional effect in a double glazed window are
negligible, i.e., in plane forces are not transmitted to other
pane.

Date Environment
5. Emmons, Fire Review - Addresses those areas of fire engineering which has not
H.W. 1986 been researched and those areas which needs further
attention.
- One of such areas thought of as important in the growth
and development of enclosure fire was the breakage of
window glass in an enclosure fire. This paper
highlighted the need for scientific study on the behaviour
of glazing in fire.
6. joshi, A.A. Fire Analytical - make use of transient, one dimensional (into the glass
Pagni, P.J. normal to the pane), inhomogeneous (in-depth radiation
1990 absorption) energy equation to model temperature profile
in the glass.
output:
a. surface temperature history T (0, ) of the glass.
b. temperature at breaking, ie, when {T (0, )Ti}. . E=b.
c. suggest T=50C100C.
d. results are presented for a set of varying parameters.
e. in this work it is assumed uniform flux imposed on
glassno effective hot and cold zone in fire
compartment is considered.
7. O.Keski- Fire Analytical - uses two dimensional heat equation to get temperature
Rahkonan and stress distribution in the glass subjected to fire.
1988
Output:
a. T(x, )temperature profile in terms of x and time,
assuming dT/dZ=0 where Z is in thickness direction,
dT/dY=0, i.e., no temperature variation along the height
of glass and Bi<0.1.
b. y(x, )stress in y direction in terms of x and time.
c. suggests that distinction must be made between cracking
and loss of integrity. For integrity two levels must be
identified;
1. cracks at t1 making fire spread through a barrier
possible.
2. breaking of glass pane at t2 where large open areas
of window (fall outs) allow gas flow.
Table 2 Literature dealing with the thermal

fracture of glazing in enclosure fire.
Date Environment
8. Joshi, A.A. Fire Computer - instructions on use of BREAK computer programme.
Pagni, P.J. Model
1991
output:
a. escribes temperature profile T(x, t) where x is distance
into thickness.
b.
T(x, t) is inserted in to
calculate the time to glass breakage. (ggeometry
factor of order 1).
9. Pagni, P.J. Fire Analytical - extends the analysis described in ref.6 above to obtain
Joshi, A.A. temperature profile and stress profile in terms of x, y
1991 and time, taking into account the effect of heat
dissipation into the shaded area of the glass.
- assumption is made that glass is subjected to a uniform
hot gas at the inner surface
10. Skelly, M.J. Fire - experimentally investigated the window glass breakage
Roby, R.J. Experimental in enclosure fires.
Beyler, C.L.
1991
- fire compartment; 1.521.0 m
- glass pane 0.280.50.024 m.
- fire source; liquid hexane.
- window was placed in fire compartment in such a way
that in all tests entire glass was in hot zone within 10
secs.
- glass was cut by hand and edges were not prepared in
any way.
output:
a. time-temperature profile for shaded and unshaded glass
for various fire sixes.
b. tabulated temperature difference with time of crack
initiation.
c. bifurcation patterns.
d. compared experimental results with theoretical work of
Pagni (ref. 6) and Rahkonens (ref. 7).
No. Author & Date Thermal Executive Summary

Environment
11. Silcock, G.W. Fire - fire compartment; a half scale fire room.
Shields, T.J. 1993 Experimental
- single and double glazing with wooden frame.
- fire source; wooden cribs.
output:
a. time to first crack.

b. shaded/unshaded temperature difference.
c. crack bifurcation patterns.
d. effect of two zone fire environment on the
breakage of glass.
12. Joshi, A.A. Pagni, Fire Analytical - Glass thermal field obtained from model in ref. 9
P.J. 1994 are examined.
output:
a. glass surface temperature increasing with
decreasing decay length of flame radiation.
b. glass surface temperature increasing with
decreasing flame radiation heat flux.
c. breaking time decreasing with increasing shaded
width.
d. breaking time decreasing with increasing decay
length.
f. most of imposed heat influx is stored in the glass,
increasing its temperature.
13. N.A.McArthur Fire - an investigation into the performance of windows
1991 Experimental with aluminium and wooden frames subjected to
bush fire.
- furnace and standard time-temperature curve was
used as the means of heating.
output:
a. time to fracture.
b. crack and bifurcation patterns.
c. fracture face observation.
d. comparison of performance of aluminium and
wooden window frames subjected to bush fire
conditions.
14. Joshi, A.A. Pagni, Fire - use of four point bend test method and Weibull
P.J. 1994 Experimental analysis to determine the breaking stress of glass.
output:
a. f40 Mpa
b. Weibull parameters; m=1.21, 0=33MPa,
u=35.8MPa
c. the results of skellys experimentals (Ref. 10) are
compared with Pagnis BREAK programme
(Ref. 8) and found good agreement.
No. Author & Date Thermal Executive Summary

Environment
15. Cuzzilo, B. Pagni, Fire Analytical - describe Joshi and Pagnis work (Ref.6).
P.J. 1993
- applies the method to a double paned window
subjected to a wild fire.
output:
a. the pane farther from fire stays cool, if the pane
facing fire were to break and fall out then the cool
pane begin to heat u break.
b. fire facing pane with low-E coating will stay cool
enough to avoid breaking.
16. Emmons, H.W. Fire Analytical - review of O.keskie-Rahkonans work (Ref. 7) to
1988 Review predict glass crack initiation.
- draws attention to distinction of crack growth
from Crack Initiations.
- suggests that y=E. (TT0) be experimentally
validated, especially stress measurement at the
glass edge is request
- puts forward an explanation for crack bifurcation
based on beam theory.
17. Hassani, S.K.S Fire - Experimental evaluation of thermal and stress field
Shields, T.J. Experimental in glazing units subjected to real fires.
Silcock,G.W. 1995
- Thermal strains were measured in-situ using strain
gauges.
output:
a. experimental determination of dynamic stress
development in glazing subjected to real fires.
18. Shields, T.J. Fire - experimental investigation of performance of
Silcock, G.W. Experimental double glazed window units in enclosure fires. The
Braniff, J. 1992 glazing units were spe constructed to incorporate
thermocouples to monitor surface temperatures on
all of the glazing surfaces.
Output:
a. Data in graphical form depicting the temporal
variation of surface temperatures, associated gas
temperature variations respect to time in both in
the descending hot gas layer and lower cool zone.
Notation
Bi (=hd/k) Biot number
E Youngs modulus
T0 initial temperature
T asymptoric value for gas temperature
X =x/d
b half width of glass
d glass thickness
h surface heat transfer coefficient
k thermal conductivity
=/d
width of shaded edge
glass thermal expansion coefficient
y stress in y direction
fracture surface energy of the glass
C equivalent dimension of an initial flow in the glass
strain at failure
T temperature difference
f stress at failure
L glass thickness
References
1. G.E.Blight, Thermal strain and fracture of building glass. First Australian Conference on
Engineering Materials, NSW University, NSW, pp. 685700, (1974).
2. D.Stahn, Thermal stresses in heat-absorbing building glass subjected to solar radiation.
Proceedings, International conference on thermal stresses in materials and structures in severe
thermal environment, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA, March, pp.
305323, (1980).
3. Y.W.Mai, L.J.S.Jacob, Thermal stress fracture of solar control window panes caused by shading
of incident radiation, Materiaux et Constructions, 13 no. 76, pp. 283288, (1980)
4. C.F.Pilette, D.A.Taylor, Thermal stresses in double-glazed windows. Construction Engineering,
15, No. 5, pp. 807814 (1988)
5. H.W.Emmons, The Needed Fire Science. C.E.Grant, P.J.Pagni (eds), Fire Safety Science-
Proceedings of the First International Symposium, Hemisphere Washington, D.C., pp. 3353,
(1986).
6. A.Joshi, P.J.Pagni, (1990) Thermal analysis of a compartment fire on window glass. Report No.
NIST-GCR-90576, (June 1990).
7. O.Keski-Rahkonen, Breaking of glass close to fire, I. Fire and Materials, 12, pp. 6169 (1988).
8. A.A.Joshi, P.J.Pagni, Users Guide to Break, The Berkeley Algorithm for Breaking Window Glass
in a Compartment Fire. Report No. NIST-GCR-91596, (October 1991).
9. P.J.Pagni, A.A.Joshi, Glass Breaking in Fires. Proceedings of Third International Symposium on
Fire Safety Science, pp. 791802, (1991).
10. M.J.Shelly, R.J.Roby, C.L.Beyler, An experimental investigation of glass breakage in
compartment fires. Journal of Fire Protection Engr., 3, No. 1, pp. 2534, (1991).
11. G.W.H.Silcock, T.J.Shields, An experimental evaluation of glazing in compartment fires.
Interflam 93, Proceedings of the sixth International Interflam Conference, pp. 747756, *1993.
12. A.A.Joshi, P.J.Pagni, Fire-Induced Thermal Fields in Window Glass, I-Theory. Fire Safety
Journal, 22, pp. 2543, (1994).
13. N.A.McArthur, The performance of aluminium building products in bushfires. Fire and
Materials. 15, pp. 117125, (1991).
14. A.A.Joshi, P.J.Pagni, Fire-Induced Thermal Fields in window Glass, II-Experiments. Fire
Safety Journal, 22, pp. 4565, (1994).
15. B.Cuzzillo, P.J.Pagni, Windows in wild fires. Fire and Materials, 12, pp. 6169
16. H.W.Emmons, Window glass breakage by fire. Home Fire Project Technical Report No.77,
Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts, (1988).
17. S.K.S.Hassani, T.J.Shields, G.W.Silcock. Experimental Evaluation of Temperature and Stress
Field in Glass Subjected to an enclosure fire. (Due to be published)
18. T.J.Shields, G.W.H.Silcock, J.M.Braniff, Building Regulation Interaction-Report. 1, Fire
Research Centre, University of Ulster, September 1992
27
TESTING OF AXIALLY LOADED AND
RESTRAINED STEEL COLUMNS
W.I.SIMMS
School of the Built Environment, University of Ulster,
Jordanstown, UK
Abstract
This paper presents details of the design and commissioning of test
apparatus, the test methodology and initial test results which will form the
basis of an extensive study into the effect of axial restraint on the
performance of steel columns in fire. The elevated temperature tests
described are conducted using half scale I-section samples subjected to a
constant value of applied load and a known degree of axial restraint.
Theory is introduced, in the form of a simple equation, which successfully
predicts the restraint force generated in actual fire tests.
1 Introduction
The project described in this paper investigates experimentally the affect of axial restraint
on steel columns exposed to fire.
This investigation has been initially inspired by the structural report on the Broadgate
Phase 8 fire [1] which highlighted evidence of a thermally induced restraint force
contributing to column failure. As real fires are likely to affect a single compartment or
isolated area of a building heating of individual structural members is likely to occur. A
column within a building frame which is heated while the surrounding structure remains
cool will experience additional axial forces due to the restraining effect of the
surrounding structure on its thermal expansion. This has been reported by Furumura and
Shinohara [2] as early as 1976. This early analytical
investigation attempted to understand the behaviour of columns in structural scenarios

which were found in real building structures. This was different from the more usual
situation where columns were treated as isolated elements in standard fire resistance tests.
Furumura and Shinoharas analytical study made qualitative evaluation of the affect of
various end restraints and quantitative evaluation of axial restraint.
The complexity of steel columns in frames has been analysed more fully in recent
finite element analysis studies. Computer programs have been developed by Arbed and
the University of Lige (CEFICOSS),University of Sheffield (3DFIRE and NARR2) and

by the BRE (FLAMEFIRE) among many others. Other analysis methods have been
developed such as Jeyarupalingam and Virdi [3] and Lie and Chabot [4] which are based
on moment-thrust-curvature relationships. In Australia Bennetts et al, BHP [5] have
developed a method for the numerical analysis of axial restraint forces, and most recently
a more general method of analysis has been reported by Poh and Bennetts [6]. These
methods of analysis cover the full range of structural and material properties and aim to
provide an accurate prediction of structural behaviour.
However, until recently, testing has focused mainly on standard fire resistance tests,
which normally have simple end conditions and concentric load application. As the
purpose of such tests is to determine the fire resistance time of a structural member the
data reported from such tests is limited. Consequently little experimental data is available
which relates to the effect of axial and rotational restraint conditions which are
commonly encountered in real structures. This has created a problem in the validation of
computer models, as even for simple structural situations, few tests exist which have
sufficiently detailed reporting of test results. Franssen et al [7] are currently attempting to
create a database of test results and have experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining
suitable data.
Bearing in mind this lack of appropriate experimental information this project is part
of a five year combined testing and computational study on the behaviour of columns in
fire influenced by axial and rotational restraint. The aim of the project is to provide test
results from structural scenarios relevant to those encountered in real structures. The
initial project described here considers axially loaded and restrained columns and forms
the background to a second project which will consider rotational restraint. The project
also aims to obtain experimental results which will provide sufficiently detailed data to
assist validation of computational analysis methods.
2 Description of Test Apparatus
In order to fulfil the requirements of the test programme to be conducted on half scale
samples a loading rig and furnace where developed.
The loading rig was required to fulfil two main objectives. These were namely that the
rig would be capable of providing variable degrees of axial restraint to the specimen and
secondly that the rig should be able to apply a constant value of axial load during the fire
test. A rig has been designed which meets these objectives and is shown in Figure 1. The
vertical members of the rig are constructed from 20mm diameter stud bars attached to
8080 SHS. The bottom of the sample is supported on one set of two 25476 RSC fixed
back to back to the 8080 SHS. At the top of the sample load and restraint capabilities
are provided using two sets of two 254 76 RSC also joined together in a back to back
configuration. Load is applied to the sample using two 30 tonne Enerpac rams via the top
upper channels. These rams jack against Sload cells which in turn are restrained by a steel
plate and nut attached to the threaded bar. The load is transferred from the top upper
channels via a stub column to the top lower channels which rest on top of the sample. The
axial restraint of the specimen is achieved using the top lower channels. Upward
movement of these channels is resisted by a system of springs and load cells which are
Testing of axially loaded and restrained steel columns 261
restrained at their upper end by a plate and nut attached to the threaded bar. By varying
the stiffness of these springs the degree of axial restraint can be adjusted to different
levels.
Figure 1: Test Apparatus

The design criteria for the furnace were as follows. Firstly the furnace had to obtain a
maximum temperature of 800C. Secondly the gas temperature within the furnace had to
be reasonably uniform so that internal thermal gradients would not be created in the
sample. Finally the dimensions had to be confined so that the loading rig was required to
span only a short distance.
The basic structure of the furnace is a light steel frame made up of rolled steel angles
and supported on a base of 5050 SHS. This frame is then infilled with insulating
material to form the walls, floor and roof of the furnace. The insulating material used is a
rigid calcium silicate board lined internally with a calcium silicate fibre blanket.
The furnace dimensions are 1.6m high and 600mm square on plan. The whole front
wall of the furnace can be removed to allow test specimens to be placed inside. The
specimens fit through holes in the floor and roof of the furnace into the surrounding
loading frame.
3 Commissioning of test apparatus
To insure the loading rig and furnace satisfied their design criteria a number of tests were
conducted during the development to assess their performance.
The loading rig was tested at various stages of development to ensure that the loading
and restraint characteristics performed their desired functions and also interacted in a
satisfactory manner. The flexibility of the rig and the degree of axially restraint it
provided, without springs insitu, was also assessed during these tests. The test devised
consisted of replacing the test sample with a 100100 SHS which would not have a large
axial displacement at maximum load. Increments of load were then applied to the rig up
to its maximum design load. A number of dial gauges were used to measure the vertical
deflections of the top channels thus allowing the flexibility to be assessed. The final
loading rig has been found to have a flexibility of 0.0315 mm/kN. This value of
flexibility can be used in calculations when the full restraint capability of the rig is
employed and when no springs are being used to generate additional flexibility.
Temperature tests where also conducted on the furnace to assess the uniformity of
temperature produced. During these tests gas and steel temperatures were recorded and
the temperature variation was found to be only 20C over the full length of the steel
specimen at 800C.
4 Instrumentation
During the tests five parameters are recorded, these are applied load, restraint force,
lateral deflection, axial deflection and steel temperature.
Referring again to Figure 1 it can be seen that four load cells are attached to the rig.
The upper load cells associated with the loading rams record the applied load on the
column which remains constant during the test. The lower load cells record the additional
load on the column due to the restrained thermal expansion.
Lateral deflection is measured, via quartz rods, by two displacement transducers
(LVDT) located at mid height of the test specimen outside the furnace. Lateral
deflections are measured on either side of the weak axis of the specimen and therefore it
is unimportant which direction deflection occurs.
Axial deflection is measured, at the centre of the top channels, using a LVDT attached
to an independent reference framework.
Steel temperatures are recorded at the two quarter span positions on the sample by five
thermocouples on the cross section at each location. A thermocouple is positioned either
side of the web on each flange and the fifth thermocouple is located centrally in the web.
All the thermocouple junctions are located in holes drilled half way through the material
so true steel temperatures are recorded.
5 Test Procedure
The test procedure consists of two main stages namely the loading stage and the thermal
programme. The application of load to the test specimen is conducted in incremental
steps. As each increment of load is applied the lateral deflection of the test specimen at its
mid height is recorded. This process enables additional information to be gathered on the
initial curvature of the sample by utilisation of a Southwell plot.
Once the desired level of load has been applied the column is restrained. The thermal
programme can now begin, in which the steel temperature is increased by 10 C/min until
failure occurs.
Failure is defined as the point at which axial deflection returns to its initial value or
when lateral deflection reaches a runaway situation.
6 Analysis
The results presented in this paper are for a test conducted on an axially restrained
column with an applied load. The follow equation has been developed to predict the
magnitude of the restraint force generated as the column is heated. The general form of
the equation is as follows:
where R is the restraint force, LT is the thermal expansion, P is the initially applied
load, Kc is the column stiffness and Kr is the stiffness of the rig. The term in the above
equation involving the initial load, P can be ignored in this test as restraint is applied to
the column after it has been loaded. The above equation can then be rearranged to give:
or
(1)
where is the thermal strain. In situations where equation 1 becomes:
or where
Equation 1 relates to the particular case for the results presented in this paper. The
slenderness ratio of the column is high and therefore material properties are not seriously
effected by temperature. It should be noted however that for stocky columns where a
higher restraint force is required to cause failure the temperature will have a more serious
effect on the material properties. This reduction in material properties will cause an
additional compressive strain to occur due to the initial loading. This additional strain,
is given by:
where P is the initially applied load, A is the cross sectional area, E(t) is the Youngs
modulus at elevated temperature and E20 is the Youngs modulus at ambient temperature.
Hence Equation 1 becomes:
7 Results and Discussion
The results of the fire test FT_3101 are presented. The section tested is a Special Light
Section SLS 4"2.25"4.08 Ibs whose overall dimensions are 101.6mm57.15mm and
whose steel quality is equivalent to Grade 43A BS 4360 [8]. The sectional properties are
presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Section Properties
Area cm2 rxx cm ryy cm Ixx cm4 Iyy cm4 Length mm
7.74 4.73 1.24 137.3 11.86 1600 129
Table 2: Ambient Temperature Design Loads

Youngs Modulus Yield Strength Euler Load BS 5950 Load Initial Load
kN/mm2 N/mm2 kN kN kN
205 275 94 80 45
Table 2 presents the design load at ambient temperature, for the weak axis of the
column, calculated from BS 5950: Part 1 [9] and from classical Euler theory given in
Equation 3.
(3)
The Loading which was initially applied to the column before the fire test began was
calculated as 60% of the BS 5950: part 1 design load.
The column tested failed at a steel temperature of 238C and when a total load of
141kN was reached. The mode of failure was overall sinusoidal buckling which occurred
rapidly.
The increase in restraint force is shown in Figure 2, and can be seen to have a non
uniform rate of increase which is accounted for by the variation in rig stiffness with load.
As the rig stiffness has been measured in the commissioning tests actual values can be
used in Equation 1 to calculate the restraint force. These calculated values are also shown
in Figure 2 and display reasonable agreement with measured values.
As shown in Figure 4 no lateral deflection occurs until the last 10 minutes of the test,
at which point a gradually increasing rate is recorded before a sudden runaway situation
occurs indicating failure. It should be noted that the LVDT ran out of Travel hence the
premature termination of lateral deflection which in fact had a magnitude of
approximately 250mm.
Referring to Figures 2 and 3 it can be seen that a corresponding reduction occurs in
both restraint force and axial deflection as the column begins to buckle.
Figure 2: Restraint force versus

temperature
Figure 3: Axial deflection versus temperature
Figure 4: Lateral deflection versus

temperature
References
1. Steel Construction Industry Forum Fire Engineering Group (1991) Structural Fire Engineering
Investigation of Broadgate Phase 8 Fire. SCI, Ascot
2. Furumura, F. and Shinohara, Y. (1976) Inelastic Behaviour of Protected Steel Columns in Fire.
Proc. IABSE 10TH cong., Tokyo, pp 193198
3. Jeyarupalingam, N. and Virdi, K.S. (1991) Steel Beams and Columns Exposed to Fire Hazard.
Structural Design for Hazardous Loads, (ed. J.L.Clarke, F.K. Garas and G.S.T.Armer), E & FN
Spon, London, pp 429438
4. Lie, T.T. and Chabot, M. (1993) Evaluation of the Fire Resistance of Compression Members
using Mathematical Models. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 20, pp 135149
5. Bennetts, I.D., Goh, C.C., OMeagher, A.J. and Thomas, I.R. (1989) Restraint of Compression
Members in Fire. BHP Melb. Res. Lab. Rep. No. MRL/PS65/89/002
6. Poh, K.W. and Bennetts, I.D. (1994) Behaviour of Steel Columns at Elevated Temperatures.
Submission for Publication ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering
7. Franssen, J-M., Schleich, M. J-B. and Cajot, M. L-G. (1994) Buckling Curves of Hot Rolled H
Steel Sections in Case of Fire. CEC Agreement 7210-SA/515, 931, 316, 618
8. British Standards Institution (1986) BS 4360: Specification for Weldable Structural Steels. BSI,
London.
9. British Standards Institution (1990) BS 5950: The Structural Use of Steelwork in Building Part
1: Code of Practice for Design in Simple and Continuous Construction. BSI, London.
28
TOXIC COMBUSTION PRODUCTS FROM
PESTICIDE FIRES
L.SMITH-HANSEN
Risk Analysis Group, Systems Analysis Department,
Ris National Laboratory, Denmark
Abstract
The present paper gives results from combustion experiments with three
pesticides using the DIN 53 436 furnace. These pesticides were
dimethoate, dichlobenil and thiram. Two different experimental
conditions were applied in order to simulate fully developed fires with
high ventilation and non-flaming oxidative decompositions. The
combustion gases (e.g. CO2, CO, HCl, COCl2, HCN, SO2, NOx) were
quantified by means of the FTIR gas analysis technique. Dimethoate was
burned as the pure compound and as a formulation in order to investigate
the effects from the flammable solvent. Furthermore, combined flash
pyrolysis/GC/MS experiments were carried out in order to obtain
information on the type of organic products from thermal decomposition.
Some of these products might survive the flames and be of importance, in
particular in case of fires under oxygen deficient conditions. Such fires
may represent the worst case situation with respect to the toxicity of the
fire plume.
Keywords: Combustion products, pesticide fire, pesticide storage,
toxicity, warehouse.
1 Introduction
A large number of storages containing hazardous chemicals are in operation in most

countries. These chemicals are e.g. pesticides, fertilizers and solvents. A specific storage
will often contain a large number of different pesticides. These pesticides could be pure
chemicals or in the form of formulations containing inert materials or flammable
solvents. The types and amounts of the pesticides will normally vary in accordance with
the season.
Chemical fire is the most important hazard related to the chemical storage facilities.
Large quantities of chemicals may be involved with the formation of significant amounts
of toxic fire effluents. These products will be dispersed with the fire plume
threatening or causing harm to humans working at the chemical storage facility, living or
staying in the vicinity or taking part in the fire fighting. Also environmental
consequences to the soil, groundwater, rivers, lakes etc. from release of contaminated fire
fighting water and deposition of soot particles are important problems in some of these
fires.
It is, however, difficult to assess the consequences of a pesticide warehouse fires,
mainly because only limited data is available concerning the identity and the amounts of
the components in the fire effluent.
This paper presents results from pyrolysis/GC/MS and DIN 53 436 combustion
experiments with three selected pesticides. The organic pyrolysis products were
identified by means of GC/MS and the combustion gases from DIN 53 436 experiments
(CO2, CO, HCl, COCl2, NOx, HCN, SO2 etc.) were quantified using the FTIR technique.
2 Pesticides
The investigated pesticides were: dimethoate, dichlobenil and thiram. Figure 1 shows the
chemical structure of the three compounds.
Dimethoate was investigated as the pure compound (technical grade) and as
formulation. Dimethoate was chosen as a representative for the sulphur containing
organophosphorous insecticides. The formulation consisted of 408g dimethoate/1, 50g
Berol 946/1 (emulgator), 455g cyclohexanone/1 and 138g xylene/1.
Dichlobenil (a herbicide) was chosen as it contains a cyanide group and a chlorine
group. It was therefore expected that it would generate significant concentrations of
HCN, HCl, COCl2 and NOx.
Thiram (a fungicide) was chosen due to the high sulphur and nitrogen content in the
compound. The distribution between SO2, H2S, COS, CS2 and other sulphur
containing compounds could then be studied as well as the production of HCN, NOx
etc.
3 Pyrolysis/GC/MS
Combined pyrolysis/GC/MS experiments were carried out in order to obtain information

on the type and amounts of products from thermal decomposition (the chemical
fingerprint). The basic idea is that some of these products are expected to survive a flame
and will therefore be of importance, particularly in a fire under oxygen-deficient
conditions. Such fires are expected to represent the worst case situation with respect to
production of toxic organic decomposition products.
3.1 Experimental
A flash pyrolysis technique was applied. A PYROLA-85 foil pulse pyrolyser was
combined with a Varian Saturn II GC/MS equipment. The compound subjected to
Toxic combustion products from pesticide fires 271
pyrolysis was placed on a platinum foil in the pyrolysis chamber in a helium flow. It was
left there for about 5min. prior to the pyrolysis to ensure complete exclusion of
Fig. 1. Chemical structure of the

investigated pesticides
air. The sample was pyrolysed in 2sec. The pyrolysis temperature was about 900C in all
experiments. The pyrolysis products were then separated on a GC column. The GC
conditions were: column: CP-sil 5 CB, 25m0.25mm, df=0, 25m, Chrompack. Oven:
100C10C->285C/19.5min. Carrier gas: helium. Finally, the pyrolysis products were
identified in an ion-trap mass spectrometer. A WILEY 5 library of standard mass spectra
was used for identification. All experiments were carried out twice to ensure
repeatability. The pyrolysis/GC/MS technique is described in [1].
Not all products could be unequivocally identified, as mass spectra alone do not allow
a distinction to be made between closely related compounds (such as isomers).
Comparisons with reference compounds were not possible since such compounds in most
cases were not available. Furthermore, no library of mass spectra containing all types of
pyrolysis products from all substances is available. No real quantification of the pyrolysis
products could be made. However, based on the peak heights in the chromatograms the
compounds present in the largest amounts could be noted. Finally, it should be noted that
the lowest molecular weight substances would not be detected (e.g. SO2, HCl, HCHO).
3.2 Results
Below follow the lists of decomposition products from the three pesticides identified
from the combined flash pyrolysis/GC/MS experiments.
3.2.1 Pyrolysis products from dimethoate

dimethyl disulphide
isocyanatomethane
phosphoric acid trimethylester
dimethyl trisulphide
phosphorothioic acid, O, O, O-trimethylester
N-methyl thioacetamide
trithiolane
phosphorothioic acid, O, O, S-trimethylester
phosphorodithioic acid, O, O, S-trimethylester (major product)
phosphorodithioic acid, O, S, S-trimethylester (major product)
Important products from pyrolysis of dimethoate are the

phosphoric/phosphorothioic/phosphorodithioic acid trimethyl esters. These compounds
are expected to be produced by many sulphur-containing organophosphorous
insecticides.
3.2.2 Pyrolysis products from dichlobenil

1,3-dichlorobenzene
benzonitrile
dichloromethylbenzene (major product)
2-chlorobenzonitrile
trichlorobenzene
The major product from pyrolysis of dichlobenil is dichloromethylbenzene. 1,3-
dichlorobenzene, 2-chlorobenzonitrile and benzonitrile are all pyrolysis products formed
by simple losses of substituents from dichlobenil. Trichlorobenzene may be produced by
a secondary chlorination of 1,3-dichlorobenzene. [2] describes thermal analysis of
dichlobenil in air followed by mass spectrometry. It was concluded in [2] that the
compound evaporated without decomposition. However, the experimental conditions
differed somewhat from those reported here.
3.2.3 Pyrolysis products from thiram

isothiocyanatomethane*
dimethyldisulphide
dimethyltrisulphide
tetramethylurea
1,2,4-trithiolane
N,N-dimethyl-ethanethioamide
tetramethylthiurea
dimethyl-carbamodithioic acid methylester
Sulphur (major product)*
1,2,3,5,6-pentathiepane
hexathiepane
tetramethylthiurammonosulfide (major product) *
A number of sulphur compounds from pyrolysis of thiram were found. The major
products were elemental sulphur and tetramethylthiurammonosulfide. The results can be
compared with those reported in [3]. This reference contains a pyrolysis scheme for
thiram. The products which were also described in [3] are marked with * in the list
above. In addition to these products [3] also found tetramethylthiuramtetrasulfide and
various low molecular weight products which were probably also produced in the
experiments reported here but not detected.
4 DIN 53436 combustion experiments
Combustion experiments were carried out using a furnace in accordance with DIN 53 436
[4]. The method is considered to be relevant for the simulation of non-flaming oxidative
decomposition and fully developed fires [5].
4.1 Experimental
The apparatus (Figure 2) consists of a quartz tube (diameter 4cm, length 1m) enclosed by
a movable annular oven. According to the standard, the substance subjected to
combustion should be placed in a 40-cm quartz boat inside the tube. However, in order to
approach steady-state conditions the pesticide (13g) was placed in 24 quartz vessels.
The vessels were then placed in the boat. A similar procedure is described in the literature
[6]. During the experiment the oven moves with a constant speed (1cm/min) along the
tube. An airflow (100 l/h) is maintained through the tube in the direction opposite to that
of the oven.
The combustion experiments were carried out at 500 and 900C furnace temperatures
in order to simulate the two relevant scenarios and a Bomem 100 FTIR gas analysis
instrument was used for quantification of the combustion gases.
4.2 Results
Tables 13 show the results of the DIN furnace combustion experiments.
Table 1. Dimethoate combustion gas yields
Temp. C CO2 CO HCN SO2 NO CH4 COS N 2O
g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g
900 (pure) 0.844 ~0.06 0.011 ~0.52 0.006 ~0.01 ~0.008 ~0.03
900 1.822 ~0.00 0.006 0.225 ~0.01 - - ~0.03
(formulation)
Theoretical max. 0.960 - - 0.558 0.131 - - -
Formaldehyde, acrolein, CS2, H2S, N02 and NH3 were not detected
Not detected
The combustion gas yields for dimethoate are given in table 1. The theoretical max.
values are given only for the pure compound, since the exact composition of the
formulation is not known.
The conversion of sulphur in dimethoate to SO2 by combustion is almost quantitative.
However, for the pure compound a small amount of COS is also produced. Concerning
the pure compound as well as the formulation it can be concluded that dimethoate
produces significant concentrations of HCN, and the conversion rates are almost the same
in both cases. Finally, it should be noted that the pure compound produces substantial
concentrations of CH4 by combustion. In the combustion
Fig. 2. Furnace in accordance with DIN 53 436
experiment using the formulation, the combustion is more effective and no production of
CH4 was observed.
Table 2. Dichlobenil combustion gas yields
Temp. C CO2 g/g CO g/g COCl2 g/g HCl g/g HCN g/g NO g/g N2O g/g
900 ~1.2 ~0.46 0.008 ~0.35 0.012 0.004 ~0.03
900 1.581 ~0.48 0.005 ~0.36 0.009 0.003 ~0.03
Theoretical max. 1.791 - - 0.424 - 0.174 -
Formaldehyde, acrolein, CH4, NO2 and NH3 were not detected
The combustion gas yields for dichlobenil are given in table 2. Since dichlobenil is a
chlorinated aromatic compound, the concentrations of CO and HCl from combustion are
high, as could be expected. The concentration of HCN and COCl2 are rather low, but
toxicologically significant. Finally, at the low temperature no decomposition took place
at all.
Table 3. Thiram combustion gas yields
Exp. CO2 CO HCN SO2 NO CS2 COS N2O
g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g g/g
900 0.964 ~0.003 0.009 ~0.9 ~0.02 - - ~0.03
500 0.085 ~0.5 0.027 0.579 0.003 ~0.1 ~0.1 -
Theoretical 1.098 - - 1.065 0.250 - - -
max.
Formaldehyde, acrolein, CH4, H2S, NO2 and NH3 were not detected
Not detected
The combustion gas yields for thiram are given in table 3. In the high-temperature
experiment an almost quantitative conversion of the sulphur in thiram to SO2 was
observed. In the low-temperature experiment a substantial amount of sulphur was
converted to CS2 and COS. Also rather high concentrations of HCN were seen,
particularly in the low-temperature experiment. Finally, the concentration of CO was
very high in the low-temperature experiment.
5 Conclusions
Conclusions can be drawn from the results of the experiments described in the present
paper:
Chlorinated compounds seems to produce high concentrations of HCl.
Chlorinated compounds may also produce significant amounts of COCl2.
Chlorinated compounds produce higher amounts of CO than the non-chlorinated
compounds.
Nitrogen compounds are converted to NO, HCN and N2O. A 100% conversion of
nitrogen to these gases cannot be expected. NO2 was not observed in any of the
experiments reported here. However, it is expected that a compound such as NH4NO3
will produce NO2 and NH3 by combustion.
Substantial concentrations of HCN are often seen.
Acrolein and formaldehyde have not been observed in any of the experiments with
combustion of pesticides reported here.
An almost quantitative conversion of the sulphur content in the pesticides to SO2 can be
expected, particularly at high temperatures. However, important amounts of the
combustion gases COS and CS2 can also be produced. H2S was not observed in any of
the experiments reported here.
A great variety of organic compounds, will be produced by combustion. The highest
amounts are expected at low temperature and/or low ventilation.
Pesticides produce highly toxic fire effluents. The main contributors to the toxicity are
HCl, COCl2, HCN, SO2, COS, CS2 and CO.
The survival fractions of the pesticides are important factors with respect to the toxicity
of the fire effluent, particulary for the highly toxic pesticides such as some of the
organophosphorous insecticides.
Organic decomposition products may also contribute significantly to the toxicity.
The work described in the present paper provides guidance on how to assess the hazards
from chemical warehouses. Information on the types and amounts of the various toxic
products generated from fires in different chemicals has been obtained.
However, if very precise concentrations of the individual combustion products are
needed in a risk analysis study it is recommended that experimental work be carried out
in order to make an exact quantification, since the quantity of the individual components
produced in the fire depends on the individual pesticide burned and the fire scenario. The
DIN 53 436 method supplemented with combined pyrolysis/GC/MS experiments has
been shown to be a useful procedure.
6 Acknowledgements
The work described in the paper was partly sponsored by the CEC STEP programme
(project: combustion of chemical substances and the impact on the environment of the
fire products) and the CEC ENVIRONMENT programme (project: TOXFIRE
guidelines for management of fires in chemical warehouses).
Dimethoate was supplied by Cheminova Agro, A/S and thiram was supplied by KVK
AGRO A/S.
7 References
1. Christiansen, J.V.; Feldthus, A.; Egsgaard, H.; Carlsen, L. (1993). Flash pyrolysis of coal sub-
structures adsorbed on a carbosieve. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrol., 24, 311323.
2. Matuschek, G.; Ohrbach, K.-H.; Kettrup, A. (1991). Thermal analysis of commercial herbicides.
Thermochimica Acta, 190, 111123.
3. Staudner, E.; Beniska, J.; Kysela, G. (1976). Study of thermal decomposition of
tetramethylthiuram disulfide. Chem. Zvesti, 30, 336341.
4. Deutsche Normen (1981). DIN 53 436. Erzeugung thermischen Zersetzungsprodukte von
werkstoffen unter Luftzufuhr und ihre toxicologische Prfung, Teil 1,2,3. (In German).
5. Fardell, P.J.; Woolley, W.D. (1988). State of the art of combustion toxicity. International
Conference: Fire: Control the Heat. Reduce the Hazard. 2425 Oct. 1988, London, UK.
Organized by QMC Fire & Materials Centre, 12.112.12.
6. Einbrodt, H.J.; Hupfeldt, J.; Prager,F.H.; Sand, H. (1989). The suitability of the DIN 53 436 test
apparatus for the simulation of a fire risk situation with flaming combustion. In: Advances in
combustion toxicology, vol. 1, Hartzell,G.E. (ed). Technomic Publishing Company, Inc.,
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, 240251.
SECTION TWO
LEGISLATION AND
REGULATIONTOWARDS
EC STANDARDS AND
CODES OF PRACTICE
29
EUROPEAN STANDARDS FOR FIRE
SAFETY: A SUMMARY OF THE
CURRENT POSITION
P.R.WARREN
Fire Research Station, BRE, Garston, UK
Abstract
The development of European standards related to fire safety is being
undertaken, principally, under the auspices of the European Committee
for Standardisation (CEN). A brief review is given of those CEN
Technical Committees currently covering aspects of fire safety. While the
majority of current interest relates to the development of test methods and
systems concerned with fire safety in buildings, other fields, such as
transport, are included. There is considerable interest in the development
of the European Construction Products Directive. This has provided the
driving force for the harmonisation of fire test standards through the work
of CEN/TC127. The current position with regard to fire resistance tests is
summarised. Some areas where standards are required, most particularly
the reaction to fire performance of construction products and of
upholstered furniture, are the subject of ongoing prenormative research
programmes supported by the European Commission and outlines of the
programmes are given.
Keywords: Fire, standards, harmonisation
1. Introduction
The requirement to reduce barriers to trade within the European Union has led to the need
to develop harmonised technical standards for common use within all member states, not
least in connection with test methods and systems related to fire protection. This paper
reviews the background to the harmonisation process, setting out briefly the way that
standardisation has developed in general and in relation to fire, in particular. The way in
which the principal standardisation body, CEN, works is summarised and illustrated by
reference to the work of those Technical Committees dealing with fire aspects, in
particular CEN/TC127 -Fire Safety in Buildings.
2. Trends in fire safety requirements
The trend in regulating for fire safety in most European countries has generally followed
a common path. Initially, from the earliest times, the main concern was with preventing
fire spread from one building to another and with controlling possible sources of ignition
such as cooking fires. This led to regulations for the spacing of buildings and for the fire
resisting construction of common walls. As prevention of fire spread within buildings
became of concern, regulatory emphasis was placed on compartmentation and the size of
uncompartmented spaces. It was recognised that buildings used for different purposes
would need different approaches to fire safety, leading to classification according to use
(warehouses, shops, theatres, dwellings etc.). In the latter part of the nineteenth century,
as buildings became larger, taller and more complex fire safety regulations began to
involve the provision of means of escape for occupants. This led to concern not only with
containing fire but also with preventing or limiting its development, leading to
restrictions on lining materials and, more recently, on contents. While, at first, fire safety
legislation was prescriptive, setting out requirements in terms of materials, dimensions
and methods of construction, the move towards performance-based regulations led to the
need to develop test methods for fire resistance and later, for the reaction to fire
performance of materials. These, in turn, led to the need for standardisation.
3. Standards making bodies
Of course, fire safety was not the only field in which the need for standardisation is of
concern. Driven by the need for consistency, consumer expectations and regulation,
official standards bodies, such as the British Standards Institution in the United Kingdom,
DIN in Germany and AFNOR in France, came into being in many European countries
during the inter-war period. The development of international trade and activities which
crossed national boundaries, such as shipping, stimulated the need for common
international standards leading to the formation of the International Standardisation
Organisation, based in Geneva, and the International Maritime Organisation which sets
standards under the international agreements such as Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
The development of the European Community and the European Free Trade Area led,
in 1961, to the creation of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) with its
headquarters in Brussels. While CEN is the leading European standardisation
organisation, standards, including those related to fire safety, are also produced by bodies
dealing with specialist sectors, such as CENELEC (electrotechnical) and AECMA
(aerospace). These bodies work closely with CEN.
4. European Committee for Standardisation (CEN)
4.1 Background
CEN activities were relatively limited for the first twenty or so years of its existence This
was due both to the lack of pressure on industry to use other than national or ISO
European standards for fire safety 281
standards and, also, to the fact that European legislation tended to attempt to contain
detailed technical specifications, where these were needed, rather than to refer to external
standards. However, the publication in 1985 of a White Paper on the completion of the
internal market led to the so-called New Approach directives. With the aim of speeding
up the removal of technical barriers to trade, these New Approach directives have only
limited technical content. They state essential requirements, principally addressing health
and safety matters. Compliance with the directives is through European Technical
Specifications which can include CEN or CENELEC standards and European Technical
Approvals, prepared by another pan-European organisation, the European Organisation
for Technical Approvals (EOTA). The advantage of New Approach Directives is that
basic legislation can be agreed first and supporting details, such as standards and
technical approvals, produced later.
The introduction of the new approach resulted in a considerable increase in the work
of CEN which now has over 300 Technical Committees working on a wide range of
topics. Work specifically related to the policies of the European Union is generally
covered by a formal mandate from the European Commission. Approximately 20% of
current CEN work items are covered by such mandates.
Where work is covered by a mandate the Commission provides support. A standstill
procedure ensures that the national standards making bodies of European member states
do not draw up or introduce standards in areas where European standards are being
prepared. This has resulted in a substantial decline in the preparation of new, or
substantially revised, national standards.
4.2 CEN organisation

The overall direction of CEN is undertaken by the General Assembly on which all
contributing national standards bodies of European states are represented, together with
associate organisations. The principal body controlling the production of standards is the
Technical Board (CEN/BT). It is responsible for all matters concerning the organisation,
working procedures, coordination and planning of standards work and organises technical
liaison with other relevant European organisations. To assist it to do this a number of
Technical Sector Boards (BTSs) and Programming Committees have been set up. The
most important of the BTSs in relation to fire-related standards are:
CEN/BTS1- Building and construction
CEN/BTS4- Health and safety of the workplace
While these provide coordination for standardisation within a sector, there are some
topics, in particular fire safety, which cross sectorial boundaries. In this context a small
Working Group, WG50, was set up in 1991, to advise on fire-related matters and to
ensure consistency of approach in any standards dealing directly or indirectly with fire
matters. The Working Group is currently in abeyance but it can be reconvened, as and
when required.
4.3 Production of standards

Proposals for new a new standards project may originate from any CEN member, the
European Commission, or relevant European trade or professional organisation.
Once agreed in principle, by CEN national members, through CEN/BT, there are three
possible routes to the preparation of a CEN standard.
(a) Questionnaire procedure

If an appropriate document, for instance an existing national standard, is considered as
likely to satisfy CEN requirements, then this procedure enables CEN/BT to assess its
acceptability as a formal standard.
(b) ISO
In June 1991, an agreement was signed between CEN and ISO to ensure cooperation and
the exchange of information between the two organisations. Known as the Vienna
Agreement, this commits CEN to use ISO standards, wherever possible, as the basis for
its work.
(c) Technical Committee

In the absence of a suitable ISO or other appropriate document, a CEN Technical
Committee (CEN/TC) may be set up to prepare a draft standard (or prEN). A CEN/TC is
composed of expert delegations representing individual national interests and may
include observers from pan-European organisations with a particular interest in the topic
concerned. It is common for TCs to set up a series of representative Working Groups
(WGs) to cover particular aspects of their tasks. Technical Committees are responsible to
CEN/BT and work to an agreed programme with a clear scope and timetable for the
critical stages for a particular project.
Once a draft standard has been prepared, following any of the above routes, it is
subject to public enquiry to allow wider consultation and the opportunity for technical
comments at a national level. After the results of this stage have implemented, formal
approval is sought from CEN members using a weighted voting procedure.
Once a European standard has been formally agreed, it must be implemented by CEN
member states and given the status of a national standard. Existing conflicting national
standards must be withdrawn.
5. CEN fire-related activities
5.1 Technical committees

The work of CEN necessarily presents a continuously changing pattern. However, an
analysis1 of CEN activities being undertaken in 1993, identified 30 active Technical
Committees and 114 individual projects had a component related to fire. Principle areas
of interest within these were fire resistance tests, reaction to fire tests and the
standardisation of design fires and fire exposures. To illustrate the range of CEN concern
with fire, Table 1 lists a number of the principal Technical Committees whose work has a
significant fire-related component. These cover areas such as construction, furniture, fire-
fighting and transport.
Table 1. Selected list of CEN Technical
Committees dealing with aspects of fire (fire safety
plays a major role in those indicated by emboldened
type)
Topic Number Title
Construction TC33 Doors, windows, shutters and building hardware
TC72 Automatic fire detection systems
TC127 Fire safety in buildings
TC128 Roof covering products and products for wall cladding
TC191 Fixed fire-fighting systems
TC250 Structural Eurocodes
TC277 Suspended ceilings
Furniture & contents TC207 Furniture
TC248 Textiles and textile products
TC263 Secure storage of cash etc.
Fire-fighting TC70 Manual means of fire-fighting equipment
TC79 Respiratory protective devices
TC158 Head protection
TC192 Fire service equipment
Transport TC256 Railway applications
5.2 CEN/TC127 Fire Safety in Buildings

The principal Technical Committee covering fire safety is CEN/TC127Fire Safety in
Buildings. This TC has been in place since 1990 and its principal role is in response to
the requirements of the European Construction Products Directive, through mandates
from the European Commission.
5.2.1 Fire resistance tests

Considerable progress has been made in relation to the standardisation of fire resistance
tests, covering the following principal topic areas:
(a) General aspects of fire resistance testing
(b) Non-loadbearing elements
(c) Loadbearing elements
(d) Service installations
(e) Contribution to fire resistance of structural members
(f) Door and shutter assemblies

(g) Fire performance of roofs exposed to external fire
As at February 1995, 15 work items had reached stage of completion of the six month
enquiry period; 2 work items were in the process of the six month enquiry; 11 work items
had completed draft documents which were in the process of consideration by the main
TC and another 6 work items were still at the drafting stage within working groups.
5.2.2 Reaction to fire tests

Whereas work on fire resistance has progressed steadily, work within CEN/TC127 on
reaction to fire tests is now only just beginning. This has arisen principally because of the
difficulties faced by the European Commission in defining the necessary mandates under
the Construction Products Directive. However, as discussed below, a mandate covering
the evaluation of construction products in respect of their reaction to fire was issued in
September 1994, following a Commission Decision2 of 9 September 1994. Work is now
starting on the development of tests for non-combustibility.
6. Prenormative research on reaction to fire
6.1 Construction products

As noted above the European harmonisation of reaction to fire tests has been faced with a
number of difficulties. Not least of these is the very large number of different national
tests currently in use and the lack of correlation between these. The latter was illustrated
by a comparison of the performance of 24 wall lining materials European countries
undertaken by ISO/TC 92 (Fire Tests on Building Materials, Components and Structures)
in the mid-60s and reported by Emmons3. This showed a very poor degree of correlation
in the ranking of the various materials between the different national approaches.
In order to overcome this problem the European Commission has published a
Commission Decision2 setting out a classification system for the reaction to fire
performance of construction products, based upon six classes determined by a
combination of three test methods, as shown in Table 2 below. Of the three test methods,
listed in Table 3, two are based upon existing ISO standards but the third, the so-called
Single Burning item (SBI) method, which covers the key central range of performance,
has yet to be developed and is currently the subject of a short-term prenormative research
project. In parallel with this, a long-term research programme is proposed to develop test
methods more closely based upon the improved understanding of the physical processes
of surface fire spread and related theoretical models that are now becoming available.
Table 2 Proposed European reaction to fire

classification system
Euroclass Class of products Test Fire Scenario
Method
A No contribution to fire I Fully developed room fire (Exposure
>60kW/m2)
B Very limited I+II
contribution to fire
C Limited contribution to II+III Single burning item in a room (Exposure
fire approx.=40kW/m2)
D Acceptable contribution II+III
to fire
E Acceptable reaction to III Small fire attack on limited area of product
fire (flame height 20mm)
F No performance
determined
Table 3 Test methods for use in the proposed

European reaction to fire classification system.
Number Description
I Small furnace non-combustibility test and/or bomb calorimeter (cf ISO1182 and
ISO1716)
II NEW METHODprovisionally called the Single Burning Item test.
III Small flame test. (cf ISO DIS 119252)
It is anticipated that the long-term programme will take a number of years and, in view of
the need to establish a system quickly, current emphasis is placed on developing the SBI
method. Much preliminary work has been undertaken and work on the construction of a
prototype test apparatus is about to start. The work is steered by an advisory group of fire
regulators from EU member states, set up by the European Commission.
6.2 Upholstered furniture

Some European member states, notably the United Kingdom and Ireland, have in place
regulations relating to the flammability of furniture. Consideration is being given by the
Commission to the possibility of a directive dealing with the fire behaviour of
upholstered furniture. Such a directive would be likely to require tests for ignitability and
postignition behaviour. The work of CEN/TC207/WG6 (FurnitureTest Methods for
Fire Behaviour) has provided the basis for harmonised ignitability tests but there is, at
present, no basis for assessing post-ignition behaviour. In consequence, a comprehensive
prenormative research programme has been undertaken, under the auspices of the
Measurements and Testing Programme of CEC/DGXII (Science, Research and

Development). Starting in early 1993 and involving 11 laboratories representing 8
European countries, the work has been completed and publication of the final report is
imminent. The programme has sought to relate the hazard produced by burning furniture
in a full-scale room scenario to the results of calorimeter tests both on full-scale furniture
items and bench tests on composite and component materials. This approach may provide
a useful guide to the long-term programme proposed for construction materials,
mentioned above.
7. Conclusion
The development of harmonised European standards related to fire safety is a wide-

ranging and complex process. It has only been possible in this paper to give a brief and
incomplete overview. The preparation of standards involves considerable effort by
experts from all of the countries of the European Economic Area, much of which is
unseen but which, nevertheless makes a substantial contribution to securing improved fire
safety and reduced property losses.
8. References
1. Becker W. Unpublished communication.

2. Commission Decision of 9 September 1994 implementing Article 20 of Directive 89/106/EEC
on construction products.
3. Emmons, H W. (1974). Scientific American, Vol 231, No. 7, p21ff.
30
A COMMENTARY ON THE FIRE
RESEARCH/BUILDING DESIGN
APPLICATIONS INTERFACE
J.C.ANGELL
E.L.ANGELL
Chartered Architect, Preston, UK
Abstract
The paper explores the problem of communicating fire research findings
and advice to those whose task it is to design new buildings. If progress is
to be made, and safer buildings to be built, then research findings must be
presented to Architects in a form which relates to the structure of the
design process. Since all design involves compromise, advice on matters
relevant to fire safety need to be presented in a way which ensures that,
where compromises must be made, they are not made in ways which
affect the safety of the building and its occupants.
Keywords: communication, conflicting criteria, compromise, change, cost
1 Introduction
If expertise in minimising the risk of major fire disasters is to be successfully applied to

the design of new buildings and city complexes, then it must be recognised that the
designers of buildings have many diverse criteria calling for their attention. Experts in all
disciplines must address the problem of communication, and, since the central role of
design co-ordinator is traditionally taken by the Architect, must ensure that the Architect
in particular is aware of which of their criteria are essential and which are merely
desirable. The form which that communication takes should have the object of ensuring
the widest future application of the latest thinking in fire engineering.
2 The Brief
The design of any construction project begins with the clients brief, and the brief, if it is
to result in a satisfactory building, must touch upon every aspect of the proposed works.
Many basic criteria, of which fire safety is but one, are already covered by

legislation, but the responsible Architect will always query whether the client prefers a
higher standard than the minimum provided by legislation. This may have a bearing, for
example, on insurance premiums, which will have to be considered as part of future
running costs. Thus it is easy to ask whether a client wants a higher standard of energy
conservation, or greater freedom of access for the disabled, or a higher standard of fire
safety than current legislation stipulates. Similarly, it is easy to ask these questions in a
way which prompts the preferred answer. Would you like lower energy bills? Would
your insurers like a safer building?
A clients instructions may include his wish that the buildings appearance reflect his
importance and its expense. He may be more concerned with a prestige appearance than
with safetyyou cant see safety. If he is an industrialist he may regard the building as a
necessary part of the manufacturing process it houses, and its cost is added to his
products in fractions of a penny, for his legal duty as a director of the company is to
maximise the profits for his shareholders. Fire safety regulations and recommendations
are the ammunition the Architect needs with which to convince a reluctant client.
On the other hand, the brief for a public building enables a politician to emphasise
criteria which give him a politically acceptable image regardless of his personal expense,
which may or may not include fire safety, while avoiding any reference to economy of
structure or practicality of construction. If a developer client is building speculatively, for
sale, he will frequently emphasise built volume and economy of construction over other
considerations. In short, regulations and recommendations for fire safety must recognise
that a building project originates with the client, and the clients brief will often contain a
hidden agenda which the Architect must satisfy if the client is to approve the construction
of the design.
3 Compromise
Having established the initial criteria which make up the clients brief, the Architect
begins to look for points of conflict This is part of the process of analysis. Different
criteria may easily result in physical conflictease of access and exit may conflict with
security, as in a reference library or a jewellers shopand many design criteria will
conflict with the available construction budget If the building is actually to be built, it
must be made possible for the client to afford it. So, if the final building is to be
successful, all the conflicts in the brief must be resolved, and this implies compromise.
This is the process of synthesis. Indeed, all design is compromise, and thus the
requirements for fire safety are as likely to be compromised in practice as any other
design criteria, whether at the design stage, during construction, or in the course of future
maintenance.
From this arise the questions of what constitutes a successful design, and what
amounts to a reasonable degree of compromise, which further leads to the question of
how the criteria for fire safety may be so presented to the designer that they are
successfully adopted in practice. On the first of these, successful design, it is not
A commentary on the fire research/building design applications interface 289
necessary here to expand at length about buildability, usefulness, or aesthetics, except to

point out that if people actually like a building, if they think it is beautiful, if they enjoy
living and working in it, then it is much more likely to be cared for and properly
maintained. It seems to be often overlooked that buildings are usually required to simply
endure through timepreferably with minimum maintenance costs. If maintenance costs
are designed to be low, it is that much more likely that changing economic and social
circumstances will not inhibit future maintenance. Naturally, fire safety items, both
hardware and software, both installations and policies, require maintenance and updating
as much as any other aspects of a building.
4 Concepts
How may buildings be designed to endure through time while incurring minimum
maintenance costs, and thus with the minimum degradation in their fire safety regimes?
Clearly, there are a number of building types for which the simplest design concepts are
appropriate. For example, a nursing home for the elderly or disabled should be single
storey. Every bedroom should have a french window (porte-fentre) or patio door with a
terrace outside, and every bed should have wheels. Similarly, all infant and junior schools
should be single storey, and every classroom should have a door to the playground. By
avoiding a problem, rather than by creating a difficult situation which must then be
solved, it seems obvious that such designs will be inherently safe and easy to escape
from, even before considering additional hi-tech safety systems, although the risk of
intruders, theft and arson may be increased.
The specialist knows more and more about less and less, until, as the saying goes, he
knows everything about nothing. The Architect, on the other hand, is both by training and
inclination a generalist. Since most areas of design require compromise, it is the
Architects job to discover or invent acceptable compromises between the conflicting
requirements of the team of specialist engineers. Since many designers dont know how
they do itdesign(Many intuitive designers will tell you that their ideas simply
crawl out of the end of a pencil) a basic requirement that a given building type be
single storey is the sort of design criterion which, once adopted, is unlikely to be
compromised in the finished building.
5 Criteria
How then may the criteria for fire safety be so presented to the designer that they are
successfully adopted in practice? The first answer is that Architects need simple rules of
thumb in the early stages of a project So does the client, who invariably queries the cost
of things he cannot see. So much for sophistication, and sophisticated design! There is
much emphasis nowadays on sophistication in construction. Hi-tech architecture, which
emulates NASA space hardware or offshore oil rigs are a current fashion adopted by a
number of prominent Architects. Masts, tents, metal skins, external bracing and external
services abound. But is this anything more than passing fashion? The basic characteristics
of hi-tech artefacts are that they are intended to be mass-produced after extensive
research and development, that they consume energy, require servicing, and are quickly
obsolete. Few building projects have a budget for extensive research, and many people
today will have thrown away a calculator, replaced an old computer, or scrapped a car.
Society, however, has different standards for buildings.
The simple fact is that the brief for most buildings, if properly understood, requires
that the building should sit on the site, enduring through time whilst needing the
minimum of maintenanceat least until the mortgage is paid off. In other words, the
brief for most building types implies a low-tech solution, simple, unspectacular, and
relatively inexpensive to build and to maintain. The most significant difference between
the vernacular low-tech buildings of today and those of the past is in the concept of the
services, and these are largely able to be fitted retrospectively.
Innovative solutions adopted without extensive testing are a sure recipe for disaster,
just like the Local Authority tower blocks built in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. In
that case, the innovative form of the development was a requirement of the briefthe
Local Authority clients demanded blocks of flats, and directed tenants to live in them.
The results were profoundly unpopular and very difficult to maintain or upgrade, and the
majority of these buildings have had to be prematurely demolished, leaving the Local
Authorities still paying the original mortgages.
If innovative fire safety solutions are imposed on the built environment without
adequate research and testing then a similar fate is a distinct possibility. Conversely, if
there is a call for simple, tried and tested fire risk solutions to be applied to new projects,
the chances are that the detailed proposals will be understood, intelligently incorporated
in a design, and maintained in practice. Just as complex tax laws result in tax dodging, so
complex fire safety rules will result in cheating.
6 Formulae
Once basic fire safety rules of thumb have been incorporated in a sketch scheme, and
inappropriate alternatives rejected, then more subtle criteria can be worked into a design.
Even so, if these criteria can be reduced to a handful of easily-remembered formulae,
there is a greater chance that they will be used successfully. Simplicity here may indeed
result in over-provision of safety features, but as long as the budget is not compromised
this is not a bad thing. For example, a basic decision to incorporate sprinklers, or
electronic alarm systems, or both, can be readily discussed with and understood by the
client, and economic provision made accordingly. Of course, some overkill may be
inappropriate, or even dangerous. I once spent some time persuading a Fire Prevention
Officer that one-hour fire doors with hydraulic closers were not a good idea for the
classrooms of an infant school. Either they would have been permanently wedged open,
or many small fingers would have been pinched, or children trapped by doors too heavy
for them to open.
A commentary on the fire research/building design applications interface 291
7 Headings
The simple provision of fire safety features in a building is traditionally understood under
the straightforward headings of:
combustibility and
resistance access and facilities for fire fighters
automatic systems: e.g. alarms, sprinklers,
compartmentation ventilation
means of escape
By and large, Architects are comfortable using such simple concepts in terms of the
problems of initial design, and future developments in fire safety will hopefully take
place within these or similar headings. However, these future developments must be
adopted with more account being taken of the cost of implementation than perhaps has
been the case in the past
8 Costs
Cost is a vital consideration, and it is only too easy for unforseen costs to invalidate a
commercial proposal. No-one in the construction industry likes to put a price on human
life, least of all the Fire Prevention Officer and the Architect, although, of course,
insurance actuaries do it all the time. The client will have his own view of the value of
human life. A little more realism regarding the cost of fire safety would often be helpful.
Similarly, for the sake of cost control, there should be a cut-off point for fire safety
design input Changes of mind and extra fire safety requirements once the working
drawings stage is reached makes cost control very difficult, and changes once
construction has begun on site put all hope of financial control beyond reach. This is of
vital concern to Architects, who risk being sued for professional negligence if they are
seen to take an irresponsible attitude to the task of spending their clients money. Back in
the early 1970s we had a large public building actually under construction when
Summerland burnt down in the Isle of Man. The Fire Prevention Officer was on site
within a week with an extensive list of expensive alterations, and all the additional money
had to be found from within the existing budget. Naturally, it was the final finishes and
fittings which suffered. Had it been a commercial or industrial building, the whole project
could have been abandoned.
9 Maintenance
The problem of maintenance has already been mentioned. The fire safety systems and
concepts of a building must be maintained throughout the life of that building. Here we
must distinguish between maintenance to ensure that all systems are working as the
designer intended, and future maintenance or refurbishment to upgrade a building to
comply with future standards. Legislation with retrospective effect is never easy to
implement, although in the United Kingdom we have the recent experience of raised fire
standards in the hotel industry to guide us. A thoughtful designer, aware that the brief for
a building stipulates an intended life span, will try to make allowances for unspecified
future upgrading of the buildings performance. The inverse corollary is that a building
which cannot be upgraded is likely to be demolished.
How then can we design a building for long life? Firstly, by using materials which are
naturally long-lasting, fire-resisting, and which require little maintenance. Secondly, by a
generous over-provision of space, so that future alterations may be more readily
incorporated. Thirdly, by designing systems which require a minimum input of energy.
For example, smoke vent systems which are designed to be fan assisted are more likely to
fail that those which function naturally. These enhanced design standards would in the
past have failed to meet cost yardsticks, but life cycle costing techniques give more
opportunity today for thoughtful design.
10 Presentation
How might all this information be presented to the Architect? Basic philosophies of fire
safety should be presented as simple rules of thumb, and detailed fire safety criteria as
straightforward formulae. A clear distinction should be made between what is essential
and what is desirable, and areas of potential conflict with other criteria should be
highlighted. Tables, graphs and diagrams should be used where possible, because
designers tend to think visually. With an eye to future maintenance, simple systems are
preferable to complex ones. If all this essential information can then be presented on one
side of one piece of paper, so much the better. More helpfully, as computer aided design
becomes more common, the information could be made available on disc.
11 Conclusion
Clearly, the objective is to design and construct better buildings, but if better buildings in
terms of fire safety result in poorer buildings in other senses, the fire safety advice will be
ignored. There is no logical reason why a fire-safe building should be ugly, or
inconvenient, or unrealistically expensive, or depressing to work or live in. If such
conflicts appear during the development of a design, the fire safety advice will be held in
contempt, and will be less likely to be put into practice.
31
FIRE LEGISLATION: A UK VIEW OF
EUROPEAN FIRE SAFETY REGULATION
R.BARHAM
Abstract
This paper reviews the move within the European Union towards risk-
based, goal-oriented health and safety legislation and towards a
harmonisation of legislations (subject to considerations of subsidiarity)
in member states. It considers some of the main points raised in a
consequential review of fire safety legislation recently carried out by the
British governments Department of Trade and Industry and the author
comments on some areas of common concern for European Union
member states.
Introduction
In the past, the domestic policies of each of the member states of the European Union
have each been separately pursued and, in general, it can be noted that in many states the
Fire Safety Legislation has developed in a very ad hoc manner. However, with the
development of, first, the common market and, latterly, the development of the European
Union as more than just a trading block, the formerly fully independent states of the
Union are now subjected to laws, or Directives, by the European Commission which
impinge either directly or indirectly on the domestic laws of each of the member states.
An avowed intention of the European Commission is to attempt to harmonise,
wherever possible, legislation and regulations across member states where such is in the
best interests of the citizens of the European Union. Fire Safety Legislation, also becomes
subjected to such intentions and the purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the fact
that, currently, little information is available on a pan European basis to enable the
declared objectives of the Commission to be achieved in areas which affect Fire
Legislation. It also becomes clear that the pursuit of Fire Engineering, Fire Engineering
Management or Fire Science without a knowledge of the legislative framework within
which it is to operate could mean that what might be an acceptable academic solution
could be inappropriate in some member states but accepted in others.
Research is presently in hand to try to supply the deficiency in the availability of a
European overview of legislation and regulation. It consists of a programme of reviews of
domestic policies affecting member states Fire Safety Legislations and it intended that,
ultimately, it will be possible to identify where changes could, or should, be made to

accommodate any proposals for European harmonisation. In the
wake of the recent directives on health and safety this research is accorded high priority
in both British and several other European Government circles but, as yet, there is a
demonstrably unco-ordinated research response from the fire community; the availability
of research and education for Fire Engineers and related consultants varying from
member state to member state.
What is necessary is for all concerned with this important area to realise, firstly, that
fire related activities within the European Community fall under the remit of several of
the Directorates General. More particularly, health and safety legislation, of which Fire
Safety Law forms a part, is the responsibility of Directorate General V. In contrast, the
majority of the scientific work carried out in the area of Fire Engineering falls within the
area supervised by Directorate General XII.
If we are to consider both the policies and directorates which are intended to
implement or extend common EC Legislation and Codes of Practice, then it is necessary
to be aware not only of the central issues raised by the EC itself, but also to have
knowledge of the way in which Fire Safety is provided for and legislated for across the
European States. It is also interesting to note that Governmental Legislation is often
supplemented by, or takes account of the existence of, the regulatory effects created by
insurance companies in the provision of their financial services and the insurance of fire
risk. Movements toward harmonised legislation (subject to all the arguments of
subsidiarity, etc.) will only be achieved when we have an adequate knowledge of the
European legal and cultural attitudes to Fire Safety and we are able to educate future
legislators, lawyers and practitioners to review and adapt fire and safety legislation and
associate policies in the light of knowledge of other member state systems and of the
level and sophistication of Fire Engineering knowledge.
Of particular concern to any researcher in this area, is the extent to which policies
relating to harmonisation or improvement of legal, quasi legal and professional practice
standards throughout the European Union are implemented. These can be reviewed only
on the basis of a thorough knowledge of the cultural, economic and legal aspects of
commercial and construction processes across Europe. Attitudes vary considerably;
approaches to standardisation and implementation of regulations differ from state to state;
The influence and responsiveness of insurers (and their loss prevention strategies) also
vary. Any move towards harmonisation, even within the principal of subsidiarity, pre-
supposes an understanding of its impacts on those cultures and its interaction with
national character in order to identify those areas where changes are possible. Presently,
however, there does not seem to be any commonality of approach to, for example, the
enforcement process; nor is there, yet, any comparative work available on variations in
the Fire Safety Provisions across Europe.
Fire legislation 295
The European Basis
The basis of Fire Safety Legislation in the European theatre is Health and Safety
Provision. The primary cause of European Activity is a desire to ensure better standards
of safety in the workplace. The originating proposal arises out of the Health and Safety
provisions of the Single European Act.
In England, a review[1] of its fire legislation was triggered, not just by a concern about
the complexity of the English legislative framework but also by a reaction to the Home
Office proposals in 1992 for new Fire Precautions (Places of Work) Regulations intended
to implement the requirements of EC Directives, all of which arise out of the health and
safety provisions of the Single European Act.[2] The reaction, from commerce and
industry, was one of horror at the potential cost of implementation. The Single European
Act introduced a new Article, retrospectively, into the original Treaty of Rome[3].
That Article, 118a, reads:
(1) Member states shall pay particular attention to encouraging improvements, especially
in the working environment, as regards the health and safety of workers, and shall set
as their objective the harmonisation of conditions in this area while maintaining the
improvements made.
(2) In order to help achieve the objective laid down in the first paragraph, the Council,
acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission shall adopt, by
means of directives, minimum requirements for gradual implementation, having
regard to the conditions and technical rules obtaining in each of the Member States.
Such directives shall avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal constraints in a
way which would hold back the creation and development of small and medium-sized
undertakings.
The intention here is clear; and the point most relevant to our present discussion lies in
the last sentence of this extract However, the ideal of common standards, making it more
straightforward to construct or operate in other Member States, is some way off. Even if
the regulations are harmonised, it is likely that compliance and enforcement practice will
be subject to the vagaries of local cultural influences.
The first of the expected directives[4] was issued in 1989to be implemented by the
end of 1992. This so-called framework directive sets out health and safety principles
that are to be applied to all industries. These are that:
1. risks should be avoided
2. if they cannot be avoided they are to be evaluated and combated at source.
3. the dangerous should be replaced by the less dangerous
4. measures that protect groups of workers should have priority over measures that
protect only individuals.
Here, then, is an EC directive which makes explicit for all work related activities the risk
assessment and risk management approach already evident in some of the UK regulations
like, for example, COSHH[5]. This first directive was quickly followed by a second[6]
the workplace directive. However, this second directive, whilst also referring to a risk
based approach, explicitly requires arrangements for first aid, fire precautions and
emergency regulations. Hence the Home Office proposal and hence, subsequently, the
review and consultation process recently undertaken.
The English proposals, if implemented in their present form, would achieve two
objectives. First, they would facilitate the implementation of EC Directives and, second,
they would enable a consolidation of fire safety legislation and the establishment of
national standards. Implicit in this statement must be, of course, the Article 118a caveat:
so as not to hold back the creation and development of small and medium sized
undertakings. This implied term poses great problems. Risk identification, quantification
and management techniques are availablebut when economic considerations are
allowed to outweigh safety considerations we are in danger of going backwards rather
than forwards. Note, for example, the recent disaster in Chinaof which more later.
Action has already been taken in the UK to commence the process of implementation
of these directives. It has taken the form of the issuing of a sequence of three consultative
documents all intended to stimulate debate and to, ultimately, bring into force a new
regime of Fire Safety Regulation. This process is still continuing.
However, one of the major areas of concern within the UK is the main thrust of
recommendations within one of these reports that, in general, Fire Safety should lie
within the ambit of Health and Safety at work. This area of general health and safety in
the UK falls not within the ambit of the Fire Services nor even the building control or
planning functions of the local authority but remains with an independent bodythe
Health and Safety Executive. It is argued, therefore, that the expertise found within the
British Fire Service would not be available to Fire Safety Inspectors if this area of
activity were to be transferred to, and become, the sole responsibility of the Health and
Safety Executive. No doubt similar debates are occurring in other European states.
An Opportunity
The advent of the European Directives provides a Europe wide opportunity for
constructive action and a new approach to Fire Safety Legislation. What is needed, in all
nations, is a comprehensive approach to Fire Safety provision. What is presently obvious
is that the level of provision varies at present from member state to member state and the
extent of compliance (or non-compliance) also varies significantly. Quite apart from the
variations in approach between those countries such as England where there is a common
law basis for all implementation of legislation and other European states in which there
exists a codified system of law derived from Roman Law or Cannon Law, it should be
noted that the extent and nature of member states Fire Safety Legislation varies and is a
reflection of not just the cultural attitude but also the level or prosperity and economic
activity.
It is often argued that the underlying reason for the existence of Fire Safety
Legislation (for both suppression and prevention) is to enhance the protection of human
life. This is an interesting humanistic argument but one that does not hold if we look at
the facts. In the United Kingdom there are, on average, about 35 deaths each year as a
result of fires in industrial or commercial premises. By contrast there are over 600 deaths
resulting from fires in domestic premises. If Fire Safety is about the protection of human
life then why is the main thrust of both domestic and European legislation concerned with
fire protection in industrial and commercial property and why is its cost of provision
always a factor to be taken into consideration?
The Purpose of Legislation
In addressing the need for new legislation, the starting point should be to look at the
purpose of legislation. All societies make laws for their self regulationgovernment of
the people by the people. It is also an axiom of legal theory that enforcement of law
requires the acceptance of society in general. A bad law, no matter how strict the attempt
at enforcement, will be quickly repealed. Society, all sections of society, must see and
appreciate the need for a piece of legislation for it to be acceptable. It must be to the
benefit of all.
From what point, therefore, should the need for new fire safety laws be addressed?
The point is often made (and I have made it myself on many previous occasions) that the
historical background to current fire legislations relating to occupied premises, across
Europe, shows the majority of those pieces of legislation to have been introduced as a
response to major fire disasters and not as a response to any long term strategy or plan.
Emergency legislation introduced in this way always seems to create additional
problems as a result of overlaps with other areas or gaps left due to the indecent haste of
its introduction. This is the present position in England and the time is right, therefore, for
a strategic review.
The starting point for this review, however, should be to examine the underlying
purpose of fire safety legislation. English fire safety courses often draw attention to the
Great Fire of London (1666) as being the catalyst for fire safety legislationlegislation
intended only (or primarily?) to save human life. There had been major fires in the
metropolis on many occasions prior to 1666 but these had passed without such an outcry.
For example, in London in the 13th century, one fire alone cost 3000 lives. What was
different about the Great Fire? It only lasted for three days and only three people died!
However, thirteen thousand buildings were destroyed and over sixty percent of the
countrys wealth was destroyed along with them! This resulted in the introduction of a
requirement for the construction of full height dividing walls between properties (known
as party walls)in itself an excellent ideabut it was for the protection of property
against fire, not for the protection of people. It was not until the mid nineteenth century,
with its social change and concern with public heath, that fire death was really
consideredin Regulations designed to control the nature of buildings and to promote
the health and efficiency of the workforce.
Today, we are all taught that the express purpose of fire safety legislation should be to
protect persons from fire risk. However, if the protection of human life is paramount, we
would legislate (and design) for zero risk. Yet, in recent European legislative proposals
and directives, we are being asked to consider a risk-based, goal-oriented approach to fire
safety.
Before considering the need for new legislation as a result of this change of emphasis,
consider the possible extreme effect of de-regulation. It may be summed up in the
example of the factory fire in Shenzhen Province in China, last year. Hundreds of people
died in that fire because, to maintain productivity, all of the doors and windows had been
secured to prevent the ill disciplined peasant workforce from wandering out during
working hours!
The European Effect on the U.K.Scene
Although comprehensive data is not to hand regarding the extent of variations in

European legislation, it is interesting to note that the recent studies in the UK point
towards the fact that:
1.
a. domestic and domestic/European legislations are overlapped and lack clarity; and
b. these overlaps lead to confusion and put unnecessary burdens on business; and
2. there is a need to
a. rationalise, simplify and modernise domestic fire safety regulations and procedures;
and
b. fill gaps in the coverage of fire safety provisions throughout Europe.
Currently, to address these findings in the U.K it is proposed that:
a. general fire precautions should be in the same framework as other health and safety
legislation but enforcement should be by fire authorities;
b. in general, owners and occupiers should provide and maintain adequate fire
precautions;
c. fire certificates should only be retained for higher life risk premises;
d. compliance should be by means of a self authorised risk assessment and emergency
plan (certification, where required, to be based on the risk assessment);
e. national standards should be introduced to ensure uniformity of approach; and
f. a national advisory committee should be formed.
The intention of these proposals is to:
reduce the compliance burden without adding to the administrative burden
enhance levels of fire safety
reinforce existing duties
and in moving in this direction it is suggested that no additional resourcing should be
necessary for enforcement. The countrys Health & Safety Executive (HSE), however,
has other views.
It is also stated that implementation of these recommendations should result in:
a. a matching of precautions to risk
b. the creation of a general duty of care, similar to that found in the existing English
general health and safety legislation[7]
c. avoidance of duplication of risk assessments for different purposes
d. reduction in required consultations between the Local Authorities Building Control

Officers (BCOs) and the Fire Authorities (FAs)
A streamlined building control process (plus new national standards) should facilitate the
development and use of innovative techniques and approaches. However, it also raises
many questions.
Suggestions that the necessary change can be best brought about by the re-use, or
continued use, of some of the existing systems ignores the opportunity for comprehensive
legislative change and the opportunity to modernise some, if not all, of the approaches to
implementation of fire safety in England.
The Situation in the Rest of Europe
The main area of Fire Regulation in the UK lies, presently, within the Building
Regulations and within the regulatory provisions of the Fire Precautions Act although, as
has been previously mentioned, there are regulatory provisions in over 60 Acts of
Parliament and some 80 or more sets of Regulations. In contrast, the Fire Safety
Regulations of Denmark are to be found predominantly in the Building Regulations[8]
issued by the Ministry of Housing. These date from 1982, although a new set is currently
in preparation (publication iminent). These are quite clear and fairly stringent and it is
interesting to note that the number of fire related deaths in Denmark is significantly lower
than in many other European countries. Germany has a reputation for having a strict
written code of fire related regulations[9] covering both the construction and occupation of
buildings and, whilst no detailed investigative work has been done on the German
Legislation, it has been noted that there is a strong insurance based control overlying the
statutory framework.
France and Spain also have fairly stringent codes of fire safety. However, these are in
many cases very detailed and, in the case of France (where they are contained in a series
of separate documents[10]), apply at a national level. Investigations reveal, however, that
there are relaxations and variations at local level which lead to variations in the level of
implementation although this does not appear to be official. The national code of fire
regulations[11] in Spain, NBE CPI-91, is supplemented by local provision at both regional
and large town level and, therefore, there exists a variation in the system from place to
place such as existed in the UK prior to the introduction of nationally based building
regulations in 1965. The Spanish Fire Safety Regulations were upgraded locally[12,13] for
the island site in Seville for the construction of the buildings for EXPO 92 in an
attempt to have a strict fire safety regime on a site that was subject to world scrutiny and
this exercise involved the rewriting of materials specifications and standards to cover
some 85 different building techniques (from different countries) and some 110 cultural
approaches to fire safety. Of considerable interest in this activity was the way in which
materials test standards were harmonised.
It points to a problem which needs to be thought through. The harmonising of
standards at European level is all very well but the requirements specified by national
legislations also need to be aligned. Otherwise, because local regulations are written to
satisfy local conditions, there could be a situation in which, for example, an M2 material
might satisfy the European Test Requirements but, because of the non-alignment of local
legislations, might not satisfy the requirements in one or two European states whilst more
than satisfying the requirements in others. The fault would not be the adequacy of the
material but the misalignment of the legislations. This problem is currently being
experienced in Portugal which is in the process of reconstructing its code for fire safety.
New fire codes exist for commercial buildings[14], industrial buildings[15] and public
service buildings[16] and work is progressing on codes for administration buildings and
school buildings. In Portugal, the influence of the insurance companies is fairly weak and
the underlying fire engineering science is largely lacking in its underwriting professions.
There is, therefore, a tendency towards strictly drafted laws which appear, then, to be
more honoured in the breaking than the keeping.
The current situation in Spain is similar. The general code of fire protection[ibid.] for
new constructions was introduced in 1991 and is similar in scope to the U.K. Building
Regulations. There is, however, no current legislation dealing with fire standards in
occupied buildingsother than a recently introduced set of regulations requiring
introduction and maintenance of firefighting equipment[17]. Neither of the Iberian
Peninsula countries appears yet to have taken any step towards implementation of the
European Directives.
Conclusion
At European level, therefore, the matter of implementation of directives needs to be

pursued with vigour but it is pointed out that there also needs to be co-operation between
the several European Governments on matters of both general and process fire
precautions, legislative and regulatory implementation. For those in fire related academe
in both research and teaching and for those in fire engineering consultancy it is very
important to realise that the engineering solutions and the materials standards can not
exist in isolation; their acceptance, their implementation and their continued development
depend just as much upon the existence of an adequate and compatible legislative and
regulatory framework and on the economics of the environment in which they are placed.
But perhaps this paper should conclude with an observation on the matter raised
initially, i.e., the cost to European industry. If the proposed changes to fire safety
legislation and enforcement procedures are implemented in the wake of E.C. Directives,
what are the real financial and legal implications for small and medium enterprises?
It should be noted that, in a parallel issue, the British construction industry is already
predicting an increase of some 20% in its requirements for health and safety personnel as
a result of the proposed implementation of the Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations (CONDAM)[18].
Changes in fire safety requirements will make it necessary for there to be a substantial
increase in the provision of education in fire safety, design economics and risk
assessment/management in all relevant professional and vocational courses. This will,
itself, give rise to a need for a radical review of educational provision in these areas
throughout the European Union and, no doubt, yet another increase in the costs to
industry and commerce.
References
[1] Crichley, J., Scott, S., Swift, N. & Terry, H., Fire Safety Legislation and Enforcement:
Report of the Interdepartmental Review Team, The Department of Trade and Industry,
London, 1994.
[2] European Parliament, The Single European Act, 1986, The European Commission
Publications Office, Brussels, 1986, OJ 1987 L169/1.
[3] European Parliament, Treaty Establishing the European Economic Community (EEC)
(Rome, 1957), The European Commission Publications Office, Brussels, 1957, Treaty Series
No.1 1973 Part II, Cmnd 5179-II.
[4] European Commission, Council Directive (EEC) 89/391 on the Introduction of Measures to
Encourage Improvements in the Safety and Health of Workers at Work, The European
Commission Publications Office, Brussels, 1989, OJL183 29/6/89 p1.
[5] British Parliament, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, 1988, Her
Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1988, Statutory Instrument No. 1657/1988.
[6] European Commission, Council Directive (EEC) 89/654 on the Minimum Safety and Health
Requirements for the Workplace, The European Commission Publications Office, Brussels,
1989, OJ L393 30/12/89 p1.
[7] British Parliament, Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act, 1974, Her Majestys Stationery
Office, London, 1974, Statute Chapter 37, 1974.
[8] Danish Government, Building Regulations, 1982, Ministry of Housing, Copenhagen, 1982
[9] Deutches Institt fr Normung e. V., Deutche Normen DIN 4102, Teil 4. Brandverhalten von
Baustoffen und Bauteilen, Berlin, 1981
[10] for example:
Government of France, Dcret N. 731007, du 31 octobre 1973, relatif a la protection contre
risques dincendie et de panique dans les tablissements recevant du public, Journal
Officiel de la Rpublique Franaise, Paris, 1987
Government of France, Arrt du 31 janvier 1986, relatif a la protection des btiments
dhabitation contre incendie. Titre VI Parcs de stationnement, Journal Officiel de la
Rpublique Franaise, Paris, 1986
Government of France, Arrt du 31 janvier 1986, relatif a la protection des btiments
dhabitation contre incendie. Titre in Dgagements, Journal Officiel de la Rpublique
Franaise, Paris, 1986
Government of France, Circulaire du 7 juin 1974, relatif au dsenfumage dans les immeubles
de grande hauteur, Journal Officiel de la Rpublique Franaise, Paris, 1974
[11] Spanish Parliament, Norma Bsica de la Edificacin. Condiciones de Proteccin contra
Incendios, 1991, Madrid, 1991, Real Decreto 279/1991
[12] Sociedad Estatal para la Exposicion Universal de Sevilla 92, S.A., General
Regulations/Special Regulations (SR8), 1990
[13] Sociedad Estatal para la Exposicion Universal de Sevilla 92, S.A., Instruccin de
Desarrollos, N. 2.06, Para la Proteccin contra Incendio en los Edificos, 1991
[14] Portugese Council of Ministers, Regulamento de Segurana contra Incndio em Edifcios
de Habitao, Decreto-Lei N. 64/90 de 21 Fevereiro, 1990
[15] Portugese Council of Ministers, Normas de Segurana contra Riscos de Incndio aplicar
em Estabelecimentos Comerciais, Decreto-Lei N. 61/90 de 15 Fevereiro, 1990
[16] Portugese Council of Ministers, Medidas Cautelares Mnimas contra Riscos de Incndio a
aplicar aos Locais e seus Acessos Integragos em Edifcios ond estejam Instalados Servios
Pblicos da Administrao Central, Regional e Local, Instituies de Interesse Pblico e
Entidades Tuteladas Pelo Estado, Resolucao do conselho de Ministros, N. 31/89, 1989
[17] Spanish Parliament, Reglamento de Instalaciones de Proteccin contra Incendios, 1994,
Madrid, 1994, Real Decreto 1942/1993
[18] Anon. (consultation document), Proposals for Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations, The Health and Safety Commission, London, 1992.
SECTION THREE
EC PERSPECTIVESNEW
HORIZONS?
32
OPERABILTY ANALYSIS AS A TOOL
FOR FIRE RISK EVALUATION
N.PICCININI
Politecnico di Torino, Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali
e Ingegneria Chimica, Torino, Italy
Abstract
This paper illustrates the execution of an Operability Analysis (OA)
directed to the elaboration of logic trees. It is shown that both Fault Trees
and Event Trees descend almost automatically from a well-structured AO,
though it is also pointed out that this transition is facilitated by the
intermediate construction of an Incidental Sequences Diagram (ISD), a
logic tree that provides a clear indication of all the links between primary
events and their unwanted consequence.
Keywords: Operability analysis, Fault Tree, Event Tree.
1. Introduction
In their book, T.J.Shields and G.W.H.Silcock adfirm: The development of useful,

reliable fire safety evaluation techniques is proving elusive and is still very much in the
embrionic state [1].
The author thinks instead that the set of methodologies currently used in the process
industries for a Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) are well consolidated and that their
application provides a real knowledge about fire safety evaluation [2].
2. Development of an OA
OA is a qualitative method whereby critical examination of deviations from the normal

operating conditions is used to identify different forms of plant malfunctioning, the risks
thus created, and the management problems involved.
This well-known method, however, is on many occasions still utilised in accordance
with the procedures codified when it first appeared or the few modifications that have
since been introduced [3,4].
Briefly, an OA executed in this way represents the stage in which a project is checked
by a group of experts who examine it critically in the light of their own engineering
experience. The forms summarise the results of their discussions in the shape of actions
to be taken later so as to obtain a plant with a greater degree of safety.
In situations when quantification of a certain number of
potential accidents (i.e. estimates of their probable frequency of occurrence) is also

required, logical models should be constructed from the information included in the
operability forms. This information, however, must be interpreted by an analyst (not
always an easy task) and translated into fault logic diagram terms.
The methods described in this paper have been worked out so as to automate the
logical model construction stage and thus reduce the costs associated with the safety
analysis and quantitative checking of the project. There was thus a need to define a well -
structured procedure for execution of the OA.
Moreover, the way in which the form is filled in (explained in para 2.1 below) takes
account of the logical links inevitably present in a correct OA. Indeed, it is the presence
of these links that enables both an FT and an ET to be extracted from an OA [5,6].
The proposed OA has been illustrated by way of example with reference to a frying-
pan. The plant is illustrated in Fig. 1, with its possible critical points or Nodes [4].
Deviations from normal operating conditions are sought in these nodes.
2.1 Procedure
To make the analysts task easier and provide a certain degree of formality, an OA is
elaborated on forms such as that shown in the table of Fig. 2. This is divided into eight
columns corresponding to a precise logical pattern permitting subsequent graphic
reconstruction of sequences of events identified in the OA.
The execution of an OA may be heavily dependent on the proper division of a plant
into sub-systems. For this reason, boxes A, B, C and W in the flow diagram (Fig. 3) are
dedicated to a check for the above aspects.
Another preliminary operation is identification of the boundary nodes and those
internal to each sub-system|Box D|, i.e. the points where deviations of a process
variable (temperature, pressure, etc.) may develop or propagate. These points must be
suitably numbered. This opeartion must naturally go hand in hand with identification of
the process variables regarded as significant for the analysis|Box E|.
The OA itself actually begins at box F. The details of the process from this box
onwards will now be described.
|Box F|A plant is usually analysed according to its flow lines. It is thus desirable
to take a boundary node of the first sub-system as the starting point.
|Box G|The first process variable chosen to start the analysis is selected. Its
significant deviations from the stable operating conditions are examined|Box H|and
then the regulating (or shut-down) systems able to intervene|Box X|.
|Box I|Identification of a Deviation (column 1) is followed by the search for all
its Possibile causes (column 2).
Operability analysis as a tool for fire risk evaluation 307
In Fig. 2 these causes are separated from each other by a dashed line if they are linked
by an OR gate, and joined by the ampersand (symbol &) if they are linked by an AND
gate.
The Consequences expected from the Deviation if the protection devices fail or
are not present are placed in column 3.
The analysis is now continued by tracing back to the origin of the cause identified.
This is done by moving from one node to the next
Figure 1Plant diagram:

1, Frying-pan; 2, Oil; 3, Thermostat; 4,
High temperature switch; 5, Smoke
detector; 6, Sprinkler
Figure 2Logic links in the

construction of an OA and the final
part of an FT
along the flow lines of the process, using simple logic rules applied to columns 1, 2 and
3.
|Box J|If the causes identified in box I are regarded as primary at the depth of
analysis obtainable at this level, they are given an appropriate distinguishing mark, such
as an asterix|Box L|, if not, they require further analysis.
|Box K|Non-primary causes are further examined by regarding them as
deviations. The content of the item in column 2 is thus included in column 1 as well
[ ] and since this Deviation must have a Consequence, column 1 must be
shifted to column 3 [ ]. In this way a new cause is identified.
|Loop K-J|Systematically one works up from a cause as a deviation to the causes
regarded as primary with reference to the consequence identified in box I.
At this point, having traced the origin of the causes|Box L|, one investigates the
gravity of the consequences|Box M| If one consequence is critical, i.e. appears as a TE,
it must be indicated in column (7) with a progressive number. In any event, to be
identified as a TE a consequence must be the outcome of deviations for which protection
systems have failed to come into action, or were not provided (Fig. 2).
|Loop N-M|In the same way, if the first consequence is not a TE and hence
conclusive for the analysis, it must be further analysed until either the consequence
regarded as final is reached, or all the consequences regarded as possible and likely for
the entire plant have been examined.
|Box N|The intermediate consequence is now converted into a deviation by
shifting column 3 to column 1 [ ] and its deviation is then transformed into a
cause by shifting column 1 to column 2 [ ]: a new consequence is identified.
One can therefore get to all the possible TEs by proceeding in this way along the flow
lines of the plant. It is worth noting that this developement of the analysis automatically
leads to the boundary nodes, which means that the adjoining sub-system must be
analysed. It should also be noted that combination of the two procedures Loop K-J and
Loop N-M both ensures that the analysis is congruent and permits connection between
branches in the subsequent logic tree development.
|Box O|Completes the inquiry for all the process variables identified in box E.
|Box P|The analysis ends for all the nodes comprised in box D.
|Box X|Each time a deviation is noted in box I or in the course of Loop K-J and
N-M, columns (4) and (5) must show:
the optical and acoustical devices installed to give warning of the deviation,
the automatic protective or shut-down means provided for each deviation.
|Box Y|Moreover, a completeness check to ensure that all the nodes identified
and their process variables have been duly analysed can be made by scanning the head of
each form. An OA congruence check must also be carried out by following the column 1,
2 and 3 shifts for each deviation, cause and consequence.An initial result with regard to
the safety of the plant is immediately evident when the forms filled in are examined at the
end of the OA. The TEs for each sub-system are identified, in fact, and columns (4) and
(5) show whether or not alert signals or protection systems are envisaged for the
deviations giving rise to such TEs.
FIG. 3QA flow chart.

Figure 4Incidental sequences

diagram
3 Construction of logic trees starting from an OA
The first logic tree that can be extracted from an OA, and from which all the other trees
(FT, ET, etc.) can be derived, is the Incidental Sequences Diagram (ISD). This is a
graphic representation providing an easy link between an OA and an FT or ET [5,6]. Its
construction should be the result of simple transcription of the contents of the forms,
using well-known logic gates already implicit in a correct OA (Fig. 2).
As previously indicated, the ISD obtainable from the type of OA described is in
general a series of elementary ISDs each providing a logical description of the
occurrence of the TE (Fig. 3).
It should also be noted that construction of one ISD for each TE serves as a further
check of the completeness and congruence of the OA itself.
The transcription procedure will be easier if certain points concerning the logical
meaning ascribable to each column of the form are borne in mind. As can be seen in Fig.
2, columns 1, 2 and 3 refer to process faults, whereas columns 4 and 5 are concerned with
failures of the systems employed to prevent such faults.
An ISD analysis stops at the depth reached in the OA. It is only in an FT that the
primary events are fully developed so that they can also be analysed quantitatively. To do
this, it is enough to develop the statements comprised in the boxes, which refer to column
2 of the OA form, into primary events associated with failure rates.
A similar procedure can be applied to draw an ET (Fig. 5) [7].
4 Conclusions
As far as the OA is concerned, a very innovative procedure has been presented to allow
filling up of the form to the point of systematic and definite completion of the analysis by
means of a recursive mechanism.
In addition to enhancing the strong points of the OA method, i.e. its systematic nature
and completeness, the new procedure enables the actual attainment of these objectives to
be checked in a simple manner, while direct extraction of the ISD from the OA provides
a check on the congruence of the analysis that would otherwise be impossibile and a
simple way to draw FT or ET.
The method is illustrated with a simple example and proposed as powerful tool for fire
risk evaluation.
4 References
1. Shields, T.J. and Silcock, G.W.H. (1987) Building and Fire, Longman Sc. Tech., Harlow.
2. Lees, E.P. (1981), Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2 vols, Butterworths, London.
3. Lawley, H.G. (1974), Operability studies and hazard analysis, Chem. Eng. Progr., 70(4), 45
56.
4. Guidelines for Hazard Evaluation Procedures, AICHE, New York, 1985.
5. Ciarambino, I., Scarrone, M., Piccinini, N. (1991), Quantitative Operability Analysis: a study of
a Pressure Regulating Installation on a city mains, proc. Int. Conf. Probabilistic Safety
Assessment and Management, Feb. 47, 1991, Beverly Hills, G.Apostolakis ed., Elsevier, New
York, 625630.
6. Piccinini, N., Scarrone, M. and Ciarambino, I., Operability analysis as a tool for an easy
construction of logic trees, European Meeting on chemical Industry and Environment, Girona
24 June 1993, J.Casal ed., UPC, 187200.
7. Piccinini, N., Scarrone, M. and Ciarambino, I. Probabilistic analysis of transient events by an
event tree directly extracted from operability analysis, J. Loss Prev. Process Ind., 1994, 1 (7)
23.
Figure 5Event tree

33
DEVELOPING A GEOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION SYSTEMS-BASED
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR
EMERGENCY PLANNING IN RESPONSE
TO HAZARDOUS GAS RELEASES
S.CARVER
School of Geography, University of Leeds, UK
A.MYERS
Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning Unit,
Fire and Civil Defence Authority, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
ABSTRACT
This paper outlines a prototype emergency decision support system for
use in the event of a release of hazardous gas. The system is being
developed as a collaborative project by the University of Leeds and Tyne
and Wear Emergency Planning Unit using data from a case study of the
Sterling Organics CIMAH site at Dudley in North Tyneside. The design
of the system is based around the pcARC/INFO GIS package and the
GASTAR dense gas dispersion model developed by Cambridge
Environmental Research Consultants Ltd. The system provides for data
aquisition, visualisation, predictive modelling of gas dispersion, analysis
and training. A demonstration facility is also included for illustrative and
introductory purposes.
1. INTRODUCTION
The work described here arises from discussions between members of the Tyne and Wear
Emergency Planning Unit and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (now at the
University of Leeds) regarding public perception of major hazards and the potential
offered by Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the emergency planning process.
A subsequent Home Office research grant allowed for both a doorstep survey of public
perceptions to be conducted in the Newcastle area (Carver and Myers, 1993) and for an
investigation of the feasibility of linking advanced gas dispersion models to proprietary
GIS software for decision support in emergency planning (Carver et al. 1992). The latter
has given rise to a more extensive research and development programme involving the
University of Leeds, Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning Unit, the University of
Cambridge and Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants Ltd. This work is

ongoing and is the subject of this paper.
1.1 GIS, Emergency Planning and decision support

GIS has long been considered a potentially useful tool in both the development of
emergency plans and in supporting emergency decisions in the field (see for example,
McMaster and Johnson 1986, Dunn 1989, Fedra and Reitsma 1990). Indeed, in their
review of the role of GIS in managing natural and technological hazards, Gatrell and
Vicent (1991) go as far as to suggest that few areas of the application of GIS technology
can be as socially significant or environmentally relevant, as the management of
emergencies and disasters due to natural and technological hazards (p.148). Examples
cited by Gatrell and Vicent (1991) include building databases of hazards and emergency
management resources, optimal routing for the
safe transport of hazardous materials, monitoring of the health implications of disasters,

developing evacuation plans, etc. as well as modelling the dispersal of toxic gas plumes.
Clearly, this list is not exhaustive and may include many more areas where GIS can
provide an input. One area of recent interest in the GIS research community is the
development of GIS-based decision support systems (see for example, Carver 1991 and
Clarke 1990) whilst a few examples look specifically at GIS-based decision support
systems for emergency planning (e.g. Fedra and Reitsma, 1990). This paper focuses on
the development of such a system by linking a GIS with a sophisticated dense gas
dispersion model.
1.2 Linking GIS and dense gas dispersion models

A number of gas dispersion models have been written for use in research and emergency
management. These range from very simple models such as half-angle and sector models
through to complex finite element analyses capable of making highly accurate and very
detailed predictions of plume development. However, the usefulness of a model to the
emergency planner is closely linked to its ability to place its results in a real world
geographical context for realistic decision support and make them accessible to further
analysis. A few dispersion models do make some attempt at linking with geographical
information, but usually only via purely visual means of displaying outputs over a
background map. As they stand, however, most gas dispersion models are limited in their
usefulness to the emergency planner. The visualisation of model predictions is an
important ability in real-time decision support which should not be underestimated, but
on its own it does fall a long way short of the full potential of linking GIS with dispersion
models in providing much wider decision support not only in real-time, but also for pre-
and post-event analyses. Fully fledged GIS-based gas dispersion models should provide
not only for visualisation of model outputs in a geographical context but should also
allow for the integration of environmental information to both improve model predictions
and assess likely impacts (e.g. the effects of terrain variables plume development and
Developing a geographical information systems-based decision support system 315
time of day, week, etc. on predicting the population at risk), the design of emergency
plans (e.g. evacuation priorities, resource allocation, etc.), the definition of risk maps and
zones of consequence, real-time changes affecting model predictions (i.e. changes in
wind direction, etc.) and realistic error analyses.
Of course, there are many proprietary GIS packages on the market, but gas dispersion
modelling remains such a low key and esoteric application as to make the incorporation
of such models within GIS software as standard tools a poor business proposition. It is
therefore, largely upto the research and user communities to provide their own
customised and hybrid systems for this purpose.
2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
The requirements outlined here are for a system that integrates both the functionality of a
GIS and a dense gas dispersion model into a single, easy to use, decision support system
running on a PC. Consideration of system requirements are split here into those
concerning system hardware, software and data.
2.1 Hardware
A key requirement of the system under design is that it should run on notebook and
desktop PC. This will ensure both portability (for use in either the field or office) and
low-cost of hardware, whilst ensuring the largest possible market for the finished product.
Using a high-end system (e.g. 486 or Pentium) will provide sufficient computing power
for models to be run interactively in the field in order to make real-time predictions.
2.2 Software
The question of system software requirements is somewhat more complex. It is clear that
the prototype system will necessarily involve a modification of existing software, both in
terms of the GIS and the dispersion model used. In the final version it may be more
effective if the software is bespoke, adapting parts of off-the-shelf packages wherever
possible. New code would only be written from scratch where functionality cannot be
effectively adapted from existing systems. This is, however, beyond the scope of this
paper and the following design focuses firmly on the prototype system.
The development environment utilised is the pcARC/INFO GIS package running
under DOS using the pcARC/INFO Simple Macro Language (SML) and FORTRAN as
the primarly system development languages. GASTAR, developed by Cambridge
Environmental Research Consultants (CERC) Ltd., is the gas dispersion model used by
the system. Output from GASTAR can be quite easily incorporated within pcARC/INFO
through a loose coupling approach. This may be accomplished at a number of levels from
a basic displaying of model outputs within the GIS to a dynamic link between GIS and
model using the GIS database to improve model predictions by including spatial
variability in factors such as terrain, surface roughness and albedo. Details of how this
can be done with specific reference to pcARC/INFO and GASTAR are contained in a
separate paper (Carver, 1994).
2.3 Data
The data requirements of the system are equally complex. Two basic types of data are
defined: those which can be predetermined and stored in the GIS database as a series of
map layers such as terrain and population distribution (i.e. fixed data); and those which
vary between incidents, and even within the time span of the incidents themselves, such
as meteorological conditions and conditions of release (i.e. dynamic data). The latter can
only be input in real-time although sample datasets, for example, those containing
meteorological records for the area, can be included.
The data used by the system cover a wide range of environmental, demographic and
physical phenomena. Included within these categories are data pertaining to the
conditions of the gas release (e.g. wind direction and speed, type of release, etc.), factors
affecting model predictions (e.g. terrain, locations of sinks and barriers, surface
roughness, atmospheric stability, etc.) and those factors determining the likely impact of
the gas release (e.g. population distribution, traffic flows and local infrastructure). A full
list of data included in the prototype system is included in table 1.
3. SYSTEM DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY
The prototype system is modular in its overall design and based on the ARC/INFO vector
data model. In this model data is stored as individual thematic layers, such that there
exists one layer for each dataset in the system (i.e. a population layer, a terrain layer, a
landuse layer, etc.). This facilitates the easy management of data (including input, update
and manipulation) and analysis between different data layers. In a modular system
individual sub-sections of the system perform specific tasks such as data aquisition,
visualisation and analysis. Apart from providing a logical structure to the system, this
approach makes system programming and subsequent alteration/update much easier. The
modular architecture of the system is outlined in table 2.
In addition to those modules available within the main system, demonstration and
training modules are also provided. The training module provides access to a range of
example environmental and release datasets facilitating the generation of realistic
incident scenerios which can be used in place of actual incidents when training staff in
the use of the system. The demonstration module provides a non-interactive overview of
the systems functionality via a simple slide show.
3.1 Data aquisition

The data aquisition module provides basic data input functionality in two areas important
for the running of the system: environmental (fixed) data input; and release (dynamic)
data input. For a system such as described here to function properly a certain amount of
environmental data needs to be included within the package. In this context
environmental data is taken as referring to the range of relevant factors both affecting and
being affected by the dispersion of the body of gas released. As such this includes data
relating to those physical factors affecting gas dispersion (i.e. terrain, surface roughness,
meteorological conditions, etc.) and those data relating to the likely impacts of a gas
release (i.e. population figures and characteristics, transport networks, local

infrastructure, etc.).
The system provides for the input of fixed environmental data from a number of
sources. These include raw digital co-ordinates (e.g. ARC/INFO Ungenerate format
data), ARC/INFO Export format data, DXF data (AUTOCAD), etc. so as to make data
input from a wide variety of other systems as easy as possible. Naturally, it is not feasible
to include all known formats in any one system. However, the inclusion of a simple raw
co-ordinate based format should enable users with even the most basic of programming
skills to convert their data into a format compatable with their current system. In the case
of the final product it is envisaged that software for converting between various input
formats could be provided on an individual user basis.
The provision of an environmental data input module allows the user to rapidly create
the necessary environmental database required by the system, to update existing data as
and when changes occur, and to extend the database to cover new areas of interest.
Access to the environmental data input functions is via a custom menu/text based
interface giving the user access to different directories in which data may be
stored/imported as well as providing complete access to the range of pcARC/INFO data
transfer formats, editing and display functions at a system level.
The system provides facilities for the quick and easy input of release data, both direct
from the keyboard and from the system database. Release data is taken here to mean that
data relating to the conditions and type of gas release which need to be input directly
from observations made at the time of release. Data on conditions of release include
meteorological data (i.e. wind speed and direction, stability, temperature, etc.) as well as
the conditions relating to the release itself (i.e. presence or absence of fire, type of
release, etc.).
Direct input from the keyboard is obviously necessary in real-time modelling
situations as and when an incident occurs. In other situations (i.e. risk mapping, designing
zones of consequence and training) it is often more appropriate and flexible for data to be
stored as a file in the system database. Two options are therefore provided within the
release data input module; one allowing direct input via the keyboard in response to
prompts from the system, the other from files stored in the system database.
3.2 Dispersion modelling

The system described here uses the GASTAR model to predict the pattern of dispersion
followed by a mass of dense gas in the event of an accidental release. It is noted that
although the current system is designed to incorporate the GASTAR model, the modular
design of the system means that future versions could easily switch to using alternative or
additional models if necessary. Future versions could therefore also be adapted by
including models of other potential hazards such as radiation, explosion, fire, etc.
3.2.1 Model description

The GASTAR model consists of a suite of programs for simulating the dispersion of
dense gases released into the atmosphere. The name is an acronym derived from
GASeous Transport from Accidental Releases. The model represents the latest in state-
of-the-art dispersion physics and advanced computational methods (CERC, 1993, p.?)
and is aimed at providing an efficient and powerful tool for risk assessment and
emergency management. The model was originally developed for the Health and Safety
Executive but is also sold for use in industry, consultancy and research. The uses listed in
the GASTAR user manual include land use planning/zoning, emergency response
planning and active emergency management.
The model simulates the dispersion of dense gases for a wide range of meteorological
conditions, material properties, source models and dispersion models. The output from
the model is also available in various forms to facilitate ease of interpretation, validation
and application of the results. To date, however, the model has only been used as a stand
alone system and no previous attempts have been made to link it directly to a GIS,
although some of the models outputs are inherently spatial and easily incorporated
within a vector GIS data model.
3.2.2 Integration of the model into the main system

The GASTAR model produces a number of outputs in the form of simple ASCII text
files. These include a file giving the distance of the gas cloud from the point of release
along the wind vector together with several variables relating to cloud dimensions, gas
concentration, etc. This information is used here to create an ARC/INFO map data layer
describing the models predictions which is subsequently used for visualisation and
analysis purposes (Carver, 1994).
Whilst the most simple incorporation of the GASTAR model into the current system is
simply to run the model from within the main system shell and use the model predictions
as they are output, a number of modifications and enhancements are envisaged. The first
of these involves by-passing the data input sections of the GASTAR and using the input
forms and menus of the main system. This would create the impression to the user of a
seamless join between GASTAR and the main system. This can be achieved simply and
with little alteration of the original GASTAR source code. Suggestions for further
enhancements are based around alterations of the GASTAR code to enable the model to
make predictions using the environmental data available in the main system rather than
assuming that the conditions at the point of release apply across the whole of the release
area. Experiments are in progress to determine whether an approximation of this may be
achieved without altering too much of the original GASTAR source code.
3.3 Visualisation
Simple visualisation of data and model outputs is regarded as an important part of the
whole system. The ability to map model outputs onto environmental data, for example,
provides the user with an indispensible tool for estimating likely impacts of a gas release.
Even without more advanced analyses such as population data retrieval within the
predicted extent of the gas cloud, useful first impressions of impact can be gained just by
looking at model predictions in the context of ground information.
3.3.1 Release data

Data relating to the initial conditions of release can be shown on the screen in map form
along with base map data to place it in a geographical context. Release data which can be
illustrated in this fashion include position of release (e.g. static storage tank/pipeline or
tanker) together with wind speed and direction (represented as symbols on the base map).
Other release data, including type of gas, type of release, presence/absence of fire, etc. is
illustrated in a text window at the side of the map display (see figure 1).
Figure 1. Schematic screen display of

release data showing evacuation
priorities
3.3.2 Model output

It is vitally important that model outputs can be viewed in the context of base map and
environmental data. The first operation carried out on the model output should therefore
be a simple visual overlay of the predicted gas cloud on to an annotated base map
showing key geographical features such as roads and built-up areas. This allows the user
to orientate themselves in regard to the model predictions and make first assessments of
the likely impact of the release.
When the emergency services first arrive at the scene of a gas release, a single model
run using current release data followed by viewing the predicted plume/cloud extent in
the context of the base map data may be an extremely useful first analysis. Because of the
immediate nature of the threat, there is a need to enable this initial run to be performed as
quickly as possible while retaining the integrity of a full calculation. This enables quick
decisions to be made by experienced operators allowing rapid action regarding
evacuating those at greatest risk, diverting traffic, setting up of command and control
points, etc. It is suggested that the initial model run should include not just a simple
prediction of the area likely to be impacted by the gas plume but also areas adjacent to
the plume and areas immediately surrounding the point of release. This allows for
prioritising the evacuation of people in these areas (as shown by the numbers in figure 1)
and for both errors in the model itself and changes in release conditions during the
incident (i.e. sudden changes of wind direction). Later detailed analysis could provide
information regarding numbers of people at risk, etc. once immediate concerns have been
dealt with.
3.3.3 Environmental data

Visualisation of detailed environmental data is potentially a very useful part of systems
functionality. The ability to examine model outputs in the context of environmental
factors which are both likely to affect the models predictions and be affected by it is a
key aspect of the visualisation process. For example, viewing model predictions in the
context of terrain information containing details regarding locations of barriers and sinks
may reveal oversights in the model predictions (i.e. areas where a gas plume/cloud is
likely to be diverted or retained). Another example may be viewing model predictions in
the context of impacted features such as areas of housing and the road network (see
figure 2 below).
Figure 2. Suggested visualisation of

model outputs in the context of
impacted features such as areas of
housing (Works Estate) and the road
network (shown in grey)
3.4 Analysis
Beyond simple visualisation of model outputs in the context of ground information more
advanced analyses may be performed using the system. These include integration of
model predictions with environmental data to retrieve information, generation of risk
maps and emergency plans and error estimates. This covers both instances of pre-event
planning and post-event clean-up/evaluation as well as real-time decision support.
Special consideration is given to the systems role in these areas are given separately.
3.4.1 Integration of model outputs with environmental data

After visualisation, model outputs can be analysed in the context of relevant
environmental data. Information within the boundary of the predicted gas plume/cloud
relating to relevant data can be retrieved and displayed for use in decision support. This is
achieved simply by overlaying the map layer containing the model predictions ontop of
the map containing the relevant environmental data and retrieving the information from
within the plume/cloud boundary. This is illustrated in figure 3.
Figure 3. Retrieval of population data

and other relevant features from within
mapped gas plume/cloud boundary
Of particular relevance to the proposed system is population distribution. Figures for total
population within the predicted gas plume/cloud based on 1991 Census data can be
retrieved and displayed, along with associated information regarding demographic
structure which may be deemed of relevance. For example, the age distribution and
proportion of unemployed within an area is useful in estimating the likely numbers of
people in residence at the time of day/week when a release incident occurs.
Supplementing maps of population distribution by residence are the locations of schools,
hospitals and other areas where concentrations of people are likely to be found.
Indications as to likely diurnal and longer term fluctuations are also included. The spatial
resolution of population data is often a problem with the finest level of resolution
provided by Census data being the Enumeration District (ED). EDs contain, on average,
500 people in urban areas and 150 in rural areas, but when mapped may be largely open
spaces such as fields and parks. The distribution of population within EDs is often
assumed to be uniform giving rise to underestimates of population density in the
populated areas. Here a technique known as dasymetric mapping is used to obtain finer
resolution data on population distribution by combining map and satellite data on built up
areas with ED boundaries (Langford et al. 1990).
Other environmental data which may be commonly integrated with model predictions
in this fashion include roads and associated traffic figures, railway lines, airports, etc.
Typical interogations of the data and model outputs can include such questions as:
1. how many people live within the predicted plume/cloud boundary?

2. which roads will be affected?
3. how much traffic will have to be diverted?
4. which schools, hospitals, residential care homes, etc. lie within the plume/clouds
predicted path?
5. where are the nearest evacuation centres and are they available?
3.4.2 Pre-event analyses

It is intended that the system be used for pre-event analysis as well as decision support in
the field. In this context the system can be used in the delimitation of zones of
consequence and for risk mapping around static hazards (i.e. CIMAH sites). When used
in conjunction with longitudinal meteorological records for the area of interest, the
system database and models provide all the necessary tools and much of the information
required to define zones of consequence and draw risk maps for the hazard in question.
Zones of consequence can be defined according to the type of hazard (toxicity of the
gas, volatility, etc.), its sphere of influence and the proximity of population (both
residential and transitory). Inside the maximum likely limit of hazard, as determined by
the gas dispersion model and the characteristics of the gas in question, then different
zones of consequence can be defined according to population distribution and
characteristics. In general, the greater the population density, the greater the impact or
consequence of a gas release. This is illustrated schematically in figure 4. Detailed zones
can therefore by defined according to population density and distance from the hazard
Figure 4. Zone of consequence map

based on sphere of influence of
hazard and density of populated areas
(since gas concentrations will decrease with distance from their point of release as a
result of dispersion in and mixing with the surrounding air) this can of benefit when pre-
designating evac centres, etc The relationship between distance from point of release
and gas concentrations can be determined using the dispersion model and transfered to
the zone map. Risk maps for hazards of interest can be defined utilising meteorological
records and the zones of consequence defined above. It is suggested here that a suitable
way of determining reliable risk maps would be to use the system described here to make
multiple model runs according to the range of meteorological conditions, principally
wind direction, wind speed, air temperature and stability, found at the site. The results of
the multiple model runs could then be compiled into a single map layer. Those areas most
frequently affected by gas plume/cloud predictions are used together with the zones of
consequence map to determine areas of varying risk. This is illustrated in figure 5.
Figure 5. Schematic risk map based on

figure 4 and wind direction
3.4.3 Real-time analyses

Analyses carried out in real-time as an incident is actually occuring obviously need to be
both quick and reliable. For this reason it is suggested that they should be limited to
visualisation, model predictions and information retrieval in support of emergency
decision making. More complex analyses, such as those described above in the context of
defining zones of consequence and risk mapping, should be restricted to pre-event
analyses and post-event clean-up scenarios.
3.4.4 Post-event analyses

The system described here may be used over a range of post-event analyses. Information
contained within the system databases can be used together with data relating to the
incident to assist in post-event evaluation of the performance of both the model and the
emergency services. In this manner problem areas and possible improvements to both the
system and emergency plans may be identified and implemented prior to another
incident.
4. DECISION SUPPORT
The decision support role of the proposed system can be divided into the three main areas
of its functionality in terms of analysis, i.e. pre-event, real-time and post-event.
4.1 Pre-event decision support

Pre-event decision support is mainly concerned with making plans for evacuation, traffic
control, defining planning policy and identifying the need for public information
campaigns and is based on the assumption that wherever there is a hazardous gas storage
tank or where gas is transported, there is the chance that a release of gas could occur.
Decisions made regarding these issues need to be made by individuals involved with the
emergency services, planning authorities and the chemical industry. Information provided
by pre-event analyses using the system database and model can be used to support these
decisions. it should be noted that the system is not being designed for use as a decision
making system, but purely for use in decision support.
Pre-event decisions which may be supported by the system may include how to:
1. assign evacuation priorities to areas in the vicinity of CIMAH sites
2. define evacuation corridors along existing road networks
3. locate safe evacuation reception centres
4. locate traffic control points at critical points in the road network
5. locate command and control units to oversee and co-ordinate emergency operations
6. modify local structure plans regarding development in risk areas
7. target areas for public information campaigns
4.2 Real-time decision support

Real-time decision support is concerned solely with providing the emergency services at
the scene with up-to-date information on which to base decisions regarding evacuation,
traffic control and location of command and control units. Emergency planners would
find this most useful in the pre-event planning and post-event clean-up and evaluation
phases of an incident. As outlined above, operations should realistically be confined to
simple visualisation, modelling and information retrieval. However, it should be obvious
that only a limited amount of forward planning can be carried out with the system prior to
the event. Plans made earlier on the basis of pre-event analyses, etc. will, therefore, need
to be modified in real-time using predictions of gas plume/cloud development and other
relevant information (i.e. time of day/week, meteorological conditions, etc.) should an
incident occur.
Real-time decisions which may be supported by the system include:
1. which areas are at greatest risk and need priority evacuation
2. how to prioritise further evacuations
3. which routes to use for evacuation
4. which evacuation reception centres to use
5. where to locate traffic control points
6. where to locate command and control units
4.3 Post-event decision support

Post-event decision support benefits largely from hindsight; the incident has already
occurred and has been dealt with. Utilising the existing environmental database of the
system together with data regarding the incident itself (i.e. release data, plume
development, casualties, property damage, etc.) a post-event evaluation of the problems
faced by both the model and the emergency services can be carried out. The results of
such an evaluation can then be used as positive feedback in redesigning emergency plans.
Post-event decisions which may be supported by the system include:
1. is the system and dispersion model used adequate?
2. are existing emergency plans effective?
3. are the resources available to the emergency services adequate?
4. can the system and emergency plans be improved, and if so, how?
5. are existing risk maps and zone of consequence an accurate representation of reality?
4.4 Training
Training is an essential part of designing and using a decision support system such as that
described here. The system is intended to be used for training as much as for its use as a
tool for analysis and pre-event, real-time or post-event decision support. The training
element is essential in that it both enables the user to familiarise themselves with the
system and with the decisions that are likely to be required in the event of a real incident.
The training module of the system provides the user with access to the full range of the
systems functionality and databases together with a scenerio generator which can be
used to create realistic release incidents on which the user can practise.
5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
This paper has introduced and outlined in detail a prototype GIS-based decision support
system for emergency planning in response to hazardous gas releases. The system is still
in the development stage and it has yet to be fully tested. Work to date has however
shown that a link between proprietary GIS packages and gas dispersion models can be
made and used to create an effective and workable decision support tool. This also
illustrates that other similar hazards models could easily be incorporated into such a
system, for example radiation relases to be used with LARRMACC (Local Authority
Radiation Radioactivity Monitoring Advice and Collation Centre).
Many of the advantages and pretexts of adopting a GIS-based approach applying not
only to emergency planning in response to dense gas dispersion modelling but also to a
whole range of other emergency planning situations from explosions to flooding. In this
context the current system, and other examples cited in the growing literature on GIS and
decision support for emergency planning, is illustrative of the wider advantages which
can be gained through an integrated GIS and modelling approach. In specific reference to
gas dispersion the research and development process outlined here has identified a
number of basic problem areas which need to be addressed in further developing this and
other systems. These can be summarised as follows:
1. Many gas dispersion models fail to adequately take spatial and temporal variation of
relevant parameters and variables into account by assuming that conditions at the point
of release apply over the whole of the impact area. Integrating models with GIS and
attendant databases within real-time systems is perhaps the best way in which these
problems can be addressed.
2. The usability of gas dispersion models is seriously curtailed if they do not allow for
the direct integration of model outputs with the ground information with which
emergency planners and emergency services are used to working on a day-to-day
basis.
3. Where dispersion models have been linked to some form of geographical database,
analyses are largely limited to simple visualisation and information retrieval. The full
potential of GIS-based analyses is being missed and this needs to be addressed by
moving research on dispersion modelling and GIS closer together through co-
operative interdisciplinary programmes with close links to the end-user community.
Further research and development work in this field is clearly necessary before a practical
system can be produced. In the context of the system described in this paper,
development work is planned to continue on the prototype system with the aim of
securing further funding to allow work to proceed on the development of a full working
system which would then be available for use by emergency planners throughout the UK
and abroad.
References
Carver, S.J. (1994) Linking dense gas dispersion models to the Arc/Info GIS. Working Paper No.
??, School of Geography, University of Leeds.
Carver, S.J. (1991) Integrating multicriteria evaluation with Geographical Information Systems. In:
International Journal of Geographical Information Systems. 5(3), p.321339.
Carver, S.J & Myers, A. (1993) The role of public perception in the response planning for major
incidents: public perception and memory retention questionnaire survey. Final report to Home
Office. November 1993.
Carver, S.J., Myers, A. & Newson, M. (1992) The role of public perception in the response
planning for major incidents: a proposal for a GIS-based strategy. NorthEast Regional Research
Laboratory Report No.92/1. University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Clarke, M. (1990) Geographical Information Systems and model-based analysis: towards effective
decision support systems. In: H.Scholten and J.C.H.Stillwell (eds) Geographical Information
Systems for Urban and Regional Planning. Kluwer Academic Press, Netherlands. p.165175.
Dunn, C. (1989) GIS in emergency planning: the Cumbria Geographical Information System. In:
Mapping Awareness. 3(6). p.1519.
Fedra, K. and Reitsma, R.F. (1990) Decision support and Geographical Information Systems. In:
H.Scholten and J.C.H.Stillwell (eds) Geographical Information Systems for Urban and
Regional Planning. Kluwer Academic Press, Netherlands. p.177188.
Gatrell, A.C. and Vicent, P. (1991) Managing natural and technological hazards. In: I.Masser and
M.Blakemore (eds) Handling Geographical Information: methodology and potential
applications. Longman, London. p.148180.
Langford, M., Unwin, D.J. and Maguire, D.J. (1990) Generating improved population density maps
in an integrated GIS. In: Proceedings of the First European Conference on Geographgical
Information Systems.
McMaster, R.B. and Johnson, J.H. (1986) Assessing community vulnerability to hazardous
materials with a Geographic Information System. In: N.Chrisman (ed) Proceedings of Auto
Carto 8. p.471480.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the help of the Home Office in providing the
initial funding for this project, Dr Rex Britter, Cambridge University and CERC Ltd. for
providing the GASTAR model and Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority
EPU, the University of Leeds and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne for providing
general research support.
Table 1. Prototype system database
The data included in the prototype system can be
described at a number of levels. The first level
describes the thematic contents of an individual
data layer and the second level its individual
attributes and complexities.
Level 1: Thematic layers
Name Description
CIMAH Location of CIMAH sites
TERRAIN Digital terrain model
LANDUSE Land use data
SURFACE Surface roughness index
ALBEDO Surface albedo index
BARRIER Barrier locations and type
SINKS Sink locations
STREET Street level data (selected areas only)
ROADS Road network
RAIL Rail network
BOUNDARY Boundary data (including study area)
POPFIXED 1991 Census of Population data mapped by Enumeration District
POPTRANS Estimates of population adjusted according to time of day/week
POPCEN Concentrations of people (i.e. hospitals, schools, etc.)
POPDASI Dasimetric map of fixed and transitory population density
EVAC Location of evacuation reception centres
Level 2: Data characteristics and complexities

Name Type Source Scale Attributes
CIMAH point TWEPU 1:25,000 Type of hazard, etc.
TERRAIN polygon IoH 50m grid Altitude, Slope, Aspect
LANDUSE polygon LANDSAT 25m grid Land cover type
SURFACE polygon derived 25m grid Surface roughness index
ALBEDO polygon derived 25m grid Surface albedo index
BARRIER line various various Type, Height
SINKS polygon various various Type, Estimated volume
ROADS line OS map 1:25,000 Type, Traffic count
RAIL line OS map 1:25,000 Type, Passenger figures
BOUNDARY polygon OS map 1:25,000 Type
POPFIXED polygon OPCS 1:25,000 Total, +various others
POPTRANS polygon various 1:25,000 Total transient population
POPCEN point various 1:25,000 Total
POPDASI polygon various various Total
EVAC point OS map 1:25,000 Capacity
Table 2. System architecture

Module Functionality
Data aquisition Fixed data input
Dynamic data input
Dispersion modelling Running of gas dispersion model
Provision of numerical model outputs
Visualisation Visualisation of fixed and dynamic data
Visualisation of model predictions
Integration of visual displays
Analysis Integration of model output and environmental data
Information retrieval
Generation of evacuation plans
Generation of risk-maps and zones of consequence
Generation of impact scenerios
Error analyses
34
APPLYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
TO THE SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF
TIMBER IN FIRE
C.A.GREEN, R.FOSTER and P.SMITH
School of Computing and Information Systems,
University of Sunderland, UK
G.W.BUTLER and M.T.NIELSEN
Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade,
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Abstract
It is widely recognised that timber plays an important role in both
preventing and determining the development of a fire. Conventionally,
forensic analysis of timber in fire investigations is carried out by means of
destructive test methods such as wire brushing and full-scale furnace
testing. Analysis of the results of such testing relies heavily upon the
expertise of the human investigator. These methods are currently used
during both fire investigations and fire door inspection and testing.
The removal of the charcoal from the softer species of timber may
result in slightly higher values for the depth of char, due to the lack of
definition between charred and uncharred timber, causing inaccuracies in
the data collected.
This paper discusses new methods of acquiring data which are
representative of the effects of fire on timber through non-destructive
methods, thus leaving the physical evidence intact. New methods for
analysing such data will be identified, particularly through the use of
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.).
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Depth of Char, Pyrolysis, Scientific
Analysis.
1. Introduction
Regardless of the introduction of man-made substitutes such as plastics, timber still

remains one of the most extensively used materials in building construction and furniture
production. Therefore, it is inevitable that timber in some form will be found present at
the majority of fires, and as such, will contribute to the development of the fire as a
source of fuel. Conversely in the form of a fire door it will form a barrier, thus
Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning. Edited by R.Barham. Published in 1996 by E & FN
Spon. ISBN 0 419 20180 7.
restricting the development of the fire from one compartment to another to allow
sufficient time for the occupants to escape to safety.
Evaluating the effect of fire on timber can provide valuable clues as to the nature of
the fire. Conventionally, forensic analysis of timber in fire investigations is carried out by
means of destructive test methods such as wire brushing and full-scale furnace testing.
Analysis of the results of such testing relies heavily upon the expertise of the human
investigator. These methods are currently used during both fire investigations and fire
door inspection and testing.
Research being carried out by the University of Sunderland and the Tyne and Wear
Metropolitan Fire Brigade in the United Kingdom, is looking at the possibility of using
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods on timber during fire investigations, and the
suitability of such methods for fire door inspection and testing. Artificial Intelligence
techniques such as Neural Networks are being considered as methods for analysing data
from the NDT. This paper highlights areas currently being considered for the application
of this technology and describes the potential benefits which could be gained from
carrying out this type of work.
2. Current Methods for Evaluating the Effects of Fire on Timber
The effect of fire on timber has for many years been used as an indicator of the type of
fire development, by both the fire services and the forensic science services. One of the
main combustion properties of wood is charcoal, which is formed by pyrolysing the non-
volatile constituents of the wood. The depth to which the pyrolysis action of the fire has
converted the wood to its volatile fractions and charcoal is known as the char depth.
This action on the wood is progressive and occurs at a predictable rate which leads to
zones of char and pyrolysis being formed, these become clearly visible when a cross-
section of burned timber is studied and are used to calculate the char rate of timber. What
can be seen from examination of a cross section of timber involved in a fire is a line
between the charred and the uncharred timber. This line of demarcation differs depending
upon whether it has been a fast or a slow burn. The area known as the Pyrolysis Zone
will be very narrow in a sudden and fast moving fire, giving a sharp line between
charcoal and timber [1].
A lot of emphasis has been placed on the charring rate of timber to calculate the time
duration of fire exposure to a structure. The figure generally used is approximately
0.6mm per minute or 1/40 of an inch per minute. This figure is a result of the mean rate
of char depth development measurement in a standard test furnace. Fire service manuals,
such as the Manual of Firemanship Book 12, document the British Standard as being
between 30mm to 50mm per hour depending on the specie of the timber [2], However,
work carried out by the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA)
identifies a wide range of charring rates dependent upon species, ranging from a high of
0.8mm per minute for Abura to a low of 0.425 per minute for Teak [3].
The depth and pattern of the char are also used by investigators for determining the
development of the fire, which may provide significant clues as to the possible cause.
Wire brushing is done to remove the charcoal which has formed to uncover the charred
timber. The depth and surface pattern may be indicative of the type of fire (i.e. slow or
Applying artificial intelligence to the scientific analysis of timber in fire 331
fast burn). It is therefore important that this information is recorded. The depth is
measured manually by inserting a small probe into the char, whilst the size and shape of
the cracks which appear in the char are noted [4].
A number of inaccuracies can occur whilst collecting information of this kind during
investigations, which are further compounded by:
The inaccuracy in the method of measuring depth of char, rather than the depth of the
remaining timber (the charcoal layer having shrunk when compared with the original
wood).
The use of wire brushing as a method for removing charcoal to measure the depth of
char, which may result in slightly higher estimates for softer species.
The density and moisture content of timber and the intensity of the flames which affect
the char rate of timber.
These factors increase significantly the difficulty of the task faced by the fire investigator
in making proper assessments of the data [4].
3. Fire Safety-Fire Doors
Fire doors form a barrier restricting the development of a fire from one compartment to
another, allowing sufficient time for occupants to escape to safety.
Fire door testing in the U.K. is carried out to the approved British Standard (BS 476
Part 8) which requires a door is tested by destructive methods using a furnace [5]. This
test will certify a particular door for a set period of fire resistance i.e. Half-hour, Hour or
Two Hour doors. Providing doors are made to the same standard specification they are
accepted as qualifying for that purpose and no further test is required.
Any imperfections in the timber and its inherent reduction in quality can go unnoticed.
Subsequently this may lead to a possible reduction in the standard of fire resistance.
Quality control of this product is essential if we are to maintain the high standard of fire
resistance provided by this product.
4. Non-Destructive Evaluation of Timber
Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) of materials is defined as the science of identifying

the physical and mechanical properties of a piece of material without altering its end-use
capabilities [6]. Evaluation of this kind requires suitable testing methods. A number of
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods are being put to use in a wide range of areas.
Methods such as ultrasound, X-ray and microwaves are being used for testing of
materials such as metals, concrete, ceramics, fabrics and wood.
NDT techniques for wood differ from those homogeneous, isotropic materials such as
metals, glass, plastics and ceramics. In non-wood materials, whose mechanical properties
are known and tightly controlled by manufacturing processes, NDT techniques are used
to detect the presence of discontinuities, voids or inclusions. Because wood is a
biological material, these irregularities occur naturally, and may occur because of
agencies of degradation in the environment. Consequently, a lot of NDT techniques have
been used on wood to measure how natural and environmentally-induced irregularities

interact in a wood member to determine its mechanical properties [6].
Whilst many of these techniques are successful in a wide range of applications,
ultrasound has attracted most interest and consequently become the most widely used for
non-destructive inspection, due to its ease and safety of handling [7]. Ultrasonic testing is
widely used in industry for quality control and equipment integrity tests; using ultrasound
it is possible to detect flaws, showing their size and location, and also to determine
differences in material structures and physical properties [8]. All of these features support
the decision to use ultrasound for the NDE of timber which has been subjected to fire.
5. Ultrasound For Analysis of Timber in Fire
Ultrasonic scanning is being considered as a tool to assist in the determination of the

effects fire has on timber. Two areas are being considered during this study, in fire
investigations looking at charring of timber, and for quality inspection and testing of fire
doors.
5.1 Fire Investigations

As has been stated above, current methods for collecting and interpreting data from
charred timber present a number of problems to investigators trying to establish an
accurate picture of the development of fire.
Ultrasonic scanning of the timber during fire investigations is seen as a way in which
the investigator may examine the remaining timber without destroying the evidence,
building up a clearer representation of the fire damage. Possible applications of this
technique could be:
Measuring the depth of char for particular species without the need to remove the
charcoal and thus remove important characteristics of the charred timber;
To identify the char pattern;
Cross-sectional examination which highlights the pyrolysis zone, ultrasound would
allow for this type of examination without destroying further the timber structure.
Results of such an examination may show that the depth of char does not affect the
integrity of the structure removing the need to replace that particular structure.
5.2 Fire Safety Inspection and Testing

The aim of using ultrasound in this area is to identify the internal characteristics of fire
doors in order that a prototype for a suitable fire door might be established. Through
scanning the door prior to furnace testing, it is hoped that relevant data relating to the
doors composition will be captured, which would under normal circumstances not be
available. This data, and data collected during furnace testing of fire doors could then be
used to establish whether or not any particular features (i.e. flaws, timber defects etc.),
are responsible for the failure, or success of a particular fire door. By establishing such
criteria, improved fire door standards could be set and used to assist in further fire door
inspections.
Applying artificial intelligence to the scientific analysis of timber in fire 333
Many benefits are proposed relating to:

Identifying features of door in old and listed buildings for their integrity;
Establishing criteria on which to base quality control for companies manufacturing fire
doors;
Providing companies with guidelines using a fire door prototype;
Reduce the amount of furnace testing.
6. Artificial Intelligence for Timber Analysis
Work is currently looking towards the use of Artificial Intelligence techniques as a

suitable method of interpreting and representing data obtained by ultrasonic testing of
timber which has been subjected to fire.
Artificial Intelligence is the field of advanced computing which attempts to empower
computer systems with the ability to automate the process of reasoning and decision-
making [9]. Whilst a number of these techniques are being employed in a wide range of
disciplines, this research project will be considering one, namely Neural Networks, for
the interpretation and representation of data obtained through ultrasonic testing.
Neural Networks may be described as massively parallel interconnected networks of
simple (usually adaptive) elements and their hierarchical organisations which are
intended to interact with objects of the real world in the same way as biological nervous
systems do [10]. This may be simplified such that we recognise neural networks as
systems which consist of a large number of simple processing elements (known as
neurons), highly interconnected, and which respond to an input pattern of some
description by altering the states of their interconnections. Unlike conventional computer
systems, neural networks do not need to be programmed, instead they learn by
experience. This act of learning is effected by altering the strength of the connections
between the neurons across the network in response to the input pattern. The knowledge
of this pattern is effectively stored as a pattern of energy in the connections between
neurons.
Neural networks can successfully deal with noisy, incomplete, or vague data on the
strength of previous experience [11]. This makes the technique robust for many real-
world applications, including ultrasound testing [12,13], where the majority of data
encountered contains noise and contradictions. Work has been carried out in applying
neural networks to the analysis of ultrasound data in timber related projects, showing the
potential of the technique [14,15,16].
7. Conclusions
The collection of accurate and representative data in the areas of fire investigation and
fire door testing, and the subsequent analysis of such data by human investigators, are
areas which are both problematic and complex. These difficulties have provided the
motivation for examining the potential benefits of applying ultrasonic NDT and A.I. data
analysis techniques in these areas.
This paper has discussed the potential for the application of AI techniques in this area.
There is clearly much scope for work in this area, and many benefits to be gained form
applying such advanced technology.
8. References
1. DeHaan, J.D., Kirks Fire Investigation, 1991

2. Manual of Firemanship, Book 12Practical Firemanship, 1983.
3. Hall, G.S., The Charring Rate of Certain Hardwoods, Timber Research And Development
Association, Buckinghamshire, U.K., Research Report WT/RR/10.
4. Cook, R.A. et al, Principles of Fire Investigation, The Institution of Fire Engineers, 1985
5. British Standard 476 Part 8
6. Ross, J.R., NonDestructive Testing of Wood, USDA Forest Service, Forest Product Laboratory,
Madison, Wisconson. 1992
7. Yoshiro, T. et al, Nondestructive Inspection of Hidden Knots in a Japanese Cedar Log Using
Ultrasonic Computed Tomography, Ultrasonic Technology 1987
8. Mix, P.E., Introduction to NonDestructive TestingA Training Guide, J.Wiley & Sons
Publications, 1987, pp 104157.
9. MacIntyre, J.D., Condition Monitoring and Artificial Intelligence, University of Sunderland,
U.K. September, 1993
10. Kohonen, T., An Introduction to Neural Computing, Neural Networks, Vol 1, pp 316, 1988,
Pergamon Journals.
11. Hinton, G., How Neural Networks Learn from Experience, Scientific American, Sept 92,
p105109.
12. Taylor-Burge, K. et al, The Real-Time Analysis of Acoustic Weld Emissions using Neural
Networks, Proc. of 6th International Conference on Joining of Materials (JOM-6), Helsingor,
Denmark, April 1993.
13. Damarla, T. et al, Application of Neural Networks for Classification of Ultrasonic Signals,
Proc. of Artificial Neural Networks in Engineering (ANNIE 92), St. Louis, Missouri., 1992.
14. Occena, L.G., Chiu, C., Neural Models of Defect-Driven Hardwood Log Sawing, Dept. of
Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1994.
15. Zabel, A., Integrating of Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic Based Classification for a
Common Quality Assessment System of Different Surfaces, Proceedings of 2nd International
ConferenceComputer Integrated Manufacturing, 6th10th Sept, 1993, Singapore.
16. Simula, O., Visa, A., Self-Organizing Feature Maps in Texture Classification and
Segmentation, Proceedings of ICANN92, Brighton, U.K. 1992
35
APPLICATION OF EXPERT SYSTEMS
AND MACHINE LEARNING IN FIRE
INVESTIGATION
P.J.IRVING and S.L.KENDAL
School of Computing and Information Systems,
University of Sunderland, UK
G.W.BUTLER
Fire Safety, Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade,
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Abstract
It is generally recognised that the careful investigation of a fire incident is
of great importance since this can reveal much about the cause and nature
of the fire, its development and effects. Although there are a number of
very experienced and expert human fire investigators, the vast majority of
fires are investigated by the fire brigade officers who have fought the fire.
Training courses are available to extend the scope and improve the quality
of fire investigations by fire service personnel but this can be a major
financial burden on fire brigades and does not provide the complete
answer, since experience also has a major part to play.
In other fields investigative or diagnostic problems have been tackled
by use of expert computer systems, which can emulate a human experts
problem solving techniques rather than the conventional computer
systems use of mathematical modelling.
This paper describes the collaborative work that is taking place
between The University of Sunderland and Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade
in the application of expert systems to fire investigations. The project will
provide fire brigade investigators with a portable system which will, after
rudimentary training, guide a fire officer through complex fire
investigations. Further development is aimed at producing an expert
system which learns new facts and rules from investigations. By the use
of networking the system should be capable of sharing any new
knowledge with investigators in other geographical locations.
1 Introduction
The systematic investigation of unplanned and uncontrolled outbreaks of fire is of

fundamental importance for the protection of lives and property from fire since it is only
through an accurate determination of the cause and responsibility that future fire incidents
can be avoided [1]. Proper fire investigation is also essential if accurate statistics on fire
occurrence, development and spread are to be collected and mathematical fire models
validated. An investigation may also be necessary to establish whether a crime has been
committed and to assist in the gathering of evidence to lay before the courts.
Within the United Kingdom there is no one body responsible for investigating fires,
the main organisations involved are the fire service, the police and the insurers. Each
have there own reasons for investigating fires and there is much overlap in the
information collected.
The fire service is concerned with the collection of data to enable statistics to be
collated nationally. They are also concerned with the behaviour of fire in buildings and
the behaviour of materials, fire safety systems and people in real fires, since this will
inform fire safety advice, standards and techniques. Fires are investigated by the police
when there is a suspicion of arson or where the fire has involved a death or serious injury.
The problem of arson in buildings is of particular concern, in the geographical area
covered by Tyne and Wear it is estimated that arson accounted for 72 percent of all fires
in 1993 [2]. In the whole of the United Kingdom, arson was estimated in 1992 to be the
cause of one fifth of all fires nationally, it was also estimated that arson represents
between 40% and 50% of all insured losses and is in the region of 500m per annum in
direct cost, with the real cost much higher [3].
Clearly insurers are interested in investigating fires which have presented them with a
financial liability, particularly if arson is suspected.
Since the fire service is the only body which investigates every fire, it is highly likely
that when fires are investigated in a thorough and systematic manner that significant
factors may be revealed. Guidance to fire services and to police forces on the liaison
arrangements for the investigation of suspicious fires have been issued by the Home
Office, which is the Government department responsible. This guidance also stresses the
importance of sound training in fire investigation methodologies and techniques [4].
Although a small number of United Kingdom fire brigades have officers designated to
fire investigation duties, the majority rely on the officer who has fought the fire to then
carry out the investigation. This can result in investigations of variable quality since not
all officers will have received specialist training and the large numbers of officers
involved, dilutes the fire investigation experience of all.
If fire brigades are to achieve the ideal of every fire receiving a consistent, thorough
and careful investigation. Based on sound scientific principles, there is the need for a
major training investment and perhaps an extension of the practice of using small
specialist teams. Most United Kingdom fire brigades would find this prohibitively
expensive and so there is a need to develop an alternative approach to fire investigation.
To be attractive to fire brigades any fire investigation system should:
ensure that investigations were carried out thoroughly,
Application of expert systems and machine learning in fire investigation 337
incorporate the knowledge of the best fire investigators,

learn from and preserve, all relevant experience,
be flexible enough to allow for new investigation topics and criteria to be easily
incorporated,
be capable of being operated by inexperienced personnel,
be inexpensive to set up and operate
The collaborative research project being undertaken between the University of
Sunderland and Tyne & Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade in the UK is an attempt to
address these issues through the use of artificial intelligence.
2 Artificial Intelligence Technology
The field of artificial intelligence, is an area of computing which has been around since
the mid 1960s. Stanford University developing their landmark system DENDRAL in
1965 and successfully demonstrated that it was possible for a computer program to
rival the performance of domain experts in a specialised field [5].
However, it was not until the 1980s that artificial intelligence technology took off.
The advent of PCs and their development into powerful machines coupled with the
development of artificial intelligence languages in the academic and commercial sectors
have brought forward this technology. The area of artificial intelligence is broad and
includes vision systems (helping robots see objects), learning systems and expert
systems. It is the latter two areas which are of specific interest to this project.
3 Expert System Technology
The first phase of the project is the development of an expert system for fire
investigation. Jackson [6] distinguishes expert systems from more conventional
applications programs in that:
1. They simulate human reasoning about a problem domain, rather than simulating the
domain itself. Distinguishing expert systems from payroll and fire simulation systems
which require mathematical modelling.
2. They perform reasoning over representations of human knowledge, in addition to
mathematical functions. Demonstrating that the system contains a representation of
human knowledge (specific to the domain).
3. They solve problems by heuristic or approximate methods, distinct from algorithmic
functions.
The third point demonstrates two important features of expert systems to this project: The
fact that they can emulate a humans ability not to make a decision if there is insufficient
information and that like a human they are capable of working with imperfect knowledge.
Both very important points in their application to fire investigation since in a fire
evidence is often destroyed.
4 Problems with Fire Investigation
Experience of the expert fire investigators is very much a personal attribute based upon
the incidents investigated and personal research. It is also a volatile resource which can
be lost at any time due to, for instance, retirement. Similarly the experience is only
available to that individual when, if it were encoded into an expert system it would be
permanent and available to all.
A hybrid of the experiences of a collection of expert investigators backed up by
scientific fact would be an even more valuable resource, although it must be recognised
that there may be problems in collecting the knowledge due to conflicting experiences.
It is such a combination of experience from the best fire investigators and scientific
fact which is planned for the project.
5 Expert Systems aiding Fire Investigation by the Fire Service
This application of expert systems is quite unique. Current systems can diagnose faults,
etc. based on existing symptoms. Fire investigations however, have to be carried out with
imperfect symptoms given that vast amounts of relevant information are destroyed in the
fire or simply unknown. Here we are working not with the ability to fault find on an
appliance to determine if it is overheating, but rather what is left of an appliance to
determine if it overheating was the cause of the fire.
Clearly expert fire investigators are well placed to ascertain such causes, however it
may be the officers at the incident who investigate the fire. In addition, evidence and
clues essential to the fire investigation process may deteriorate or be removed before the
expert investigator is able to carry out the investigation.
Although it is highly desirable to equip each fire engine with a fire investigator this
clearly poses a huge ongoing training and education programme. An expert system
carried on each fire engine or on specialist fire investigation units could supply not only
the required knowledge but also acquired expertise. Acquired expertise could also easily
be modified and distributed to other copies of the system.
A prototype system has been developed. This Fire Investigation Research Expert
system (FIRE) demonstrated that expert systems could contribute significantly in this
area.
This was the first step in a development programme the intention of which is to assist
fire investigators. The investigation of really difficult fires may take the human expert
but, if the expert system can investigate the lesser ones then it frees the time of the human
expert. A second much more powerful system is now being actively developed which
will deployed by the brigade.
In the introduction 6 points were highlighted as being necessary for fire brigades in
any fire investigation system. Below each is discussed with reference to the project under
development:
1. Ensuring investigations are carried out thoroughly
The expert system is being constructed using the knowledge of experts and
scientific fact in both ideal and real fire conditions. Being reviewed by experts
before incorporation into the system has allowed an ideal path to be
determined. Once incorporated into the system this path will then be followed
systematically every time the system is used.
2. Incorporating the knowledge of the best fire investigators
It is intended to collect a hybrid of expertise married with scientific fact. The
system will therefore incorporate the consensus knowledge of a panel of experts
and scientific facts. The panel providing expertise in excess of anyone persons.
Once incorporated into the system the knowledge will never be forgotten or
deteriorate over time.
3. Learn and preserve all relevant experience
Should any of the experts leave or retire their knowledge will be preserved. As
new developments are forthcoming they can be incorporated and all copies of that
system updated. Learning in its own right is to be addressed later in the project.
4. Allowing for new investigation topics to be incorporated
With new scientific developments it is important that new investigative topics can
be incorporated into the system.
5. Operation by inexperienced personnel
The system will hold the knowledge and expertise allowing it to be used by
inexperienced personnel. Therefore if the users can answer questions and follow
instructions then they can use the system. If they can use the system then they can
investigate a fire.
6. Be inexpensive to set up and operate
It is intended that the system developed will run on an ordinary Personal
Computer (PC), be inexpensive and thus universally available.
It is intended that the system will have a role in training, since it will be able to explain
why it asks each question and justify its conclusions the human investigator will learn.
Anyone wishing to enhance their knowledge in fire investigation can use the system as
one source of knowledge.
The system being developed is intended to be able to complete a fire investigation
report suitable for national statistics and also pass on electronically, these statistics
reducing paper work and administration costs.
6 Uncertainty In Fire Investigation
Because of the destruction of evidence in the fire often a single cause cannot be
determined. Instead there may be several possible causes or a feel for the cause. Rather
than giving a single conclusion or series of conclusions the system is being built to
determine possible multiple causes and to give the probability of these being the cause in
an incident. The system therefore will rank probable causes. Essentially there are two
main ways of ascertaining the ranking. Certainty Factors which represent a human
judgement of likelihood and Bayesian theory which works from gathered statistics.
Bayesian theory seems the more appropriate for the system under development as in
this field certainties are difficult to ascertain but statistics from previous cases are easy to
collect.
7 Learning Systems
Expert systems are capable of being updated, however this must be achieved through
revising the system with new knowledge. A system which could actually learn and pass
on that knowledge is the ultimate aim of the project.
One of the most successful machine learning mechanisms to date has come about by
simulating the biological, though not cognitive, structures of the brain. The discovery of
the neuron, around the turn of the century, allowed researchers, in the 1960s, to develop
simplified models of the neuron, to connect these to form neural networks [7] and to
simulate the behaviour of these networks using computers. Research was held up until the
1980s when methods for training these networks were developed.
The brain because of its massive neural network is extremely good at pattern
recognition tasks, an area where computers have been traditionally weak. The
implementation of neural networks has provided a mechanism where, like humans,
machines can have very good pattern recognition abilities. Over the past few years
applications of this technology have been introduced to the market place that demonstrate
a learning ability at least comparable to that of humans, arguably better.
However, neural network technology does not at the moment provide a mechanism
capable of general intelligence. Such systems are extremely good at pattern recognition
bringing advances in visual and speech recognition. Whilst such systems can spot
patterns in, for instance insurance claims, it is expected that pattern recognition ability
will not provide a complete learning mechanism suitable for the problems under
consideration. Fire investigation is an abstract planning function that typifies the so called
high order functions of the brain. The human brain is not yet fully understood but it is
clear that it is not homogenous. Substructures within the brain exist and these have not
been simulated on machines. Perhaps it is for this reason that neural networks are not yet
capable of simulating the higher order brain functions of planning and controlling goal
oriented behaviour.
One machine learning mechanism whos authors claim that it is capable of doing this
is SOAR [8]. Work on Soar began in the early 1980s and was a direct attempt to model
the cognitive processes of the brain. While its development was not yet complete in 1991
significant claims were made about its problem solving abilities and of its learning
mechanism [9]. It was claimed to be so successful that it represents an architecture
capable of general intelligence, i.e. it would perform a full range of tasks, using any
problem solving methods suitable for those tasks and employing a general learning
mechanism capable of enhancing the future performance of the mechanism when solving
similar tasks.
Therefore given a new problem Soar should construct a representation of that problem
and obtain information about the legal operators that can be applied. This is akin to
humans building a mental model of a task and determining possible steps that may lead
toward a solution. After this initial model has been built the next step would be to select
the best operator to apply, apply this to generate a new problem state, and repeat this
process until the goal is achieved. The intelligence within the system is shown in its
ability to choose the operator that will most quickly lead to the goal.
Fire investigation is a thorough planned process. A process that should change in light
of new experiences and knowledge. It is our intention to develop a high order learning
mechanism capable of enhancing and guiding the process of fire investigation.
8 Conclusions
Fire brigades are facing major problems to which training and education pose only a
partial solution, since loss of expertise is inevitable. Expert systems on the other hand are
a more cost effective solution which preserve knowledge.
The research expert system, FIRE, proved conclusively that expert systems can be
effective in this domain; even though due to the destructive nature of fire demands it
differs from current expert systems.
Also due to destruction of evidence, the systems will be able to work with imperfect
knowledge and capable of recognising when there is insufficient information to make a
decision.
Based upon imperfect knowledge it is important the system will investigate multiple
causes and give the probability of these being the cause. The probability will be based
upon statistics to provide accuracy.
Knowledge of experts and scientific fact are being built into the system to ensure it has
a large and accurate knowledge base upon which to base its decisions. The knowledge
base will be frequently updated ensuring maximum effectiveness.
A system is planned which will not require such formal updating but, which will learn
itself. This system will be based around a learning mechanism akin to the so called high
order functions of the brain. Again expertise from this system will be appended to the
expertise of other copies of the system to produce an extensive knowledge base on fire
investigation.
Both the expert and the learning system will provide the fire brigade with an aid
which:
carries out investigation thoroughly;
incorporates the knowledge of the best fire investigators;
learn and preserves experience;
flexible to incorporate new knowledge;
capable of being operated by inexperienced personnel; and
be inexpensive.
It is felt that the collaborative research project being undertaken between the University
of Sunderland and Tyne & Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade in the UK offers a positive
approach to the problems being faced in fire investigation.
9 References
1 The investigation into causes of fire (NFPA 921) The National Fire Protection Association, 1992
2 Tyne & Wear Fire Brigade Annual Report 1993
3 Home Office circular No. 106/1992 The Investigation of Fire of Doubtful Origin, The Home
Office, 1992.
4 IBID
5 Jackson, Peter. Introduction to Expert Systems 2nd Edition. Addison Wesley 1990. Page 35.
6 Jackson, Peter. Introduction to Expert Systems 2nd Edition. Addison Wesley 1990. Pages 4 & 5.
7 Hertz J, Krogh A, Palmer R (1991). Introduction to the theory of Neural Computing. Addison
Wesley.
8 Laird J E, Newell A, Rosenbloom P S (1987). SOAR: An architecture for general intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence Vol. 33 pp164.
9 Rosenbloom P S, Laird J E, Newell A, McCarl R(1991). A preliminary analysis of the SOAR
architecture as the basis for general intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (Netherlands). Elsevier
Science pp 289325.
36
MAKING FIRE MODELLING SOFTWARE
MORE ACCESSIBLE TO END USERS
A.N.NDUMU, D.T.NDUMU, J.ROBERTS and A.K.PLATTEN
Abstract
This paper discusses the need and techniques for making complex fire
modelling software more accessible to end users. Following a
characterisation of typical users against types of fire modelling software, a
hybrid software architecture posited to meet the requirements of the full
spectrum of users is presented. The architecture comprises a knowledge-
based system for qualitative reasoning and the production of explanations,
an artificial neural network layer for qualitative reasoning and
approximate quantitative analysis and a finite difference solver for full
quantitative analysis. The neural network layer is based on a novel
application of artificial neural networks; and we present some preliminary
results on its functioning.
Keywords: Artificial neural networks, end-user, fire modelling, finite
difference solver, knowledge-based systems.
1. Introduction
In recent years, highly sophisticated software tools for deterministic fire modelling have
been developed. These tools can be broadly classified as (i) zone models [1,2] and (ii)
field models [3]. The latter have the advantage that they provide detailed quantitative
information of the fire scenario. Both types of software require users with expertise;
making it difficult for novice users to obtain reliable results. Therefore, there is a need for
a tool that is flexible and more accessible to the novice user. We propose a system that
exploits the advantages of field models and meets the needs of the full spectrum of users.
This is a hybrid software architecture, implemented using a blackboard framework, that
comprises a knowledge-based system (KBS), an artificial neural network (ANN) layer
and a finite difference (FD) solver.
In section 2, we the describe the characteristics of end users and identify their needs.
Section 3 discusses the various components of the hybrid architecture while section 4
discusses the functioning of the ANN layer and reports on preliminary results.
2. Characterisation of end users
Users have different needs when modelling a fire scenario. At one extreme, some users
require only qualitative information which generally take the form of fire risk assessment.
This could involve the use of relatively simple equations to determine a given parameter
[4,5]. Also, qualitative knowledge can be obtained by using decision trees to represent the
knowledge embodied in building codes and/or from a panel of experts. This mode of use
is particularly suited for implementation on knowledge-based systems and some work has
been done along this line [6,7,8]. At the other extreme, some users require detailed
quantitative information in order to get a comprehensive description of the fire scenario.
Field models have been developed to meet this need and because they are based on
techniques in computational fluid dynamics, users need a considerable level of expertise
to fully exploit the potential of the software tool. In between these two extremes are users
of zone models who need qualitative and some quantitative information at the same time.
The quantitative information is not as detailed as that of field models but it provides
enough qualitative information so that reliable results can be obtained within certain
constraints [9].
Most users however, need to have access to different fire modelling tools in case their
requirements change, thus creating the need for a hybrid software tool that meets the
requirements of all user types. In our proposed system, the KBS component is able to
provide, by reasoning, qualitative information on different aspects in fire modelling. This
could range from the provision of advice on the best optimisation strategy for the
numerical solver, to the determination of the fire risk in a compartment. Furthermore,
users can refer to the KBSs explanation facility to determine its reasoning in arriving at
any given advice. Users also need the ability edit and update the knowledge-base so that
the systems performance reflects the state-of-the-art in fire modelling techniques.
The ANN component provides the facility for users to obtain results quickly and fairly
accurately without recourse to the numerically intensive finite difference solver. This
could be for preliminary analysis and provides enough qualitative and semi-quantitative
information allowing the user to gain a reliable understanding of the fire scenario.
3. The hybrid architecture
The proposed system is based on the blackboard problem-solving architecture [10]. The
blackboard architecture consists of a global database called the blackboard which
receives and provides data for several modules called knowledge sources. Each
knowledge source consults a partition of the blackboard for relevant data, and if present,
the data is processed and the results are posted on the blackboard (not necessarily on the
same partition). The consultation process is co-ordinated by a specialised knowledge
source called the scheduler. By constantly monitoring the blackboard, the scheduler is
Making fire modelling software more accessible to end users 345
able to draw up a list of knowledge sources to be activated according to some

predetermined criteria. In this way, the knowledge sources act independently and can
only affect others through the blackboard. One advantage of the blackboard architecture
over other software architectures is that it simplifies the implementation of a large
program by providing an excellent mechanism in which modules with very different
characteristics can be co-ordinated. This allows the use of different programming
methodologies to implement the various modules. In our proposed system (Figure 1), the
knowledge sources are represented by a User Interface (UI), a KBS, an ANN component
and a FD solver.
The UI is based on a virtual reality graphics [11] which greatly enhances the users
visualisation of the problem. It enables the user to specify the problem domain in terms of
simpler pre-defined objects like fire sources, vent openings, walls or cells for the FD
solver which are stored in the object database. The objects and their default values (stored
in the parameter database) can only be retrieved through the blackboard.
Figure 1: The hybrid architecture.

The KBS drives the system and its actions influence all other modules. It is capable of
holding knowledge relevant to fire modelling encoded in the form of ifthen rules which
are heuristic in nature. Using these rules, the KBS is able to reason about the course of
the modelling process. In this way, the KBS incorporates intelligence into the overall
system. Some work has been done in incorporating intelligence in computational fluid
dynamics software [12], but because they rely exclusively on a FD solver, the user does
not have the option of obtaining qualitative results quickly. The provision of an ANN
layer improves on this, whereby the user can obtain qualitative and approximate
quantitative information rapidly, and at a significantly lower computational cost. The
functioning of this component, which forms the core of our current research, is described
in the following section.
4. The ANN component
Artificial neural networks consist of many simple processing units connected to each
other. Each unit receives signals from other units and after processing, sends an output
signal to the other units. The neural network paradigm used in most science and
engineering problem-solving is the multi-layer feedforward network [13]. It consist of
units arranged in a layered structure with each unit receiving signals from the layer below
and sending signals to the layer above (Figure 2). The input and output layers receive
signals from and send signals to the external environment respectively. The number of
unit in these layers depend on the specific problem at hand while that of the hidden layer
is chosen to optimise the network performance.
Figure 2: A feedforward neural

network architecture
Each unit (except units in the input layer) carries out processing according to Equation 1:
(1a)
where
(1b)
wji is the weight of the connection from the ith unit on the previous layer to the jth unit, ai
is the output of the ith unit on the previous layer and netj is the net input to the jth unit.
It has been shown that the multi-layer feedforward neural network can be trained to
perform any mapping from an input space to an output space [14].
Network training is carried out using a set of characteristic training pairs ({i}, {o})
describing the mapping. Given an input i, and denoting the actual network output for this
input by y; training is a process of minimising the error (oy)2, where o is the target
output for the input i. Thus, network training attempts to minimise the function:
(2)
where p is the number of training pairs and k is the number of output nodes. Many
network training algorithms have been proposed for multi-layer feedforward networks
[13,15,16].
4.1 Standard model

One approach to incorporating an ANN layer into the hybrid architecture is to create a
library of networks, each trained to solve a typical parameterised problem. Each network
is trained for a specific physical boundary condition e.g. Neumann conditions and
geometric boundaries are expressed in parameter form. Thus, faced with a modelling
problem, the KBS component selects an appropriate network from the library, and
executes it with suitable parameters to provide a solution to the problem. We will
illustrate the results of one such network with the following problem:
Given the differential equation
(3)
where D is the diffusion coefficient and is the required scalar parameter (e.g.
temperature) subject to Neumann conditions at the boundaries on the domain
shown in Figure 3. The following fields are also defined:
Velocity field, ui, (doesnt change with time):
u1=cos(1) sin(22)
u2=sin(21)cos(2)
where
Scalar field; at t=0 is the Gaussian:

where r is any real number that determines the shape of the Gaussian and
Figure 3: The problem domain
From Equation 3 it can be deduced that for steady state solutions .A

neural network with 3 nodes (for the inputs D, x1, x2) on the input layer, 10 nodes on the
middle layer and one node (for the output ) on the output layer was trained for the
above problem. Training data for the network was obtained from solutions generated by a
FD solver that solves Equation 3. Twenty percent of the data at grid points where used
for training and the network error E=0.1% was achieved (as given by Equation 2). After
training, the network was able to compute the values for the whole domain with minimal
computational costs. Figures 4a and b shows a comparison of the solutions obtained by
the FD solver and the trained network.
Figure 4: Comparison of solutions

obtained by FD solver and trained
neural network
4.2 Improved model

The approach outlined above has one major drawback. In some problems, the physical
process being learnt is governed by a very large number of parameters or can be subject
to a wide variety of boundary conditions. This leads to large networks where training can
be difficult. Research is currently underway to rectify this problem whereby the network
is trained at a deeper level. Rather than using a large network to learn the global mapping
region, a series of smaller networks are trained to learn the underlying process. Each of
the small networks represents a sub-component of the global process and interacts with
its nearest neighbours in a recurrent fashion.
5. Conclusions
We have proposed a hybrid system based on the blackboard architecture to cater for all
user types. We also show that by including an ANN layer, qualitative and approximate
quantitative solutions can be obtained rapidly. Problems encountered with the ANN
component where outlined and an improved model is suggested. Research is currently
underway with the improved model and results will be reported in due course.
6. References
1. Jones, W.W. and Forney, G.P. (1993) Improvement in Predicting Smoke movement in
Compartmented Structures. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 21, No. 4. pp 269297.
2. Charters, D.A., Gray, W.A. and McIntosh, A.C.(1994) A Computer Model to Assess Fire
Hazards in Tunnels (FASIT). Fire Technology, Vol. 30, No. 1. pp 134154.
3. Cox, G. and Kumar, S. (1987) Field Modelling of Fires in Forced Ventilated Enclosures.
Combustion Science and Technology, Vol. 52, pp 723.
4. Gupta, A.K. (1994) CALFIRE: An Interactive Model for Fire Calculations. Fire Technology,
Vol. 30, No. 2. pp 304325.
5. Babrauskas, V. (1993) Toxic Hazards From Fires: A Simple Assessment Method. Fire Safety
Journal, Vol. 20, No. 1. pp 114.
6. Roux, H.J. and Berlin, G.N. (1979) Towards a Knowledge-Based Fire Safety System, in Design
of Buildings for Fire Safety, (ed. Hamarthy, T.Z. and Smith, E.E), ASTM, Philadelphia, Pa, pp.
313.
7. Amy, M., (1991) Even Experts need an Expert System, Fire Engineers Journal, Vol. 51, No.
161. pp 2930.
8. Dodd, J.F. and Donegan, H.A. (1994) Some Considerations in the Combination and Use of
Expert Opinions in Fire Safety Evaluation. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 22, No. 4. pp 315327.
9. Cox, G.(1994) The Challenge of Fire Modelling. Fire Safety Journal, Vol. 23, No 2. pp 123
132.
10. Jackson, P. (1990) Introduction to Expert Systems, Addison-Wesley.
11. Superscape VRT, Version 3.50 (1994)Reference and user manuals Superscape Ltd.
12. Petridis, M. and Knight, B. (1993). A Blackboard Approach for the Integration of an Intelligent
KBS into Engineering Software. Third International Conference on the Application of AI in
Civil and Structural Engineering.
13. Rumelhart, D.E., Hinton G.E., and Williams, R.J. (1986). Learning Internal Representation by
Error Propagation in Parallel distributed processing, Vol. 1, MIT press, Cambridge, MA, pp
318362.
14. Hornik, K., Stinchcombe, M. and White, H. (1989). Multilayer Feedforward Networks are
Universal Approximators. Neural Networks, Vol. 2. pp 359366.
15. Van der Smagt, P.P. (1994). Minimisation Methods for Training Feedforward Neural Networks.
Neural Networks, Vol. 7, No. 1. pp 111.
16. Kasparian, V., et al. (1994). Davidon Least Square-Based Learning Algorithm for Feedforward
Neural Networks. Neural Networks, Vol. 7, No. 4. pp 661670.
PART THREE
EDUCATIONAL AND
OPERATIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS
37
INTRODUCTION
B.T.A.COLLINS
Her Majestys Chief Inspector of Fire Services,
The Fire Service Inspectorate of The Home Office, UK
I am grateful to have this opportunity to speak to you this morning and I feel honoured
that I have been invited to do so as we commence the third day of the symposium under
the heading of Bridging the Gap.
Better understanding by the Fire Fighters and Researchers is essential and the fire
service in England and Wales is very conscious of its debt to the Institution of Fire
Engineers for the work that it does to promote the study and development of the science
of fire engineering. For the past two years the fire service has yet another debt to
acknowledge because in 1993 the first chair in Fire Engineering was established at the
University of Central Lancashire in England.
You have already had the benefit of hearing the opening paper in session one by
Georgy Makhviladze, the eminent incumbent of the Chair.
As a representative of the Fire Service I welcome the initiative which has been taken
by the University of Central Lancashire and the Institution of Fire Engineers in
organising this Euro-conference. I note that this event is billed as the first annual meeting,
which presupposes that there will be others. It is a good measure of the confidence and
enthusiasm of the organisers as well as an indicator of the importance of the subject and
for the need for international co-operation, that this optimistic view can be taken. I
welcome the initiative, acknowledge its importance and support the aim for this type of
conference to continue in an endeavour to bridge the gap.
This recognition on behalf of the Fire Service of the work of the Institution and the
University of Central Lancashire through its Chair in fire engineering leads to setting the
scene for todays presentations.
In the U.K. the cost of fire in financial terms alone is colossal. According to the
Association of British Insurers and despite all our efforts, at least 606 million pounds
worth of property was destroyed by fire in the United Kingdom in 1994.
Over two thirds of the property loss was in commercial premises. This is just insured
loss. The figures take no account of underinsured losses or where people have relied on
the It wont happen to me philosophy. Although this represents a reduction on losses
recorded in previous years there is a continuing need to understand the phenomena of fire
and to pursue even greater eff orts for more effective fire protection, fire precautions and
the planning for fire fighting should this ultimately become necessary. All of this has to
be achieved in the most effective way.
The first address on todays programme will deal with education and training. You
will have the benefit of hearing a paper by Professor John Roberts. I do not wish to pre-
empt anything that might be in that presentation; I suspect, however that there is likely to
be some reference to an initiative which the Fire Service Inspectorate in England and
Wales support.
I refer to the National Core Curriculum in Fire Safety Studies. Some of you may
have already heard about the Core Curriculum. It has been developed in response to a
recommendation by a Government sponsored report that all professions involved in fire
safety, building regulation, design and construction should be educated through a national
network of professional development courses, in such a way that they would have a
common understanding of the principles of Fire Safety.
Produced by a group representing the major professions as the basis for the courses in
fire safety which would be taught in universities and colleges of higher education and
which would form the national framework.
The curriculum was designed to be used very flexibly to meet the needs of all the
various professions who have to be aware of the principles of fire safety. Among these
are architects and other design professionals, building control officers, Fire Safety
Officers, developers and Fire safety managers. Specifically within the fire service, there
is a growing recognition among fire officers of the value of higher education generally.
Fire Safety Engineering degree courses have now been established with the lead being
taken by South Bank University in London and the University of Central Lancashire and
this should assist the integration of the Research undertaken in the academic arena and
the practical considerations which arise at operational incidents.
As society becomes more complex with the rapid development of the technologies on
which we have become dependent, so the demands on fire services increasenot only to
fight the fires which will inevitably occur, no matter how well-regulated the society in
which we live, but also to meet the challenge of the increasing emphasis on preventing
fires occurring. I believe the Core Curriculum in Fire Safety Studies is a major
development in the field of fire safety and prevention. Earlier I drew attention to its being
designed to be used flexibly.
The potential for flexible use of the Curriculum does not apply only to the various
professions in the United Kingdom who need to be aware of fire safety. Because the Core
Curriculum is concerned with the general principles of fire safety, it can be adopted as a
basis for the teaching of fire safety studies in any country and developments have already
taken place in that direction. I am sure that John Roberts paper will refer to them and it
is appropriate at this Euro-conference to draw attention to the potential value to our
colleagues in Europe.
Running in parallel with the academic initiatives on fire safety education is a scheme,
started in the mid 80s by the U.K. Employment Department by which industries have
been encouraged through lead bodies to formulate standards of occupational competence
for their sectors.
Within the fire sector, two lead bodies have undertaken this task. The Fire Industry
body has developed standards covering all the more commercial aspects of the sector,
Introduction 355
including fire safety inspections, insurance surveying, consultancy, fire investigation,

systems and extinguisher maintenance and installation.
At the same time the emergency fire service lead body has developed standards of
competence for fire-fighters, incident commanders, control room staff and fire safety
officers.
Following the development of the standards of competence the next step has been to
process them into a suite of qualifications that fit into the National framework.
This work was completed in the summer of 1994 and for the six months up to
December the qualifications were subject to extensive field trials. The results of these
trials are currently being evaluated and subject to any necessary refinements the
qualifications will be submitted to the U.K.s National Council for Vocational
Qualifications for accreditation this summer.
The opportunity to use these competence based qualifications alongside the academic
initiatives mentioned earlier in this paper, will ensure that those responsible for fire
fighting and safety provision will have, not only the technical knowledge so important to
the true professional, but also the ability to deliver the service to a consistently competent
standard in the field.
Another paper to be presented by Roger Klein addresses the subject of fire risk
assessment. Fire risk assessment is in many ways the rising star of fire safety
management. Historically, in the U.K. fire safety standards in new or existing buildings
have been assessed according to the circumstances of the case. That has meant that the
assessor has been obliged to set a prescriptive standard around the fire potential found in
the building at the time of assessment. Little thought has been given to the need to adjust
the assessment to reflect the changes in Risk throughout thr life of a building and Dennis
Davis, C.F.O. of Cheshire Fire Brigade (U.K.) will tell us about developments to keep the
public up to date with the changes that might affect them in session 9.
Buildings in use present a dynamic situation where risks are constantly changing.
Ongoing assessments of Risk are therefore essential if levels of safety are to be
maintained. Perhaps it might be helpful to take a little time to set the scene for Rogers
paper by explaining why in the United Kingdom, the Home Office needed to develop a
guide to fire risk assessment in occupied buildings and to provide a little of the
background.
The starting point was two European Council Directivesthe Framework and
Workplace Directiveswhich seek to encourage improvements in the safety and health
of workers at word These became law in late 1989 and are based on a risk assessment
approach and a move to a self compliance philosophy. This meant that in order to make
our own fire safety legislation we had to devise a guide to fire risk assessment which
could be used by the lay person to assist him with his responsibilities to comply with the
requirements of the directives.
Both Directives place the primary responsibility for ensuring health and safety
including fire safetyin the workplace on employers. This requires employers to assess
fire safety hazards and to take measures to reduce them.
The main provisions of the Directives, dealing with special fire precautions relating to
manufacturing processes, and other safety matters have already been implemented in the
U.K. and these Regulations took effect on 1 January 1993.
Because fire safety regulations have not yet been made, the United Kingdoms
approach toe fire risk assessment was only published last yearit firstly formed part of
Home Office consultation with other Government departments on the Fire Precautions
(Places of Work) Regulations and then was part of the public consultation exercise which
began last September and finished at Christmas.
However, this approach which is essentially a practical one, took some considerable
time to develop. This is because although U.K. fire authorities are used to assessing the
risk from fire as part of the enforcement role in certification of specific premises and in
the advisory role in relation to many other premises, the lay person who is not
experienced in fire safety matters has in the past been largely dependant upon advice
from Fire Brigades and other fire professionals.
In order to validate this approach it was necessary to involve other people outside the
Home Office who were experienced in risk assessment, particularly risks from fire.
A recent European Commission paper dealing with Fire Risk Assessment used an
approach which is similar to the U.K.s new proposals.
The European formula is considered to be the most feasible way to proceed,
particularly as it would be made available to all Member States, and hopefully a cohesive
policy regarding Fire Risk Assessment within the scope of the E.C.Directives will
emerge.
Many different methods of fire risk assessment have allowed fire safety engineers to
pitch the fire safety provisions in a building closer to the actual fire safety needs, and
provide greater flexibility in the design of buildings. The E.C.DIRECTIVE has for the
first time brought the concept of FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT to the level of the USER of
a building.
Fire risk assessment has been further developed in the field of Fire Safety Engineering
on two fronts:- internationally by ISO and CEN through various TC/92/SC4 committees,
as you heard in session 5, and in the United Kingdom by the British Standards Institution
through FSM/24 committees. The results of this work should add to the wealth of
knowledge on this complex subject in the fire safety world, and perhaps bring a much
needed agreed framework to the discipline of Fire Safety Engineering.
The practice of fire risk assessment has many facets and addresses fire safety needs in
different ways including the needs of self compliance. A recent report published by the
Audit Commission in the U.K. recognises that Risk Assessment may in the future form
the basis for determination of the weight of response by Fire Brigades to actual operation
incidents. This safety case approach is novel for the Fire Service but is of course a well
established practice in Industry.
Therefore, I look forward to Professor Kleins paper presented from the operational
fire fighting viewpoint with great interest as I am sure we have much to learn from it.
SECTION ONE
FIRE TECHNOLOGY
EDUCATION AND
TRAINING
38
EDUCATING FIRE FIGHTERS FOR FIRE
SAFE DESIGN
D.EVANS and J.ROBERTS
Department of Built Environment, Faculty of Design
and Technology, University of Central Lancashire, UK
ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the technological and legislative changes that have
generated the need for new wider, and higher level educational provision
for fire fighters across the European Union. The new courses developed in
response to these needs are reviewed as is their sustainability and likely
recruitment. Available academic progression for serving fire-fighters is
described as are future developments abd the role of the relevant
professional bodies.
Key-words: education, fire, training.
INTRODUCTION
This paper discusses recent, important developments in Fire Engineering education in the
UK. Technological advances in such important areas as fire protection materials, active
fire protection systems and computer aided design allow a new, more dynamic, approach
to designing for fire safety.
While the experiential and structured training programmes for fire fighters in the UK
is second to none, the gap between the level of engineering education required to
appreciate and critically appraise novel fire safe building design and that actually
provided had become so great as to be of serious public concern.
TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
Research into passive fire resistance and behaviour of materials has made great progress
in recent years particularly in, say, the behaviour of steel framed buildings under fire
conditions. There is now a better and more detailed understanding of human behaviour in
fire emergencies. There are now more powerful methods of predicting the behaviour of
non-uniform structures in fires. These are all significant developments in how the design
and use of materials in construction of buildings has changed and novel design can
significantly improve fire safety.
But there have been even more rapid developments in active fire protection. What has
made novel building designs so readily possible is a much better understanding and
appreciation of the protection to be afforded by active fire protection and extuinguishing
systems such as sprinklers. It is now possible to better predict the behaviour of flame and
smoke within enclosed spaces of complex building forms such as atria using
computational fluid dynamics and model the likely patterns of smoke and flame spread.
LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND
These technological and engineering developments are extremely powerful and have
been driving certain aspects of government regulation. New UK Building Regulations
were introduced in 1991 which were qualitatively different from earlier Approved
Documents and included the very important paragraph: Fire Safety Engineering. A fire
safety engineering approach that takes into account the total fire safety package is now a
viable alternative. It may be the only way to achieve a satisfactory standard of fire safety
in some large and complex buildings.
With this statement the Regulations moved away from solely prescriptive measures
and put in their place Fire Safety Engineering. Those who previously had the authority to
say, No without challenge can no longer do so. A case must be argued on its merits.
This is a revolutionary change for all those in the UK concerned with the control of the
design of buildings for fire safety.
Correspondingly, those responsible for assessing and criticising fire safety systems on
which human life depends are obliged to discuss the arguments presented on their merits
and reply at an appropriate level.
For Fire Brigades personnel there are two other relevant Acts. The Fire Services Act
1947, which obliges fire authorities to give free advice on request regarding fire
prevention measures and means of escape from buildings. That is the responsibility of the
Fire Safety Officer [FSO] who is invariably a Brigade Member.
The second important piece of legislation for the Brigades, is the Fire Precautions Act
1971: Chapter 40 which defines the responsibilities of the FSO. The Fire Safety Officer
has statutory control of fire precautions in designated premises through a system of fire
certificates which concern;
a) use of the premises

b) means of escape and their effectiveness in use
c) appropriateness of fire fighting equipment and fire alarms. and in the
case of factories
e) storage and use of explosive or highly flammable materials
The 1971 Act requires the FSO to consult with the Building Control Officer before
requiring alterations to any building in connection with certification.
The Building Regulations have already been changed, and the Fire Precautions Act
and the Fire Services Act are to be reviewed in the near future. It is only possible to guess
Educating fire fighters for fire safe design 361
at the outcome of those reviews based upon experience in other sectors of the economy
and overall government policy. But, if the 1971 act is reviewed then the responsibilities
of brigade staff will be significantly altered at a time when the emphasis is on the need
for greater technological awareness.
GOVERNMENTAL RESPONSE
The Department of Environment was aware of many of these problems and had
commissioned Bickerdike Allen report (1990). The terms of reference specifically
included;
examining means of overcoming the delays and problems that arose in the assessment
of new architectural developments and innovative design which cannot comply with
prescriptive legislation or codes of practice,
an examination of the technical and practical skills required to allow authoritative
advice to be given on all aspects of fire prevention in buildings,
consideration of the trainingrequirements necessary to secure enforcement of advice
once given.
The Bickerdike Allan report made twelve recommendations including; The
educational development of building designers, BCOs and FSOs should be encouraged
by the early establishment of a national network of professional development courses in
colleges and the then polytechnics The report clearly recommended the establishment
of a national network of educational provision.
As a result the UK Home Office initiated a group to prepare and plan what was
required from that provision. It is interesting to look at the group that was drawn together,
Incorporated Association of Architects and
Institution of Fire Surveyors, (now the Institution of Building
Engineers, Engineers)
Fire Service College, Home Office, and
Institute of Building
Control, Department of Environment
Royal Institution of
British Architects,
The interesting thing was that no institution of higher education nor Chartered
professional engineering body was included. These important omissions can be
considered to have robbed the group of a certain wider appreciation of their task. For
example, the National Core Curriculum does not contain sufficient hard engineering for
it, by itself, to form a stand-alone qualifiation giving some form of Engineering Council
recognition.
The Working Party produced a document: The National Core Curriculum in Fire
Safety by Design which described the breadth of knowledge to be aspired to by all those
involved in fire and building regulation and design and contained a recommendation that
a course of study at an acceptable national minimum standard be provided nationally
through a network of colleges.
EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS AND PROVISION
The background to the educational development was rapid technological advance,

changes and potential changes to the legislation which for over twenty years has formed
the framework for the fire community in the UK. The University and IFE were faced with
providing programmes of study which met the requirements of a new and challenging
situation, took on board the aspirations of personnel who wanted to obtain a higher
qualification, and the requirements of the professional bodies and employers.
The National Core Curriculum allows institutions to choose their own standards of
presentation. The University of Central Lancashire in partnership with the Institution of
Fire Engineers determined to develop courses based on the National Core Curriculum
which would lead to accepted national qualifications.
When considering education for firefighters and the fire community it was necessary
to determine the nature of the courses to be offered and how to provide both academic
quality and access for a range of individuals who would be coming to formal higher
education for the first time. With the full backing of the University and in partnership
with the IFE it was possible to offer new courses, new modes of study, new ways of
learning, and new links with the local community and the professions.
After some discussion it is now recognised that minimum standard to which the
National Core Curriculum should be taught is that of a BTEC Higher National Certificate
(HNC). This is the first step in any structured programme leading to Chartered Engineer
status with the UK Engineering Council and can, itself, give Incorporated (Technician)
Engineer status.
The University of Central Lancashire now offers an HNC in Fire Safety Engineering
which gives full credit for prior learning, allows workplace assessment and successful
completion of which will give exemption from the written examinations of the IFE at
corporate member level.
Sponsored by the Institution of Fire Engineers a network of colleges is being slowly
put in place. The network now includes colleges of higher education in:
Aberdeen, Eastleigh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, Preston, South London, the Fire Service
College and the Washington Hall International Training Centre.
Many of these institutions offered courses of study leading to the IFEs professional
examinations, but due to financial constraints not all will be offering the IFE sponsored
HNC from September 1994.
The network is based on courses developed and validated by the University with the
participation and support of the IFE. Colleges round the country will be franchising the
University of Central Lancashire HNC.
An important component in determining the levels of the courses to be offered was
consideration practices in other European countries: Denmark, Germany, Netherlands,
France, Spain, Italy and Ireland which, together, form the majority of the present EC have
the requirement that for promotion to the higher levels of Brigade Command, one must
possess either a Degree or Chartered Engineer status. Generally this is achieved through a
two or three tier entry system. The UK is unique in not requiring such qualifications of
its senior brigade officers and operating a single tier entry. For comparability with
Europe any programme of study must offer the opportunity to attain an Honours degree
and contain the National Core Curriculum at an appropriate level.
The IFE are well aware of the European Community Directive of January 1991,
requiring member states to recognise professional qualifications and titles authorised by
all other countries in the community. It is important because unless UK brigade staff are
aware of, and take, the educational opportunities that are open to them, a situation could
arise where cross-country promotion at senior level could become a one-way process to
the detriment of U.K. brigade personnel.
COURSE CONTENT
For those who have successfully completed any engineering courses to obtain
Engineering Council recognition the programmes of study must be accredited by an
approved professional engineering body.
The Institute of Energy (IoE) was approached and accepted that Fire Engineering
came within its area of responsibility. To be accredited the programmes of study had to
contain the necessary broad engineering base as well as the fire engineering specialism.
The IoE provides a model degree for reference purposes to those wishing to obtain
accreditation for a new course.
The model degree is in two stages; Part 1: Technological foundation and an
introduction to business and commercial practices. Part 2: General Engineering, the
Energy Specialism (in this case Fire Engineering) and supporting studies in law.
economics, communication and management. The level, taught time allocation and
course content are all specified.
An important and necessary part of all Engineering Council accredited programmes is
design work which integrates the individual subjects across the course and gives an
applied and challenging element of student self activity. This is an integral part of the
Fire courses at the University of Central Lancashire.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association considers that the one tier entry
system is necessary for effective command and leadership. The argument is that
Effective operational command relies on the ability of commanders to demonstrate
effective ability to lead and command. This can only be achieved by officers who have a
clear understanding of the operational situation that they may encounter. Such an
understanding can only beobtained through experience and learning whilst in the
Service in the rank of firefighter.
That is, unless an officer has gone through the experience of commanding appliances,
has been through the testing situation of practical fire fighting, he or she will find it
difficult to command the respect of operational personnel and difficult to obtain the
practical experience to lead and command effectively. The University has considerable
sympathy with this point of view; that those who have the experience of fighting fires
will tend to be more effective in commanding personnel to extinguish those fires.
Such an appreciation gave rise to a programme of study which was vocational in
nature and significantly different from the only other course available in the UK at that
time, the degree in Fire Safety at South Bank University. It was an important
development that stemmed from the philosophy of the University, it also fitted well with
the requirements of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
But such an approach has placed certain restrictions on the development of the
courses; the vast majority of those students joining the new fire degree courses are
brigade personnel. Given the support of the IFE it was expected that that there would be
an initial a period in which the overwhelming majority of those recruited to the course
would be from the fire brigades.
COURSE SUSTAINABILITY
In such a situation it was necessary to analyse the capacity of the brigades to sustain the
degree programmes by providing a sufficiently large number of students. In 1992 there
were 38,808 full-time fire fighters and 2,397 specialist Fire Prevention Officers, The
responsibility of the post should mean that all 2,397 FPOs will aspire to degree status.
Consider a simplified operational tree for brigades. It is not meant to be precise and
the figures for the number of persons that a particular officer commands is a typical
average.
RANK STRUCTURE
(OPERATIONAL TREE)
CHIEF AND ASSISTANT CHIEF OFFICERS
DIVISIONAL AND SENIOR DIVISIONAL OFFICERS
ASSISTANT DIVISIONAL OFFICER
(responsible for between 40 and 80 persons)
STATION OFFICER
(responsible for up to 28 persons)
SUB-OFFICER (responsible for 5 to 6 persons)
LEADING FIRE FIGHTER
FIRE FIGHTER
To reach Station Officer level the minimum qualification is either Graduate
membership of the IFE or having passed the necessary statutory examinations. In the
armed forces command of 28 persons would generally be a platoon command, a
lieutenant, who would be expected to have attained an educational level equivalent to a
University degree. That is by the time an individual reaches Station Officer rank they
have a level of responsibility that, elsewhere, is normally associated with a graduate.
There are, thus, some 4,000 fire brigade personnel who should aspire to a suitable
degree and be provided with a route to progress in that direction. Similarly it may be
argued that there are also some 7,000 brigade personnel who have responsibilities
normally associated with a Higher National Certificate.
But, what are the academic qualifications of those entering the Fire Brigades,
QUALIFICATIONS ON RECRUITMENT TO THE SERVICE INTAKE FOR 1992;
a) Total recruits 769
b) Recruits with 3 GCSEs 393
c) Recruits with 1 or more A levels excluding b) above 88
d) First degree or equivalent excluding c) above 18
Over 50% of recruits have 3 GCSEs or more, 106some 14%have at least one GCE
A level, 18 actually have a first degree or equivalent This analysis showed that there was
a substantial potential for degree level qualification within the fire brigade itself without
taking into account private consultancies and other public sectors such as Building
Control. This University considered that this confirmed its appraisal that those of Station
Officer rank, and above, were capable of studying for and obtaining a degree.
AVAILABLE ACADEMIC PROGRESSION
This University has developed a structured programme of academic advancement that by

January 1995 will offer The HNC Fire Safety Engineering through an Honours degree
Fire Safety Engineering to a Post-graduate diploma/Masters degree in Fire Safety and
Risk Management. Each of these courses contains the National Core Curriculum at an
appropriate level. However, depending upon the course there will beto a greater or
lesser extentthe additional material required for professional recognition and each has a
number of step-out points giving a qualification suitable to the students attainment.
HIGHER NATIONAL CERTIFICATE FIRE SAFETY ENGINEERING
(step-out qualifications ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN FIRE SAFETY
ENGINEERING)
BENG(HONS) FIRE ENGINEERING
(step-out qualifications CERTIFICATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION at the end of
Year 1 DIPLOMA OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN FIRE ENGINEERING at the end of
Year 2 BENG FIRE ENGINEERING at the end of Year 3)
MASTERS DEGREE FIRE SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT
(step-out qualification POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA)
MPhil and PhD research degrees may also be obtained.
WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
The establishment of the national network of educational provision to offer the Higher
National Certificate and National Core Curriculum has not been as rapid as had been
originally hoped. The Home Office had expected the network to obtain a significant
amount of funding. But cut-backs in expenditure have meant that this has not happened
and colleges of higher education and universities are themselves having to pump-prime
what is an expensive course. In the present economic climate colleges are reluctant to
make such a commitment without guarantees. Thus progress is slower than desirable and
additional support is continually sought.
The Government is establishing National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) to assess
workplace competence, and general National Vocational Qualifications (gNVQs) which
are based more on examination performance. Pilot programmes are now running within
specified brigades and the results will be available early in the new year. These
qualifications will impact on all aspects of training and education in the fire community
including statutory examinations, training courses at the Fire Service College,

membership criteria for the IFE and the academic courses presently on offer.
NVQs are work-placed competency based, and gNVQs are more academically
biased and tend to take the form of written examinations. NVQs and gNVQs are being
developed at a rapid pace but there is little correlation or overlap between them. Presently
there is no agreed mechanism on how the two are to be related. Will obtaining NVQs
give equivalence with gNVQs and vice versa? This is an area where there is very real
danger of confusion.
Finally, the European dimension. One thing that the National Core Curriculum has
done is to make this Country the first in the European Community to have structured
academic provision in fire safety and fire engineering. Countries around Europe are
looking to the UK lead in this area and, for example, the IFE degree recruited its first
French students September 1993 and recruited three more in September 1994 and 1995.
The IFE and the University of Central Lancashire are providing a one year course for
French brigades personnel who have completed a suitable training and education
programme of at least two years duration. The first two French students to enrol
graduated with good Honours degrees in Fire Safety this summer. Consideration is now
being given on how to extend a similar provision to other European countries.
The U.K. has an opportunity that shouldnt be missed. The University of Central
Lancashire is contacting relevant institutions across European and is making sure that
they are aware of the possibilities that exist within this country to advance the education
of their members.
The IFE and other relevant UK bodies must sieze the opportunities now open and
ensure that the work done to put the UK in the lead in Europe in terms of European fire
education.
39
ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR
EUROPEAN INTEGRATED
POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION FOR FIRE
SAFETY
R.BARHAM
Abstract
This paper suggests a novel approach to the postgraduate development of
fire protection engineers and of those involved in the assessment and
insurance of fire risks. It also describes the nature of a U.K. initiative for
the formation of a European network offering courses and co-operative
research opportunities at post-graduate level.
Keywords: education, postgraduate, network, fire safety, insurance,
economics
1 Introduction
The scale and complexity of recent high-tech construction projects, across Europe, have
important implications for those involved with the assessment of fire safety and design
risk. In the U.K., the Bickerdike Allen[1] report commissioned by the Department of
Trade and Industry found that in matters of fire, safety in design is uneven and often
inadequate in the light of the many advances in building technology and fire
engineering. Similar conclusions were reached in France in a report by Dupuis[2] made
to the Ministre de lInterieur and other E.U. member states have also carried out similar
reviews.
The identified deficiencies are being addressed both in the U.K. and in other European
states (primarily in engineering and building control) and several new fire engineering
courses have been introduced. However, these do not address the paradox created by a
desire to provide buildings at lower end-user cost and the increased cost of satisfying
insurers demands for more safety consciousness in design. A purely regulatory approach
encourages speculative property development
to lowest cost and to the minimum standards allowable by legislation primarily aimed at
the preservation of human life. Safety conscious design, however, can also be economics-
driven. Reviewing what is technically possible with cost implications, over-specification
(and, hence, increased costs) often results from attempts by either designers or insurers,
to ensure absolute safety and reduce risk. This is not surprising: losses are considerably
higher, even from a single incident, where the loss of a building is involved.
By way of an example to reinforce this view, terrorist damage in the U.K. during 1992
created building-related losses originally estimated at 800m. (1.0 Mecu)good disaster-
recovery implementation reduced this figure by over 50%. It should also be noted that
recently published statistics reveal that there are now over a quarter of a million reported
fires in the E.U. each year. These result in some 2500 fatalities.
Advanced educational provision in fire safety and risk assessment is long overdue;
throughout Europe, fire consultants and insurance companies chief surveyors are
actively seeking ways to improve risk assessment strategies. There is a worldwide
shortage of specialist staff in this important area. It is vital that an adequate and efficient
route be provided into a range of fire safety related vocational careers and universities are
encouraged to provide a facility designed to enhance the present and future effectiveness
of graduates by further education and advanced training in fire safety based around the
assessment of risk of fires and explosion and the related economic effects. However,
given that most European fire professionals are already graduates, this requires
postgraduate study accessible to both full-time and part-time students. This would be
especially attractive, for example, to the insurance industry; it could provide an
internationally recognised qualification. It would also have relevance in the field of
property protection, where it could provide a specialist qualification for property
managers and others working in this specialist vocational area.
Other sources of students exist: the fire protection industry, large industrial companies,
government laboratories, architectural and building surveying practices, building services
engineering consultancies and local authority building control officers, and there should
be an increasing demand from people with varied backgrounds in the property
procurement and construction/property management industries, generally. The course
would also be of particular interest to serving fire officers wanting to strengthen existing
qualifications and, at the same time, provide themselves with a qualification suitable for
use in connection with later alternative career routes. Initial enrolments are expected to be
members of fire brigadesand the risk surveyor/underwriter employees of insurance
companies.
2 Rationale for a course
Intrinsic to the study of fire, its development and prevention are the means by which its
consequences may be minimised in human, environmental and financial terms. A course
of study must emphasise fire safety within the context of the built environment,
particularly its application to buildings. To provide a clear focus for the study of fire
safety, it is necessary, also, to emphasise the importance of the assessment of fire risk and
the relevance of probabilities of loss.
Addressing the need for European integrated postgraduate education for fire safety 369
Society has changed dramatically in the latter part of this century. This process of
change has been made manifest in the variety of demands, visions and constraints set.
Nowhere has this situation been more true than in the case of health and safety, in which
area we have progressed from laissez-faire to a highly structured legal framework in little
over a hundred years. The new U.K. Building Regulations (Part B)[3] introduced in 1991,
for example, are qualitatively different They include the very important paragraph:
A fire safety engineering approach that takes into account the total fire safety
package is now a viable alternative. It may be the only way to achieve a satisfactory
standard of fire safety in some large and complex buildings.
Fire safety solutions must now, therefore, be argued on their merits; however, unique
solutions must involve only levels of risk compatible with acceptable levels of security
and cost. The proposal and/or assessment of, sometimes novel, solutions within the often
contradictory constraints of safety, economy, law and technology pose a challenge and
strongly suggest a need for a high level course of study. Integration across diverse fields
to propose an acceptable design solution must be a major feature and such a course will
also need to develop wide-ranging perceptions of each topic discussed. Internationally,
there is currently no such course provision with the required vocational emphasis and the
property professions, designers and facilities managers, rely on advice from people
having mainly experiential learning.
3 Background
A number of E.C.Directives [4] concerning the minimum safety and health requirements
for the workplace, and on technical harmonisation and standardisation, came into force
on the 1st January, 1993. These significantly affect the educational requirements of those
engineers and surveyors involved with the provision and maintenance of fire safety or
with the assessment and management of risks.
There is, therefore, considerable potential for an educational response (in the context
of fire safety) to create:
i. an international network of universities to provide a co-operative programme of taught
postgraduate courses and facilities for higher degrees by research; and
ii. a research and development network, initially across greater Europe, involving both
educational and research institutions and the industrial sector.
thus addressing the urgent need for action to facilitate a more rapid and homogeneous
interpretation and enforcement of E.C. standards and regulations and assist in the
avoiding of possible future differences or gaps.
4 U.K.Provision
The Department of Built Environment has a wide course portfolio and experience, over
many years, of providing both full-time and part-time vocational education for the
property- and construction-related professions. The building-related professions and fire
safety organisations have focussed, traditionally, only upon the engineering basis of fire
safety in the built environment but there is, now, a clear need for a wider curriculum for
prospective professionals in this field. At postgraduate level, this includes looking at both
proposed and existing buildings, including their architecture, materials and construction
techniques, in terms of their safety provision and of their viability in terms of
acceptable/insurable risk and/or cost. The policy areas in relation to fire safety and risk,
including both philosophy and politics, need to be addressed. Finally, there is a
management perspectivelooking at the balance between the protection, the risk and the
cost in both private and societal termswhich needs to be recognised, providing students
with the ability to react realistically and flexibly to proposals for engineered solutions to
fire safety.
5 Undergraduate course programmes
The University of Central Lancashire has one of the three undergraduate programmes in
Fire Engineering in the U.K. (The others being at South Bank University and at Leeds
University). The Universitys BEng(Hons) Fire Engineering course, in the Department of
Built Environment, is sponsored by the Institution of Fire Engineers and by Cape Boards
Ltdand is specially designed to meet the needs of industry on a national basis. As a result,
it is offered as a residential, part-time, block release course with attendance on four
occasions in each academic year for a period of two weeks on each visit. The department
also offers the degree of BSc/BSc (Hons) in Fire Engineering Management. The first two
years of each of these two undergraduate programmes is taught in commonthe
programme bifurcates at the beginning of the third year and each leads to a separate
degree award. These courses provide a natural progression for students who have
successfully completed HNC studies or who have an equivalent level of qualification.
6 Supporting research
Significant consultancy and research is necessary to support a suite of courses in fire-

related studies. The Department has several current projects in fire related areas: e.g.
Prediction and modelling of smoke movement in buildings; Behaviour of concrete when
subject to high temperatures; Modelling escape behaviour in fire situations; Comparative
Studies of European Fire Legislation; Investigation of two phase flows accompanying
fires in enclosures; Modelling of combustion and other effects following the release of
fuel into the atmosphere; Study of combustion and behaviour of particulate clouds. Two
recent new appointments to the department, as members of staff, will research the
behaviour of fires in contained spaces and the relative merits of CFD systems. On-going
links remain from three major, privately funded contracts in fire related areas, two of
them with British Aerospace on aspects of its aircraft and defence industry activity and
the third with Cheshire County Fire Brigade on the effects of gas container explosion.
The Department is presently providing short courses for BAe on fire safety.
The industrially sponsored degree offered by the University has led to several other
fire-related organisations expressing interest in ways and means of contributing to the
success of the Universitys fire studies programmes. The Association of British Insurers,
Warrington Fire Research Centre, Ove Arup, British Aerospace, BNFL, Cheshire,
Greater Manchester and Lancashire County Fire Brigades are all supporting the
department with offers of student visits, visiting lectures, materials for laboratory tests,
advice on course content and structure, etc.
7 Post-graduate taught courses
Success in the provision of undergraduate courses has led to their extension into the post-
graduate area. A new MSc./PgDip. in Fire Safety and Risk Management is now available
in the department and is provided on the same part-time block release basis.
This course is of particular relevance to those in the insurance sector or to those
involved in building control and the implementation of Fire Regulations. A short module
of Live Fire Studies is also available and is compulsory for any fire-inexperienced
student; all students participate in Research Methods Seminars and must produce a major,
research based Dissertation.
In addition to fire studies, it is the intention that, through the medium of Design
Economics and Risk Assessment and Management, students should assess the interaction
of areas, appreciate the relevant involvement and contribution of related professions and
be capable of formulating a considered response to proposed engineered solutions to fire
safety, thereby providing an acceptable level of management of fire risk and loss
prevention.
Work is currently proceeding on a MSc./PgDip. in Fire Safety Facilities Management
and a Modular Integrated Graduate Development Programme of block release study
leading to the award of MSc. has been submitted for approval. The unit availability on
the proposed IGDS Scheme is shown in Table 1.
8 International activity
The University of Central Lancashire participates in a programme of staff/student

exchanges and research/knowledge-transfer networks throughout Europe and is a
member of several undergraduate ERASMUS programmes. The broader postgraduate
area of Fire Safety and Risk Management forms part of the current programme of
European co-operation co-ordinated by the Department of Built Environment of the
University of Central Lancashire. A substantial part of that programme area is concerned
with facilitating the European goal of harmonisation of Health and Safety standards
through increased integration and better exchanges of information, this conference being
a demonstration of that Harmonisation of legislation and codes of practice concerning fire
safety, insurance of risks and improvements in health and safety standards will be
achieved only by educating future legislators, lawyers and practitioners to view, and
adapt, fire and safety legislation, and its associated policing, in the light of the state of
engineering knowledge and practice.
The harmonisation of social and cultural welfare facilities throughout the
international community will be considerably enhanced by exchange of knowledge of
economic and legal aspects of fire safety, fire precautions and the various management
techniques and policies for coping with emergency planning. Given the cost of fire, in
terms of life and property, the impact of the proposed collaborations could be significant.
Safety legislation, especially that relating to built environment, is very specific and
specialised. For an understanding of its impacts, and of those areas where changes are
possible, it is necessary to have an understanding of the fundamental principles of fire
engineering and building construction sciences as well as having a humanitarian view of
necessary regulation. The University of Central Lancashire has had several unique
experiences in this respect. It has become, at the request of the British Government and
the U.K. fire community, the largest provider of education and training in fire
engineering, fire legislation and fire safety/risk management, at professional engineer
level, in the U.K. Also, its staff have just completed a review of the internationally
harmonised fire and safety regulations used in Seville, Spain by the EXPO92 Authority
as an attempt to secure a common standard of safety performance across the 85 varying
construction styles and 110 cultural attitudes represented at that exhibition. Much of the
material collected during this review will be available for use by students in the form of
case studies.
9 European aspects
The links proposed and developed by the University of Central Lancashire, and a number
of institutions across the EC and beyond, will improve the exchange of information on
the most efficient national methods of implementing and monitoring the European states
applications of relevant legislation and regulations and on the application of fire studies
to safety, hygiene and health at work. These links will improve and promote the
dissemination of information on occupational fire hazards and their prevention. They will
also provide small and medium size enterprises with needed and usable information on
the rights and responsibilities of employers, workers and the general publicas well as
providing architects and engineers with a sound base from which to suggest engineered
design solutions to fire protection problems, and surveyors, inspectors and underwriters
with a good understanding of offered engineered solutions.
Negotiations over the last 1218 months have laid the ground for a Euro-wide network
of Universities and other teaching/research establishments to participate in a Masters-
level programme of study which will facilitate student exchanges and the provision of
study blocks at differing European locations.
10 A research network
The network should also be used to generate transnational research co-operation and
knowledge transfer amongst, predominantly, EC member states. However, there is much
interest from states outside the EC and, therefore, negotiations are currently taking place
with several of the G24 states and states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc
with a view to widening the network and creating even more interest in Health and Safety
standards, Fire Engineering and Fire Safety & Risk Management throughout greater
Europe.
Countries participating in the post-graduate education and research programme, or

having expressed an interest in participation, are:
Eire University College, Dublin Switzerland E.T.H., Zurich
Portugal Universidade do Porto Austria Technische Universitat Wien
Spain Universidad Polytechnico de Madrid France Universitie de Rouen
Germany Technische Universitat Karlsruhe Denmark Technical University of Denmark
Associated with this group, but currently in a separate knowledge/assistance programme,

are colleges/universities in China and Hong Kong and in the former eastern bloc states of
Hungary, Russia, The Czech Republic and Slovakia. The membership of this group
continues to grow.
11 Summary and conclusion
Throughout Europe, the same concerns as in the Bickerdike-Allen Report in the

U.K.have been expressed. Differences in educational provision across Europe need to be
addressed in a programme of comparison and analysis to determine their relative
advantages and disadvantages and their effectiveness in providing a coherent basis for the
implementation of the relevant EC Directives. Particularly in the U.K., fire-related
studies properly emphasise the importance of saving and protecting life, but an additional
and significant consideration is the economic and environmental consequence of
inadequate or inappropriate fire protection or prevention.
An integrated scheme of postgraduate study should be targeted, therefore, at those
who now have substantial responsibilities in the field of health and safety at work and, as
a result, face particular problems. The rapidity of innovation in both building design and
technology and fire engineering combined with the current relatively unstructured nature
of education in the same area meant that an important group has had little access to the
latest information.
The emergent European network is able to provide, in a variety of ways, for the
specialist postgraduate education necessary to develop, in small and medium architectural
design and consultancy practices, expertise in design for fire safety in buildings. Once the
European network is fully established it should be self-sustaining and the courses should
be available on an ongoing basis, from 1995; Thus moving towards the time when
postgraduate study of fire-related matters will be possible in a
Two (minimum) Key Modules from:
RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIC FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
(CN4106) (CN4207)
DESIGN ECONOMICS (CN4205) STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (MD4020)
Remaining Modules from:
BUILDING MATERIALS, STRUCTURES MANAGEMENT THEORY AND PRACTICE
AND SERVICES (CN2201) (MD3020)
FIRE PROTECTION (CN2202) PUBLIC SECTOR MANAGEMENT

(MD3005)
FIRE PROTECTION (CN3201) FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (AC3702)
FIRES IN BUILDINGS (CN3203) ADMINISTRATIVE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (LA37XX)
FIRE SAFETY (CN3920) EMERGENCY PLANNING (CN3205)
FIRE LEGISLATION (CN2231) (compulsory)
Live Fire Studies (compulsory for fire-inexperienced students)
Table 1. Integrated Graduate Development

Scheme (MSc.)subjects available (w.e.f. 1995).
Figure 1. European Network

location of present members (1994)
variety of Higher Education Institutions spread across Europe. Then, students will be able
to take advantage of the possibility of studying separate parts of their MSc./PgDip. course
at differing locations in a range of states during their block attendances.
References
[1] Bickerdike Allen Partners. (1990) Fire and Building RegulationA Review. (London, Her
Majestys Stationery Office)
[2] Dupuis, M.le Prefect. (1990) Rapport sur la Formation des Sapeurs-Pompiers. (Paris, Ministre
de lInterieur)
[3] Anon. (Department of the Environment and The Welsh Office) (1991) The Building
Regulations 1991Approved Document BZFire Safety. (London, Her Majestys Stationery
Office)
[4] per example: (1989) European Directives 89/391/EEC and 89/654/EEC. (Brussels, The
European Commission)
40
THE DEVELOPMENT OF FIRE
ENGINEERING DEGREE COURSES
D.A.EVANS
Introduction
I was given the task four and a half years ago to develop a suite of programmes on Fire
Engineering in conjunction with the Institution of Fire Engineers and that is my subject
today.
Fire Engineering Degree Development
Mr Brian Collins, Head of the Fire Service Inspectorate at the United Kingdom Home
Office, has already sketched a broad background to what has already been discussed and
what led to the decision to launch the Fire Engineering Degree in the first place. Within
the United Kingdom, the South Bank University was the first university in Britain to
offer part-time education, or any education, specifically for Fire Engineering, and I am
very pleased and proud to say that the University of Central Lancashire followed very
quickly indeed. I believe that with the influence of the Institution of Fire Engineers who
supported our courses, we now have the only course in the United Kingdom sponsored by
a professional body. When people ask me, How did you do it? I can assure you its has
sometimes seemed like being in the centre of a whirlwind and I wonder myself. My
answer must be by sheer hard work and a true commitment to the cause of Fire
Engineering. The degree course in Fire Engineering was put together with assistance
from three local brigades Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester. It was their help
and co-operation that made it all possible. We sat down for what were a series of whirl-
wind meetings and very a rapid development took place.
This year sees the first cohort of Honours Graduates. I feel that it has been very
rewarding for me personally to be involved with this initiative. It is not often you find
very keen students these days to the extent that they will help you drive the course along,
which is very useful indeed. We have applied for Chartered Engineer status for the BEng
course and we expect an accreditation visit in July, by the Institute of Energy, which is a
representative member of the UK Engineering Council. This year will see the University
of Central Lancashire together with Leeds University and hopefully the South Bank
University obtain between them three accredited Engineering degree courses in Fire and
Fire Safety a first for the United Kingdom. The BEng (Hons) Fire Engineering degree
course has been accredited by the Association of Building Engineers and graduates will
be eligible for professional membership.
On the down side the numbers of employers sponsoring the part time route are not
very large, so I must make this plea to Fire Brigades and other employers within the
United Kingdom at this moment in time South Bank and ourselves have less than
twenty students on the First Year of our Honours Degree Programmes. It is a situation
which must improve if the future of the course is to be guaranteed.
On a more positive note, what we have achieved is a series of courses which deal with
both full time and part-time students from pre-degree right up to doctoral and post-
doctoral research work. This was the pattern that we were asked to provide and the
origins go back to before any of these courses were in place. It originated from work
sponsored by the Institution of Fire Engineers via a firm of consultants who were
engaged to find out what was happening in education for the fire service, and what was
actually needed.
You can see quite clearly from the chart {Fig 1} we started by offering two part-time
degree courses BEng (Hons) Fire Engineering and BSc (Hons) Fire Engineering
Management, this was in September 1991. Following the commencement of the degree
programme discussion took place with the British Engineering Council. Their
recommendations were, that a clear progression route must be available to provide for
Technician and Incorporated Engineer grades together with a recognised B.Eng. degree
program before chartered engineering status could be considered.
This led to the development of the University Advanced Certificate, HNC in Fire
Safety Engineering and HNC in Fire Safety Engineering (IEng).
Non Degree Courses
Having first been given the assignment of developing a degree course in Fire Engineering
I set myself the task of producing a series of course notes together with a series of syllabi
based on the National Core Curriculum adhering to their same headings. The National
Core Curriculum was developed for use by a wide range of audiences and as such I felt it
was the ideal starting point at which to develop courses for Incorporated Engineers.
The four basic modules of the National Core Curriculum are now incorporated in the
University Advanced Certificate. This course attracts a reasonable amount of interest and
as educationalist not only have we to offer courses, we must make sure that they are
viable economically because we still have to balance the books at the end of the day. We
wanted try and open Fire Education to the largest audience possible. So if a potential
student with an interest in fire related topics who has no qualifications to speak of, or
with qualification in some other discipline then what better but to offer a University
Advanced Certificate in Fire Safety Engineering as an introduction. The next stage along
this same line of thought was to link this in with the MIFireE, a professional qualification
and perhaps encourage people to become more aware of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
Traditionally the department that I represent is in essence a Building Department from a
The development of fire engineering degree courses 379
tradition which spans many years and as such I felt confident that as a department we
could build Fire Safety Engineering into our existing modules, especially as most fires
occur in buildings of one form or another.
After the Advanced Certificate we produced a part-time BTEC Higher National
Certificate in Fire Safety Engineering which essentially required an additional four
modules, long making it eight modules in all.
Our next task was to find a means of getting external recognition for these courses
throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.
It was with this in mind that we decided to add extra modules which contained pure
and applied mathematics, engineering science and physics and we produced the BTEC
Higher National Certificate Incorporated Engineer (IEng) route which is not only
accredited by BTEC but also the Institution of Fire Engineers and the Institute of Energy.
This latter body is a member of the Engineering Council of the United Kingdom. With
the completion of this route it is possible for any student on this course to step out at the
end of the first year with a University Advanced Certificate or carry on and obtain the
IEng by completing the two year part time course.
Franchising
We have developed a series of franchising contracts, the HNC IEng route, the BEng
(Hons) Fire Engineering and the BSc (Hons) Fire Engineering Management to the City
University of Hong Kong. The first year review to vet the course was carried out by our
Dean, who chaired the meeting with two other academics to see that everything was in
accordance with the University quality assurance systems. The franchise was given a
clean bill of health which is not surprising for the people in Hong Kong are extremely
dedicated to fire education. I was there a month ago exactly there are 150 applicants for
50 places. The course hasnt been advertised in the public media yet. I must repeat, in the
United Kingdom Clive Steele, course leader at South Bank and myself, between us have
less than twenty students. I just hope that it is a position thats not going to continue.
Full-Time Fire Degrees
Within our department we have great experience with French nationals who undertake a
range of full time diploma courses in France. These students, via various networks, have
gained access onto UK degrees in Building Management and Building Services. We were
invited and joined a French network that, has been very fortunate for us because it offered
students who complete a particular route in fire safety, risk, health and hygiene a route
onto the fire degrees. When we assessed the French students who had completed the Fire
Safety route we took the decision to accredit them with two years full time study and we
put them onto a one year modular degree programme. The BSc (Hons) Fire Safety is a
modular degree programme and was developed in response to the economic climate
within higher education. This degree commenced in September 1993 and last year two
French students each graduated with 2.1 Honours degree. The course was modified to
allow entry to students from other countries and other nationalities and from other course
routes. Additionally we have developed a series of core modules based on the National
Core Curriculum adapted from the original modules of the Advanced Certificate and
introduced them onto the full-time Higher National Diploma Course in Building. By
requiring additional modules in mathematics, thermofluids and a fire related engineering
project we were able to place these students onto the final year of the BSc (Hons) Fire
Safety. Currently we have four French nationals, one Hungarian national and three UK
nationals taking this particular degree.
Post Graduate Studies
That brings me to the upper echelons of {Fig 1}. Working down from the top, I am very
pleased to be able to say that this area of specialised study (i.e. post graduate research) is
strictly under the control and guidance of Professor Georgy Makhviladze, who is head of
the Centre for Research in Fire and Explosions at the University of Central Lancashire.
The Centre is responsible for the post graduates and research into fire studies.
Progression from BSc and BEng is, naturally, onto post graduate studies, and we have,
therefore, provided a taught route in addition to the research route. Currently within the
department we have a Masters degree in Fire Safety and Risk Management. It is
interesting to see how students coming from the BEng and BSc (Hons) Fire Engineering
route have asked us to look at a whole range of topics which they can develop. The
current engineering students are enquiring from me, post graduate work and the
management students are enquiring from me post graduate management studies. I am
currently looking at how we can incorporate extra modules for these students. Fire Safety
and Risk Management is one possible route.
Future Developments
There are two other developments in the pipeline particularly in the management area,
where they will be linked more to nationally and internationally recognised management
qualifications such as law, accountancy, personnel management. Those are some of the
future development that we have planned, to develop the courses and give ourselves more
expertise. Within the department we have, degrees in Building Management, Building
Surveying, Quantity Surveying and Service Engineering. Into all these courses we have
incorporated different elements of fire. Obviously the Service Engineers want to know
about designing for fire. Ive been talking to some colleagues in the hall and we were
saying about Quantity Surveying, I take the view that if you want to be a Quantity
Surveyor you need to know about fire safety as much as anybody else, we all have a role
and a duty of care. So within the Building Management, and the other routes, we do have
a considerable amount of fire and fire related topics, this enables us to flavour the
Department. That broadly, is an outline of what we are currently doing at the University
of Central Lancashire, Preston.
Finally in order to give you an idea of the course details, the chart {Fig 2} provides an
overview. It starts with the National Core Curriculum, HNC this gives you an exemption
from the written papers of Corporate Membership of the Institution of Fire Engineers. So
you have either HNC, MIFireE or its equivalent to gain entry onto the degree and that is
why we follow a four year part-time degree programme. Interestingly enough, people
have advised me that I will have great difficulty teaching physics, chemistry,
mathematics to the clientele. I can assure you that is not the picture that I am looking at.
What we have found, in fact, is a series of very keen and dedicated students. And, as I
said previously, it has been very rewarding for me as an educator to have been involved
with these students as a result I have tried to make the courses as dynamic as possible and
responded to change and students requests. The first two years are common, at the end of
the second year students make a decision whether they want to go Fire Engineering or
Fire Engineering Management. Both courses allow for completion and step out at the
third year where students will if they are eligible be awarded an unclassified degree.
Progression past that stage students are then onto the Honours programme. That again has
been very rewardingthe types of projects and topics that we have put together, or
students have brought back employer initiated topics, or, weve got a problem with
thatis it feasible for us to look at.?, this has been very useful indeed.
FIG. 1
FIG. 2a
FIG. 2b
FIG. 3
41
THE IMPLICATIONS OF UK NATIONAL
VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR
TRAINING AND EDUCATION IN FIRE
TECHNOLOGY
B.C.MOTT
Department of Product Design and Manufacture,
Bournemouth University, UK
Abstract: An introduction to the UK National Vocational Qualification

(NVQ) developments and a current positional statement of the progress in
respect of the UK Construction Industry and for Fire Technology in
particular.
Keywords: rules; priorities; standards; lessons; holistic; providers;
assessment; resources; current position.
1 Introduction
This paper is written for the benefit of Education and Training providers who will be
effected by the introduction of NVQs (to be interpretted to include SCOTVECScottish
Vocational Education Council) in the UK construction industry. For a more general
background to the subject the construction industry standing conference has produced a
paper entitled Raising standards, raising performance.
Much of the current education and training provision is of high quality, developed
over many years. CISC (construction industry standing conference) has not sought to set
this aside and assume greenfield conditions, but rather to use the power and value of the
NVQ approach to enrich what we already have. Using CISC occupational standards we
can make the vital link between the acquisition of knowledge and the achievement of
competent performance. I am aware that CISC does not fully cover the Fire
Engineering/Technology field completely but CISC are my source for the philosophy of
and the development mechanisms for NVQs. Later in this document you will find a
position statement for the fire industry.
2 Rules of the game
The fundamental elements of vocational education and training can be related as shown
in fig 1.
* Occupational standards reflect competence in the workplace.

* Standards have a power and value for employers independent of NVQs.
* Standards will have a significant effect upon learning provision.
* The link between assessment and learning has been largely unexplored.
The development of occupational standards must reflect the four aspects of the job
competence model shown in fig 2. There is a perception that the reductionist
methodology of standards development will lead to a ragbag of discrete competences
whose whole will be less than the sum of its parts. CISC believes that if the holistic
power of the job competence model is properly harnessed, NVQs will be more
demanding and more attractive than many existing vocational qualifications.
3 CISCs work to date
CISC has worked with the construction industry training board and other lead bodies to
enable a strategic approach to the five-level framework, figs 3 & 4. NVQ development
follows the steps shown in fig 5 and CISC progress and programme is shown in fig 6.
When the standards are in place, selections for particular qualifications (or templates)
are made by appropriate interest groups fig 7.
The implications of UK National Vocational Qualifications 387
Fig. 1
COMPONENTS OF COMPETENCE
Technical or Task skills: those specific skills and knowledge which
enable the job holder to deliver the key purpose or outcome of the role.
Contingency Management: skills and knowledge needed to manage
variance and unpredictability in the job role and the wider
environment.
Task Management: skills and knowledge which are overarching and
which integrate the various technical and task components into the
overall work role.
Role or Job Environment: skills and knowledge which are used to
integrate the work role within the context of the wider organisational,
economic, market and social environment.
Fig. 2.
LEVEL1 COMPETENCE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF A RANGE OF VARIED WORK
ACTIVITIES, MOST OF WHICHMAY BE ROUTINE ANDPREDICTABLE.
LEVEL2 COMPETENCE IN A SIGNIFICANT RANGE OF VARIED WORK ACTIVITIES,
PERFORMED IN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS. SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES ARE
COMPLEX OR NON-ROUTINE AND THERE IS SOME INDIVIDUAL
RESPONSIBILITY OR AUTONOMY. COLLABORATION WITH OTHERS,
PERHAPS THROUGH MEMBERSHIP OF A WORK GROUP OR TEAM, MAY
OFTEN A REQUIREMENT.
LEVEL3 COMPETENCE IN A BROAD RANGE OF VARIED WORK ACTIVITIES
PERFORMED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF CONTEXTS AND MOST OF WHICH ARE
COMPLEX AND NON-ROUTINE. THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE
RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTONOMY, AND CONTROL OR GUIDANCE OF
OTHERS IS OFTEN REQUIRED.
LEVEL4 COMPETENCE IN A BROAD RANGE OF COMPLEX, TECHNICAL OR
PROFESSIONAL WORK ACTIVITIES PERFORMED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF
CONTEXTS AND WITH A SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE OF PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTONOMY. RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORK OF
OTHERS AND THE ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES IS OFTEN PRESENT.
LEVEL5 COMPETENCE WHICH INVOLVES THE APPLICATION OF A SIGNIFICANT
RANGE OF FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND COMPLEX TECHNIQUES
ACROSS A WIDE AND OFTEN UNPREDICTABLE VARIETY OF CONTEXTS.
VERY SUBSTANTIAL PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND OFTEN SIGNIFICANT
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORK OF OTHERS AND FOR THE ALLOCATION
OF SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCES FEATURE STRONGLY, AS DO PERSONAL
ACCOUNTABILITIES FOR ANALYSIS AND DIAGNOSIS, DESIGN, PLANNING,
EXECUTION AND EVALUATION.
NVQ/SVQ FRAMEWORK LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS
Fig. 3.
A FRAMEWORK FOR CONSTRUCTION
CISC CITB
Areas of M & E services and maintenance are represe ntedby HVCA,
NVQ/SVQ EIEITO, BPEC, RIB, IETA, IMBM and LGMB, who are all Lead Bod ies
LEVEL represented on CISC
PROFESSIONAL, MANAGERIAL, CRAFT, OPERATIVE
TECHNICAL
5 CHARTERED EQUIVALENT
4 INCORPORATED EQUIVALENT
3 TECHNICIAN EQUIVALENT CRAFT+SUPERVISION
2 TRADE
1 INTRODUCTORY
Notes
1. Levels will depend on particular occupations, and are illustrative only. The clear
relationship between existing vocational qualifications and NVQs/SVQs has yet to
be established.
2. A key feature of this framework is the bridge at level 3 between the technician
and craft occupations.
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Published guidance states that an NVQ is equivalent to the concept of an occupation,
and early NVQs at levels 13 typically contained 810 units. Some of CISCs higher-
level templates, however, were as large as 5060 units, and some way of subdividing this
number was necessary, fig 8. This sub-division allowed the early draft of CISCs overall
framework, fig 9, which suggests families of NVQs. Possible strategies for planning
these families is shown in fig 10, and fig 11 suggests what a typical NVQ portfolio for a
senior practitioner might look like.
On examination the relationship between NVQs and existing qualifications suggests
that much NVQ activity will be in post qualified mode. This opens up possibilities for
continuing professional development and assessment of professional competence figs
13 & 14.
When qualifications have been designed, each standard is supported by a specification
of the evidence which the candidate will need to produce. Fig 15 shows how this is
derived.
It is now possible to caricature the aspects of NVQs as they change from level 1 to
5, fig 16. It can be seen that the public perception of NVQs is close to the level 1 model;
the reality at level 5 is a qualification of great richness and power, which will add value
to our occupational sector.
4 The priority areas
The work being done does not seek to threaten existing good practice, therfore the most
fruitful starting points are those areas where:
* there are currently no qualifications
* there are interest groups keen to push the work forward
The first to be covered was the Building Site Management and Supervision (by
CIOB/C&G) and Building Maintenance management and supervision (by IMBM/C&G).
NVQs at levels 4 and 3 were accredited in 1993 and are now being delivered. An
example of one of the CIOB standards is shown in fig 17. Fig 18 shows future trials.
5 Putting standards to work
All those involved in NVQ development are on a grand learning curve. Fig 19 shows a
standard developed two years after fig 17 and the refinements are visible. We can now
see what evidence the candidate can present, and how this evidence relates in detail to the
standards. A single piece of evidence may satisfy many performance criteria and aspects
of range across several elements. When a full NVQ has been designed, the critical
evidence can be determined and the candidates portfolio kept to a minimum; this will
keep assessment costs down.
Standards have many uses in the workplace. Fig 20 identifies 78 uses for standards,
only four of which are linked to NVQs. Educators and trainers will therefore be able to
put CISCs 1994 standards to work without waiting for NVQs to be accredited.
6 Lessons so far
From CISCs experience to date it is essential to appreciate that:

* Continuous and wide-ranging consultation has been essential, both to achieve a quality
product, and also to create an ownership throughout the industry for CISCs work.
* Progress will not be made instantly across a wide front, but by targeted pilot operations,
whose success will allow a broader advance to follow.
True added value will be achieved through partnership. This is taking many
forms:- partnership between employer bodies and professional institutions;
between employers and academe; between educators and trainers; between lead
bodies and awarding bodies; and between those developing NVQs at lower and
higher levels. All members of the occupational sector have their part to play; one
of CISCs central tasks is to initiate and sustain dialogue and debate, in order to
enable its aims and objectives to be met.
7 Implications for the education and training community
The setting of the standards is necessarily employment led; but educators and trainers,
together with existing awarding bodies, have an essential contribution to make in
ensuring that resulting qualifications can work in practice. They are and have been keen
to be involved in evidence specification and in the designing of assessment systems.
CISC has established a national E&T network so that all partners in the development
process can be involved in the search for a least cost, fit-for-purpose qualification
framework. The standards will determine a significant proportion of vocational education
provision; but CISC recognises that academe has a mission wider than competence,
and does not seek to restrict this. The successful formation of construction professionals
depends upon the right balance between the academic and the vocational: CISC needs
to form a partnership with higher and further education in order to achieve this.
8 New demandsnew responses
The nature of NVQs will cause employers and individuals to place new demands on E&T
providers. What might the implications of these demands be?
First, the distinction between learning provision and assessment must be made. F/HE
will be in the business of supplying both; and although linked, they are separate activities.
Second, unit-based qualifications will mean that not all students will need full-time
courses begining in the Autumn. This will stimulate E&T providers to deliver unit-based
learning modules, on demand year round. (Some see this as an opportunity, others as an
unrealistic target). Flexibility of provision will be a feature of the successful learning
centre.
Third, NVQ units common across construction disciplines will encourage closer
collaboration between college faculties in order to provide joint courses.
Fourth, government policy will stimulate courses leading to NVQs, in order to secure
outcome-related funding from TECs/LECs.
Finally, the holistic nature of NVQs will lead to the need for greater underpinning
knowledge of management and finance. If this has to be at the expense of technical input,
then the latter may increasingly move into the area of CPD (continuous professional
development).
9 Whats in it for E&T providers
As we know, underpinning knowledge for NVQs can be achieved by a variety of means.

This includes full or part time education, open and distance learning, accreditation of
prior experience, etc. It is also becoming clear that qualifications hitherto regarded as
final (e.g. professional institution membership) will in future be a prelude to a career-
long programme of continuing professional development. Since professional status is
generally acquired at the age of 2530, CPD will cover the majority of an individuals
working life, and NVQs can play a major part in providing a badly-needed structure for
CPD provision and monitoring.
Employers will be reluctant to release staff for long periods for CPD purposes, but the
use of open learning techniques would enable candidates to acquire necessary
underpinning knowledge towards NVQ units. (In parallel, they would combine this with
performance evidence from the workplace). The open learning arrangement would be a
tripartite partnership in which candidates gave their time, employers paid for the courses,
and the F/HE and training institutions provided the facilities. It would give the open
learning industry a great boost, and provide commercial opportunities for the educators
and trainers. It would also bring the education, training and employer communities closer
together.
10 Whats in it for E&T assessment
Assessment is the process of judging evidence presented by candidates as to whether or

not they have met the appropriate standards. The analysis of this evidence is shown in fig
15, and we can make the following observations:
* Evidence of all kinds is generated both in the formal learning centre and in the
workplace.
* The learning centre will tend to provide the candidate more with knowledge evidence,
and the workplace will tend to provide the candidate more with performance evidence.
With regard to assessment, the learning centre staff will be best placed to assess
knowledge evidence and employers trainers and managers will be best placed to assess
performance evidence. Employers, will need assessor training in order to provide the
necessary competence. Since employers and candidates will be paying for the
assessment, the question to be answered is: How can assessors in the market place
provide a service which gives their clients added value and themselves business
opportunites?.
11 Summary
To date there is little evidence of NVQ implementation at the higher levels, but the
potential benefits of NVQs for the E&T community may be summarised as follows:-
Benifits for F/HE:
* Occupational standards specify the necessary knowledge evidence, and this will help to
plan learning provision.
* Potential access to a bigger market:
generalists and specialists
the part-qualified and the unqualified
* Need for generic/cross-disciplinary competences:
more opportunity for joint and collaborative work
more viable student numbers
* Opportunities to be first in the field to help meet identified needs, e.g. management
and finance, which have previously not been widely available.
* Potential growth in demand for structured CPD/staff developmentNVQ units.

* Potential growth in open and distance learning, which employers will prefer for their
employees CPD/staff development.
* Closer partnership and coherence between F/HE, employers and professional
institutionsa culteral shift.
* The modular nature of NVQs enables an academic course to underpin several NVQs,
because many units will be shared.
* Education and training is more likely to be seen as an investment rather than a cost.
* Opportunities for delivery of unit-based modules on demand in short courses.
Benefits for training providers:
* Blueprint for specifying the competence needs for firms and individuals.
* A format for individual development plans and staff appraisal.
* A complement to the investors in people initiative.
* Linking training to business objectives.
* Targeting training where it is needed, thus eliminating training waste.
* The assessment process itself accelerates the candidates learning/motivation.
* The assessment process itself raises the performance of the line manager/assessor.
* A flexible balance between open/distance learning and on the job training.
* Encourages wide skills to suit a multi-faceted employer.
* Possible eligibility for output-related funding from TECs/LECs.
The question for the E&T community would therefore seem to be:
* How can we contribute to CISCs work to ensure a practical, high quality, cost
effective product which will add value to industry?
* How can we exploit the implementation of NVQs to our commercial advantage?
The answers to these questions will mark the achievement of the objectives of CISCs
E&T forum, and CISC hopes that delegates will play an active part in providing them.
12 Conclusion
Many of the problems faced by CISC and the E&T sector are the result of ignorance and
misunderstanding. For example, NCVQ (national council for vocational qualifications)
are perceived as treating knowledge as a side issue. Education (sometimes) treats
competence as a side issue. One of the key tasks of the forum is to break down this
polarisation, so that the resulting NVQs combine the best of both aspects. CISC
acknowledges that much excellence already exists in the E&T sector. The aim is to build
on this excellence, and produce a VQ framework that is truly world class.
13 Fire industry current position
There are three lead bodies which have developed and are developing further NVQs for
the industry. These are the Fire industry lead body (FILB), the Security industry lead
body (SILB) and the Emergency fire services lead body (EFSLB). To date they have
developed and are currently in the process of piloting the following NVQs:
Level 2 qualifications
Maintaining portable fire extinguishing appliances
Maintaining fixed fire protection systems
Maintaining security and emergency systems
Installing security and emergency systems
Fire safety inspection and audit
Providing fire safety advice and guidance
Fire safety systems and design
The FILB have produced an implementation action plan for April 94 to June 95 as
follows:
* Complete the development of the level 2 qualifications by the end of June 94.
* Establish assessment centres by the end of June 94.
* Undertake field testing of all five qualifications from July to December 94
* Review the results of the field testing by January 95
* Submit the final qualifications to NCVQ for accreditation by January/March 95
* Launch the qualifications May/June 95
14 Personal comments/reflections
I am aware, like most in HE, of the arguements that have been widely circulating
regarding these new NVQ developments. From the construction industries point of view I
have been aware of the very close collaboration of both employers, professional institutes
and academics working closely with the CISC team, and it is my opinion, that although
much of the criticisms, for example, that which emanated from Prof Smithers last
Autumn in his investigatory report comparing the UK with Europe etc, may be valid,
much of it is not, some of it is a direct result of misunderstanding and ignorance.
Furthermore I believe that the UK has got the opportunity to get it right. Once the
piloting of the current NVQs have been completed there will be an opportunity to achieve
very high quality products which will bring all the benefits envisaged.
However this must include the resouces which are necessary to implement NVQs
effectively. This is probably the area where much needs to be done, the resource
implications to achieve a good quality result rely heavily on cooperation between
academic staff and employers and this means a massive cultural change from what is
perceived as currently normal. This is going to be necessary to enable the implementation
for the best quality at the cheapest price! Why load HE with increasing equipment and
other resource costs when the resources and facilities are already in place at the place of
employment.
Lastly it is not going to be an immediate implementation, but is likely to be a rather
slower than anticipated implementation due to the need to educate educationalists and
more impotantly the employers. However there will be a gathering momentum which will
become increasingly stronger as time goes by following the initial spate of NVQs.
Currently I am aware of several F/HE Colleges where they are taking advantage of the
opportunity to be leaders in this field and I am aware of the progress that has been made
at levels 1, 2 and 3. We shall be faced soon with GNVQs (general national vocational
qualifications) as equivalent to two A level entry for degree courses, and no doubt
future employers are going to be more interested in graduates who have proved
themselves worthy of an NVQ qualification as well as having a degree qualification, such
graduates may have a distinct advantage over others!
15 References
1. CISC document Raising standards, raising performance

2. CISC document A Hitchhikers guide to NVQs by Richard Larcombe
3. Fire industry lead body publications
4. SCOTVEC documents on Qualifications for the fire industry
5. Useful names and addresses:
David Smith, FILB Secretariat, 10, Bluebell Drive, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berks. RG7 3EF
Launa Pettigrew, Secretary, EFSLB, Home Office Fire & Emergency Planning, Room 662,
Horseferry House, Dean Ryle St, London, SW1P 2AW NCVQ, 222, Euston Rd, London, NW1
2BZ
6. The visual figures that are not published in this paper due to lack of space will be made available
at the Symposium or they can be obtained from B.C.Mott, Dept of Product Design and
Manufacture, Bournemouth University, Studland House, Christchurch Road, Lansdowne,
Bournemouth, Dorset, UK.
BCMott/August 94.
Fig 6.
Fig 7.
Fig 8.
Fig 10.
Fig 9.
Fig 11.
HOW NVQs/SVQs MAY BE ADOPTED BY PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS

STATUS EXISTING LEVEL NVQ/SVQ
QUALIFICATION
Chartered 5
Incorporated 4
Technician 3
Notes 1. The clear relationship between existing qualifications and NVQs/SVQs is yet
to be established.
2. equates to a professional Institutions technical
requirements. These can be satisfied by equivalent NVQ/SVQ units.
3. represents an Institutions professional requirements. These can be
satisfied at interview.
4. represents further units required for full NVQs/SVQs. This will form a
postchartered CPD programme.
5. The principle demonstrated here at Level 5 will also apply at lower levels.
Fig 12.
THE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE MODEL

Unit F226
Provide solutions to and advice on complex, indeterminate problems within an ethical framework.
Element F226.1
Exchange information and provide advice on matters of technical concern.
Element F226.2
Identify, re-frame and generate solutions to complex, indeterminate problems.
Element F226.3
Contribute to the protection of individual and community interests.
Unit F227
Contribute to advances in the body of knowledge and practice.
Element F227.1
Contribute to advances in knowledge and theory which underpin occupational practice.
Element F227.2
Contribute to advances in occupational practice.
Element F227.3
Contribute to advances in construction-related technology.

Element F227.4
Enable others to learn and benefit from ones experience.
Fig 13./14.
Fig 15.
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 5
STATEMENT OF Few units Many units
COMPETENCE
Simple pcs Complex pcs
Narrow range Wide range
One occupationone One occupationmore than one
NVQ/SVQ NVQ/SVQ
EVIDENCE OF Emphasis on performance Emphasis on knowledge underpinning
COMPETENCE performance
PERFORMANCE Emphasis on products Emphasis on processes
EVIDENCE
KNOWLEDGE Emphasis on facts & data, Emphasis on theories, principles &
EVIDENCE related to discrete standards methods, related to groups of units
SOURCES OF Few and restricted Many and diverse

EVIDENCE
ASSESSMENT Emphasis on workplace A balance of many techniques and
observation. Few assessors. many assessors.
Judgement of simple activities. Judgement of complex. combined
activities.
Limited use of inference. Substantial use of inference.
Little knowledge assessment. Much knowledge assessment. carried
out separately.
CHARACTERISTICS OF NVQs/SVQs AS THEY CHANGE WITH LEVEL
Note: This is a broad generalisation; the characteristics of individual NVQs/SVQs will vary from
this model.
Fig 16.
Fig 17.
Item Level
FIRST TRANCHEJAN.JULY
Contractors Technical Support 3, 4
Project Management 5
CE Site Management 3, 4
Highways and Transportation 4, 5

Plant Management 3, 4
Organisation Management 4
Building Services 3, 4, 5
Item Level
SECOND TRANCHEAPRILSEPT.
Building Conservation 3, 4
Building Design 4
Facilities Management 4
Town Planning 3, 4
Construction Materials Technology 3, 4
Fig. 18.
Fig. 19.
Fig. 20.
42
IMPLEMENTING A DISTANCE
LEARNING COURSE IN FIRE SAFETY
FOR TECHNICIANS
K.PARSONS
Abstract
All too often open learning schemes are mooted and packages developed
without the proper feasibility study taking place and without any real
reference to good practice in educational planning. This paper seeks to
lead the reader through the stages involved in the implementation of this
type of course. The importance of planning, implementation, development
and learner support are addressed with specific relevance to distance
learning. The paper discusses the need to establish a formal course team,
involving teaching and support staff, and formulate realistic schedules for
the production of learning materials, the pace of study and for contact
time. Advice is given on developing the teaching materials with regards to
good practice in open learning. Different types of learning package and
teaching media are considered along with the implications they hold for
production and delivery.
Key words: open learning, distance learning, fire safety education,
implementing.
1 Introduction
Open learning is an approach to education that is currently becoming more and more
common in the Higher Education Sector. It is important to understand the purpose and
nature of open learning and to consider how open a specific scheme is intended to be (see
2). This paper seeks to offer guidance to institutions who may be considering
implementing fire safety education by distance learning. It attempts to address some of
the issues that need to be considered before the teaching materials are developed. It is
based on the background research for a recent feasibility study for just such a
proposal.[1] It lays down some guiding principles for the planning, implementation and
production stage and discusses learner support
2 Background
There is no accepted definition of open learning but one was offered by the Council for
Education and Technology in 1980: An open learning system is one which enables
individuals to take part in programmes of study of their choice, no matter where they live
or whatever their circumstances. [2] This is not necessarily the same thing as distance
learning, which usually involves a learning package where the
learning takes place at some distance from the teaching (and usually at a later time). One
way of appreciating the difference between these two concepts is by considering open
learning as both a philosophy and a teaching method. [3] The philosophy of open
learning is concerned with answering questions like: what are the underlying
assumptions and purposes of open learning? and what are the best ways to achieve its
aims? The teaching method on the other hand is the package. These packages may be
stand alone packages, supported packages (i.e. backed up with some form of tutorial
support) or supplementary packages (that are intended to be used alongside ordinary class
teachingas preparatory material for classwork, follow up work or optional/extension
studies material). From this perspective open learning can be understood as an umbrella
term for a variety of approaches to education, whereas distance learning is a teaching
method that open learning schemes often employ.
Open learning schemes can vary in their openness. One way of determining how
effective a scheme is in responding to learners needs is by referring to the idea of an
open learning continuum (see table 1). Openness is assessed by examining each criterion,
between theoretical extremes: with closed at one end and open at the other.
Table 1 The Open Learning Continuum
(summarised)
Basic Question Closed ---------------- Open
who? only open to select groups set entry open access
requirements
why? chosen for learner learners choice
what? predetermined content learner chooses content
how? one style/method used variety of styles/methods
where? fixed place of study regular attendance learner chooses place of study
required
when? fixed course dates set timetable start/finish any time learner
chooses pace
how is the learner assessment fixed normative only assessment negotiable regular
doing? feedback
who can help the no outside support only professionals variety of support
learner? (teachers)
where will it lead? one destination various destinations
(Source Lewis 1986) [4]
Implementing a distance learning course in fire safety for technicians 407
3 Planning the Scheme
Certain preliminary issues need to be considered and a policy strategy devised, when
planning an open learning scheme. The preliminary issues can be labelled as being
organisational, logistical or managerial in nature.
Organisational issues include a consideration of whether the institution is likely to be
welcoming or resistant to potential students. In terms of logistics it is important to
consider the balance between the driving forces and the restraining forces in order to
consider whether the scheme is likely to be a success or not. If the balance appears to be
weighted in favour of the restraining forces then it would probably be more prudent to
abandon the scheme, unless steps can be taken to alter the situation. For example, there
needs to strong support from the senior management, for such a course, and a
commitment that extends to providing staff with adequate time and administrative
support to make the scheme worth planning. It is important to identify the members of the
course team and how they will fit into to the normal management structure of the
institution. Ideally a course team should have a dedicated member of staff to perform
administrative and clerical duties, including typing, supervising the storage facility for
teaching material and organising their distribution. The course team may also need its
own direct telephone lines: one for enquiries that the Administrator will deal with and a
help line either manned or linked to an answering machine (for students to contact their
tutors when they have a problem). Another possibility is that the course team could set up
an E mail notice board as an alternative help line.
It is important to have a policy strategy for planning an open learning scheme. One
such strategy that has been suggested, is that people who are involved in planning open
learning schemes should be clear on the answers to certain questions. [5]
Why are the proposals being made?

What agendas are thereovert and hidden? In planning a scheme the course team needs
to address the relevance and importance to the agenda, in their institution, of issues like:
widening access to fire safety engineering education, increasing student numbers in the
institution, introducing innovatory teaching, tapping into existing funding and
bandwaggoning.
Who will the programme be aimed at?

Will it be open to any one interested in fire, or will the programme be geared primarily
towards the needs of professionals in the Fire Service, Building Control and the field of
Building Design and/or Construction?
How much will be done and whenover what time scale?

The course team must be allowed to work to realistic deadlines, they must be given the
time to prepare the programme, and receive adequate support in terms of support staff
and funding. Short deadlines can be viewed as restraining forces, making it difficult for
a scheme to succeed.
What will be focus for such work?

In order to answer this question a course team must resolve certain other issues. Will the
course team be a small closed group or will the focus be institutional? Will there be a
pilot study or will it be more of a big bang approach?
How much will it cost?

Open learning is sometimes seen as a cheap alternative to traditional teaching, but in
reality this is a rather naive view. It can be more cost efficient, but without working out
the figures and calculating the number of students required to reach the break even
point any course team is working completely in the dark.
Implementing distance learning programmes involves a lot of up front capital
expenditure, in terms of staff time and production expenditure. There are also the running
costs to consider once the course is operational (administration, tutorial and technician
support costs and the cost of facilities). It must be decided whether students will pay fees
or be charged for services. For a distance learning scheme to be financially viable,
income from students must cover the fixed cost as well as the variable costs.
Cost will probably be a limiting factor in the design of a course in fire safety. Since it
will be a very specialist course, the number of potential students will be limited,
compared to other open learning courses (e.g. Foundation Level Technology at the Open
University). The course team should bear this in mind when they are costing the scheme
and trying to determine the break even point.
4 Implementing the Scheme
Scheduling is crucial and refers to both the production of the teaching materials and to
the pace of study for the programme once it is up and running. During production, there
needs to be a schedule drawn up for the draft copies of materials (written, audio or
visual), for the critical appraisal of drafts, for producing final drafts and for editing and
reproduction. When a course team is producing the materials they should already have
decided what the pace of study will be (i.e. how long students are intended to spend
studying a given module). The contact time for students also needs scheduling.
There are important aspects to consider in selecting the team. Will it be a large team
including a number of subject specialists, their open learning advisors and a variety of
support staff; or a small team of generalists? It is easier to keep to the schedule and
prioritise with a small team, but the quality, in terms of content and presentation, may be
better with a large team.
After selecting the team, recognising staff development needs becomes an important
consideration. Will there only be a need for staff development before production
commences, before the course is operational, or once the course is running? It is more
likely that some staff development input will be required at each stage. Some of the
topics that it might be worth considering for staff development sessions include: change
management skills, team management and partnership skills, distance teaching skills and
counselling skills.
Proper scheduling during the production phase is important, in terms of standards,
however course teams also need to determine the desired content and form (lectures
and/or study guides) and the learning media they will produce. During the critical
appraisal period, materials need to be examined from a subject specialism point of view
and from an open learning one (see 5), in order to ensure high standards. There needs to
be agreement on presentation standards: layout and style and the use of tables and
diagrams. Support staff should be involved in the planning of open learning schemes;
administrators and secretaries, technicians and librarians should all be included.
Librarians should be consulted when decisions are being taken about the form the
teaching materials are going to take and library support that will be required. Input and
support from technicians also needs to be considered at this stage.
An early decision must be taken on how a course is to be marketed. In some
institutions the course team will be responsible for publicising the programme, whereas
in others there will be a marketing department that will have to be consulted.
5 Developing the Teaching Materials
One of the distinguishing features about open learning materials is that the learning
objectives are made explicit at the beginning of each lesson. Students then know what
they are expected to be able to do by the time they have finished it. In this way they can
chart their own progress. The lessons should also include activities that are designed to
engage the student in active learning and make the material interactive. The learning
materials should also use language that is accessible to the learner. [6]
In the UK the learning objectives will presumably be written in such a way that the
modules are compatible with the National Core Curriculum in Fire Safety Studies by
Design. [7] Therefore, in effect, the decisions about what the students will learn may
have been taken already.
There are a wide range of teaching media being developed for use in distance learning
packages. Selecting the media is rarely based solely on educational criteria, since the time
and funding available are such important considerations. However, from an educational
perspective, print would be an appropriate means for conveying much of the factual
information in fire safety and for teaching mathematical procedures. Experiments would
need to be visual so video would be a fitting medium. Interactive computer based
learning is being heralded as the media of the future, but it is expensive and time
consuming to produce and has resource implications. Cost may be a limiting factor in the
design of fire safety course material due to anticipated student numbers (see 4). Resource
implications are considered below (see 6).
There are different types of packages available, that can be categorised by how they
have been produced. They tend to be known as: off the shelf packages, bespoke
packages, wrap round packages or mixed packages
Off the shelf packages are ones that have been produced externally, are deemed
appropriate and have been bought in. Off the shelf packages can be adapted and
sometimes they are badged as well (i.e. the adapting organisation replaces the logo
with its own). Bespoke packages are those that are produced specifically for the course in
question. These packages can be tailored to meet the desired objectives and can be
produced in house or by commissioned external consultants. Wrap round packages
consist of a collection of externally produced materials (e.g. articles from periodicals or
extracts from text books) with directed study notes that include learning objectives and
activities. The study notes also link the various items in the package to make it a cohesive
whole. A mixed package is one in which elements of each style of production are
employed. Where off the shelf packages are going to be adapted or materials are going to
be reproduced to form part of a wrap round package, the law of copyright must be
considered very carefully. However, licences can usually be obtained relatively
inexpensively in the UK. [8]
There are obviously time and cost implications for each type of production. Off the
shelf packages and externally produced bespoke packages tend to be expensive (making
updating a costly consideration). In house bespoke packages are cheaper to produce but
are time consuming. They are tailor made, the copyright is owned in house and therefore
the package is easy to update. Wrap round packages are quicker to produce and can be
tailored to suit the objectives but the copyright does not belong to course team, licences
have to be paid for and the material can not be easily altered or updated.
6 Supporting Open Learners
It is important that course teams are aware of what sort of needs their learners are likely
to have, when planning an open learning scheme. This involves knowing who the
students are likely to be, developing a learner profile and then identifying the kind of
support they will probably require. The wastage rate on open learning programmes tends
to be much higher than with traditional college based courses. [9] The average applicant
for an open learning course tends to be a non standard entrant or an Adult Returner.
[10] Such student groups have different needs. Course teams need to be aware of this in
designing the course and in planning the support arrangements..
The demographics of the student population will largely be determined by how open
the course is intended to be (see table 1). Students motivation in studying a course has
implications in terms of support planning. Research has shown that students with intrinsic
motivation tend to achieve higher grades. [11] Therefore students should be encouraged
to cultivate an intrinsically motivated orientation, even though many may have initially
enrolled on a course for reasons of external motivation (e.g. in the hope that it may help
them secure promotion at work).
Learning factors influence the way in which students learn and can determine how
much support they need. If many of the students are expected to be coming from a
technical background they may see learning as being simply about memorising facts. In
this case, they will need educating about the nature of learning. Such students may well
have developed a preferred learning style based on concrete experience. Research
suggests [12] that students who use a variety of learning styles will be more successful
and that courses that cater for a variety of learning styles will be more accessible. Being
Adult Returners many of the students may need to re learn their study skills and build
up their confidence. [13]
Students subject background should be borne in mind in developing a course in fire
safety. Depending on how open the course is intended to be (see table 1), many of the
students studying the course may be building on knowledge that they already have and so
they will be able to make valuable contributions to the course. In terms of knowledge and
skills, all students should be literate and numerate and have an understanding of basic
science. If this is unlikely to be the case then the course team will need to address this
issue when they are planning the programme.
Resource factors can affect course planning and students learning. Different students
will be studying in different settings. For example learners who are fire officers may be
learning on station, in a quiet corner of the recreation room or a dormitory/study room.
They may not have access to video play back facilities but might have access to a
computer in the administrative office (for word processing but probably not CD ROM).
By comparison, a Building Control Officer or Architectural Technician would be
expected to work at home, where they may have access to video playback facilities but
not to a computer. However they may have access to CAD (Computer Aided Design)
facilities in their lunch hour at work. Resource factors of this nature impinge upon the
type of learning media that course teams can employ in developing the learning package
(see 5). If resource factors suggest that portability will be a crucial factor in the design of
learning materials, then print may be the best media to employ.
Learner support is another vital component. One perspective is logistical support
which relates to arrangements like help lines and resource factors. In view of the likely
geographical dispersion of students, library access will also need to be addressed, by
establishing postal facilities or an inter-loan network with other libraries across the
catchment area.
Human support of learners involves more than just the tutorial and counselling support
provided by the course team. To be successful in their open learning studies, students
need a supporting infrastructure. They need support and encouragement in their studies
from their line manager (and possibly some other work based colleague who can act as a
mentor), their family and friends, other students (on the phone at least) and their work
colleagues. In the same way that the successful implementation of an open learning
scheme depends on the balance between driving forces and restraining forces, whether a
student is successful in their open learning studies or does not complete the course,
depends on the balance between positive factors and negative factors. [14] These latter
factors may include motivation, learning factors and resource factors, but are often
underpinned by human support (or the absence of it!). Students must be guided in
establishing support infrastructures.
The specific form of educational support that will be required will depend on the
learner profiles. This support might include elements related to intrinsic motivation,
establishing support networks, other learning styles and study skills (including time
management and library skills). Some course teams decide to include a block release
induction week or workshop early in the programme and incorporate learner support
sessions into the timetable, to provide this support.
7 Conclusions and Recommendations
Some of the recommendations that have been made in the body of this paper are
summarised below.
A course team should be set up. Teaching and support staff should be involved in the
planning of the scheme.
The scheme should be costed to ensure that a financially viable scheme is developed.
The course team should agree realistic schedules for the production phase, the pace of
study and contact time.
Distance learning materials need to be critically appraised from both a subject specialist
and open learning perspective.
Staff development needs should be addressed.
The course team must decide on the type of learning package and learning media to be
employed, after giving due consideration to time/cost and resource implications.
Logistical support and access to resources needs to be addressed.
Students must be guided in establishing support infrastructures and provision must be
made for learner support. Towards this end an induction week might be included in the
programme.
References
[1] Parsons K. (1994) HNC Fire Engineering (by Distance Learning) unpublished feasibility
report, Department of Built Environment, University of Central Lancashire, Preston
[2] Thorpe M. & Grugeon D. eds.(1987) Open Learning for Adults. Longman, Harlow, Essex
[3] Rowntree D. (1992) Exploring Open and Distance Learning. Open University & Kogan Page,
London
[4] Lewis R. (1986) What is Open Learning? Open Learning Vol. 1, No. 2, Open University &
Longman
[5] McNay I. (1987) Organisation and Staff Development. (in Thorpe & Grugeon)
[6] Rowntree D. (1990) Teaching through Self Instruction. Kogan Page, London
[7] National Core Curriculum in Fire Safety Studies by Design (1992). The Institution of Fire
Engineers, Leicester
[8] Brown S. & Gibbs G. (1994) Course Design for Resource Based Learning in Built
Environment. Oxford Centre for Staff Development, Oxford Brookes University
[9] Woodley A. (1987) Understanding Adult Student Drop Out. (in Thorpe & Grugeon)
[10] Northedge A (1987) Returning to Study. (in Thorpe & Grugeon)
[11] Sagar E. & Strang A. (1985) The Student Experience: A Case Study of Technicians in Open
Learning.
[12] Honey P. and Mumford A. (1986) The Manual of Learning Styles. Available direct from Dr
P Honey, 10 Linden Ave., Maidenhead, Berks.
[13] Northedge A. ibid.
[14] Northedge A. ibid
43
TRAINING FOR COMMAND AT FIRES
THE ICCARUS PROJECT
K.WHITEHEAD
Training Department, Greater Manchester County Fire Service,
Manchester, UK
Abstract
Command or Management of Fires is an extremely complex skill. The
traditional methods of teaching Fire Service Officers these skills can have
some shortcomings. It has therefore been necessary to develop new
methods. A computerised simulator has been developed and its use as a
teaching aid will be discussed. Progress in teaching methods must
continue and options for the future are developing.
Keywords: Command, Computer Simulation, Fires, Methods, Training
1 Introduction
Command and Control, by the Officer in Charge of a major Fire, if it is to be effective

and efficient, involves a wide range of actions which are highly complex and often
extremely critical with regards to time scale and possible consequences.
When a Fire Service Officer makes attendance at an incident he is presented with a
vast amount of data relating to it. Such data may be verbal and or audible. It may be
written or in diagrammatic form. It is not unknown for intuition and gut feelings to be
present. He is expected to understand and prioritise the actions based upon his
interpretation of the presented data. Once the actions have been implemented, the Officer
in Charge still has to monitor, evaluate and redirect his actions as required.
It is therefore necessary for the Fire Service Officer to have simultaneous control of
numerous spheres of responsibilitythis the Fire Service refers to as Operational
Command Skills
2 Operational command skills
There are three traditional methods that British Fire Service Officers learn their skills.
1. Formalised, structured courses at the internationally recognised Fire Service college at

Moreton in Marsh, in Gloucestershire.
2. By large scale training exercises.

3. By experience gained at actual incidents.
Although providing good knowledge and experience the existing methods do have some
shortcomings.
Fire Service College. Although highly beneficial, the training is one off, and rarely is the
Officer refreshed or updated.
Large scale exercisesonly one individual can actually participate as Officer in charge,
therefore the training experience is limited on an organisational needs aspect.
The training can also be considered costly in terms of personnel and equipment used,
although it is acknowledge that on such exercises personnel may be gaining experience in
other areas such as the specific technical uses of equipment etc.
But of course, if real incidents occur during the exercise, then the Training resources
will be removed (i.e. by attending the real incident) and the exercise is therefore
destroyed and so is the learning experience.
Experience gained at actual incidentsThe decisions made by the Fire service Officer
are often extremely critical, and can have far reaching consequences in both financial and
human terms.
FinancialIt is estimated that the average cost of a major fire before it is brought under
control is probably about 10,000 per minute. It is also estimated that an average saving
of one minute on each major fire would save the country somewhere between 2 and 80
million per year. [1]
HumanThe Fire Service history is littered with reports of tragic loss of life. Often such
losses were due to ineffective or incomplete Command and Control of the incident.
During the Kings cross underground incident many lives were lost, both members of
the public, and Fire service personnel. The subsequent enquiry by Desmond Fennel OBE
QC recommended that Fire Brigades shoutd review their management, instruction and
training in command and control of emergency incidents.[2]
3 New Methods
GMCFS and other British Fire Services recognise the shortcomings of the traditional
methods of an Officers development, and are determined in their quest to provide an
efficient and effective service to its customersi.e. the population and industry of the
Country.
To achieve these objectives GMCFS has embarked upon a new and radical method of
training its officers in Operational Command skills.
A computerised simulator using an application named ICCARUS is used. ICCARUS
stands for Intelligent Command and Control: Acquisition Review Using Simulation.
The Student is expected to take command of the simulated incident. The computer
runs the developing incident in a random and complex fashion, changing the situation
obstructively as it develops. There is therefore never a model answer and the students are
required to use their skill, intelligence and judgment on each problem as they present
themselves. [1]
The whole package is truly interactive, the student and computer reacting to each
others actions. The student is rapidly involved in the simulation and it is not uncommon
Training for command at fires-the ICCARUS Project 415
for the student to be seen talking to the computer generated characters appearing within
the simulation.
4 Simulator background
The simulator is based on an Apple Macintosh Quadra CPU, having CD ROM, twin
monitors and a laserdisc player. Iccarus has been developed by the Employment
department, Home Office, The Fire Service College and Programmers from Portsmouth
and lately Brunel Universities.
To reproduce the fire scenarios [1], a disused cinema in the West Midlands was
acquired. Initially the special effects team from the TV programme Londons Burning
were used, until ultimately the building was actually set alight and razes to the ground.
Such methods provide realistic fire footage for the simulation. The footage seen is wholly
dependent upon the students actions whilst running the simulation.
5 Teaching method
Although GMCFS was presented with the I.C.C.A.R.U.S. simulator as a working tool, it
was necessary to develop an effective and efficient method of using the simulator in a
training environment.
Prior to commencing the simulation it is necessary to perform an audit of the students
existing knowledge, perceptions and possible anxieties concerning Operational
Command and Control. The training method is certainly radical within the Fire Service,
and amongst many students there exists a fear of technology.
In order to overcome these fears and misconceptions the student undertakes a short
semi-structured interview, and positive counselling is given as required. This tactic has
proved invaluable in this teaching method and results in the student developing a positive
attitude towards the training session.
Following the semi-structured interview, the student is given a short lecture to instruct
and refresh them on Operational Command methods and skills. At the conclusion of this
input the Student is then expected to put the knowledge into practise within the
simulation.
The Officer in Charge of an incident is never truly alone. There will always be other
Officers available with whom to consult and seek advice from. This philosophy has been
employed when using the I.C.C.A.R.U.S. simulation. The instructor actually sits down
with the student and controls the simulation based upon the decisions of the student. The
instructor also role plays as the assistant on the Fireground. This has distinct
advantages over a purely stand alone simulation in that valuable time and resources are
not wasted in teaching the student the background and operating methods of the simulator
and of course Incident assistance is always on hand.
As the student enters into the simulation, the computer generated characters and actors
begin to provide him with information. Radio messages are heard. Officers within the
simulation will brief him. Plans and other data relating to the incident are made available.
The student is allowed and expected to probe and enquire upon these characters. As
decisions are made the simulation constantly reacts and new situations develop.
For the student to be effective and efficient it is considered that control of several
functions will be necessary. These functions are Logistics, Planning, Communications,
Crew Safety/W elfare, Post Incident Considerations, Organisation and Liaison.
The simulation will easily last for up to four hours, and as the simulation operates in
real time, a realistic fire progress is presented, incorporating the vast majority of
problems which would be exhibited at a real incident. The student is subjected to a great
deal of decision making, whilst being inundated with information from many sources,
however as few system clues as possible are provided. Learning is real and is gained by
experience.
At the conclusion of the training session it is necessary to debrief the student in order
for learning to be confirmed. The application provides a review of the actions and events
which have taken place throughout the simulation.
The student is assisted by means of a another semi structured interview to assess their
performance. The instructor never openly makes conclusions as to the performance of the
student, he simply makes observations of the actions and decisions taken and then
questions and probes the student to ascertain the students views. In other words the
instructor simply acts as a facilitator and allows the student to judge their own actions.
This achieves a more positive learning process for the student.
Following on from the training debrief, the student is requested to complete an action
plan which should highlight the individuals strengths and weaknesses, and the actions
which the student intends to take in order to build on the strengths whilst acknowledging
and addressing their weaknesses.
The completed action plan is held by the student, in order to maintain confidentiality,
and should be brought with them to the next training session. The use of the Action plan
enables progress of both the student and the training method success rate to be monitored.
Currently, all Officers within the Brigade will receive dedicated training once per
annum.
6 The Way Forward
It is considered that GMCFS is probably the only Brigade in the country at present
providing such dedicated training for its officers, although there are several other
Brigades involved in the ICCARUS project.
By such methods GMCFS hopes to develop its Officers, and ultimately provide an
effective and efficient service to the community to which it is responsible, in a cost
effective manner.
Future developments for the simulator are already well underway. Within the very
near future the system may be upgraded to provide several scenarios which will be
viewed in the new medium referred to as virtual reality.
Technology is enabling Fire Service Officers to be effectively and efficiently trained
in a most cost effective manner yet achieving as good, if not better results than traditional
methods.
Training for command at fires-the ICCARUS Project 417
Consideration by GMCFS is already being given to developing other simulators to

deal with Fire Investigation and Hot Fire Training.
The future is very exciting, and it is the intention of the GMCFS to play an active role
in in creating and controlling the future that we want rather than simply being carried
along with the flow.
7 References
1. Employment Department (1992) ICCARUS Learning Technologies Project report, HMSO,

London.
2. Desmond Fennel OBE QC (1988) Investigation into Kings Cross Underground Fire, HMSO,
London.
44
TRAINING AND RESEARCH IN FIRE
SAFETY IN MOSCOW STATE
UNIVERSITY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
(MSUCE)
A.V.ZABEGAYEV and A.N.BARATOV
Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Moscow, Russia
ESSAY
An information about the Program of training engineers, scientists and teachers in the
field of engineering safety in construction in the whole and fire-explosive safety in
particular is proposed. Note, that training includes lecture course, practical studies and
laboratory studies, It is showed, that MSUCE is realising a broad complex of scientific
works on different aspects of fire-explosive safety in construction. The report aguaints
with results of the investigations to create the basis of fire-explosive standardisation, new
means and methods of fire-explosive protection, elaboration of fire-explosive standards.
Keywords: training, program, engineering safety, fire-explosive safety in construction,
basis of standardisation, aerosols extinguish composition, fire-explosive safety standards.
1. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays MSUCE is realising a broad training program for specialists in the field of
engineering safety in construction. This program has been under supervision of Russian
Academy of Sciences and Russian Government and consists of four block as follows:
- general aspects of safety;
- safety of structures and buildins;
- safe technology of buildibg production;
- management, economy and psychology (hyman factor).
The first block of general aspects of safety includes examination of hazardouse situations,
catastrophes and their consequences, both general and applied to construction industry,
special chapters of high mathematics, risk assessment, principles of accidents modelling
and control, special psychology.
Published in 1996 by E & FN Spon. ISBN 0 419 201807.
The second block is related to design of structures subjected to accidental loads and
actions. It includes studing of problems conserning a resistance of structures and
buildigns to intense dynamic loadings (earthquakes, blasts, explosions, impacts,

hurricanes etc.), temperature actions (fires, frosts and thaws, heat radiation ets.), nuclear
radiation, aggressive enviroments, as well as rehabilitation of damaged structures, safe
planning of buildings, potentially subjected to accidental actions, ets.
The third block of disciplines includes resque works techniques, special equipment as
well as labour protection.
Economical aspects of safety, project management in liquidation of hazardouse
situations and catastrophes consequences etc.) legislation and selection of personnel
make up the forth block.
Most of knowledge taught within the courses is based on original research results
obtained in MSUCE. The researches are supervised by scholars of authority, members of
international scientific organisations (NFPA, IFSAC, IAFSS, ICE, SECED etc).
As exposed, training of specialists is being developed on a broad range of subjects of
engineering safety so that graduates of MSUCE are highly appreciated as qualified
specialists not only in the field of construction safety, but in other branches of industry
and moreover they are able to investigate the problems of engineering safety themselves.
In the present paper an information is given about those parts of training and scientific
work in MSUCE which are dedicated to ensuring fire and explosive safety in
construction.
2. Training Program of Ensuring the Fire and Explosive Safety in

Construction.
The training Includes lecture course, practical studies and laboratory studies.
2.1. Lecture Course.

This course consists of the following parts:
2.1.1. Information About Combustion, Fire and Explosion.

Definitions of these processes, ideas of thermal and chain mechanisms of combustion,
thermodynamics and kinetic of reactions in flame and critical conditions of starting the
combustion and fire-hazardously properties of substances and materials (taking into
account their aggregate state) are given. Ideas of combustibility of materials and
structures, methods and criterion of estimation of fire-hazardous properties of substances
and materials are given; real conditions of their using (influence of localisation of the
explosion hazard volume, pressure, temperature, etc.) are taken into account.
2.1.2. Fire Prophylactic.

In this part the following is considered: fire-protective standardisation, assess ment of fire
resistance and measures to raise it by fireproofing, planning decisions and fire-protective
brakes, smoke removal and peoples evacuation, fire signalling.
Training and research in fire safety in Moscow State 421
2.1.3. Extinguishing.
Principles and methods of extinguishing, surface and volume extinguishing, means of
extinguishing and classes of fire, standard indexes and optimal conditions of
extinguishing, waterworks for extinguishing, fire-extinguishing equipment and devices
and a basis for their design, fire automatics are presented in this part.
2.1.4. Protection Aganst Explosions.

This division includes explosion stability of buildings and structures development of
explosions in gases and dust mixtures with air allowing for a combustion intensification
by flame turbulisation on obstacles, methods of explosion protection and principles of
calculation and design of protecting devices, discovery of explosion hazard accumulation
of gases and vapours, inertization of explosion hazard mixtures.
2.1.5. Organisation of Fire Service in Russia. Fire Inspection. Fire

Legislation.
Public organisations: voluntary fire societies, voluntary fire ganges.
2.2. Practical Studies.

They include case-studies on practical problems of different aspects of fire safety. In
particular, design estimates of main indexes of fire-explosive hazard of substances and
materials are done (flammability limits, flash points, conditions of materials self ignition
during storage, ets.), thermal regime of fire, fire resistance of structures. categories of
fire-explosive hazards, required quantity of extinguishing substances, ways of evacuation
of people, area of explosive protective devices, vent.etc.
2.3. Laboratory Studies.

They include an experimental determination of indexes of fire-explosive hazard of
substances and materials, heating of structures according to an assigned temperature
regime.
3. Results of Some Investigations Carried out in MSUCE in the Field

of Fire-Explosive Safety of Buildings and Constructions.
As mentioned above, MSUCE is carrying out a broad complex of investigations in the

field of ensuring the fire-explosive safety of buildings and structures. It is impossible to
inform about all these works. In the limits of the short report the present report presents a
plece of information about the results only of several investigations, which are, to our
mind, especially important in the observed field.
3.1. Elaboration of Fire-Explosive Standardisation Principles.

MSUCE took part in elaborating two standards fundamental for Russia: Standards of
Technological Design ONTP 2486 [1] and the State Standard 12.1.00485 Fire
Safety. General Requirements [2]. The first document is intended for a design of
Industrial and storage buildings and based on a determinant approach, dividing the
objects into categories. Their limits are defined by fire-explosive properties of substances
disposed in the buildings, their quantity and possibility of the explosive hazard mixtures
formation In the volumes.
There are totally five categories required by these documents: Aexplosive fire
hazardouse (rooms with combustible gases, liquids with flash point 28C and lower,
pirophoric substances), Eexplosive fire hazard (rooms with liquids having flash point
higher then 28C and up to 61C or with flash point higher then 61C, but are heated
higher then the flash point or forming an explosive hazardouse aerosol during their
leaking from an equipment under pressure, as well as rooms containing explosive hazard
dusts), Bfire hazardouse (rooms where a hazard of formation of the explosive
hazardouse mixtures is absent, but they contain combustible materials, capable to create
thermal loading higher then 50 (MDj/m2), non fire hazardous, but with ignition
sources (rooms of boiler-houses, with open flame, for welding, etc.), non fire
hazardous.
A determination of the categories is made according to the folloving formula:
(1)
where superfluous pressure developed in rooms during the combustion of explosive hazardous
P= mixture, which can form because in accidents of technological equipment (kPa);
m= maximum possible (taking into account possible emergency situations) mass of
combustible substance, which forms the air-gas or air-dust mixtures in the room (kg);
HT= combustion heat of substance, forming explosive hazardous mixtures (kDj/kg);
Po= atmospheric pressure (101 kPa);
Z= coefficient, allowing for a portion of explosive hazardous substances, got out to the room
and taking part in the forming of the explosive hazardous mixture (Z=0.1+0.5);
Ca, heat capacity of the air (kDj/kgK) and density of the air (kg/m3) in the room;
Pa=
Vroom= free cubic capacity of the room (m3);
To= air temperature in the room (K);
Kun= coefficient, taking into account non-hermetisation of the room (usually equal to 3);
If P<5kPa category A or B is prescribed depending on properties of substances, if

P5kPathe category B, or depending on thermal loading and ignition
sources is given.
The requirements of fire-resistance for constructions, number of storeys, spatial and

engineering decisions are formulated according to abovementioned categories.
The second document is based on the concept of permissible risk and foresees
complex of engineering measures, meeting the requirements that a probability of the
peoples defeat in fire or explosion at the present object does not exeeded 106 per year.
The probablility of the striking action of fire or explosion is calculated by the formula:
QL=QP(1PP)(1Pa)
(2)
where Qp= QcQoQi =a probability of occureing the fire or explosion;
Qc= a possibility of occuring of the comburant amount enough for forming explosive
mixture;
Qo= a possibility of occuring the oxidant;
Qi= a possibility of occuring the ignition sources;
Pp= a reliability of prophylactic measures;
Pa= a reliability of active measures (extinguishing, inertisation, explosion opression, etc.);
The difficulty of the last standards utilisation is that a knowledge of statistical data about
emergency situations, recorded for a number of years, is needed for the practical use.
3.2. Working Out the Fire Protection Means.

In collaboration with The Gabar firm and other organisations investigations and
elaboration of a new volume fire extinguishing mean have been carried out resulting in
the aerosol extinguishing composition (AEC), obtained by burning down a solid-fuel
composition (SFC) consisting of a non-organic oxidiser and organic re-establisher. The
AEC is a mixture of potassium and smallest (about 1 ) solid particles of carbonates,
chlorides and K-oxides [4]. This composition possesses the highest extinguishing ability
(0,030,007kg/m3), which is 58 times more effective then halon, and is characterised by
a lack of ozone depletion potential (zero O.D.P.), low corrosion activity and low toxic. It
is Intended for volume extinguishing and keeps advantage over the ecologically
dangerous halons.
An absense of pressure vessels and pipe-lines, low cost aerosol systems (AEC) in
general comparing to other extinguishing stationary systems (water, foam, gas, etc.)
expand merits of AEC.
Mecanism of a fire extinguishing action of the AEC is deflned by the same processes
and conformities as the usual dry pow-ders. Since the size of the solid particles in AEC is
signifiantly smaller then these of the usual dry powders, the effectiveness of AEC is
much higher. As AEC is formed at the moment of fire, the danger of sticking and
pieceing is absent.
The facts that creating of AEC is accompanied by an open flame and AEC by itself
have the temperature higher 1000C rnay be reffered to as demerits. The first
circumstance does not allow to utilise AEC in the explosion hazardous compartments, the
second reduces an effectiveness of AEC, because the nighly heated aerosol floats up to
the ceiling and starts to propogate in the volume while cooling occurs only.
To come over these demerits special generators of extinguishing aerosol (GEA) of the
Gabar type were developed, by means of which an effective and reliable extinguishing
(including the reservoirs with oil) may be provided.
Numerous successful tests under real conditions has confirmed the forgoing. The
generators have got through different commission tests and allowed in Russia for fire
protection of the objects of all categories.
3.3. The Main Results of Investigations, Havig Conducted in MSUCE

in the Field of Explosion Protections of Buildings and Constructions.
Safety of buildings and structures, subjected to accidental exposions, has been
Investigating at a special laboratory of MSUCE, having existed for about 25 years and
being the leading organisation in Russia in the field meritioned. Among a broad complex
of projects fulfilled, particular attention showld be drawn to the results of investigations
on intensification of gas clouds combustion and, based on this effect, elaboration a
method of analysis of the areas of precautionary devices, providing timely throwing off
the surplus pressure caused by deflagrating explosion.
It was founded that the intensification of gas combustion is influenced by turbulization
of flame and gas flow, formed at meeting of the flame with several obstacles and by the
gas flow through an outlet or a canal with reduced cross-section in compa-rison with
primary conditions.
As a result of the investigtions a standard document was deveioped [5], according to
which required section of precautionary devices (Sr, m2) is calculated as follows:
(3)
where = a coefficient of intensification varying from 3 to 30 and depending on a nature of

fuel and specific conditions;
Un= a normal speed of flame spreading, m/s;
= design intensity of the combustion products compression during burning down in
the confined volume
m= a coefficient, allowing for a degree of filling the volume with the explosive
hazardous mixture;
Kc.p= a coefficient, allowing for the influence of combustion products on Pp;
Vp= the volume of the room, m3;
g= a gas milieu density, kg/m3;
Pp= a permissiable surplus pressure, kPa;
Besides that, data concerning dynamic effects of the explosive loadings on the bearing
structures at falwre of the window glasses were obtained.
As a conclusion, we shall notice once more that the given information is far from an
explicite one.
Based on a profound experimental background elaborated advanced engineering
methods of analysis and protective measures gives advantages to users because of their
simlicity, reliability, easy shift to time-saving software etc.
4. References
1. Standards of Technological Designing, ONTP 2486, VNIPO, 1986, 25 pp.

2. State Standard 12.1.00485 Fire Safety. General Requirements, Gosstandard, 1985, 130 pp.
3. Baratov A.N., Kravets O.P. Explosive Safety of the Organic Heat-carrier, Problems of
Engineering Safety, No 6, 1990, p. 6885.
4. Baratov A.N. Modern Means and Methods of Extinguishing, Fire Explosive Safety, No 2,
1992, p. 5660.
5. Construction Standards and Rules. Protection Against Explosions, SNIP 2.01.1194.
SECTION TWO
PUBLIC INFORMATION
SYSTEMS
45
HAZARD MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS:
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AT
MAJOR HAZARD INCIDENTS
D.T.DAVIS, B.CHEUNG and E.MORRIS
Cheshire Fire Brigade, Chester, UK
ABSTRACT
The provision of information for fire-fighters and the public at major
incidents is a crucial action in seeking to achieve a safe and speedy
resolution to events. The area of Cheshire within the North West of the
United Kingdom, contains many major hazard sites. The Cheshire Fire
Brigade has attended several major incidents in recent years and has
researched and sought to develop technological and media solution to
these issues. The paper outlines the use of computer aided data storage
and retrieval systems whilst exploring the interaction to other technologies
and agencies. It also outlines the development of a public information
initiative designed to promote the concept of shelter rather than
evacuation.
KEYWORDS: Hazard Management Systems, Public Information
Systems, Fire-fighting Information Systems, Emergency Planning
Information.
1. Background
Cheshire is set in North West England and is predominantly a semi-urbanised region

which has a significant number of major petrochemical sites and large numbers of
transportation movements due to the North Wests motorway network within the Fire
Brigades operational area. In the United Kingdom the mix of chemicals to other
industries is 90:10, in Cheshire it is 50:50. Because of this particular environment,
combined with the experience gained over many years of handling major incidents, the
Brigade has consciously and routinely investigated the likelihood of an incident involving
a major escape of toxic or flammable gas or similar major emergency. Recently the
Brigade has conducted a review of gathering and disseminating of information to both the
public and fire-fighters and investigated the equipment support systems required by fire-
fighters. There are of course many existing provisions within UK legislation which
enable the Fire Service (1) to gather information on hazardous materials, the design and
construction of buildings and chemical manufacturing plants. The legislative base, whilst
helpful, in clearly establishing the need for the public and fire-fighters to have access to
information that they will require at the time of emergencies unfotunately fails to
recognise that todays firefighting and rescue service needs for information are complex,
and due to the dynamics of the fire itself, require rapid translation into useable fireground
information and subsequently translation into action.
The Hazard Management System (HMS) project commenced in February 1994 with
the intention of researching and providing a technological solution to the identified
difficulties. During the project the preliminary review focused on how to secure, access
and retrieve usable risk information for fire-fighters at the time of any major emergency.
Concurrent with the HMS project the Brigade also introduced research into how best
to assist public dissemination of information. One major aspect of its work was the
introduction of a public information leaflet baser around the concept to shelter, rather
than evacuate, and the use of existing media rather than creating new stand-alone
systems.
2. Lessons learned from previous incidents
Major incidents have occurred in Cheshire on a frequent basis. Some involve flow line
systems of products whilst several others are operated by batch processing to final
chemical substance development. Batch processing adds difficulty to understanding. The
nature of the product both in its constituent forms prior to batch mixing and at the
conclusion of the process in its new refined form may be well understood and clearly
identifiable both in terms of human and environmental risk (2). However during the batch
process itself, whilst undergoing catalytic or pressure and temperature changes, the
product itself may present other alternative risks. It is usual in such circumstances for
fire-fighters to seek the assistance of the on site manufacturer and identify clearly at
which stage the batch process is actually in process at the time of the incident. Such a
process would seem to be robust and capable of supplying all information needs.
Unfortunately occurrences do happen which destroy monitoring equipment and may also
injure or kill the relevant site personnel who have the technical knowledge to assist the
fire-fighters.
Another example envisaged and encountered is one where the core product will react
differently both in its released state and when subjected to fire. The principal risk whilst
involved in a spill situation may be the chemicals own flammability, that flammability
may result in a fire and the consequent product evolved during combustion may be
considerably different in risk terms to the product before combustion. Again it is
important that technical assistance be made available and invariably there will be
situations where technical assistance might not be forthcoming due to the circumstances
of the actual incident.
In a similar way transport emergencies may put distance between the technical
assistance and the fire-fighters who themselves may be either at personal risk or at least
Hazard management systems 431
seeking to minimise risk to other persons and the environment. With these problems in
mind it becomes necessary to achieve a higher level of technical understanding both of
the process and the products and the various stages during manufacture (3).
Moving away from the product substance hazard itself, there is also a difficulty at any
chemical plant in accurately determining the exact nature of inventories, where they are
located, how they are protected, and what action should be taken to minimise the overall
risk. Also there is a real need, on the grounds of personal safety alone, to ensure all
possible solutions for environmental monitoring, containment and the good practices, i.e.
incident management are investigated to help protect fire-fighters (4). Whilst a great deal
can be achieved through pre-planning (1) to assist in this regard, when a Brigade, such as
Cheshire, is confronted by a large number of such hazardous sites it becomes extremely
difficult, if not unmanageable, to hold this new improved archive and recover the detail,
in a presentable form, to aid the fire-fighter who, at present, uses hard copy at the
incident.
3. The HMS project
Cheshires HMS project seeks to address this need. All the aforementioned points are
seen as extremely important since the concept has to be that fire fighting in itself is an
intervention, which managed well with considered judgements and decisions can
minimise potential hazards. Conversely if managed badly with poor judgements and
decisions, it could in fact escalate the situation and certainly place fire-fighters, if not
others and the environment, in extreme danger. Technology is seen as a major tool which
can aid this process, both by making an interactive system within the improved risk
information and central archive and providing the means to relay or convey that
information to a mobile appliance some distance away.
To try and assist in this preplanning and judgmental process the HMS project
envisages the use of video and information technology to both record the information, of
any particular chemical plant or process, and then to allow that information, utilising a
lap top computer (S), to be made available in a rapidly accessible and understandable
form to fire-fighters, who may be attending an incident on a particular chemical plant or
within a specific building or site for the first time in their career. The assumption made is
that it is impossible to train every fire-fighter for every known risk. Skilled fire-fighters
still need good information and the better the information and the wider the information
sources given, the more likely we are to achieve good decisions. Against this background
the provision of risk information in the way outlined in the project is seen as essentially a
safeguard for the general public, and more importantly, the fire-fighters, who are called to
deal with the incident.
Cheshire Fire Brigade has therefore invested in attempting to move forward these
ideas. The HMS project involves the participation of a team of fire-fighters to research a
lap-top interface with video, CAD drawings, improved risk information, weather and
toxicological monitoring equipment for on and off site activity and electronic delivery of
that information to the incident. This equipment is being trialled at one of the Brigades
Fire Stations so that the end users may start to review the concept and consider the
practical difficulties and user requirements. (Details on the project and the current status
of the trial are available from Cheshire Fire Brigades.)
4. Networking and technical development
The project scope has concentrated upon meeting the needs for fire-fighters to have good
information and environmental equipment for dealing with all types of incidents. The
Brigade is also active in introducing electronic ailing facilities between those agencies
involved in the management of the offsite effects arising from major hazard incidents.
These major accidents require considerable skill and judgement not only at the incident
scene, but at those supporting emergency headquarters attempting to resolve the offsite
impacts. The use of modem technology, i.e. cloud plume monitoring, lap top computers
and close circuit television in this area is seen as greatly aiding the tactical management
of the incident and reflects considerable research already undertaken. The electronic
mailing of information concerning actions taken, in real time, together with regular
bulletins for more general distribution will, it is believed, prove of considerable benefit to
those other participants who have either a legitimate demand for information (7), like
local municipal authorities, or who need to interact with tactical decision making, like
Police or Health Authorities. Electronic mailing is seen as a positive way of creating this
broader network.
5. Major incidents tactical response
The safety record of Cheshires industry is good and whilst the Brigades operational
Cloudburst Plan (6) for major toxic gas emissions is aimed at all eventualities, in the vast
majority of the emergency services response, it results in immediate mitigation following
an accident. In most cases the risk remains fairly low being contained on site. The Fire
Brigades part in this response is therefore well tested and proven and historically it has
been seen that in the response to Cloudburst incidents there is a need to vary the degree
of activity in relation to the situation being confronted. This has led to proposals for a
graded response to incidents. This would allow every participant if they so wish to
predetermine the weight of response relevant to the potential risk. It would also allow
industrial operatives to exercise a professional judgement at the source without over
compensating the essential need for safety. The resources deployed would have to be
sufficient to meet the risk and allow for expansion if the potential increased.
Principal concerns are the need to:
a. Relieve public anxiety by mobilising only those fire appliances or other vehicles to
meet the risk.
b. Give more accurate public information relevant to the risk.
c. Ensure a basic level of resources is available at all incidents.
d. Allow professional decisions to be made at the source.
e. Permit the overall Emergency Services and Local Authorities response to reflect the
incident activity.
It is therefore proposed to have three initiation levels of response:
Level 1 On site risk with limited potential to off site

Level 2 Off site with no major potential to harm
Level 3 Off site with a potential to harm
After the initial notification from an industrial site indicating say a Level 1 response, the
Police and Fire Brigade will upon responding immediately assess the extent and nature of
the incident in conjunction with the companies, specialists and scientific advice to
confirm that the initial level notified is correct Cloud plume prediction and gas
monitoring are focused on upgrading existing Cloudburst sector maps by applying radii
parameters at 500m, 1000m, 1500m with grid map references and local land marks,
together with Draeger tube sampling equipment for fire-fighters to go off site gas
monitoring. This improved procedure will allow the Fire Brigade to liaise with the
Companys off site monitoring teams and confirm the level of categorisation by sampling
off site toxicity levels.
The existing communications for a Cloudburst incident between companies and all
other emergency agencies are by telephone contact with established links in their on site
Emergency Works HQ to the off site Emergency Services Reinforcement Base. Other
emergency service agencies communications are radio schemes, cell phones and foxes
which are not networked and incident information is not centralised. During an incident
there is a plethora of information from numerous sources from which various agencies
have to act and respond. In order to respond effectively and make balanced decisions and
judgements it is essential that this information is firstly shared with all agencies involved
and then, in appropriate ways used to inform politicians, the media and the general
public. With the range of technical experts involved in an incident it is imperative that
they see the incident unfolding in front of them. Only by doing this will we be able to
maximise available knowledge and expertise which will allow the agencies involved to
have an effect on the outcome of the incident.
The safety for fire-fighters and ultimately all those directly affected depends on
effective command and control at the incident scene. The HMS project is designed to
enhance and support that given by technical advisers. Clear tactical decisions need to be
made at the scene by the Fire Service. Inevitably this impacts on other agencies which are
then required in some cases to act rapidly. They therefore need to receive live
information, in an explicit and understandable way. The process of feedback of
occurrences and decisions taken at the scene is therefore vital to creating the effective
team approach which will aid a successful outcome to an incident.
The current view as suggested above is that the need exists to create an efficient
method of joint logging of key messages and decisions so that all five principal players,
Company, Police, Fire, Ambulance and Local Authority are involved. In the long term as
better technology becomes available it may also allow the strategic decision making
process to move further away from the scene and for the Fire Service to, the Fire Brigade
Control Room. This would allow the tactical decision making to take place at the scene of
the incident and the strategic response to come from the centre where there is access to
the widest information sources. In turn technology would also allow the constant sharing
of information with other services through their controls or key locations such as District
Off Site Emergency Centres. In this way the strategic decisions will be shared and
immediately disseminated. This is a logical evolution which has tremendous resilience
and strength.
6. Off site monitoring
Local communities invariably turn to their emergency service for assistance to prevent
the effects of damage upon the environment. Time and equipment are a significant factor
because a measured response can be constructed involving internal and external expertise
to mitigate the effect of say the accidental release of chemicals into the environment that
may have a significant effect on water and air pollution.
Personnel training and scientific advice are two issues, but equally there is the
question of equipment. National data sources will provide information for physical and
chemical properties and to the products of combustion in some cases. What they cannot
do is identify the local weather and micro climate related to an incident. It is extremely
unlikely that existing fixed sampling or weather equipment that has been strategically
placed throughout the area for other purposes could be so fortuitously sited that it would
assist in assessing emissions in an emergency, although wind data might be used to help
estimate say plume dispersion.
The Brigade has therefore purchased three portable gas samplers which determine
oxygen deficient or flammable atmosphere at the source of emission, together with three
portable computers for local weather monitoring with additional gas samplers (Draeger)
to determine the level of contamination off site by fire fighting teams. This equipment is
made available on the Fire Service Operational Support Units (OSUs). To mitigate the
effect of water pollution, consultation with the National Rivers Authority has resulted in
the offer of absorbent packages to render first stage prevention. Should the incident
escalate then pneumatic seals, neutralisers and booms will be made available on Fire
Service OSUs to prevent entry of contaminants into the water causeways.
7. Public information
It is accepted that the better informed we are the more likely we are to take sensible
actions. In an emergency that is particularly important. Finding the right platform at a
railway station may aid a successful journey. Taking the right exit from a collapsing
building can be crucial to very survival.
The avoidance of panic, the safe exit from a dangerous situation and a more sensible
reaction do depend heavily upon how much information is available to the individual
making the decision (8). In emergency situations we need to be able to use those daily
systems and other means of accessing information. Visually explicit warning signs or exit
route markings are simple examples but the process is more complex.
Quite often the decision has to be made suddenly, unexpectedly, and the ability to
analyse the information being delivered to the brain may well be competing with a
natural desire to run or hide from danger.
It helps to think about the problem in three phases. Before an event, during the
emergency, and after an accident or injury has occurred.
Before the Event

Fire awareness is a good example of pre incident education. Different strategies work
better with adults, who accept the event as credible to those who do not. Recognising
such credibility issues can provide a focus on delivering a fire awareness message to an
adult. By contrast a child may accept from an adult the fact a risk of injury exists but their
interest and concentration may be limited or the threat of injury may make the subject
under discussion frightening. Using role models or characters, in Cheshire the use of an
elephant by the Fire Service (9), makes the subject interesting, funny and non threatening.
Messages about what to do in earthquakes in the Pacific rim area pose similar needs as
to forest fires in France or hurricanes in America. The earthquake message may be to stay
put and hide under a table, the forest fire may need evacuation along designated
highways and hurricanes introduce the need to take shelter. Overall the message needs to
be conveyed before the event to increase probabilities of survival.
During the Emergency

Rational thinking during any emergency is difficult. To those in the intervention service,
trained in trauma situations, the coping strategies are high. To the public they are all
threatening and coping strategies are not necessarily available.
Panic can be avoided as shown in human behavioural studies (10) if information is
given. This is highly relevant in crowd situations. Again practical examples may be as
simple as announcements telling people how to leave a building threatened by terrorists.
In a complex building the use of zoned alarms may aid phased evacuationan essential
need in hospitals or high rise buildings. Flood situations demand advice on preparedness
and options as to when and which route to chose when it is time to leave. Hurricane and
earthquake situations develop a strong sense of threat which can be greatly eased by
knowing the strength of seismic activity or how storm cloud formation is moving. Even
at sporting events good information to the crowd can greatly aid and indeed avoid crush
situations developing.
In town centres when mothers and children are separated by an accident occurring
from say an overturned vehicles blocking a highway information on where to go to find
each other will provide a massive reassurance to mother and child. Similarly the
avoidance of injury to health from risks to the environment like radiation or toxicity
require extremely positive and unambiguous public announcements.
After the Accident

The emergency having occurred then recovery and restatement of appropriate actions are
a vital aspect of the public information system. Advising people when it is safe to go
home is obvious. Less obvious is the need to let individuals know how to obtain water or
basic help following a major natural disaster or how to obtain medical information
following a toxicological event. These processes can further be extended through real
tragedies to show how survival might have been an outcome if previous advice had been
followed. Again by way of example we have used in UK the fire deaths through foam
furniture to promote a change in furniture standards and to mount highly successful
schemes to fit smoke detection.
8. Public informationa practical response
Cheshire Fire Brigade employ a full-time Media and Education Officer. Part of the
individuals job is to respond to major incidents to liaise with the media and reflect the
role that the Fire Service is undertaking. As a public servant, the officer has a duty to
ensure that accurate timely information is communicated regarding incidents attended.
Experience has shown that in responding to the needs of the media there is a need to
balance the needs and to adequately take care of public information.
Increasingly individuals and organisations are being held accountable for their actions
whilst dealing with a disaster on an emergency. In the aftermath agencies disseminate
actions and information and if these are found not to have been effective or in the best
public interest, then the question of accountability is invariably raised.
The media has an editorial need and the Emergency Services have the need to
communicate effectively. These two needs do not necessarily satisfy each other but they
can it is believed, help each other and subsequently ensure more accurate reporting and
concise information.
One incident, used to provide further thinking of the public information need, involved
a very serious fire with toxic potential, at which the media could not gain access to the
siteThey were required to stay at the Emergency Services Reinforcement Base (ESRB)
which was a Fire Station approximately one kilometre away. Here a media briefing centre
was established where regular briefing sessions took place. Interviews were conducted
and in addition hundreds of media calls were taken over a twelve hour period.
On the night of the incident copies of the Cloudburst plan was issued to
correspondents which explained the Fire Services approach to this type of incident and
the Media Officer assisted in producing featuretwo to three minute items for
televisionwhich accompanied the national and local news highlighting the approach to
incidents and how, by pre-planning and training, the Fire Service sought to manage these
types of incidents successfully
Whilst this information provision helped, the following day newspaper articles
appeared which conveyed contrary information and raised public concern and questions
in the UK Parliament (12).
As a result of these concerns a review of the educative needs of the public was
undertaken by a working party drawn from the Emergency Services, Industry and Media.
Following the first meeting the very common messages was a clear feeling from all those
involved that the level of anxiety was above that of the perceived risk.
The working party observed there were needs to be addressed. For example, creating a
better flow of accurate information to the media and improving the confidence with the
community in relation to emergency response.
After the first meeting views were summarised and designed into a leaflet which was
subsequently called In case of emergency (13). Interestingly the industrial members on
the working party asked if the emergency services logos could appear on the cover as a
form of endorsement. It was also considered that a simple action message needed to be
incorporated.
The Fire Service for many years has used Get Out, Get the Fire Brigade out, and Stay
Out. What was required needed to fit the chemical incident and would promote the
policy of shelter, consequently, Go inStay inTune inwas decided upon together
with an established telephone answer line based on existing one stop shop information
network provided by County Council level Information Points. The points are on a
searching group so that a call will consistently search until it finds a vacant line, in
addition they are connected by an electronic mail system. A maximum of 25 lines can be
staffed by professional information givers.
The leaflet also makes the case that the chemical industry aids the public stating we all
need modem drugs and use consumer items and transportationif we expect these goods
we should accept the industries which produce them.
Indeed in Cheshire the industry employs 25,000 people and contributes 1.26 billion
towards the wealth of the Country. Such quotations are seen as important in emphasising
balance.
Information in the leaflet headed Working together for your Safety informs people
that if they live close to an industrial hazard then industry, by European law, has to
inform them of certain issues. The section goes on to explain that plans formulated in a
cooperative way and that the emergency services and emergency planners constantly
work and exercise their plans to ensure effectiveness.
Having given a positive picture the leaflet goes onto a step by step approach to explain
What would happen in an emergency
This information page includes eight local radio station logos who have broadcast
areas into Cheshire. Over a period of a year every news editor, both radio and television,
has discussed the information leaflet with the Brigade. The level of support received has
been most encouraging and following each of the meetings confirmation in writing of
what was discussed and agreed as definite guidelines has been issued. The objective
throughout, recognises that perhaps in the past there had been some inaccuracies,
however, the media can help and the proposal should not only get the public
information message right, it should also furnish the media with timely information
which should greatly assist in the accurate reporting of the event.
The leaflets importance is that it is a policy statement of those who have been
involved in incidents in the past and therefore have a great deal of experience. The
agreement of the words used in this public leaflet by the agencies involved bonds the
common approach of shelter, not evacuate, and thereby provides a first step in a major
educational initiative to help ensure all the community, the chemical industry and
emergency response agencies are working along a common path of understanding,
allaying fears and helping put industrial hazard risk in perspective.
One of the problems historically is the use of TV graphics supporting news items.
Graphics intended to show this gas cloud for the incident quoted appeared on television.
Working out the scale of the cloud by using the width of a river shows that at one point
the cloud actually stretched to a town some 30 kilometres away from the site.
In reality gas monitoring taken at the incident showed safe readings some few hundred
metres down wind from the site. The result of such graphics can cause anxiety to
thousands of people. Having discussed this particular problem with TV editors the
Brigade has now agreed to fax copies of Fire Service operational sector maps to TV
stations.
Combined with scaled response and environmental monitoring this will allow the
Brigade to give very accurate information regarding potential public risk. For example, if
the Fire Service are registering gas readings at certain operational sectors then this
information will be shaded in on sector maps and faxed to TV stations.
The final page of the leaflet again highlights the team approach and a quick response
provided by the emergency services. It is intended to send the leaflet to every household
in Cheshire and to launch it using the media as well as recognising them as key players in
this communications process. The Brigade are now also encouraging industry to use the
leaflet as part of the information they send out to householders in their legal notification
of hazard zones.
Telephone lines will also be available for emergency information response 24 hours a
day. In the day time they will operate from information points in public libraries which
are staffed by trained librarians. Out of office hours the system can be brought on line in
2030 minutes of call out from a special room at the administrative Headquarters for the
County. In this room a team of three people will be responsible for formulating
information and faxing it to radio and TV stations. This will be done utilising electronic
mail fox systems. The target is to issue public information bulletins every 20 minutes
Public bulletins will have a pen picture of none speculative information regarding the
incident plus a public information statement based on basic pre-determined guidelines
such as:-
We are attending an incident at......involving a fire/leak. The wind is blowing from
......towards....... We are asking the residents of.........as a precaution to stay indoors and
close doors and windows and stay tuned/switched on to......radio/TV to listen for further
information.
It should be noted that it is not intended to give wind direction as westerly or
whatever. Similarly locations are stated by name such as a village or town which
communities can identify with directly.
9. Conclusions
There is considerable need within areas having high hazard sites to develop public and
fire fighting service information systems which are robust and capable of delivering high
quality and unambiguous data which both aids successful tactical decisions and avoids
necessary public anxiety. Cheshire Fire Brigade has sought to use technology to help in
References
(1) Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984

Fire Services Act 1947
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988
Notification of Installation Handling Hazardous Substances Regulations 1982.
(2) Emergency Planning for Industrial Hazards H.Gow, R.Kay
(3) Environmental Protection Fire and its Effects on the Environment Seminar Documentation 27
January 1993 (IBC Technical Services Ltd)
(4) Monitoring Options for Local Authorities by Sean Beevers (by IEMO March 1992) On-Site
Meterological Program Guidance for Regulatory Modelling Applications Paper by US
Environmental Protection Agency. June 1987.
Shell Research Papers: H G System Gas Dispersion Model, H G System II Dispersion Model,
Development of Open Path Systems for Omission Rate Measurements.
Cheshire Fire Brigade Operations Group Order 19/1 -Incidents Involving Large Scale
Toxic/Flammable Gas Emissions.
Manual of Firemanship HMSO
(5) Cheshire County Council Management Consultancy Report (July 1994).
(6) Cheshire County Council Cloudburst Procedure for Major Toxic Gas Emissions.
(7) Dealing with Disasters HMSO Publication.
(8) Quarantelli EL Evacuation Behaviour and Problems: Findings and Implications from the
Research Literature.
(9) Welephant: A character developed and used by UK Fire Brigades to promote fire safety
awareness.
(10) Sime J DHuman Behaviour in Fires: Summary Report. JCFR. FROG Report 45. 1992.
(11) The Associated Octel Fire 1994Cheshire Fire Brigade Report.
(12) Hansard Emergency DebateAssociated OctelFebruary 1994.
(13) In Case of Emergency LeafletCheshire Fire Brigade.
46
AN EMERGENCY PLANNING TEAM AS
A SOURCE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
S.M.CHAMBERS
Get Science Write, Calbourne, UK
Abstract
When the public become aware of an incident, they want information.
This is especially true if questions about health and safety arise.
Information may be gained from a variety of sources such as the mass
media, gossip or experience. For those in local government with a
statutory obligation to provide information [1], being believed and taken
seriously by the public, are important.
Credibility, trustworthiness, familiarity and competence, as perceived
by the public, are significant to anyone providing information. Public
opinion and perception of the source of information influence the
effectiveness of communication.
The Isle of Wight Emergency Planning Team is addressing these
issues. The Team is collaborating with a public communication specialist
in an attempt to produce a coordinated information response as an integral
part of their emergency plans.
Quality of information is increasingly a priority. Focusing on
information style and content is supplemented by raising the Teams
public profile. This paper looks at issues raised by the research, case
studies of relevant issues, and the methods the Team is using to improve
its communication with the public.
Keywords: Credibility, Emergency Planning, expertness, familiarity, Get
Science Write, information source, risk, trustworthiness.
1 The use of a specialist communication consultant
The Isle of Wight Emergency Planning Team recognises the need for effective
communication with the public during an incident The Team has started to use a public
communication consultancy called Get Science Write. Get Science Write has advised the
Team on the preparation of public information.
Get Science Write is based on a unique combination of scientific training and research,
coupled with communication expertise. The services provided by the consultancy mean
that information received by the Team regarding an incident can be interpreted and then
translated into a form suitable for the public. Information may come from Central
Government or the Teams own advisors.
From late 1994 to date Get Science Write has been advising the Team on public
information policy. The Team and Get Science Write have started to coordinate policy to
place public information prominently in emergency plans.
Collaboration began with the consultancy researching the field of public
understanding of science. This lead to research into the public perception of risk, risk
assessment, public perception of information sources, the role of the mass media in
opinion forming and media interpretation of risk issues. The research highlighted areas
relevant to the work of the Team. A meeting in September 1994 allowed the points raised
by the research to be discussed with other agencies involved in County Emergency Plans.
Research findings showed that a trustworthy, expert source is needed for the public to
react positively. Information had to be accurate and unambiguous. Among those
providing the information, there must be agreement about what is being said, a singing
from the same hymn sheet approach. Information must be put across in a style easily
understood by the public. Problems may arise when the public perceive a risk when they
are not in danger. All these points have relevance to the public communication role of the
Emergency Planning Team.
Three examples, taken from the range of work researched, highlight the relevant
points. First is public reaction to information provided following the explosion at
Chernobyl in 1986. The second is a study of problems faced by the authorities in New
South Wales, Australia over the siting of a hazardous waste incineration facility. Third is
work studying public perception of risk
2 Chernobyl
The explosion at Chernobyl in 1986, provided those studying public reactions with an
excellent research opportunity. The work done by Hans Peter Peters, in the then West
Germany [2], describes the information disaster which followed the Chernobyl
accident. In his analysis Peters examined the role of sources of information, the public
perception of these sources and source credibility.
This information disaster is just the type of mix up that the Emergency Planning
Team is looking to avoid. An example is as follows,
While the Minister of the Interior absolutely ruled out any danger for the West
Germany public in a television interview, the Government, at the same time, asked
farmers not to let their cattle graze outside and imposed strict controls on incoming food
supplies at the eastern boundaries of West Germany.
Peters points out that even the Federal Government did not have a clear or
comprehensive picture of the preceding events and the risks posed to the public. The
responsibility for those charged with informing the public is to tell them what is known
and to be consistent. If things are unclear then say so. Any short term outcry is nothing
compared with the damage done by later exposure of cover-up or incompetence.
What result did the Chernobyl disaster have on the public perception of information
sources? Peters studied public reaction to seven information sources; Federal
An emergency planning team as a source of public information 443
Government, Political Opposition, Nuclear Research Centres, the Nuclear Industry, an

Ecological Institute, action/pressure groups and journalists. Peters looked at four factors
in his analysis; familiarity, public interest orientation, competence and credibility. Peters
used a study group of around thirteen hundred members of the public.
2.1 Familiarity
The public were asked how familiar they were with certain organisations and institutions.
Very familiar were the Federal Government and the Political Opposition. Unfamiliar
were the Nuclear Research Centres and the Ecological Institute.
2.2 Public interest orientationtrustworthiness

Do the public view an organisation as having its own interests at heart? Or does the
organisation have the public interest at heart? The public believed the Federal
Government and Political Opposition had the public interest as their primary concern.
Contrasting this was the nuclear industry and journalists. Public interest orientation can
also be called trustworthiness.
2.3 Competenceexpertness
Peters asked those surveyed how competent they felt the sources were to give advice.
Highly competent were the Nuclear Industry and the Nuclear Research Centres. The
Government and Opposition were close joint second. Least competent were journalists.
Competence can also be called expertness.
2.4 Credibility
Those surveyed were asked to assess the credibility of the seven organisations as a source
of information. The Federal Government and Opposition came out on top followed by
Nuclear Research Centres, action groups, journalists, Ecological Institute and last the
Nuclear Industry. The credibility of a source comes from a combination of expertness
and trustworthiness.
3 New South Wales
In the paper Siting a hazardous waste facility: The tangled web of risk communication
[3], Beder and Shortland discuss aspects such as source credibility and perceived risk.
Their discussion centres around the siting of a hazardous waste incinerator in rural New
South Wales, Australia. The work of Beder and Shortland is an interesting study for those
involved in public communication.
Beder and Shortland looked at two players in this case study, the Federal and Local
governments Joint Taskforce on Intractable Wastes (the authorities) and Greenpeace
Australia.
Neither of these groups lied, yet they used their own view of the technology of waste
disposal to support their stance. The information battle between the two is important to
the Emergency Planning Team as it highlights how the authorities lost credibility by their
actions during the long running public debate.
In their conclusion Beder and Shortland identify four flaws in the authorities
communication process. These four examples are of particular interest to Emergency
Planners.
1 The authorities portrayed the ideal technology operating in the ideal world. This didnt
wash with the public and the authorities lost credibility.
2 The efforts made and the lengths to which the authorities went to reassure the public
were seen as salesmanship.
3 Gaps in information and the lack of answers to some public questions lead to the
communication of the opposite message, from the authorities to the public.
4 The authorities failed to consult the public. This destroyed the idea that the authorities
were acting in the publics best interests.
3.1 Lost credibility

The authorities took one extreme and Greenpeace Australia the other. The authorities
presented the hazardous waste plant operating in an ideal, human error free world.
Greenpeace Australia took the other extreme and put forward the worst case scenario.
Beder and Shortland suggest that,
such polarized models of technological systems can be found in many
technological controversies.
The authorities must take up some stand point but this extreme view of simplicity was
not credible and was attacked by Greenpeace Australia. The public sided with these
attacks, as the position of the authorities was not credible in the real world.
3.2 Perceived salesmanship

The authorities, in the face of the Greenpeace campaign had to go to great lengths to try
to reassure the communities that were short-listed as sites for the new facility. But, as
Beder and Shortland point out,
There is also some evidence that messages of reassurance inadvertently communicate
insincerity and dishonesty. The contractions and incongruities that arise from the need to
reassure rather than openly informare easily picked up by those who are most likely to
be affected and are amplified by opponents.
3.3 Unintended, opposite messages

If this facility is as safe as the authorities claim, why is it 100 kilometres from Sydney?
The unintended message from the authorities gave those living near proposed sites the
feeling of being sacrificial lambs.
The authorities assured the public that the new facility would be away from any
environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, national parks and significant streams
and lakes. One proposed site for the facility was only two kilometres from the Murray
river. The Murray is one of Australias major waterways, used for drinking water and
irrigation in three states. At public meetings the public asked, Is the Murray not a
significant waterway? As Beder and Shortland note,
The failure of those officials to give what locals considered to be an adequate answer
to this and other questions communicated more to the audience than all the purposeful,
reassuring statements they made all evening. Beder and Shortland also note that in this
situation, Learning to say, I dont know may be one of the most difficult
communication lessons.
3.4 Failure to consult

The combination of lost credibility, reassurance rather than information and unintended
messages combined to leave the communities affected with the feeling of being left out.
Indeed the whole campaign by the authorities appeared to the public to be centred around
the idea that, Have faith; we are in charge.
This simplistic approach from a source lacking credibility showed how poor handling
of a vital communication programme can lead to great difficulties in resolving an issue.
4 Risk
Whether an incident occurs or not and whether any danger to the public occurs can be
irrelevant. The problem of risk and its perception by the public should be a major
consideration to those involved in providing public information. There are two relevant
aspects of risk, actual risk and perceived risk.
4.1 Actual risk

Actual risk places the public in physical danger The idea of an odourless, tasteless,
invisible yet physically damaging force is very difficult to understand. Yet this could be a
description of ionising radiation. If another incident such as Chernobyl occurs, where the
public may be in physical danger, they must understand or be made to understand that
they are in danger. Public behaviour can be contradictory. If an incident occurs, no risks
may exist, yet panic may follow. When there is real physical danger the public may be
very slow to accept that anything is wrong. To overcome this possibly fatal contradiction,
effective communication of risk is needed.
Everyday examples should be used to communicate risks. Is it possible to compare the
levels of exposure to having a dental X-ray or sunbathing? The public are not experts, but
they are not stupid and do not need patronising. It is not a good or successful idea to tell
the public they are being exposed to becquerels or millisieverts of radiation. Such
descriptions mean nothing to the layman.
4.2 Risk as a social construct

Susanna Hornig studied the public perception of risk, Her work brings a new aspect to the
consideration of how the public react to the risks [4]. Hornig states,
Risks are socially constructed; they are interpreted (whether by the lay public or by
the scientific elite) in a particular social and cultural context.
This idea is of particular interest to those involved in public communication. The
public consider risk not in the ideal world in which risk calculations are made but in the
real world in which they live. The public are aware of, and place importance on, factors
that may not be considered by those wishing to describe the levels of risk.
Public perceptions cannot be viewed as right or wrong, they are arrived at by using a
different set of values from those used within, say, the scientific community. Irrational is
a word used by some scientists to describe public reaction to risks. Hornig suggests
The public thinking may be irrational to the extent that it differs from scientific
thinking.
So where does this leave the Emergency Planning Team and those others involved in
communication of scientific information and risk? Hornig points out
No amount of information on probabilities of harmhowever phrasedwill serve to
create a favourable climate of public opinion unless social context issues are also
addressed.
People may be more concerned about how a new technology or risk fits into, and can
be controlled by, existing social systems. The public seem to find issues of ethics and
regulation of new risks or technology more important than data and statistics. Whereas
the scientific community will accept new risks if adequate testing and monitoring has
been carried out, the public view the risk in a much wider context.
5 Putting research findings put into practice
Source credibility is very important to the Team. They have a statutory duty to provide
public information. The work necessary is now being reviewed in the light of Get Science
Writes research findings. Fulfilling statutory obligations to a minimum level, is not
enough. The research findings point out steps that can be taken to provide effective
public communication. So where has this research lead the Team?
A public exhibition has been commissioned from, and produced by Get Science Write.
Familiarity, expertness, trustworthiness and credibility, issues raised during the research,
are addressed by the style and content of the exhibition. This portable exhibition tries to
set local Emergency Planning, its work, future projects and resources in context. The
intention is to use the exhibition at public meetings and events.
By taking information to the public the Team hopes to avoid the salesmanship
perception. The public are drawn into the planning process by offering information and
opportunities for involvement. Letting the public get involved with planning tries to
prevent any ill-feeling over a failure to consult.
Bearing all the points in mind and testing them during exercises should ensure that no
unintended messages are sent to the public. By combining all the findings of the research
the Team will be in a strong position. A familiar and credible source is much more likely
to be listened to and understood by the public. When the issue of actual or perceived risk
arises, the Team can produce information that should satisfy the public. The use of a
specialist to produce suitable information coupled with their credibility as a source will
maximise the effectiveness of the Team.
In practical terms the Team now have an exhibition to show the public, As a first step
to providing information the Team have information sheets on file ready to use.
Currently, the prepared information covers a radiation emergency. These sheets only
need specific details of an incident to be added and they can be copied and distributed.
The future of the Teams information campaign involves having information prepared
and ready to amend as soon as details are confirmed.
Information needs to be controlled during an incident. This is not to stop people
finding out the facts, but the quantity of information given out should reflect the
seriousness of an incident. A constant flow of information feeding saturation media
coverage may not be appropriate.
Now that the Team have theoretical confirmation of the main points of public
communication, they are ready to monitor future events in a new light. Get Science Write
is also continuing to research public communication. Accidents and disasters do not all
happen in one place, so Get Science Write is now gathering more information on the
response strategies of other Emergency Planning Teams.
The use of a specialist has raised a series of points that the Team can now work on.
Progress has been made. Future work will involve the production of more prepared
information that can provide a quick, accurate response to a demand for information. The
medias role and agenda are also topics for future research. Get Science Write and the
Team are at the start of a long term effort to produce an effective information system able
to cope with any emergency. Further study of prepared information will take place in the
future. Exercises scheduled for early 1995 will provide an opportunity to test this
prepared work.
Principle references
1 The Public Information and Radiation Emergency Regulations (PIRER) (1993) Statutory
Instrument No. 2997 1992.
2 Peters, H.P. (1992) The credibility of information sources in West Germany after the Chernobyl
disaster. Public Understanding of Science Vol. 1 pp. 325343.
3 Beder, S., Shortland, M. (1992) Siting a hazardous waste facility: The tangled web of risk
communication. Public Understanding of Science Vol. 1 pp. 139160.
4 Hornig, S. (1993) Reading risk: public response to media accounts of technological risk. Public
Understanding of Science Vol. 2 pp. 959.
Other references
Barker, F. (1992) South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority, Public information in the
event of a radiation emergency. Assessment of the research literature and proposals for future
work.
Barker, F. (1993) South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority, Public information in the
event of a radiation emergency. Responding to public inquiries.
Carver, S., Myers A. (1993) The Role of Public Perception in the Response Planning for Major
Incidents: Public Perception and Memory Retention Questionnaire Survey.
County Emergency Planning Qfficer, (1993) Public information and guidance on accidents
involving radioactive incidents. Isle of Wight County Council.
Dakin, J. (1994) A media master plan is a must. Civil Protection. Issue 31 Summer pp. 1213.
Dunwoody, S., Paters, H.P. (1992) Mass media coverage of technological and environmental risks:
A survey of research in the United States and Germany. Public Understanding of Science Vol. 1
pp. 199230.
Frewer L.J., Shepherd, R. (1994) Attributing information to different sources: effects on the
perceived qualities of information, on the perceived relevance of information, and on attitude
formation. Public Understanding of Science Vol. 3 pp. 385401.
Handmer, J., Penning-Rowsell, E. (1990) Hazards and the communication of risk. Gower Technical
ISBN 0566 02784 4.
Health and Safety Executive, Arrangements for responding to nuclear emergencies, HMSO, ISBN
0 7176 0828 X
Home Office, (1992) Dealing with Disaster, HMSO.
Knorre, H. (1992) The star called Wormwood: the cause and effect of the Chernobyl catastrophe.
Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 1 pp. 241249.
The Royal Society, 1985, The Public Understanding of Science. ISBN 0 85403 2576
Warner, F. (1992) Calculated Risk, Science and Public Affairs, Winter edition.
Waterhouse, R. (1994) The balance of power, Feature article, The Independent on Sunday Review
Section. pp. 1012.
Wilkinson, J. (1992) Channels of communication, Science and Public Affairs, Spring edition.
Wynne, B. (1992) Misunderstood Understanding: social identities and public uptake of science.
The Public Understanding of Science. Vol. 1 pp. 281304.
47
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR IN SHOPPING MALLS
P.HUMPAGE
West Midlands Fire Service, UK
Abstract
Over the last two decades numerous surveys have indicated that people
have died or been injured as a result of inadequate provision of means of
escape within buildings of all types, particularly those used by the general
public. as a consequence legislation within the U.K has been amended or
issued with pressure from the general public, fire authorities, and
insurance companies and is incorporated within the present standards of
the building regulations.
The effects by external influences on people in a mall within a
shopping centre are complex, but has the area of the actions of these
people within the mall been fully explored. In that the area of emergency
exits provided within bear a true representation of those that will be used
within an emergency. Rather than those provisions within the regulations.
The findings of this study is based upon a structured questionnaire of
five hundred randomly selected shoppers within the Merry Hill Centre
Birmingham.
The result of the survey strongly indicate that the exits specifically
designed to be used during an emergency will not be fully utilised, and the
normal (entrance/exit) will be over subscribed. The survey however does
not take into account the interaction of other variables, and as such should
not be taken in isolation.
Human behaviour, Methodology, Survey, fire alarm, fire exit.
Introduction
The hypothesis put forward in my discussion is that in an emergency the occupants that
are expected to use the emergency exits will be below that which they are designed for,
and that more people will exit in the direction by which they entered creating problems in
design. In addition to the evacuation of the occupants the introduction of emergency exits
has implications at the design stage, and in the financial aspect of reduc ing the retailing
area available as a consequence of usable floor space being taken up with emergency
exits.
Methodology
In order to investigate the possible actions of individuals within the mall. I devised a
structured questionnaire which attempted to identify factors that contribute to the actions
of individuals within a shopping mall in the scenario of an emergency situation. With the
questionnaire covering a sample of 500 people.
Survey Analysis
To gain an understanding as to peoples reactions the survey identified three areas.

1 Analysis of seeing a fire
2 Analysis of fire alarm sounding
3 Analysis of method of exit
For the purpose of my study this provided the natural progression of events for people
within the mall and identifies the factors that influence the actions of occupants with a
shopping mall.
The questionnaire provided useful data I could compare to already established ideas
on human behaviour and consequently areas of the building regulations in relation to the
number of emergency exits and there requirement within a shopping mall.
To provide some continuity through the actions and events that may take place in the
given situation of a fire. Then the area of research comes in the last partthat of the
direction chosen. Before this however is the identification of a fire, the reaction of the fire
alarm sounding and finally the exit used.
Analysis of action of seeing a fire
The difference between male and female in their actions in seeing a fire are well
documented in that. It would normally be expected for females to tell people in authority
or people around them, needing conformation of what they could see and as is the case
where the female is with her partner, informing them.
Males on the other hand should be more inclined to raise the alarm and tell people
around them. The results of the survey showed up some striking similarities in the
options available to the individuals concerned as opposed to what would be expected.
A critical review of human behaviour in shopping malls 451
Fig. 1 Analysis of action of seeing a fire

Find someone in authority Tell people about you Raise the alarm
Female 269 31.97% 20.45% 47.58%
Male 231 29.00% 19.91% 51.08%
Totals 500 30.60% 20.20% 49.20%
The difference between male and female in the answer to tell people around you was
very similar at 20% and 19% respectively fig. 1.
More surprising was the number of males that would look for someone in authority in
comparison to the females with only two percentage points between the two. This
indicates that either the males used for the survey are of a lower self esteem than that of
the females or, assuming that the intelligence of both groups is spread over the full
spectrum, the actions and perceptions of individuals within the sexes has changed in that
more males would look for someone in authority has been previously recognised.
It follows that if this is the case then individuals are going to more inclined in a
situation within an enclosed shopping centre to take notice of security personnel. This can
be used to the advantage of controlling the people in getting them to move in a direction
by the staff.
But by far the most striking thing was the number of females who were prepared to
bring attention to themselves and raise the alarm, it was expected that this would be a
high number among the males, but the results show that the females were only 4% behind
the males, in taking this course of action.
If it is that the individuals used for this survey is balanced, then there has been a
dramatic change in perceptions of individuals, in comparison to previous surveys,
especially that of females, in there actions. Perhaps the reasons behind this are of a social
nature. What is highlighted is that overall only 20% of people questioned would be
prepared to stand and shout, to make others aware of the situation. Fig. 1
Having looked at the reactions to the discovery of a fire, natural progression to this
would be the sounding of the alarm within the ESC and the reactions of individuals
within the mall, both in local to the fire, and more importantly unaffected areas of the
mall.
Analysis of action in fire alarm sounding
As with the previous section, the use of sexes was the most important, and as such Fig. 2
shows the results in that the difference between the males and females, within each
choice, is minimal.
By far the largest group were those who elected to leave the mall, 63% in total, those
remaining being split between ignoring the danger, at 24%, and carrying on shopping at
13%. Fig 2
Fig. 2
Ignore danger until identified Carry on shopping Go out
Female 269 23% 14 % 63%
Male 231 25% 11% 64%
Totals 500 24% 13% 63%
It would appear from first impressions that the latter two are the same response in that
neither would leave the mall. This is incorrect in that the individuals who said that they
would ignore it until identified were aware that there was some form of problem but were
not prepared to take any action until they could perceptibly identify the danger, and if it
was going to affect there plans that were already in motion.
Of the individuals who said they would carry on shopping were not prepared to have
obstacles put in their path from what they wanted to do, (This was graphically illustrated
in the fire at Bradford Football Stadium, and Hendersons in that although there was an
identifiable danger the individual perception was one of continuing the designed routine).
These results show that although 63% of people are going to leave immediately there
is still going to be substantial number of people who are going to stay within the centre.
The implications of this on the escape time that are required to empty the mall are that it
will take longer than envisaged. Especially if there is a movement of people from the
shops on to the mall as there undoubtedly would be.
Allied to their reaction in the event of the fire alarm sounding was what does the fire
alarm sound like? 27% of the survey were unable to select from either of the options
given to them. This means that if correct, the fire alarm sounding then a quarter of the
people would take no notice. Of this quarter, only 19% of the respondents said that they
would leave if the fore alarm were to sound. If this is correct then the number of people
evacuating the mall immediately would only be 44%
This has implications on the movement of people within the mall with regards to the
smoke control methods and fire suppression.
Analysis of method of exit
This is the main area for the project research, the results of which are shown in Fig. 3
Rather than split the results by sex it creates more meaning by age as the data provided
gives some insight into the behavioural actions of groups with different responsibilities,
and abilities.
To obtain theses results and to give some relevance to the results The survey was in
sight of a normal means of exiting the building, with only a third of the distance to two
emergency exits. It was hoped by giving individuals a selection of exits to choose from
they would take time to, look around before deciding on there action.
Fig. 3
Way they came in Nearest Exit Dont Know
Age Sample
016 32 46.75% 53.25% 0%
1621 53 49.06% 47.17% 3.77%
2135 161 44.72% 54.04% 1.24%
3550 142 57.75% 42.25% 0%
50+ 112 48.21% 49.11% 2.68%
Totals 500 49.60% 49.00% 1.40%
In comparing the results obtained against age group there are some striking differences
between the ages of 2135 and 3650. In the other three age groups the split between the
two answers was nearly the same. Yet in these two groups the deferential is in excess of
10% Why should this be so? I can only surmise that reasons behind this could be
anything from education standing, greater awareness,or perhaps ethnic origin of the
individuals within the groups.
The results as a whole show a split of nearly half to the two questions available (Fig.
3. This means that if it were a real emergency then 50% of the occupants would exit the
way that they entered, or more importantly choose an exit that offers an normal escape
from the building.
Before looking at the implications of this the results highlight some other interesting
facts, in that I had expected everyone, given the choice of two, to select one of them.
Surprisingly, there was a percentage that had no idea what their actions would be. The
group with the highest incidence of this was the group 1621 at 3.77% with overall of the
sample at 1.4%. It could be that this group is tied into the fact that 4% of the survey were
unable to decide how the would find an emergency exit. If this is the case then this
indicates that if these individuals are not going to make a decision as to there choice of
direction that they are going to follow everyone else.
Another major factor that is going to effect an individuals selection of route is there
familiarity with the building. What if any effect this has on the results cannot be
measured, as this was one area within the questionnaire that was not covered.
Perhaps the reason for such a high percentage of people choosing the way that they
came in was the unknown of what lay behind an emergency exit when comparing it to the
knowledge of the ground between them and the way that they came in. Another
summation would be that people would know where to find there vehicles with
reasonable ease. The guidelines for the means of escape from buildings as been well
researched within areas of the shops. These same principles have been adopted to the
mall areas of the ESC but as the results have shown the direction that individuals will
take is different in this situation of that of a shop area.
Implications on means of escape
The implications of these results on the means of escape are far reaching in the legislation
that covers the area of the fire exits and the normal means of exit from the building taken
together when assessing the number of emergency exits that are required.
Using the basis with the building regulations of the area of the mall divided by 0.75 to
give the number of occupants that the exits have to accommodate. It therefore follows
that the number and size of emergency exits is going to have to be significantly larger in
actual size that the normal means of exit in that as a rough guideline to shopping malls
the split is in the region of 80% of the fire exits with the remaining 20% taken up with the
normal means of exit.
It means that if in this case of the questionnaire, and the mall were at a capacity which
is allowed for them, the normal means of exiting the building would be over subscribed
and the emergency exits under subscribed.
It is interesting to note that of disabled people there were in fact two that I found to
question. In both cases their answers were the same, that of going out the way that they
came in although this sample figure of two is too small to provide any conclusions of this
group of people, it does indicate that the disabled are going to exit the way that they came
in. The reasons for this are perhaps ease of movement.
The implications of these results cover more than one area of concern and have effects
on not only the ESC but also other public buildings. Under present legislation a developer
of an ESC has to set aside a proportion of the available floor space adjacent to the mall
for the purpose of emergency exits. The cost, not only the developer but also the local
government, the infrastructure of the area in creating jobs and revenue, can in the very
worst scenario be jeopardised by this loss of space.
If conditions were to change the availability of space could be put to far more
productive use rather than them being set aside for the public to use as emergency exits.
This may appear on the surface as a cavalier attitude towards the safety of the occupants
of the mall. If it is that my results are accurate to +\15% then they have some validity.
That is not to say that in the actual event peoples reactions are going to be as stated.
With the introduction of external elements including smoke and all its hazards, a level
of panic, and the increase in areas of heat, and the locality of the fire are all going to
affect the decisions of individuals and their interactions with others.
If it is that the regulations, as my survey suggests, are out of sync with the actual
reactions of individuals then the solution to the problem of evacuating the occupants
needs to be looked at from a different direction.
An idea of this is given in some of the other results that I obtained from my survey.
The alarm
Is there a need for there to be an audible alarm affecting the whole area forcing people
from the shops into the mall? If we upgrade the detection system with a greater use of
video surveillance and silent alarms to which security staff would to attend to assess the
situation before deciding on whether there is any need for the movement of people. For a
system of this type to be effective then there are several areas that need to be addressed in
that the control of smoke and its prevention of its entering the mall is paramount even to
the point of not utilising the roof areas and its prevention of its entering the malls as
smoke reservoirs.
This reduction in the role that the mall plays within the smoke control of the ESC will
mean that on of the factors affecting the human behaviour within the mall has been
cancelled out. This solution is possible with modern forms of design, the implications are
obvious in that the initial cost of construction will be greater in that the expunging of the
smoke would have to be through ducting within the shops, a higher level of training the
personnel within the ESC would also be required to:-
* Assess situations
* Take the relevant action on there own intuitive
All of these changes will mean that the action of the people within the mall are going to
match the results from the questionnaire if the situation to remain as it is now.
There are limitations to the questionnaire. The results obtained were over one day.
Variations in the results could occur through repeating the questionnaire on a different
day and different place.
To prove conclusively the finding of this project, a large scale investigation would be
required covering a number of ESCs throughout the UK. Therefore the reuse of the areas
of emergency exits into shops creating greater revenue, coupled with the redesigned use
of the malls as area of total safety will ean that if it is required, than the total evacuation
from the malls can be made in a far more orderly manner than would otherwise be the
case. This situation can only be catered for the majority of circumstances, and there is a
downside in that there may be an event, such as an explosion, that would have
catastrophic repercussions. As we cannot plan for every eventuality, the risk of a situation
such as this arising is that of minimal. As to make the cost of incorporating extra forms of
safety into the mall as being beyond economic reasoning.
Summary
For a system such as I have described to work there have to be changes with the shops in
addition to those already mentioned in that there are two other areas that could be
changed.
The first is the introduction of tighter legislation on the types of materials used in the
use of items produced for selling. This lowers the combustibility of the shops and
reducing the possibility of smoke being produced.
Secondly the greater drive by the construction industry and all the satellite operations
involved around it in developing new forms of building materials and more efficient,
effective and reliable forms of extraction systems of smoke from the shopping area.
CONCLUSION
This project set out to identify whether the present legislation covering the egress of
people from the mall was appropriate in its assumption that people within the mall area or
entering the mall from the adjacent shops in the event of a fire will use the emergency
exits in the numbers that have dictated the space that needs to be provided for them. Or
go out through one of the exits by which they entered. In addition to the main area the
survey provided information closely connected to this in that:-
* Action of the individual if the fire alarm were to sound
* Action in the event of finding a fire
The reasons behind the selection of exit that the individual takes can be due to any or a
number of the following, the sex, the age of the individual, the ethnic origin, level of
intelligence, panic of others, the visual hazard of smoke, noise of fire alarms, changes in
perception due to smoke inhalation, and location of the car. The results of the survey
show that under normal conditions 50% will exit by the way that they came in, the other
50% said that they would leave by the nearest exit. 4% of the latter did not know what the
alarm sounded like, so how are these people going to know that they are to leave?
The survey also shows that at least 37% of people are going to fail to leave
immediately. Therefore, is the sounding of a general alarm the best method of
evacuating? If it is, a more subtle approach is used to convey to people to leave the mall
in the event of fire, of for any other reason. If, as the results show the mall areas are able
to be kept clear, then the orderly evacuation of the occupants can take place at a leisurely
pace meaning that the exits provided for normal movement in and out of the mall can be
used without the need for emergency exits to be fitted within the mall.
The options available are:-
1 Improvements on fire legislation with regard to materials used within the structure of
the shops and changes to the building regulations dealing with electrical installations.
2 No smoking in the malls or shops.
3 Better training for the security staff and centre management.
4 Public awareness of the dangers of fire.
Not only do we need to develop subtle methods of evacuating the mall, but also the
training given to security within the centre, coupled with improvements in technology
and the understanding of human behaviour will enable the safety of the occupants of the
Enclosed Shopping Centres to be improved.
It therefore follows that by keeping the variables to a minimum wherever possible the
findings of the survey can be used to design and implement better ways of emptying the
mall through the greater use of information technology, and an investment in the security
with the ESC.
Limitations
This project is limited in scope and further research is required to obtain a more
meaningful conclusion. Perhaps comparing the views of shoppers of various ESCs so
that a greater weight can be added to the results.
48
ASSESSING OCCUPANT RESPONSE
TIME: A KEY ISSUE FOR FIRE
ENGINEERING
J.D.SIME
Jonathan Sime Associates (JSA), Research Consultants, Godalming, UK
Abstract
Research indicates that Occupant Response (OR) time should figure
prominently in predictions of escape times from a variety of settings (eg
underground station, Channel Tunnel train, stadium, shopping complex,
office, hotel, hospital). This paper reviews a prototype procedure for
assigning the pre-movement phase of OR a design value and prioritising
OR time as a key fire engineering performance criterion. Tpre is derived
from a matrix of tpre best (b.p.s.), average (av.p.s.) and worst possible
scenarios in response to alternative warning systems (w1=alarm bell,
w2=non-directive prerecorded fire warning message, w3=live directive
public address+CCTV). The tpre av.p.s. is adopted, or the tpre b.p.s. is
multiplied by an OR efficiency weighting, Weff, derived from ratings of
eight tpre parameters BI defined in the paper. This tpre adjusted design
value for the occupancy is then compared with the benchmark criterion of
the tpre av.p.s.=tpre b.p.s. x safety factor of 2. Further research is needed
to refine, validate and calibrate the methodology through comparison of
ratings, post-occupancy OR measures and fire scenarios. OR measures of
occupancy risk (population profile), occupancy movement prior to direct
escape and wayfinding design also need to be included in fire engineering
calculations.
Keywords: occupant response, performance, warning, pre-movement,
time, efficiency, post-occupancy.
1 Introduction
One of the most striking features of fire codes is the fact that there are no predictions of
escape time in relation to warning systems. Escape times are assumed to be a function of
population size, travel distance and exit widths. Research indicates that delays in warning
the public of a fire threat are a consistent feature of fire disasters. An early response gives
people more time to cover travel distances and pass through exits. There is a gradual
realisation that the timing and pattern of Occupant Response (OR) needs serious
attention. Since the time available for people to avoid a danger has to be matched against
the time they need to respond and escape, OR is a key issue for fire engineering. The aim
of this paper is to outline a method of calculating OR premovement time (tpre) for
inclusion in fire engineering calculations of escape time.
2 Occupant Response (OR)
2.1 Definition
The term Occupant Response (OR) has begun to appear explicitly or implicitly in draft
fire engineering code documents and related research in Australia[1], Canada [2] and the
UK [3]. Reference [1] defines occupant response as the actions of an occupant in
interpreting, investigating and validating a fire cue. A wider definition of OR includes a
range of OR movement which also occurs prior to and during attempts to escape (eg
wayfinding). One way to think of OR is as the aspects of pre-movement and movement
time ignored by a traditional physical-science, fire code and engineering model of human
behaviour. In contrast to people equated with objects emptying a space immediately in
response to an alarm bell, research of human behaviour indicates that the time it takes
people to respond and escape is influenced by social, psychological, organisational, as
well as physical factors [3]. One way to characterise this is to compare the following
definitions of T=Time required to escape:
T=travel time+flow time via exits on escape routes (physical-
science model) (1)
T=trec+tcope+tesc (psychological model)
(2)
Here, trec=recognition time from people being first alerted by a cue to recognising there
is a fire (includes actions such as investigate); tcope=coping time (sometimes called the
gathering phase which includes actions after recognition, such as warn others and fight
fire); tesc=escape time (escape behaviour). A further distinction can be made in terms of
patterns of movement [3]:
T=t1+t2
(3)
Here, ti=the time to start to move or pre-movement time (tpre) and t2=movement time.
Equation (1) is equivalent to T=t2. The relationship between equations (2) (behaviour)
and (3) (movement) need to be considered carefully. In some occupancies and situations
t1=trec and t2=tesc is more likely (eg an audience moving from seats in a theatre); in
others, movement occurs during trec, tcope and tesc. T=t2, equation (1), is an ideal,
minimum escape time, rather than an assured reality. This paper is concerned with tpre,
rather than other important OR patterns of movement as well.
Assessing occupant response time 461
2.2 Occupant Response and Fire Engineering Codes

Occupant Response (OR) receives minimal attention in some fire engineering codes and
is represented more directly in others. For example, whilst the EC Construction Products
Directive [4] defines the fire engineering performance of products in terms of specified
mechanical, thermal and/or environmental actions, thereby ignoring human actions, the
Australian draft Code [1] addresses OR. This Code [1] includes a prototype Occupant
Classification and Rating, Occupant Communication and Response and Occupant
Avoidance submodels and efficiency ratings, addressing the same phases of response
(Tme=Tr Response+Tp Preparation+Tm Avoidance) as equation (2).
A primary question is what probabilities, predictive times or safety margins to include
for the different types of warning system and phases of OR? In New Zealand reference
[5] defines tev (calculated evacuation time from ignition) as td (time from ignition to
detection)+ta (time from detection to alarm)+to +ti +tt; to=trec, ti= tcope and tt=tesc; to
and ti are represented by minimum times of 30 secs each, tev being multiplied by a safety
factor (SF) of x 2 (or more for occupants who are young, or have a disability) to allow for
uncertainties in calculating the likely times. Reference [5] is similar to the British draft
Fire Engineering Code [6] in concentrating on engineering performance criteria relating
primarily to fire scenarios, rather than OR scenarios as well. The draft Code [6], unlike
[1], assumes that once people are moving they are escaping. According to [6], escape
time (tesc)=tdet (detection time) +tpre (pre-movement time)+tflow (flow time). Trec and
tcope movement are excluded from consideration (except perhaps by default in terms of a
safety margin of tflow x 2 for public settings which are large, complex and unfamiliar).
2.3 Occupant Response Research: Examples

Research indicates that alarm bells are generally less efficient than Informative Warning
(IFW) voice and visual display alarms [7,8]. In a series of CCTV video monitored
evacuations of a relatively crowded open plan underground station [9], the following
times were recorded in response to the same alarm initially sounding: alarm bell only
(approx. 15 mins), alarm bell+2 staff on site (8 mins, with passengers misdirected into the
high risk concourse), alarm bell+repeated non-directive Public Address (P.A.)
announcement (equivalent to pre-recorded voice alarm) (approx. 11 mins); alarm
bell+live, directive P.A. announcements with and without 2 staff on site (approx. 67
mins). This illustrates that the warning system in place can radically influence the overall
evacuation time achieved in the same setting.
A more recent evacuation study of four buildings with mixed abilities occupants,
conducted as data input to a Fire Risk Evaluation and Cost Assessment Model
(FIRECAM) [2], has indicated that the times to start can be wide for a population
separated in different units (apartments). Again, the major contribution to the overall
evacuation times was the tpre. In this case, tpre was measured on video as the elapsed
time between the fire alarm sounding and the moment the person left his/her unit. The
times from the alarm to exit from each building were on average as follows: Building 1
(B1)=3:05 mins, B2=9:36 mins, B3=10:57 mins, B4=4:38 mins. The last person exited at
B1>15 mins, B2>23 mins, B3>25 mins and B4>12 mins.
Research of this kind [2,9] indicates that a suggested extreme of 12 mins, for
people in considering an evacuation (reducable by an effective IFW) [7] may be
optimistic, representing a best rather than worst possible tpre scenario. In some fire
disasters there has been as much as 20 mins delay between staff first discovering a fire
and people starting to move [3].
Bearing in mind the fact that communication and public warning systems have to
increasingly instruct people in alternative life safety strategies (eg defend in place and/or
move to an area of refuge/phased vis--vis simultaneous evacuations) warning systems
differ primarily in the degree to which they effectively prompt people to start to evacuate
(tpre). The remainder of the paper addresses this important issue. The methodology
evolved out of an invitation to the author to provide a matrix of occupancy specific tpre
times for inclusion in the British draft Code [6].
3. Method of Assessing Occupant Response (OR) Pre-Movement

Time
3.1 Communications: Minimum Baseline Pre-Movement Times

The first step in the assessment of tpre OR for a particular occupancy is to consider:
(A) COMMUNICATIONS: What kind of warning system alternatives are

there, ranging from an alarm bell (system), non-directive (prerecorded)
Public Address (P.A.) announcements, Informative Warning (IFW) visual
displays, and/or live directive P.A. from a Control Room (using CCTV)?
According to the rationale of OR, movement is as much a communications as a physical
issue. Application of the OR assessment procedure may itself influence the decision as to
which warning system should be provided. A particular type of warning system may be a
minimum requirement or more feasible in certain types of occupancy. No assessment
procedure for the content of warning system messages is outlined here. The procedure
presented is concerned primarily with the type of warning system.
The assessment of Communications should be conducted at a pre-design and design
stage and also in Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) checks. The POE is a means of
checking the validity of the original predictions, and whether adjustments are necessary
in the design, operation and management of the fire safety engineering solution. The
assessment procedure can be applied to new and existing buildings.
Table 1 lists 3 broad types of COMMUNICATIONS (warning) systems under the
headings: w1, w2 or w3. The assessment method may eventually incorporate further
gradations in terms of combinations of auditory and visual systems. At present the pre-
movement (tpre) assessment involves the following initial decision:
Either, adopt the average possible scenario (av.p.s.) baseline design values of w1 (6
mins), w2 (4 mins) or w3 (2 mins) in Table 1 as the design values in a fine safety
engineering appraisal (irrespective of the occupancy type),
Or, enter the best possible scenario (b.p.s.) baseline design value of w1 (3 mins), w2 (2
mins) or w3 (1 min) derived from Table 1 into the following formula:
tpre adjusted=w1, w2 or w3 tpre b.p.s.x Weff

(4)
Weff=the pre-movement Occupant Response Efficiency Weighting

Table 1. Matrix of baseline estimates of tpre (pre-
movement times)
Pre-Movement Time (tpre)
warningv system best scenario average scenario worst scenario
(mins) (mins) (mins)
w1 alarm bell <3 6 >9
w2 non-directive prerecorded P.A. <2 4 >6
and/or IFW
w3 live directive P. A +CCTV <1 2 >3
3.2 Calculation of Pre-Movement Efficiency Weighting (Weff)

This section outlines the method of calculating Weff derived from factors which OR
research indicates influence tpre [3] and represented by the following formula:
Weff=5Average BI ratings
(5)
B to I are defined as follows:

(B) ALERTNESS: How likely is it that people will be awake or asleep?
(C) MOBILITY: What are the sensory (eg hearing, vision) and mobility abilities and
disabilities of the range of people likely to be?
(D) SOCIAL AFFILIATION: Are individuals most likely to be alone, separated from or
in a primary social group (eg a family) in the setting when first alerted?
(E) ROLE: What is the ratio of public to staff in the setting?
(F) POSITION: How likely is it that people in the setting will be lying down, sitting,
standing or moving at the time when first alerted?
(G) COMMITMENT: To what degree is the setting characterised by activities which
people will be committed to finish (such as queuing to obtain a ticket) before
recognising the need to evacuate?
(H) FOCAL POINT: To what degree does the setting have a particular focal point in
terms of the direction of attention (eg a theatre)?
(I) FAMILIARITY: How familiar are the majority of people likely to be with different
areas, entry and exit routes from the setting?
(B) to (I), whilst also relevant to movement, are used in the present context to assess tpre
only. The ratings of BI on 5 point rating scales represented by Table 2.
Table 2. Occupant Response Pre-Movement

Efficiency (Weff) Rating Scales
Efficiency Weighting Factors
B C D E F G H I
alertness mobility social role position commitment focal familiarity
affiliation point
asleep low group public lying high none unfamiliar
* * * * * * *
** ** ** ** sitting ** ** **
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
**** **** **** **** standing **** **** ****
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
awake high alone staff moving low focussed familiar
In applying the assessment method to a large-scale complex, with multiple functions on

the same and/or different floors, separate tpre Weff ratings for the each area should be
made and compared. Tables 3 and 4 provide an illustrative example of the steps in the
Weff calculation listed below.
1 Rate the occupancy, each floor, or each functionally different space or compartment, on
each of the B to I scales 1 to 5 (* to *****) in Table 2. (Each rating scale ranges from
1, for the least efficient or slowest tpre response, to 5 for the most efficient or fastest
tpre response likely).
2 Sum the B to I ratings (the row totals of Table 3 are given in column 2 of Table 4).
3 Calculate the average BI rating (ie BI/8; column 3 in Table 4).
4 Calculate Weff based on formula (5) above (column 4 of Table 4; this reverses the scale
so that the higher the Weff score the slower or longer the tpre expected).
57 Enter Weff into formula (4) above to establish the tpre adjusted design values in
mins for w1, w2, w3 (in Table 4, columns 5, 6 and 7, the tpre values for w1=3, w2=2
and w3=1 have been multiplied by the Weff for each row to give the corresponding
illustrative tpre adjusted times in mins).
Asterisks (*) on a 5 point scale, rather than numerical ratings have been used in Tables 2
and 3. This is to indicate that the ratings and derived values in Table 4 are illustrative of
the kinds of rating one might expect for the generic occupancy type headings listed.
These are NOT definitive ratings or ones necessarily applicable to a particular setting. In
Table 3, occupancies with less asterisks and therefore a smaller B1 aggregate score
(column 2, Table 4) are those in which a slower tpre is expected.
Table 3. Illustrative Occupant Response pre-

movement efficiency ratings
Efficiency Weighting Factors
Occupancy B C D E F G H I
Hospitals * * **** **** * ** * **
Residential *** *** * * ** **** * *****
Buildings
Nursing ** * **** *** ** **** * ****
Homes
Hotels *** **** **** *** ** **** * *
Places of Assembly ***** **** *** ** ** * ***** **
Sports ***** ***** *** ** ** * **** **
Stadiums
Shopping Complexes ***** **** *** *** **** *** ** *
Shops ***** **** *** *** *** *** *** **
Underground Stations ***** **** **** *** ***** ** ** **
Offices ***** ***** **** ****: * ** ** ** ****
Table 4. Illustrative calculation of tpre adjusted for

different occupancies
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Occupancy Sum Avg Weff= w1 alarm bell w2 non-dir w3 directive PA
B to I B to I 5/avg 3 mins x PA 2 mins x 1 min x Weff
Weff Weff
Hospitals 16 2.0 2.5 8 5 3
Residential 20 2.5 2.0 6 4 2
Buildings
Nursing Homes 21 2.6 1.9 6 4 2
Hotels 22 2.8 1.8 5 4 2
Places of 24 3.0 1.7 5 3 2
Assembly
Sports Stadiums 24 3.0 1.7 5 3 2
Shopping 25 3.1 1.6 5 3 2
Complexes
Shops 26 3.3 1.5 5 3 2
Underground 27 3.4 1.5 4 3 1
Stations
Offices 29 3.6 1.4 4 3 1
In Table 4 some of the tpre adjusted figures are higher and some are lower than the
hypothetical average (of w1=6 mins, w2=4 mins and w3=2 mins) in Table 1. Thus, in
some instances application of the tpre adjusted method might produce a more stringent
safety margin and in others a relaxation. Calculation of Weff for a particular setting is
recommended, since the process highlights aspects of OR which should be addressed in
an integrated fire engineering, architectural, management solution.
5. Further Development and Application of the Methodology
Further research, refinement, calibration and validation of the parameters and ratings for
a range of occupancies, OR movement and fire scenarios are needed before more
definitive times or probabilistic predictions of response times for different types of
occupancy could be derived. Predictions also need to be checked against a Post-
Occupancy Evaluation (POE) database of distributions of response times within and
between occupancy types and settings. Indeed, POE measures of tpre OR should be a fire
engineering performance requirement, thereby also contributing to the database for tpre
OR which is needed.
At present the tpre av.s. in Table 1 suggests a normal distribution for all occupancies
or a particular evacuation, whereas in reality this may not be the case. Tpre distributions
between and within settings could be normal (as assumed here) or skewed to the left (eg
the average being faster than is assumed here, but with a tail-end of late starters and
evacuees) as in [2]. At present the times in Table 1 and the Weff formula are broadly in
line with current OR research.
There needs to be consideration of issues such as the relative contribution to tpre of
the different factors in different types of setting, their interaction in relation to different
superordinate goals (eg reduce tpre or trec, tcope, tesc), the feasibility, validity,
appropriateness or not of aggregating or averaging Weff scores or ratings for functionally
different areas of a setting. The tpre methodology needs to be reviewed in relation to
alternative OR movement and fire scenarios and OR measures such as occupancy risk
(population profiles) and a wayfinding design index, yet to be devised.
The inclusion of OR in fire engineering performance calculations should direct
attention to the crucial relationship between communications and escape times in a
variety of settings. This includes transport systems, such as the Channel Tunnel where
language differences could be important. An OR review by this author, of evacuation
trials in the Channel Tunnel several years ago, recommended that car and coach
passengers in wagons should be presented with an instruction video at the beginning of
the journey (comparable with international flights) as well as an IFW and directive P.A.
messages in the event of an emergency. The content and likely effectiveness of warning
messages should form part of pre-design and POE fire engineering performance
assessments. For further discussion of communications and warning systems which allow
democratic distributed intelligence (prompt and accurate public warnings), rather than
autocratic centralised intelligence (delay in warning the public) see [9,10].
The current draft British Code [6] has taken up the issue of tpre, reproducing the
illustrative data in columns 5, 6 and 7 of Table 3 of this paper as Design values for pre-
movement time (Table 16.2 in the draft Code). This, unfortunately, gives the impression
of a definitive data set, rather than an illustrative calculation as intended. Table 1 seems
to provide a reasonable set of tpre safety margins in keeping with current research
knowledge and has been reproduced in [11]. Table 4 should be withdrawn from the text
of [6]. As originally recommended by this author, Table 4 might be included in an
illustrative fashion in an appendix of [6] and/or supportive document together with the
necessary explanatory text.
In conclusion, the aim of this paper has been to introduce a prototype tpre OR
assessment method. The method needs further definition and refinement. A more
substantive tpre OR database in relation to different kinds of warning systems is
undoubtedly needed. Research to date indicates that OR is a key feature of the time
required by people to avoid a danger. It is hoped that this paper promotes the inclusion of
tpre and other aspects of OR in fire engineering performance calculations.
Acknowledgement
This paper has evolved out of a consultancy report in 1993, on behalf of Warrington Fire
Research Consultants Ltd and the British Standards Institution, as a contribution to [6].
References
1. Johnston, P.J. and MacLennan, H. (1991) Occupant Communication and Response

Submodel/Occupant Avoidance Submodel. In V.Beck et al Appendix A Draft National Building
Fire Safety Systems Code. C.Eaton (ed) Microeconomic Reform: Fire Regulation. Building
Regulation Review Task Force. Australia.
2. Proulx, G., Latour, J. and MacLaurin, J. (1994) Housing Evacuation of Mixed Abilities
Occupants. NRC-CNRC. Internal Report No. 661. Ottawa: National Research Council Canada.
3. Sime, J.D. (1994) Escape behaviour in fires and evacuations. In P.Stollard and L.Johnston (eds)
Design Against Fire. London: Chapman and Hall, Ch. 5. pp. 5687.
4. EC (1994) Interpretative Documents of Council Directive 89/106/EEC, Construction Products.
Safety in Case of Fire. Official Journal of the European Communities, 28 Feb.
5. Buchanon, A, H. (1994) Fire Engineering Design Guide. Christchurch, NZ: University of
Canterbury.
6. BSI (1994) Draft Code of Practice for the Application of Fire Safety Engineering Principles to
Fire Safety in Buildings. Milton Keynes: British Standards Institution.
7. Canter, D., Powell, J. and Booker, K. (1988) Psychological aspects of informative warning
systems. Building Research Establishment Report BR 127, BRE, Fire Research Station,
Borehamwood.
8. Technica Ltd (1990) Experimental programme to investigate fire warning characteristics for
motivating fast evacuation. Fire Research Station. Building Research Establishment Report BR
172. Watford: BRE. 1990.
9. Proulx, G. and Sime, J.D. (1991) To prevent panic in an underground emergency: why not tell
people the truth? In G.Cox and B.Langford (eds) Fire Safety Science: Proceedings of the Third
International Symposium. London: Elsevier Applied Science. pp. 843852.
10. Sime, J.D. (1994) Intelligent buildings for intelligent people. In D.Boyd (ed) Intelligent
Buildings and Management Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd/Gower Press. pp. 223235.
11. CIBSE (1995) CIBSE Guide: Fire Engineering. London: The Chartered Institution of Building
Services Engineers (to be published).
SECTION THREE
RISK ASSESSMENT
PROBABILITIES AND
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS
49
REALITY AND THE PERCEPTION OF
RISKRISK ASSESSMENT FOR THE
FIRE SERVICE
R.A.KLEIN
CFRS, Huntingdon, UK and Institute for Physiological
Chemistry, University of Bonn, Germany
Abstract
This paper discusses some of the important components of risk
assessment in the UK Fire Service and makes the point that a realistic
perception of risk requires complete identification of all the hazards
present, as well as estimation of the potential for exposure in terms of the
risk environment. Four risk environments, some of which are specific for
the Fire Service, are considered: maintenance and support activities;
training; operational (tactical) assessment; and contingency or emergency
(strategic) planning.
Keywords: reality, perception, risk assessment, emergency services
1. Introduction
Maintenance of a balanced view of the potential and actual risks in our environment is
essential in order that scarce resources, both financial and in terms of manpower or
equipment, are not diverted unnecessarily to deal with a high-profile but low probability
risk at the expense of risks that are perceived as ordinary but which have a high
probability of occurring with serious consequences.
The gap between reality, as objectively expressed in quantitative risk assessment, and
the perceived risk needs to be addressed. The impossibility of living in a world entirely
free from risk must become accepted more openly by the public at large. These attitudes
can only be changed by education and the availability of information which is
acknowledged as unbiased and accurate.
The unattainability of zero risk is especially true of those professions and occupations
in which risk is, by definition, part and parcel of what is being done, e.g., the Emergency
Services, mining or deep-sea fishing. In situations where risk is inherent, it must be
assessed and controlled in some acceptable way.
The essence, therefore, of risk assessment is in identifying particular situations
affecting particular populations and the harm that is likely to ensue. Population in this
sense can mean either large groups, for example members of the public within a
predetermined distance of a major hazard, or much smaller groups such as those
R.A.Klein and CFRS Consultancy Services 1995. Published in 1996 by E & FN Spon.
ISBN 0 419 20180 7.
Emergency Services personnel attending an incident. Risk assessment is, however,

critically dependent upon actual circumstance. One risk assessment for a given hazard
may be totally inappropriate under different conditions for the same hazard.
Having analysed the risks, control measures can be put into place to reduce the risk, or
even to eliminate it, in line with the philosophy behind the COSHH Regulations 1988.
This reduction of risk involves, in general, application of the ALARP principle-As
Low As Reasonably Practicablea concept developed as a means of balancing the
perceived risk against the costs of controlling it. ALARP is a peculiarly British principle
embodying inter alia the concept of how a reasonable man would behave and view the
situation. ALARP is not understood by other European countries with legal systems
based on the Napoleonic Code; such a principle is philosophically inconceivable within
this codified framework. This is one of the more basic reasons why it is so difficult to
achieve European harmonisation in the area of safety-related legislation.
Establishing best practice requires taking account of information and opinions from
many different sources, both inside and outside of the Fire Service. As such, best practice
must (i) be Fire Service specific and relevant; (ii) conform to legislative requirements and
the current interpretative philosophy of the enforcing authority; and (iii) be consistent
with those systems and procedures developed by specialised sectors of industry,
including the Fire Service itself, based on accumulated experience.
2. Historical background within the Service
Risk assessment in the UKFire Service is not new. It has been carried out in some form or
other at least since, if not before, the Fire Services Act 1947 imposed requirements on
Chief Fire Officers to acquire information relevant to Brigade operations within the Fire
Authoritys area. The exclusivity to fire-fighting was removed by the Fire Services Act
1959. Risk assessment, with a slightly different emphasis, has been carried out as a
means of preventing fire and its consequences through powers conferred under the Fire
Precautions Act 1971. Within the Service, inspections carried out under Section 1(I)(d) of
the Fire Services Act 1947 have traditionally provided the basic hazard data on which
assessments of risk are founded.
What has changed within the intervening half-century, particularly since the Health
and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, together with its derived legislation, is the legal basis
for the requirement to carry out formalized risk assessment. This now includes
requirements for the introduction of control measures, surveillance, monitoring and
auditing, as laid out in the Health and Safety Executives document entitled Successful
Health and Safety Management HS(G)65 1993, based on the Approved Code of Practice
Management of Health and Safety at Work 1992. Because the management of risk
assessment and related health and safety matters now requires many different areas to be
Reality and the perception of risk-risk assessment for the fire service 473
addressed, we refer now to integrated risk assessment. In particular the Approved Code
of Practice underlines that a suitable and sufficient risk assessment will reflect what is
reasonably practicable to expect employers to know about hazards in their workplace
and should involve a systematic general examination of the work activity.
The background to risk assessment within the Fire Service is explained, together with
discussion of some of the problem areas, with the intention of suggesting ways of
approaching a solution suited for the Brigade in question. There is no one solution, no
one way of doing things that can be said to be right and applied across the board to all
Fire Services within the United Kingdom.
It should be clearly recognised that the Service has been carrying out risk assessment
for a long time. Probably around eighty percent, or more, of the necessary procedures are
already in place. What is now required is that the remaining twenty or so percent are
addressed in the formal ways required by recent legislation. This is very different to
having to establish a whole new system.
3. Legal background
One of the main provisions of the Fire Services Act 1947 was to transfer fire fighting
functions from the National Fire Service to fire brigades maintained by the councils of
counties and county boroughsh, thus establishing the United Kingdom Fire Service in
its present day form. Restrictions on the employment of fire brigades and equipment for
purposes other than fire fighting were removed by the Fire Services Act 1959.
In practical terms the responsibilities of fire brigades have been extended greatly over
the intervening decades since the 1947 Act came into force. Dealing with fires would
now be taken to include a wide range of incidents such as road traffic accidents, chemical
and biological spills, civil disasters such as air and rail crashes, flooding or nuclear
accidents, as well as a range of rescue and cleaning-up activities. The significant
component of general rescue activities is reflected in many brigades being called fire
and rescue services.
In the context of risk assessment, Section 1 of the 1947 Act imposes a number of
specific relevant duties on fire authorities for the provision of fire services, including
securing
the services for their area of such a fire brigade and such equipment as may be
necessary to meet efficiently all normal requirements;
the efficient training of the members of the fire brigade;
efficient arrangements for obtaining, by inspection or otherwise, information required
for fire fighting purposes with respect to the character of the buildings and other
property in the area of the fire authority, the available water supplies and the means
of access thereto, and other material local circumstances;
efficient arrangements for ensuring that reasonable steps are taken to prevent or
mitigate damage to property resulting from measures taken in dealing with fires in the
area of the fire authority;
efficient arrangements for the giving, when requested, of advice in respect of buildings
and other property in the area of the fire authority as to fire prevention, restricting the
spread of fires, and means of escape in case of fire.
The duty to acquire information required for fire fighting purposes, whether by inspection
or otherwise, has a long history in the fire service and forms an essential part of the risk
assessment process, that of hazard identification. Risk assessment has been carried out by
fire officers at all levels, perhaps under other names, as a fundamental and necessary part
of their job. What then has changed?
As a result of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, together with legislation
derived from this Act over the last twenty years, there is now a requirement to formalise
procedures used in risk assessment. In many cases this means committing to paper
accepted procedures which have been in use for many years. In others it may mean
developing new procedures to comply with the legislation.
The role of the firefighter, however, remains the same. As succinctly put by Sir
Kenneth Holland, the then Chief Inspector of Fire Services, in a letter to all Chief Fire
Officers (DCOL 15/1978)The introduction of the above legislation has not as far
as I am aware changed the traditional role of a fireman to protect life and property to the
best of his ability and to accept reasonable, calculated risks to himself in doing so; or the
responsibility of the officer in charge of an incident to ensure that safe practices are
followed in fire fighting and other activities and that so far as is reasonably practicable
in the circumstances risks to the personnel under his command are if possible eliminated,
or if not, reduced to the minimum commensurate with the needs of the task.
The Lyme Bay canoe disaster, in which school children were drowned off the coast
between Lyme Regis and Charmouth in Dorset, is an important milestone in health and
safety history. This disaster has resulted in an historic legal judgement at Winchester
Crown Court (see the legal report in The Times, 13 December 1994), as well as a the
Young Persons Safety Bill being presented to Parliament.
Until 1925, based on a judgement in 1701, a corporation was not indictable but its
members were; it was not possible for a corporation to appear and plead through a
representative. Prosecutions involving loss of life through industrial accidents have, until
recently, been brought under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and associated
safety legislation, if at all. The precedent for indicting a company for manslaughter was
established in 1965. Apart from P&O European Ferries, no company has ever stood trial
for manslaughter, although even this trial was stopped before its completion.
The judgement that OLL Ltd. was guilty of manslaughter establishes that a company
can be held criminally responsible. There are, however, still legal difficulties involving
technicalities such as aggregation of guilt and the concept of the controlling mind,
mens rea, as highlighted by the author of the report.
Whatever the legal difficulties, however, the precedent is set in case law. It is possible
for an organisation, such as a Fire Brigade, to be held criminally responsible for its
corporate actions, whether these be sins of omission or commission.
3.1 Health and Safety Executive Improvement Notices

During the past two or three years the Health and Safety Executive has served, under the
provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, improvement notices on a
shire county brigade and on a large metropolitan fire authority, which have considerable
significance for the management of health and safety in the Fire Service as a whole.
Two of the notices highlighted first the need to improve communication of the results
of inspections carried out by fire safety and operational departments and secondly to
improve training specifically, in this instance, as regards breathing apparatus entry
control procedures.
Two other notices, served on a large metropolitan brigade, were more generally
concerned with management systems to ensure the effective monitoring of occupational
health and safety and with personnel receiving adequate and documented operational
training. A third improvement notice, served in February 1994, and following on from the
first two, required implementation of general organisational arrangements for the
effective systematic management of health and safety and the training which supports it
as specified in Section 2(2) of the above Act and the above Regulations (the HASAW
Act 1974 and the MHSW Regulations 1992).
The detailed requirements of this third HSE improvement notice, contained in a
Schedule, are of sufficient importance to the way in which the Service approaches its
management of health and safety, including risk assessment, that extracts are quoted here.
In particular:
A. Provide an information system to support the management of health and safety.
The system should:
i. provide the information needed by managers at all levels and the Authority, in order that they
can discharge their responsibilities in relation to health and safety and associated training and
resource issues.
ii. develop methods for ascertaining the training provided to all ranks, particularly in relation to
the health and safety aspects of operational performance, and recording this to accurately
reflect the subjects covered, competence reached and the dates it was carried out.
B. Ensure that the development of risk assessments concentrates upon risks arising from:
(1) The system of command;
(2) The system of tactical firefighting and
(3) The use of personal protective equipment including the support systems for breathing
apparatus.
Highlighting their requirements in the form of a summary the Health and Safety
Executive specified, in particular:
a management information system designed to support the development of systematic
management of health and safety.
a health and safety policy, organisation and control system which clearly articulates
health and safety objectives and provides sufficient performance standards and
measures.
appropriate methods of hazard identification and risk assessment of operational
incidents and training.
These requirements are far reaching. Coming, as they do, from the enforcing authority,
they set the standards by which the Fire Service should approach the whole range of
health and safety management, including risk assessment.
In the remainder of this contribution I should like to consider briefly two areas which
have critical importance to the way in which reality and the risks posed are perceived
within Fire Service operations, namely the identification of hazards and the various risk
environments in which these hazards are found.
Risk assessment has to do with determining the likelihood, in a particular situation,
that harm will be caused. For this one needs to know the hazards and the potential for
exposure, i.e., the risk environment. Risk can be defined simply as the severity of the
hazard multiplied by the potential for exposure.
4. Hazard identification
The Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations 1992 contain a number of
detailed requirements related to the organisation and arrangements for managing health
and safety at work which reflect the implied requirements of Section 2 of the Health and
Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. At the heart of these regulations, as with other more recent,
modern regulations post Robens, is the concept of risk assessment. In principle this
concept requires precautions to be taken which are commensurate with the risk and are
consistent reasonable practicability. Risk assessments are also required under both the
Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 (IRR 1985) and the Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health regulations 1988 (COSHH 1988) but the principles remain the same.
The purposes of risk assessment are:
to identify hazards and the risk environment in which they are found;
to focus attention on measures for the reduction or control of risk to acceptable
levelsthe ALARP (as low as reasonably practicable) principle;
to help employers decide on priorities for action based upon an objective cost-benefit
analysis;
to assist employers in discharging their legal obligations under the regulations.
Risk assessment, which the Health and Safety Executive sees as a practical process
concentrating on real risks rather than a paper exercise, must address each specific risk
environment in which a hazard occurs. Although generic risk assessments are acceptable
for similar risk environments, this approach is unsafe if applied to the hazard(s)
themselves rather than their environments. The same hazard may pose a very different
risk depending upon circumstance.
4.1 Identification and classification of hazards

A hazard exists or it does not. There is no halfway house. Recognition or identification of
hazards is not so clear cut; it requires, essentially, the collection of good intelligence.
Identification of hazards is primarily an operational exercise undertaken by trained
personnel. In industrial or research environments this may be carried out by Safety
Officers or their deputies, or by members of line management. In the Fire Service it is
usually carried out by the members of the Watch at Station level. Identification and
classification of more complex hazards, e.g., CIMAH sites, or those which are considered
marginal, will require decisions to be made by more senior specialized members of staff,
such as the HAZMAT officer or specialist scientific adviser for the Brigade. Problems of
hazard identification may arise with apparently low risk sites, such as agricultural or
domestic premises, when these contain unexpected or unusual hazards.
One of the purposes of an inspection under Section 1(I)(d) of the Fire Services Act
1947 is to identify potentially hazardous situations within the Fire Authoritys
geographical area of responsibility. Recent Improvement Notices served by the Health &
Safety Executive have underlined the need to collate information gained from Section
1(I)(d) inspections and those carried out as part of Fire Prevention. Another valuable
source of information for identifying hazards comes from inspections carried out under
the Petroleum Spirits Regulations.
Within the Local Authority procedures should exist to ensure that information
received by the Chief Executive from bodies such as the Department of the Environment,
the Directorate of Pollution or the Health and Safety Executive, which is relevant to fire
brigade operations, is passed with minimum delay to the Chief Fire Officer.
These inspections are data collection processes requiring fairly crude guidelines as to
what constitutes a hazard, more often than not guided by common sense and experience.
The data then needs to be stored in a retrievable form. It is of no use whatsoever if this
information cannot be retrieved or manipulated when required.
What guidelines for hazard identification exist for Fire Service use? As a result of
recent legal action, a real practical problem exists for UK Fire Services. Down to what
level should we look for hazards? Should we inspect every chicken-house, smallholding
or garage for hazards, particularly in rural areas? Unfortunately the answer is probably,
yes! But this has appalling manpower implications for the Service.
The way in which hazards are identified and then classified will depend upon the use
to which these data are put.
4.2 Criteria for selection of premises

Criteria that may be applied for considering whether premises are selected for inspection
and at what frequency, have been dealt with in Fire Service Circular (FSC) 16/1989. The
suggested selection criteria for determining whether or not premises are inspected and the
type of records to be maintained, include in particular:
an exceptional occupancy and high risk to life;
unusual or complex (building) structures;
the storage or processing (or handling) of hazardous materials;
and high potential loss (human, financial or social).
This represents a logical dilemma. Unless premises have been inspected, it may not be
apparent whether any or all of these criteria apply. It seems appropriate, therefore, to
recommend that a fairly crude form of hazard identification be applied using a
classification based on a limited number of major premises categories, supported by an
operationally relevant questionnaire distributed to all occupiers.
The questions asked of the occupier of the premises must be chosen to answer
questions of operational relevance for fire service activities. For instance, it may be
necessary to know whether compressed gas cylinders are being stored on agricultural
premises, quite apart from chemical compounds such as ammonium nitrate or cyanamid.
Industrial premises may be holding larger quantities of flammable/toxic materials than

thought, e.g., solvents, particularly as byproducts, or smoke detectors containing
radioactive sources.
A small business may have large quantities of paint as aerosol cans. Small engineering
works may have gamma radiography sources on site. The possibilities are legion. An
efficient questionnaire must be constructed based on experience and a certain cynicism.
In determining the nature and frequency of an inspectionthat is the complexity and
thoroughness of the inspectionbrigades are advised to apply the test of whether basic
fire fighting techniques would be sufficient to cope with the majority of incidents that
could be foreseen as occurring at the premises.
4.3 Pre-planning for inspections

Reliable risk assessment needs to be based upon good hazard identification for the area
served by the fire authority. If hazard identification is patchy then risk assessment will be
less than realistic and may be positively dangerous and misleading for operational
personnel. Efficient hazard identification has, as a prerequisite, the acquisition of
complete, up to date and accurate information by means of inspections, or otherwise, i.e.,
through letters and questionnaires.
Planning inspections need not involve a great deal of work. One cannot over-stress the
importance to the end resulteffective hazard identificationof indicating the type of
information required and producing this information in a standard format for recording
purposes.
Two-way consultation is also an essential part of the collection of hazard information
and personal contact with local safety officers or fire officers is an efficient method of
maintaining liaison and cooperation.
In order not to waste resources, financial or manpower, premises will have to be
classified as to the types of hazard to be expected so that the appropriate information may
be sought. In the first instance, seven key areas of operational significance should be
considered:
occupancy and use;
access, both to and within the premises;
structural features and layout;
the presence of hazardous materials or processes;
fire fighting resources and fixed installations already present;
control of incoming sources of power, i.e., gas, electricity and high-pressure steam.
proximity and density of the neighbouring civilian population.
4.4 Classification of premises

For the efficient identification of all significant hazards in the fire authoritys area, some
form of initial screening is necessary when inspections are carried out. It would be
pointless and extraordinarily expensive to apply the same criteria to domestic premises as
to a site classified under the CIMAH regulations! Although a fanciful example, this
makes the point.
The information gathered through inspections, or otherwise, on the identity of hazards

in the fire authoritys area has a number of purposes which may require a lesser or greater
degree of digestion before use. The various purposes for which the information may be
used include:
conversion into operational information for crews making up the attendance at an
incident;
more detailed information may be required at Incident Command and Control level to
enable longer term decisions to be taken by more senior officers;
risk assessment as part of pre-planning and production of the Risk Cards, normally
done at or with the assistance of headquarters staff;
formal contingency and worst-case planning required by regulation, such as for
CIMAH classified sites;
post-incident analysis and monitoring;
surveillance of the occupational health of crews.
5. Risk environments
There are four different categories for risk assessment in the Fire Service which have
certain distinguishing features.
5.1 Office and support services

The employment of civilian, non-uniformed staff in offices, kitchens and as cleaning staff
can pose problems not encountered in the uniformed part of the Service. Although the
hazards and their associated risks appear at first sight to be at least an order of magnitude
less, injury or even death must be considered with electrical or mechanical accidents.
Moreover, because this part of the workforce is non-uniformed and not used to
Service-type discipline, the presumption that instructions will be obeyed and that levels
of training are adequate may not be valid. All the usual problems of modifications to
electrical appliances such as extension leads, storage of large amounts of paper or other
combustible waste, inappropriate footwear associated with falls, slippery floors, poor
working positions with computers, and minor injuries, form part of the accepted
administrative building safety picture.
5.2 Maintenance activities

Maintenance operations, i.e., Brigade workshops, encompass fairly standard factory- type
risks in terms of risk assessment. Mechanical and electrical hazards predominate,
although the hazards associated with petroleum spirits should not be forgotten. Other
maintenance activities, such as BA cylinder filling, may involve very specific hazards, in
this case that of high pressures (approx. 200 Bars) or of contaminating air that will be
later breathed by operational personnel. The hazards associated with repairing appliances,
i.e., ladders, may be those of using the equipment itself.
Other maintenance jobs on Station, particularly those involving civilian staff or
outside contractors, should be subject to Permits to Work and to adequate internal
codes of practice. Care should be taken that financial stringency does not result in lax or
positively dangerous systems of work.
5.3 Operational assessments

This area is the one normally considered when talking about risk assessment in the Fire
Service. Risk assessment has been carried out over the years, both pre-incident and on the
fireground, as part of the job long before the term risk assessment came to be used.
Changes that have come as the legislation has developed, include formal pre-planning,
notifications, and requirements for medical health surveillance of personnel.
5.4 Worst-case and contingency planning

Worst case and contingency planning are really extensions of operational risk assessment
with an implied loss of control.
The assumption is made under normal operational conditions that managerial and
organisational infrastructures remain intact and functional. Likewise it is assumed that
control systems for plant, whether electronic or mechanical, will remain working.
Disciplined services assume control over the available manpower. The behaviour of a
civilian workforce or members of the general public cannot be guaranteed under
emergency conditions.
5.5 Training and the safe and competent person

Risk assessment is part of a tetrad comprising assessment, planning, implementation and
evaluation. Within this tetrad, training has an important role especially for the Fire
Service. Training crosses all the boundaries and includes operational (tactical) as well as
planning (strategic) matters and procedures, apart from maintenance and support
activities.
The purpose of training within the Fire Service is to produce a safe and competent
person as a means of controlling risk. What do we mean by a safe and competent person?
It is clear that an inherently hazardous operation is inherently safer, i.e., associated
with less or reduced risk, when carried out by someone who is experienced, well
informed and well trained, than by someone who is not. This is, in principle and as a
matter of commonsense, what we mean by a safe and competent person.
6. Models for risk assessment within the UK Fire Service
The two diagrams which follow illustrate the various features of risk assessment in the
Fire Service, including monitoring, surveillance and auditing.
References
Integrated Risk Assessment, eds. R.A.Klein and M.R.Pallister (1994) Proceedings of the
European Conference on Integrated Risk Assessment, 2122 March 1994, Cambridge, England.
CFRS Consultancy Services, Huntingdon.
Fire Services Act 1947 and 1959.
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
50
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS AND RISK
ASSESSMENT: LESSONS FROM
INDUSTRIAL HAZARDS IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
P.S.FLORA
Abstract
Industrial hazards, like natural disasters can be understood in terms of
their occurrence in time and place, how they affect social units and how
these units take responsive actions to mitigate disaster consequences. To
some extent the causes of industrial crisis in developing countries may be
rooted in the rapid pace of industrialisation following independence from
their former colonial rulers. Between the years 1960 to 1982 most
developing countries showed a significant increase in their GDP derived
from Industrial activities [1] with the transfer of technology being
determined by intergovernmental contracts and multinational
corporations. Such technology transfers brought new investments, jobs
but only in localised urban areas, whilst the masses remained relatively
unaffected in rural areas. The necessary infrastructure to support these
technologies for a sustainable development could not keep up with these
developments due to chronic fiscal problems and policy and planning
failures. The quality of the infrastructure eg. water, energy, public health
systems, transportation, communications, educational instituitions and the
labour force all influence the probability of the occurrance of accidents
and also the escalation into a crisis.
This paper will discuss the discrepancies in perception of the major
players in identifying and assessing the causes of two industrial accidents
one chemical, the Bhopal tragedy [2,3] and the other due to a fire at a
nuclear power plant. These accidents, exemplify many issues pertaining to
the decision making processes of the different participants involved in the
process of mitigating circumstances in developing countries.
Introduction
The effects from industrial accidents and hazards such as Fire or Natural disasters often
lead to the loss of human life, property and financial damage and considerable
environmental pollution. The severity of disasters occuring in developing countries is
exacerbated due to high levels of poverty, illitracy, inadequate housing structures, under-
resourced health services, lack of expertise in training and planning for risks and hazards
and of course the necessary support structures and finance from relevant organisations for
the rehabilitation of victims. Both preventing and mitigating effects of crisis depend upon
the improvements made in the above areas.
In South-Asian countries, the unplanned rapid pace of urbanisation outstrip growth in
infrastructure development which also have consequences for the environment in terms
of pollution abatement from toxic wastes, water, air pollution and other hazards. The poor
not having any resources to adequately protect themselves are more vulnerable and
exposed to such hazards. Even today, some 10 years after the Bhopal crisis, liberal
government policies although encouraging foreign investment are not directly addressing
the needs of infra-structure development, for instance in the power,
transport and water industries. The following statistics for the capital perhaps typifies
conditions of urban life [4].
A 10 million population of Delhi use a meagre 6000 public and private transport
buses. One sixth of this population lives in slums, called Jhuggis. More than 50% of the
medical facilities are only available in the private sector. A 10 year comparison (from
1981 to 1991) of the number of occupied residential homes shows an increase of nearly
70%. More than 30% of Delhi residents suffer from respiratory ailments. There is a boom
in unauthorised constructions and flat conversions with rents skyrocketing. Taps run dry
every summer, with hundreds of people drinking contaminated water. Electricity supplies
are erratic, with voltage fluctuations and power cuts frequently occurring.
Risk assessment
A full assessment of risk requires studies and data collection of population movements in
and out of towns, social patterns such as sleeping hours, peak congestions, availability
and response timing of emergency services, corporation organisational structures,
governmental administrative services etc. Computer programs assessing risks are useful
from a design and control point of view however they often lack detailed data and prior to
Bhopal incidence such techniques were not available or utilised only scarcely in order to
satisfy minimum regulations. Subsequent to Bhopal many authors have constructed
mathematical simulation models to assess a variety of different scenarios of possible
accidents [5,6]. The non-availability of data on the above social factors and how they
relate to each other is a complex issue for evaluation. Qualitative assessments however
may be made on the basis of historical events.
Chemical Hazards-The Bhopal Incident
The city of Bhopal reflected very similar trends with the slums and shantytowns occuring
near the industrial plant. The slum dwellers served the officers and staff at the plant who
employed cheap forms of domestic labour. This consequently led to a high population
density near the plant site. In terms of quantifying chemical hazards, the Bhopal case may
Public perceptions and risk assessment 485
be taken to be the worst case of an industrial chemical disaster with a figure of above
6800 deaths and several hundreds of thousands of people injured with long term health
effects [7].
The technical aspects of the Carbides safety measures have been covered by many
authors [5,8]. An aftermath of the essential issues such as the choice of technology, siting
of the industry, design of the plant, operation and maintenance system and public
information dissemination channels should have been considered when first evaluating
risk factors. There are many other technical authors who are also very forthright in
isolating the cause to a simple operator error and have totally missed out the inadequacy
of egronomic design and safety features of the plant.
The US. chemical giant Union Carbide responsible for the manufacture of Methyl
isocyanate (MIC) used as a pesticide at the Bhopal site was faced with multimillion dollar
lawsuits (which still has not been paid to all the victims of the disaster) whilst all over the
world, governments, businesses and industries worked on developing informative
programs on hazards and risks for their local residents. Questions on could it happen here
were frequently asked or is it merely a problem that happens over there were vigourously
debated. The fall out from such a crisis to some extent jolted some governments and
industries into an assessment of their measures for the prevention of major industrial
accidents [9], eg. in Canada the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG) was implemented,
in the UK the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards (CIMAH) regulation of 1984
was passed whilst in India, three acts dealing with industrial hazards (Factories Act
(1948), The Water Act (1974 and 1977) and The Air Act (1981)) were amended and a
comprehensive new law called The Environmental Protection Act of 1986 was passed.
Fire-Hazard-The Narora Incident
At 3.31am of March 31st 1993, a fire broke out after two blades in a turbine generator of
the Narora Atomic Power Plant, Uttar Pradesh snapped. The broken blades sliced other
blades and caused the turbine rotor to vibrate excessively, thereby igniting hydrogen gas
cooling pipes. The resulting fire spread rapidly and also burnt out back up power supply
cables. although, staff were able to avert a major catastrophe by following a crash
cooling sequence of the reactor core.
Governmental response
Subsequent to the Narora incidence, the Government ordered its watchdog on nuclear
safety (AERB) to form an expert committee for an investigation of the incident. Some of
the committees findings are given below [10]:
- Hairline cracks in four other blades of turbines.
- Erroneous interpretation of control panel instrumentation highlighting eight times
more than normal axial vibration of the turbine.
- Four back up emergency power supply cables using the same duct, without any fire-
resistant material in between. The fire spread from one cable to another, thus there was
no available backup power supplies.
- Although it was said that there was no radioactive release, containment integrity of
the dome had been lost during the power break down.
On discovering the design faults, the AERB ordered a reluctant NPC (public sector
corporation in charge of building and running Indian nuclear plants) to close down other
plants with the same turbines and recommended modifications to the design. The turbine
blade technology had been transferred by the UK based company GEC who had warned
much earlier about the possibilities of structural failures of blades and suggested design
modifications for blades that had completed between 10,000 to 35,000 running cycles.
The turbine blade at Nagai had completed 16,000 cycles. NPC says that it had no
knowledge of GECs warning.
The complete findings of the expert committees as can be expected are held
confidential even to other closely related sections of the governments departments and
furthermore praises the effectiveness of its existing safety procedures, thereby allowing
the NPC to continue with a pat on its back in averting a disaster that could have been a
nuclear disaster.
In the case of the Bhopal tragedy, the Government was passing through the midst of
its political campaign and was trying very hard to influence public opinion. Negative
publicity could have ruined its chances for re-election. It therefore reacted to control all
information regarding the accident and releasing it gradually to control desired specific
events which could increase its own popularity. Voluntary organisations were thus
prevented from entering government relief camps and some were closed down while
there was still an urgent need for them [11].
Relief efforts by the government were heavily publicised and Union Carbides
negligible contribution to the relief fund further enhanced the governments public image.
By easily passing a Gas Disaster Bill through its national parliament, the government
became representative of the victims interests and thus sued Union Carbide in the US.
Corporation Response
In the case of the Narora incident, the NPC reported a loss of $32 million. On being
requested by the government to shut down its other plants with similar turbines, the NPC
complained about further huge losses. Further, it denied knowledge of earlier
recommendations for the design modifications to the turbine blades.
The Bhopal accident triggered many conflicting issues which were debated in the
media across many parts of the globe and threatened the closure of Union Carbide.
Communities, Governments, Cities voiced their objections to transporting, producing and
storing Union Carbide chemicals. In Breziers, France the local community objected to the
reopening of a Union Carbide plant after it was shut down following the Bhopal accident.
Chemical companies around the world reviewed their own safety operations and
emergency response procedures and also re-evaluated the risks of operating in developing
countries. Union Carbides perspective subsequent to the accident were three fold; initiate
damage control and investigate causes, coordinate with government agencies and handle
legal affairs.
In March of 1985, Union Carbide released its own internal report on the Bhopal
accident. This suggested that the accident was caused by sabotage, local operator errors
and local management lapses. The report highlighted the narrow thinking involved by the
corporation to defend itself against all charges by denying liability and shifting the blame
on to local effects and even suggest blame on to a shadowy Sikh terrorist group, The
Black June Movement, and simplify the technical complexities to a one simple action of
water entry into a storage tank. This theory however lacked credibility when its source
became known: some people in one Punjab city were reported to have seen a poster from
this Black June Movement claiming responsibility for the disaster.
In terms of rescue and relief efforts, Union Carbide donated a $1.1 million to the
Prime Ministers standing relief fund and $10,000 for medical supplies to local hospitals.
Judge Keenan, appointed by Reagan ordered the company to pay $5 million for interim
relief which reached Bhopal after a time lapse of a year. Union Carbides attempts to help
government agencies in relief operations were rejected on the grounds that the
government did not want Union Carbide to exploit this situation for public relation
purposes. The company also claimed to have offered $20 million to mitigate effects of
the accident, but there was a condition that information on the health of the victims had to
be known which then also could be used in the Union Carbides legal defense. Other
offers by the company to their insurance limit of $200 million were also seen to have
been insincere and merely generated negative publicity about the company.
Voluntary Agencies
The role of voluntary agencies vary considerably, but generally as non-profit and
independent organisations they are better able to inform and assist people particularly in
rural areas. Their analysis of events such as by surveys, death counts and subjective
evidence may lack the expertise and rationality of government and corporation methods,
who have vested personal interests and often only implement community demands no
more than is required for satisfying minimum policy requirements. Other factors such as
religion and cultural tradition may also dominate perceptions of some voluntary
organisations thereby influencing their risk assessment methods. Nonetheless, their
approach will reflect a bottom up and a grass-roots level strategy which in some areas of
rehabilitation and relief work suit local needs.
There are also many other organisations affiliated directly to humanitarian and
environmental groups that have some technical expertise and resources to effectively
provide a rational picture of the events. Although their interests sometimes may be in
direct conflict with both government and corporation interests, they are well able to
spearhead and mobilise governmental actions.
Agencies such as the voluntary anti-nuclear organisation in Gujarat, revealed that the
rate of congenital deformities and unformed limbs was 3.5 times higher than in villages
far away from the plant. This was refuted by an alternative survey carried out by the
government, however, the government also revealed that the dosage of radiation received
by Indian workers in nuclear plants was eight times higher than that of the world average
when comparing similar power plants.
The Bhopal incident brought together many voluntary, environmental groups and
activists to focus on political issues. Responses and the feelings of victims were
sometimes effectively channeled into demonstrations which had the effect of forcing the
Government and Union carbide to be more responsible. Although limited by resources,

their ability to coordinate mass movements proved effective in lobbying these larger
instuitions.
The Role of The Fire Emergency Services
All accidents or natural disasters can lead to multicomponent events where damage of
property and life can be at risk whether by fire, radiation, water, gas or other natural
hazards. The role of the Fire services as in most countries extends beyond that of dealing
with fire-fighting to cover general emergency security and protection. The rapid
construction of high rise buildings, hotels, factories, offices, shops, industries and many
unauthorised dwellings all lead to an increase in risk of fatalities. Sharma [12] gives a
fatality risk value due to fire of 13% higher in India than in other European countries with
an estimated material damage being 0.3% of GDP. Prior to the Indian 1986 Fire
Prevention Act, a Delhi survey revealed that 194 sky scrapers had virtually no or
inadequate fire safety provisions.
This increase in demand due to the effects of rapid urbanisation have opened up areas
for Fire protection such as in education, training, research, manufacturing and
employment. An excellent account by S.K.Dheri [13] of Delhis Fire Services since 1862
provides an insight into how India is meeting the demands of its infrastructure
development. The recent conference, Fire India 94 provided many references to
collaborative organsational, technical, research and training programmes between the
UK, India and the US in the growing area of Fire Engineering. Such initiatives in the
development of emergency services infrastructure should be valued, developed and
expanded for the mutual benefit of both the developing and the developed world.
Conclusions
This paper analysed two industrial incidents one of which developed into a major crisis.
From such an analysis it can be concluded that many aspects leading to an increased risks
of industrial accidents need to be addressed for developing countries as well as effective
measures for mitigating crisis situations. Aside from addressing careful engineering
design and manufacturing processes to suit local conditions, there still remains the
problems of financing adequate infrastructure in training, communication, education and
placing a value on human life in developing countries.
It is suggested that industries regularly assess their hazards to their local communities
in terms of manufacturing, storing, transporting or disposing hazardous materials. In
addition, by actively taking part in the infrastructure development of their immediate
surrounding will in the long turn bring higher benefits by increased efficiency and
profitibility. Further, by involving the local community in its decision making structures
will allow an informed assessment of the risks which also take into account social
patterns of their community as well as increasing awareness of the risks for preventative
measures. In the case of Bhopal, medical practitioners were not informed of the toxicity
of the gases, and therefore could not be effective in reducing casualties.
The expansion of domestic industries in the States of Gujarat, Maharastra and Punjab
have conveniently neglected effects of their unchecked hazardous dye wastes (which
sometimes catch fire) on their local residents, inspite of governmental guidelines on
hazardous waste handling [14]. Pending enforcement of government policies and
guidelines, it is up to the responsible and informed industrialists to invest in the
understanding, training and disposing of industrial wastes for a better future.
References
[1] World Bank (1984) World Development Report New York, Oxford University Press
[2] Shivastava P (1992) Bhopal -Anatomy of a crisis, Chapman, London
[3] Jones T. (1988) Corporate Killing Bhopals Will Happen, Free Associations, London
[4] The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 7th August 1994, pg 13
[5] Slater D.H.(1986) Chemical Engineering in Australia Vol ChE11 1, No 1 pgs 1216
[6] Psomas S (1988) Planning for Chemical Disasters in Disasters Vol 14 Num 4 pgs. 301308
[7] India Weekly, 1218th of August 1994, pg 15
[8] Bowander B. (1985) The Bhopal Incident: Implications for Developing Countries The
Environmentalist, Vol 5, Num. 2 pgs 89103
[9] Swick L.A. (1988) Bhopal: Lessons for Canada. in Natural and Man-Made Hazards, pgs 799
804 eds M.I.El-Sabh and T.S.Murty
[10] India Today June 30th 1994 pgs 5560.
[11] Health and Safety at work, May 1985 pg 41 & pg. 56
[12] Sharma T.P. (1988) Interflam88 pgs. 261268
[13] Dheri S.K. (1994) Fire International No 142 pgs 2326
[14] Down to Earth, June 30th 1994, pgs. 2636
51
ANALYTICAL APPROACHES TO
EMERGENCY PLANNING AND
ASSESSMENT OF EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
K.ODY and B.A.LEATHLEY
Risk Management Consultants, Four Elements Ltd,
London, UK
Abstract
Emergency planning is crucial to the effectiveness of an emergency
response. Advancements in technology and the ability to deal with a large
variety of emergencies, has enabled rapid response to threats. Arrival at an
emergency by an emergency decision maker, is not the overall aim of the
emergency plan; the design of the emergency plan also has a significant
impact on the efficiency of the ensuing response. It is argued that many
emergency plans illustrate an organisations ability to run an emergency
exercise, not to ensure adequate response to an emergency. This paper
discusses techniques which address three problem areas:
(1) Ensuring that an emergency plan addresses an organisations goals,
e.g. via critical task analysis.
(2) Ensuring training is effective, using data capture techniques to analyse
decision maker attitudes and perceptions.
(3) Ensuring that emergency plans are tested for feasibility, and that
analysis of emergency simulations and of real incidents is carried out
effectively.
It is argued that a structured analysis of responses will make
assessment and comparison of emergency plans possiblepreviously
made through subjective attribution of success, based on little more than
how rapidly the threat was made to go away.
Key words: Emergency planning, crisis management, analysis
techniques, decision making, methodical approaches, critical task
analysis, testing.
1 INTRODUCTION
This paper argues that emergency planning is currently approached in a manner which is
unsystematic, and proposes techniques for the methodical analysis of planning needs and
plan effectiveness.
Research into real international crisis events, and full scale emergency exercises has
shown that each stage of a crisis (i.e an unstructured event; outside the scope of regular
procedures) demands specific considerations and an individually tailored response. Thus,
an emergency plan which anticipates all possible eventualities is practically impossible to
design. A good plan therefore needs to be flexible, coping with the unforeseeable, and
supporting the decision maker in anticipation, perception, and control of each evolving
eventbe it fire, toxic release, or bomb threat, etc.
This paper outlines three areas of emergency planning where analytical techniques
may be used:
1) At the conceptual stage of the plan.
2) To assess the effectiveness of training by understanding and comparing decision maker
assumptions.
3) In the recording and analysis of response activities.
2 BACKGROUND TO THE WORK
Four Elements have been involved in a three year CEC project, partly funded by the
Health and Safety Executive, to develop recommendations for the support of the decision
maker in crisis. Extensive research has involved modelling of real events, such as the
Kings Cross Underground Station fire (Fennel, 1988 and Ody, 1993a) to establish the
core decision maker activities that lead to a quality response. It is revealed that during a
crisis, information reaches the incident decision maker in a relatively random fashion.
This information is used by the individual to form a mental representation of the event.
Following the development of this representation the decision maker is reluctant to
reassess it, or the decisions that are based on it, as any reassessment will put yet more
demands on already overloaded people.
The mental representation held by the decision maker will influence their aims for the
response, who the decision maker chooses to interact with, and what information is
requested. This in turn affects the accuracy of the mental representation as it develops. A
decision makers representation rapidly becomes outdated if all relevant data is not
continually integrated as the incident continues. Even if the original mental representation
is the correct one, an incident may change from a bomb threat, to an evacuation, to a fire
in a matter of minutes. It is therefore critical to identify the elements of training and
support which can aid accurate diagnosis on arrival, and the continued collection of data
and the regular re-diagnosis of the situational demands.
Analytical approaches to emergency planning and assessment of emergency response 493
3 TECHNIQUES FOR ANALYSIS OF EMERGENCY PLANS
3.1 Assessment of Emergency plans

The role of the decision maker is ill-defined and transient, involving many varied
responsibilities and tasks. Emergency planning and decision maker research has revealed
that the common approach to emergency planning (in this context the identification of
threats, the identification of response goals, and the analysis of an emergency response),
is presently an ad hoc affair with developments based rarely on systematic assessment.
Emergency plans can help the decision maker to improve the effectiveness of response in
a crisis.
The key elements in an emergency plan, shown to influence the effectiveness of a
response, are:
1. Anticipate the likely threats and worst case scenarios.
2. Prompt an accurate definition of crisis on alert.
3. Place communication within and across agencies as a high priority.
4. Consider and integrate the potential involvement of other agencies.
The first requirement, anticipation of likely threats and worst case scenarios, is often
provided for through risk assessment techniques (Cox & Bellamy, 1992).
The remaining requirements for definition of crisis, communication support, and
integration and co-ordination of multi-agency decision makers, can also be improved
applying Human Factors techniques already available, such as task analysis and function
analysis. Critical tasks central to the success of an emergency plan can be identified by
addressing potential risks, potential threats, facilities available, and the organisational
priorities. In this way an organisation may establish which central tasks pre-planning
needs to cover, and where to allocate resources to ensure completion of these tasks.
By breaking an emergency plan down into its basic elements, and identifying each
critical task, time line assessments and barrier analysis can be employed to assess
whether each critical task can be achieved. Critical task analysis combined with an
emergency goal checklist can provide a rapid means of identifying the critical elements
within a particular emergency plan, the goals, and the roles decision makers are required
to fulfil. For example: What does the organisation see as first priorityprotection of
personnel? return to production? or alert of head office? The type and shape of a
response developed will be dependent on the goal. Table 1 shows an example barrier
analysis for assessing part of an emergency plan.
It is possible to establish the goals and aims of the emergency plan through discussion.
However, a technical approach such as critical task analysis will provide a structure
within which to identify, in an exhaustive manner, the key needs of a tailor made
emergency plan.
Table 1: Use of a Barrier Approach to

Assessment of an emergency plan
BARRIER BARRIER FAILURE
Function Type Design features and Human errors
assumptions
Receive alert from Train Procedural Alarm alert is in a clearly Fail to understand
chief understood form, containing message
information that will not be
Crew member required to confusing or stressful Fail to receive
obtain more information if message
location of incident is
unclear
Receive alert from Train Physical Radios have open channel Fail to carry radio
chief via Personal radios
Fail to switch on
radio
Assumes can be heard above
ambient noise
Standard message format Message
unintelligible
Assumes message can be received
in all areas
Receive alert from Train Physical Messages can be heard in all Fail to attend to
chief via public address locations public address
system system
Crew acknowledge receipt of
alarm and confirm that they
are on their way
3.2 Analysis of emergency response training success

To make a valid assessment of the success of training, a good understanding of both
organisational and training goals is needed (eg. return to full production rapidly, or reach
threat limitation through a co-ordinated response; gain understanding of the importance
of cross-service co-ordination) as well as a decomposition of the optimum decision-
makers mental model.
Comparison of the mental representation held by different decision makers following a
training exercise will give some idea of the success of that exercise. One psychological
technique which can be used to capture and compare the mental representations of
individuals is repertory grid technique (Fransella & Bannister 1990). There is not space
to describe the process in detail, but in this context, the training goals provide the
elements or objects on which people provide their constructs or ideas. The grid
provides a map of each individuals representation of the incident, which allows a
systematic comparison of experts with novices, observers with participants, and different
emergency services with each other. The technique has already been used successfully to
compare the mental representations of members of control room teams (Leathley &
Tinline, 1995 in press).
The use of this approach enables comparative assessment of different training
techniques and emergency plan designs, by comparing the completed grids from decision
makers.
In addition, the structured analysis of an emergency exercise will aid decision makers
by providing a tool with which to compare views of the exercise. Such work will enable
decision makers to understand more about their own decision making, and hence improve
performance in future exercises, and in real incidents. Such a technique of structured
analysis of emergency exercises and incidents is described in Section 3.3.
3.3 Analysis of the emergency exercises and incidents

It is crucial to response success to test a plan fully, at least once in its life, to identify the
key elements that have been forgotten or that require redesign. For example, during the
Kings Cross fire, it was discovered that police radios would not function underground,
so that and all radio communication was made by travelling to the surface, and that no
emergency services were in possession of maps outlining the layout of the station (Ody,
1993a). An emergency exercise would have revealed these facts before tragedy struck.
This section presents a technique which can be used once an exercise has been
completed, or following a real incident, to capture weaknesses in order to improve an
emergency plan.
Figure 1: Summary of warehouse

fire flow-chart description
Flow-chart modelling of an emergency response

Debriefings of emergency exercises currently make use of structured discussions and
prompt words. However, as yet no analytical techniques are used to compare the
efficiency of one response against another, and therefore to judge just how effective the
exercise has been. Similarly, de-briefings following real incidents could benefit from a
more structured approach. In the UK, incidents are assessed in hot-debriefings soon
after an event, and cold-debriefings a day or so later, attended by the key decision
makers. However, psychological research has shown eye-witness testimony of this sort,
gathered as anecdotes, to be, (a) unreliable and, (b) easily biased (Cohen et al, 1993,
Glietman, 1986).
Four Elements have used a flow chart analysis technique to illustrate an event
graphically, displaying activities as information-decision-action links. The flow chart
model is produced by plotting actions and communications, and illustrates stages of
emergency response from initial alert, through the response processes as the event
develops. Figure 1 shows a summarised analysis of Poole BDH Warehouse fire (Ody,
1993b), using the flow chart approach.
This approach has clear advantages over the conventional debriefing currently
employed:
Flow-chart analysis enables the systematic correlation of reports, from varying sources,
into one visual illustration of events, indicating when data collection may not be
exhaustive (via cross analysis of communications and requests for action), and
provides a direct comparison across different scenarios.
The assessment technique produces similar results across different modellers.
Therefore, through flow chart assessment it is possible to develop a library of plotted
and comparable emergency responses, whoever has modelled the process.
Plotting the event by time and actor provides a clear indication of the time lapses
involved, and decision time taken. Quantitative measures can be taken, e.g. time taken
before co-ordination between decision makers started, also introducing a visual means
of measuring effectiveness of response.
Process modelling enables identification of the culture of each group of players, through
patterns of decision-making, and the resulting success of their response. For example,
Figure 2 illustrates a culture which encourages reference to authority, where
information goes in one direction only. This waterfall pattern is characteristic of
such a culture. Alternatively, where loops can be seen in the flowchart (see Figure
3) this indicates a culture where information is passed in both directions, enabling
more rapid response to the emergency. The first of these examples is based on an
analysis carried out of the Kings Cross disaster.
Figure 2: Example waterfall

flowchart, showing continuous
reference to authority
Figure 3: Example looped

flowchart, showing feedback and
support
A display of information-decision-action links means that the information requested and

used by decision-makers can be traced backwards from that decision. That is, the
illustration will provide an indication of why a decision was taken, by tracing the data
the decision-maker had acquired and who the decision-maker had talked to.
The philosophy behind process flow technique holds that by establishing the
understanding of key decision makers taking part in an event, and the received
information that produced that understanding, the logic behind actions taken may be
assessed and understood (Drieu C & Durand C, 1992). The core principle holds that
decision-makers must have (1) an accurate understanding of events, as well as (2) access
to the important players from other emergency services. Only when this is the case can an
effective and efficient emergency response be achieved.
4 CONCLUSIONS
There is obviously a need for emergency plans to cope with the unexpected crisis and
emergency event. However, as each emergency is, by definition exceptional, a plan can
only be designed on a generic basis, to cope with the threats identified through analysis of
the risks.
Therefore, the testing of a plan is crucial to:
(1) Ensure that the structural elements such as efficient co-ordination and communication
have been designed in.
(2) Ensure those involved in carrying out the plan understand their role and can carry out
their responsibilities.
The goal of a generic plan is to be flexible, and to enable identification of changes, and a
rapid response. Emergency plans are difficult to test, with high demands on time, and the
extensive allocation of resources. There is therefore the tendency to stop short of
analysing the effectiveness of a plan following testingbeing satisfied that the exercise
itself was carried out.
Use of techniques such as critical task analysis, data capture, and response modelling
enable the emergency planner to record the results of actual incidents and emergency
response simulations, in a way which allows a comparative study of the effectiveness of
training for decision makers and of emergency plans.
REFERENCES
1. Major Civil Emergency Planning (1992), Major Civil Emergency Planning Seminar, London, 23
November 1992, IBC Technical Seminar, Bedford
2. Baldwin, R., 1994, Training for and Management of Major Emergencies. J. of Disaster
Prevention and Management, 3 (1), 1623
3. Cohen G, Kiss G, & LeVoi M, 1993, Memory: Current Issues, Second Edition, Open Guides to
Psychology, Open University Press.
4. Cox, RA & Bellamy, LJ (1992) The use of QRA and Human Factors Science in Emergency
Preparedness & Crisis Management. Risk Analysis & Crisis Management, the Interface, 2223
September, 1992, London. Organised by BPP Technical Services/Cremer & Warner.
5. Borodzicz, E., Ody, KJ., and Pidgeon, N., 1994, Birkbeck/Four Elements Comparison and
Synthesis of National Case Studies: Using Case Study Categories, 3 June 1994, Revision 2,
Internal work for the CEC.
6. Dreiu C & Durand C, 1992, Crise de Nantes, 29.10.87, Modele Organisationnel de Traitement,
Gemini Consulting; (STEP Project internal report).
7. Glietman, H. 1986, Psychology (2nd Edition), Norton & Company,
8. Fennel D, 1988, Investigation into the Kings Cross Fire, Department of Transport, Her
Majestys Stationary Office.
9. Four Elements Case Study of the Emergency Response to Poole Warehouse Fire, Dorset, UK
1988. Rev 02, 10.9.93 (Unpublished report for the CEC, STEP Project 900094)
10. Fransella F, & Bannister D, 1990, A Manual for Repertory Grid Technique, Academic Press
Ltd.
11. Leathley, BA & Tinline, G, 1995 (in press)

12. Ody K, 1993a, Four Elements Assessment of a Flow-Chart Technique for Crisis Assessment
Using the Kings Cross Fire Disaster.
13. Ody K, 1993b, The Information Needs of a Decision Maker During Crisis, Internal study for
the CEC (CEC STEP Project 900094).
14. Sills D L, Wolf C P, & Shelanski, V B, 1979, Accident at Three Mile Island: The Human
Dimensions, Westview Press/Boulder, Colorado
52
AIRBORNE HAZARDS: MOVE OR STAY
PUT?
J.R.STEALEY
John Stealey & Associates, Kent, UK
Abstract
Materials released into the atmosphere may be dispersed by
meteorological effects and deposited over considerable distances from the
site of release. If this material is toxic the potential problems for injury to
humans and contamination of the environment could be severe.
An understanding of dispersion mechanisms plays a fundamental rle
in pre-event disaster limitation and contingency planning. Should a
release occur, prediction of downwind spread and subsequent monitoring
are essential for post-event consequence management including decisions
on public protection.
Therefore, it is important for strategic planners, emergency responders
and operational decision makers to consider ways in which materials
released into the atmosphere spread downwind and the consequences
which might result. This paper addresses aspects of such releases
particularly those occurring close to the ground.
Keywords: airborne hazards, consequence management, evacuation,
decision making, dispersion, meteorology, public protection shelter.
1. Introduction
Cloud emissions from power station chimneys or chemical processing sites are a common
sight and people living nearby will report that the shape of these clouds and their plumes
changes dramatically with variations in the local meteorology.
On a larger scale, the explosive and thermal release of radioactive material into the
atmosphere from the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl graphically demonstrated how
materials can be transported and deposited across oceans and continents. The disaster at
Bhopal was a trigger for an international response and legislation on the hazards and risks
from the spread of toxic clouds.
Even accidental releases from relatively small events such as venting from a factory
chimney, a large scale fire at a tank farm or perhaps the spillage from a road or railway
tanker can give rise to the airborne dispersion of hazardous material.
Of course, some atmospheric releases occur as part of normal site operating
procedures where environmental contamination and human burden, in terms of
toxicological risk management, should have been assessed and calculated as part of the
licensing and operating conditions.
The important events are accidental releases which continue to occur [1,2], and which
by definition, are uncontrolled and undefined and where the downwind effects on humans
and the environment are unknown. The immediate requirement is to warn the public and
provide advice on protection; this is likely to be a choice between stay-put or evacuation.
Consequently, decision making requires a knowledge of the way in which firstly,
materials are spread and then their biological effects; an inappropriate decision between
these two alternatives could place many people potentially at greater risk.
2. Release processes and sources
In general terms releases might be characterised as:

Active or jetting
Neutrally buoyant
Positively buoyant
Negatively buoyant
Other effects of the accident, such as heat loading from fires, might also cause initial
upward displacement and dispersion.
Neutrally buoyant material has a density close to that of the surrounding atmosphere
and its mixing process with that atmosphere is random. Movement away from point of
release is dominated by the wind speed and the stability of the atmosphere.
By contrast, a negatively buoyant material is denser than its surroundings such that
aerosol and vapour clouds slump to the ground and spread out in a radially from the point
of deposition sometimes demonstrating unusual qualities such as the ability to flow up
hill; however, in spreading, they increase their surface area which in turn can affect the
rate of evaporation.
Positively buoyant materials will rise into the atmosphere on release until they reach a
height where upward momentum is overcome by wind speed and direction. They then
tend to behave like neutrally buoyant materials.
Active jetting is the release of material under pressure at a speed in excess of the wind
speed. Once the velocity of release falls below the wind speed meteorological factors
tend to dominate the continuing dispersion process with deposition rates dependent upon
whether the material is neutral, positively or negatively buoyant.
Two other factors should also be taken into account. The first is time related such that
releases can be: continuous (plume), instantaneous (puff) or time varying. In addition, the
material may be released as a gas, an aerosol, a liquid or a mix of all phases.
Airborne hazards 505
3. Meteorology and dispersion
Once material has been released conditions in the atmosphere influence any further
dispersion. Firstly, wind speed determines how quickly the material moves away from the
point of release and secondly, the stability of the atmosphere affects the vertical and
horizontal spread of material and hence the dilution rate.
The physical principles and characteristics relating to atmospheric stability have been
well documented and a number of text books are available on the subject [3]. The
important factor to note is that stability is related primarily to the temperature of the air in
the lower layers. This can vary significantly on a diurnal basis due principally to changes
in the amount of sunlight absorbed by the ground during the day and re-radiation of heat
from the ground at night.
Unstable air is characterised predominantly by rapid vertical mixing of entrained
material which is quickly dispersed and diluted. Alternatively, stable air shows little
vertical (or horizontal) mixing and the concentration of material entrained remains
relatively constant for a long time. Under the influence of light winds, also a feature of
stable air, the mass of material will move slowly away from the site of release with little
diminution in concentration. Under certain meteorological conditions a temperature
inversion can form a lid some tens, or perhaps hundreds of metres above the ground.
Material released below the inversion is trapped into a lower mixing layer and tends to
fumigate areas downwind.
Atmospheric stability is often categorised into one of six classes [4]. Simple rules can
be devised to estimate stability class based on the amount of incoming sunlight, cloud
cover and wind speed (Table 1).
Table 1 Estimating Stability Classes
Wind Speed m/s DAYTIME NIGHTTIME
Incoming Solar Radiation Thin overcast <3/8 cloud
Strong Moderate Slight or >4/8 cloud
<2 A A-B B
23 A-B B C E F
34 B B-C C D E
46 C C-D D D D
>6 C D D D D
A Extremely unstable D Neutral
B Moderately unstable E Slightly stable
C Slightly unstable F Stable
From a large number of experimental releases it has been shown that material in the
plume follows a classical Gaussian bell shaped distribution where the concentration is at
a peak in the centre and falls off towards the outside edge. It should be stressed that much
of the experimental data on dispersion have been obtained from flow over smooth
surfaces and open country. The heat island effect of urban areas and disturbances caused
by tall buildings and built up residential areas are exceedingly difficult to describe and
model; some empirical data exist but calculations on downwind dispersion and plume
definition can only be approximations. Vortex flow and stagnation are two factors which
modify concentrations in urban areas very markedly. Therefore, in the event of an
accident in built areas, real time decision making based on computer simulations and
models of airborne dispersion should be treated with caution unless the user has full
confidence in the quality of the input data and assumptions.
4. Dose and dosage
Injury to people by toxic material can be caused by inhalation, absorption or ingestion.

Inhalation of a vapour is a very efficient way of introducing a substance whereas
absorption of the same substance through the skin or ingestion through food is less
effective. There are two measures which quantify uptake; the dose and the dosage.
Dose can be defined as the mass of a substance taken into the body, often measured in
milligrams per kilogram of body weight. However, without reference to the time over
which the amount is received is not an immediate measure of the effectiveness.
The term dosage is often used to overcome this apparent problem and refers to the
integral of concentration with time or concentration:time product (Ct), expressed in
units of mg.min/m3. On this basis it is argued that exposure to a low concentration for a
long time could result in the same dosage as exposure to a high concentration for a short
time. Half as much for twice as long is just as bad.
However, other work [5] suggests that a linear relationship may not be an appropriate
measure of harm caused by exposure to a toxic material. Instead, the term toxic load
has been used and defined by the equation L=Cnt where C is a constant gas concentration
raised to a positive power (n) which has a value greater than 1. The UK Health & Safety
Executive [6] have suggested that n equals 2 for chlorine; the Institute of Chemical
Engineers [7] give the same value for ammonia. Toxicity evaluation for a number of
other chemicals [8] suggests that the value for the exponent n may lie in the range of 1.5
to 3.5. Consequently, toxic loads, with exponents greater than 1, will be very sensitive to
changes and fluctuations in peak concentration of toxic material.
A variety of terms are used to relate the amounts of different chemicals or substances
required to give the same effect: the LD50 is the dose of a particular required to kill 50%
of an exposed population and the ID50 that required to incapacitate the same number.
Similarly, the LCt50, can be defined as the dosage required to kill half of an exposed
population. However, differences in biological responses between individuals mean that
members of a population do not all behave in exactly the same way to the same
substance. Refined statistical techniques can be used but accuracy can not always be
justified from the available experimental toxicological data. A conservative safer
approach might be to use the simple Ct relationship on the basis that the dose response
curve is reasonably steep and that the LCt50 is a useful representation of an all or none
response.
Dosages can be further modified by other factors such as wind speed and the rate of a
persons activity, exertion and breathing rate at the time of exposure.
Therefore, exposure and subsequent effects depend on a number of inter-related
mechanisms all of which result in a complex process of evaluation in judging risks and
options for protection. This complexity can be simplified to assist real time decision
making; however, in these circumstances an understanding of the underlying principles of
dispersion and toxicology is required in order to make value judgements when managing
an accident and its consequences. Conversely, in any programme of pre-planning and risk
analysis it is important to consider the widest range of possible factors which might
contribute to accidental releases and evaluate the downwind spread of material and its
effects upon people and the environment. It is in this pre-planning phase that the toxic
load concept can be evaluated through sensitivity analysis using ranges of values for the
exponent n.
5. Protecting the population
In the event of accidental release of materials into the atmosphere the first consideration
is the protection of the population living downwind from the site of release Two options
might be considered: stay-put or move.
Whilst there maybe a natural tendency to try and escape from an emergency area
particularly if it is thought to present an airborne toxic hazard there have been a number
of major reviews [9] of evacuation procedures, many based on real events, provides
support to the proposal that keeping people indoors is a justifiable first option. Firstly, it
is unlikely that any evacuation process could be initiated in less than 3045 minutes after
first notification. Thereafter, the time taken and complexity to achieve an evacuation is
likely to be proportional to the number of people to be moved but not necessarily in a
linear relationship; published data suggest that it might take up to one hour to move 200
people and perhaps up to three hours to move 1000 [10,11, 12].
In addition, moving people into the open presents two fundamental problems. Firstly,
they would be exposed fully to the toxic cloud; secondly, they are vulnerable to any
associated and subsequent effects such as secondary explosions or fires.
There are a number of other reasons to suggest that staying indoors is preferable to
moving outside. Ventilation rates for UK houses (determined from air penetration rates
[13]) indicate that the number of air changes per hour for a house with doors and
windows shut might vary between 0.2 and 1.5 per hour depending on the age, style of
construction, double glazing and secondary draught exclusion. Other factors which
influence ventilation rate include size of openings, wind speed and direction and the
temperature gradient between the air space inside the building and the outside air.
Therefore, as a cloud of airborne material passes the outside of a building a certain
amount will enter and the concentration inside the building will rise, but slowly. If the
release is continuous at source and the external concentration remains constant (an
idealised assumption) then eventually the inside concentration will approximate to that
outside. However, once the outside concentration has fallen, because say the release was
an instaneous puff, or the cloud has meandered with fluctuations in peak concentration or
the wind direction has changed, then there is no further ingress to the building space and
the inside concentration can no longer rise.
But equally, unless doors and windows are opened after passage of the cloud the
inside concentration will only decay very slowly as material is deposited onto surfaces,
absorbed or ventilated outwards. Consequently, exposure inside a building to a low
concentration for a long time might eventually be as harmful as exposure to the high
concentration outside but which passed by relatively quickly. Therefore, information
about the characteristics of the release are required for once a cloud of material has
cleared the best advice to occupants is to move outside, open all windows and doors and
ventilate the space as quickly and efficiently as possible.
6. Evacuation
If an operational decision is made that a population be moved then knowledge of the

release, its likely duration, toxicity and physical properties must be known and evaluated.
In addition, details of meteorological conditions, now and for the next few hours,
particularly changes in wind speed and direction, must be determined.
To a first approximation, the best direction in which to move is at an angle acute to the
downwind centre line of the plume across its cone. Protection gained by moving directly
away from the site of release, down the centre line, applies to those damaging effects
which spread radially, such as blast and thermal radiation. However, advice to move
across the plume holds good only if based on sound meteorological data.
Furthermore, the physical exertions and changes in breathing rate brought about by
movement itself and the stress or anxiety of evacuation can alter the toxic load or dosage
parameters.
Finally, the possibility of subsequent or secondary effects, such as blast or fire, may
influence significantly the decision to move or stay-put: once a population has been
brought out into the open it is at its most vulnerable and all possible damaging effects
must be evaluated and a relative risk assessment carried out.
7. Particulate releases
The increased use of new technology, such as biotechnology and genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) in a variety of biological and pharmaceutical industries raises
particular concerns about downwind spread of particulates such as biological organisms.
UK Regulations on GMOs [14] now require an assessment of risk and preparation of an
emergency plan which in certain circumstances extends off-site.
Particles tend to behave like neutrally buoyant vapour clouds, and under favourable
conditions, their downwind spread can occur over very considerable distances. Impaction
on buildings and other structures can cause dilution (re-suspension into the air is
unlikely) and the same principles apply to particulate ingress into buildings as do those
for chemical vapours or aerosols. Partitioning between external and internal
concentrations can be approximated to that for chemical hazards. Particulate deposition
on vegetation off-site can lead to a potential hazard through uptake and passage into the
food chain.
8. Managing the consequences of airborne releases
8.1 Pre-planning
Analysing the downwind spread of materials from accidental release scenarios should
form part of a comprehensive site evaluation, emergency plan and response capability
evaluation. Whilst it is often argued that emergency planning should be flexible enough
to cope with all eventualities scenario led analysis can set bounds on the problem such
that limitations in the response capability can be examined.
In the event of an accidental release of material to the atmosphere the first priority will
be to warn people downwind to stay indoors, close doors and windows and listen for
further advice. Such action suggests a fundamental need for a rapid and reliable public
warning or alert system which is properly designed, tried and tested by operators and
understood by the local communities. A siren system may provide this capability;
however, pre-planning should assess and evaluate a range of warning options to define
the most appropriate to the circumstances.
Analysis could be carried out on the efficacy of remote sensing devices to detect and
monitor the movement of material in the atmosphere. These might also help to confirm
whether a release is a puff, a plume or an intermittent source.
Prediction of downwind dispersion requires a capability to measure local
meteorological conditions. Equipment estimating wind speed and direction, and wet and
dry bulb temperatures could be valuable but require good training in their use and
application to the evaluation of basic meteorological data.
All planning functions require evaluation and review. Exercising operational decision
making on a range of airborne hazard scenarios would be of great benefit.
8.2 Post-Release
On site assessment of the release source and material(s) are valuable first steps. It is
probably impractical to try and analyse and identify the mix or composition of materials
released; certainly, in the event of associated fires the combustion products will vary
greatly according to the source of material, the temperature at the scene, rate of release
and the amount of oxygen available during the combustion process. These conditions are
likely to change during the release process such that meaningful data on the mix of
materials and their toxicology are not valid.
Determining material dispersion downwind requires measurement of the local
meteorological conditions although these can vary considerably over very short distances
and their use in interpreting the direction and flow of clouds in built up areas should be
treated with caution.
The UK Meteorological Office provides a service, CHEMET [15], to local authorities,
police, fire and other emergency services to help in the management of accidental toxic
hazard releases. This service, based on advice from a professional weather forecaster
using basic site data provides a number of generalised templates depicting likely
downwind threat areas which can be used as decision support tools for evacuation or stay
put. It also advises on the possible changes in local wind conditions in the next few hours
which might influence decisions on directions for evacuation and locations for sheltering
evacuees.
9. Environmental impact
This paper has stressed the impact on people living in the path of accidental airborne
releases and whilst this will always be the over-riding operational consideration there is a
pressing need to consider the effect of materials on the environment and the possible
short and long term damage they might cause. Deposition on land and into water courses,
the possible uptake by vegetation, livestock and food crops and how this might pass into
the food chain, are important assessments. Many other agencies will be involved with this
process and they too will need information on the type of release, the likely mix of
materials, the meteorological conditions and nature of downwind spread.
Conclusions
The advice to populations to stay-put in the event of an accidental release of toxic or

hazardous materials is well founded on experimental evidence and should be the
preferred option for advice on protecting populations in downwind areas. However, in
evaluating the impact of such events it is very helpful to understand the mechanisms
which influence the downwind dispersion of material in order that a sensible, balanced
and authoritative assessment of hazard, risk and consequence can be made. This then
leads to robust judgements in emergency and contingency planning as well as decision
making and consequence management should such an accident occur.
References
1. Health and Safety Executive Report (1993) The Fire at Allied Colloids Ltd. HMSO.
2. Davis, D. (May 1994). Disaster Prevention and Limitation in Industry Seminar. Cleveland
County Fire Brigade.
3. Meteorological Office. (1978) A Course in Elementary Meteorology HMSO.
4. Pasquill, F and Smith, F.B. (1983) Atmospheric Diffusion 3rd Edition Halstead Press (John
Wiley & Son).
5. Models for Predicting Outdoor and Indoor Exposure Hazards from Toxic Gas Releases. (1990)
University of Alberta.
6. Health & Safety Executive Report. (1990) Toxicology of Substances in Relation to Major
HazardsChlorine.
7. Institute of Chemical EngineersAmmonia Toxicity Monograph.
8. ten Berge, W.F., Zwart, and Appleman, L.M., (1986) ConcentrationTime Mortality Response
Relationship of Irritant and Systemically Acting Vapours and Gases. J. Hazardous Materials, 13
pp 301309.
9. Quarantelli, E.L., (1984) Evacuation Behaviour and Problems: Findings and Implications from
the Research Literature. DRC Final Report No 2 University of Delaware.
10. Johnson, Jr.J and Zagler, D (1986) Modelling Evacuation Behaviour During the Three Mile
Island Reactor Crisis. Socio-Economic Planning Science 20 pp 165171
11. ORiordan, T.R., Purdue, M. and Kemp (1985) Sizewell B MacMillan London.
12. IBC Conference on Disasters and Emergencies April 1988.
13. Perera, E. and Parkins, L. (1992) Airtightness of UK Buildings, Status and Future Possibilities.
Environmental Policy and Practice 2 143160.
14. Health and Safety Executive. A Guide to the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use)
Regulations, 1992. HMSO
15. UK Home Office, Fire Department. July 1989.
REPORT OF THE PLENARY SESSION
Introduction
The Plenary Session at the end of the conference was run as an open forum. Many of the
delegates used the session as an opportunity to open up discussion on specific points
arising out of papers that had been presented but, in addition, a general discussion on
some fundamental issues developed as a result of the audience mix. Of the many
interesting matters raised, the following is an almost verbatim report of the main points of
general import which engaged the majority of the delegates, the speakers and the panel of
the plenary session.
The discussions ranged over four main areas: the nature, and need, of risk assessment
(and of operational risk assessment, in particular), the relationship between researchers
and operational practitioners, education and research, and the qualifications of, or for, fire
engineering.
Operational risk assessment
The idea of Operational Risk Assessment is not totally new because, in Germany, they
already have the feuerwehreinsatzplane (the fire brigade access plan) which would
identify the premises, the hazards in the premises, and the way to deal with the fire in the
premises. Of course, as everything else, these are not perfect but they form one of the
most important and major toolsproviding primary information for the fire officers on
how to deal with a fire on the premises. This plan is requested from the owner or occupier
of a building, or a person running a plant, who is legally obliged to provide the
information and these plans to the fire brigade. On the basis of these plans the fire
brigade comes to the premises, checks the premises, puts additional questions and then
either asks for additional hazard descriptions to be incorporated in these plans or accepts
that the plan is sufficient for their purposes. The Risk Card system in the UK provides
somewhat similar information.
However, what has to be recognised is that if you have a static system, or even if it is
on computer, there is still an element of operational risk assessment. The officer in charge
of the first attendance has to do their own risk assessment on the ground based the sort
of basic information with which they are provided by the risk card or the
feuerwehreinsatzplane. Basically, the UK and German systems are the same but having
formally to risk assess premises makes one much more aware that from time to time you
inspect a property where maintenance activities are being conducted and it is found that
things are not as they are on the plans. In such circumstances it falls to the officer in
charge to do an operational risk assessment; most fire services work in that way.
Report of the plenary session 514
There are, however, noticeable differences, both in philosophy and in legal

requirements between the UK and Germany. It is only becoming so in the UK that
employers or occupiers of premises unless they are registered, unless they have to register
under certain regulations, would be expected to provide the fire service with plans. Its
usually up to the service to get at the information by asking the correct questions. There
is also one other thing that is actually quite different: the concept of as far as reasonably
practicable. This has to do with quite basic differences between the legal systems. Most
European legal systems are Napoleonic in philosophy which means that, or it has the
result that, many things are fairly prescriptive. They are described in great detail within
the legislation. The British system is based on a double pronged approach: a.) statute law
(with enforcing Authorities) and b.) case law in which the senior judges actually make
the law by interpreting what has happened; and it may be that this interpretation evolves
over very, very many years. By way of an example of this, it is only very recently that
corporations have been able to be sued for manslaughter. This idea of immunity from suit
was based on a judgement by the then Lord Chief Justice, Lord Holt (in 1702), that a
corporation could not appear or plead in court because it was not a natural (or physical)
person. This legal concept survived until very recently; however, the first corporation that
was sued for manslaughter (but the case was dropped) was the company that owned the
Herald of Free Enterprise. The second action, and the case was successful, occurred at
Winchester Crown Court. This was the Lyme Bay canoe disaster in which the firm that
owned the leisure centre was successfully prosecuted for manslaughter. Therefore, when
talking about this subject in a European sense, we have to be aware not only of detailed
differences in the legal background, or the way that things are done, but also
philosophical differences of how it is perceived that things should be done.
Research relationships
What has come to the fore during this conference is that there is a great deal of work
going on but that the communication in the broadest sense simply does not exist. It is
vital for researchers, academics, engineers and the fire service members to have this
exchange of information and, therefore, avoid on the one hand duplication and, on the
other, a concentration on some exceedingly profound research which, when you come to
translate it into action during an incident, is not of any practical use. This is a great pity.
So, if this Euro Fire Conference has done anything, it has opened the dialogue. The
exchange of views, hopefully, has caused some researchers to think, at least, in terms not
just of the static controlled condition that can be achieved under research conditions, but
also in terms of the dynamic conditions that persist on the fire ground.
They should note that, however well-planned the building has been, (presuming that
the client knew what they wanted, anyway) and if the architect can be persuaded to
suppress his own desires and actually construct something that will be a purely practical
enterprise and if, once it is brought into commission, it actually performs on the basis for
which it was planned, and the continuing and on-going storage, usage and transportation
conforms to the original concept over a period of days or weeks (never mind years) then,
when ultimately and regrettably something goes awry, the complex mix that has then
occurred in the interim period is the situation (the workplace) within which the
operational fire service must operate effectively and safely in the United Kingdom.
However, while this argument found very strong support, it should be noted that fire
science or fire research is carried out not only to provide more information on the
working arena for the fire brigade, but must also address the issue of such things as early
fire detection. It is also concerned with the issue of reducing losses in terms of economic
losses. It is important to note the requirements of operational activities, and in this respect
research or development has gone strongly in the direction of purely answering scientific
questions. It is necessary to go back more to questions that are real world questions and
not only scientific questions. That research should answer fire brigade questions.
Research and education
Experience in Sweden shows that education is a very good tool of communication. It is

possibly the best one available. It takes away a large number of misunderstandings
between academe and the operational emergency services. Lund University has been
educating future senior fire brigade officers since 1986 on the basis of, now, three and a
half years education at university and one year at an operational school. Now, the
academic researchers are being asked to do research for operational purposes. This would
not have happened at, lets say, five years ago. This indicates that, having started an
educational activity much of the other things follow automatically.
It was, however, considered that education should go in two ways. First, the fire
fighters should be going to the universities and getting to know more about the
background to fire and fire science. Secondly, the scientists should be invited to take part
in fire service operations and experience fire fightingnot actually in the front line but
maybe in the next row.
These exchanges should happen automatically once this academic/education process
has started. It is not a question of who is learning what, or teaching what; it all falls into
place automatically, more or less. There is both a synergy and a symbiosis which goes on
as these educational and research facilities develop. For example, some of the academic
staff at the University of Central Lancashire have had the experience of going through the
smoke house and of using the facilities at the International Fire Training School at
Washington Hall, at the Fire Research Centre in Warrington and have also had an
involvement in research from an insurance point of view; time has been spent shadowing
the Chief Fire Officer of the local brigade and quite a lot is being learned about the kind
of problems being experienced by the operational service. So it would appear that many
members of the research and academic community are already working to overcome this
problem. In addition, it was the view that working with the emergency service makes life
much more interesting and dangerous! It is something which is really worth striving for.
Risk
Discussants then referred to the earlier point about not forgetting property losses.
Basically, with risk assessment one of the things that the U.K.s Health and Safety
Executive would also support is the idea that when looking at risk reduction or control
and elimination procedures it is necessary to do a cost-benefit analysis. Cost-benefit
analysis doesnt just include losing property. It is also a fairly major cost to lose a fire
crew and, once that is acknowledged, it is then possible to see that there is a need for a
unified approach to risk assessment. All the costs must be considered against all the
benefits so that one does not find oneself in the position of just arguing for the service or
just arguing for the insurance companies. It is a mixture that must recognise all of
societys views and requirements, both public and private.
It is not only a mixture but the techniques need to be mixed as well. The tendency, at
the moment, is to look at techniques in isolation. There would be more benefit in taking a
sligtly more eclectic view of the application of well-developed cost benefit techniques
that are available both within the insurance industry, within the construction industry,
within actuarial science and in many other areas.
With the continued developing of the complexity of emergency situations, I could be
argued that risk analysis can also help in resolving two other questions in relation,
specifically, to fire risk. The first one is that putting the fire out could make things worse.
This is especially so if dealing with, say, a chemical warehouse. So how to teach people
in not go for what they have been trained to do for the last forty years, or even longer
i.e., if you see a flame, put it out? How to tell them that, in those circumstances, where
there is a flame, put petrol on it and make it worse so that, at least, the fumes will go up
and away from the emergency crews. Another interesting conceptual discussion, that has
been in progress in the Netherlands for a long time, is where we have a situation where,
let us suppose, the National Museum is on fire. There is a night watch on the premises.
How many firemen are we prepared to put at risk in order to get the night watch out? You
can do a cost-benefit analysis for a long time without being able to resolve that matter
because you always hit the point that all human life is sacrosanct and there then follows
the question of how this can be balanced against economic cost or the cost in terms of
other life losses or potential life losses.
Fire engineering qualifications
During the three days of the conference, the expression fire engineer or fire safety
engineering has been used in a number of different contexts. In fact, it seems as though
it is now appearing in draft Codes of Practice, in ISO Standards and certainly within the
UK in the draft Fire Engineering Code itself. In the draft, it refers to this approach, if
used by a competent fire safety expert The difficulties we have, in the area of
regulation, is putting a definition to those words. The reason for this is that, within the
UK, the only requirement necessary to become a fire safety engineer is to have sufficient
money to buy four screws and a brass plate with fire protection engineer written on it
and you can set up business. On a wider basis, on a European basis, it is necessary to
bring together a discipline or to provide a statement of what is meant by fire safety
engineer and to provide for the control and development of the profession.
There is, of course, a problem in the UK, not just with the definition of a fire engineer
or a fire safety engineer but with the very definition of what is an engineer. For example,
in the UK, the person you take your car toto have its serviceis an engineer
people who repair sewing machines are engineers and there are many other examples.
There is also a problem in Europe. It is necessary to note the way in which the European
education systems and professional institutions operate. First of all, they differ from
country to country. They are certainly different to the UK in that the professional bodies
are seen, in the mainland European countries, more as associations for the exchange of
views and knowledge and not as examining or disciplinary/standards setting
organisations. It will be difficult, therefore, to resolve the question. There is an
organisation FEANI that has developed the Euro-Ingenieur code; there is the
Engineering Council in the UK but we have to again look at that in order to try to get
some kind of cohesion
Certainly in Germany it would not be allowed for a person to claim to be, for example,
a KFN or a KFZ Meister able to repair cars, unless certificated. This is a difference in
philosophy. The British will allow the plumber, the electrician, the car mechanic without
certification. That is certainly not true in Germany where the Craft Master or the Master
Craftsman is certificated and cannot operate as a self employed individual without that
certificate.
This move towards certification of competence is coming to the UK. It is
demonstrated in, for example, the new degree courses by the difference between the fire
engineering routes leading to BEng and BEng(Hons.) and the non-engineering routes
which give BSc or BSc(Hons.). The main difference between the two is that the fire
engineering BEng routes are following recognised Engineering Council prescribed
curricula where there is a sufficient quantity of engineering, mechanics, physics,
chemistry, etc. Other non-engineering routes are intended for people who do not wish to
take up engineering, per se. Although they cover the same, or lot of the same, materials in
many cases, the students often do not aspire to Chartered Engineer status. There is, in
the UK, a difference between the Chartered Engineer and these other generic terms, Fire
Engineer, the Fire Safety Engineer or the Fire Consultant, that are in general European
use. The word chartered would appear to be one of the main causes of confusion
alongside the many misuses of the term engineer. In most of continental Europe, it is
the academic degree which gives entitlement to the use of engineer, not membership of
a professional association.
It should be noted that it is possible to have all sorts of Engineers, just as it is possible
to have academics with all sorts of doctorates,. There is a European Directive which
requires that certain qualifications be recognised between member states. In the
Netherlands, for example, it is not possible to call yourself an engineer unless you went
to a university. However, there is no such thing as, say, a risk analysis doctorate. It is
possible to be a doctor in chemistry and to know something about risk analysis, but there
is no scheme by which you can say I am a qualified risk analysis person. In order to do
that you first have to define the qualifications that you need to tack on to the basic
qualification (i.e., of being a scientist) to indicate also that you have a specialised field. In
summary, the problem is twofold; it is firstly one of the general acceptability of the
terminology, i.e., fire engineer, and secondly one of exclusive use of the term engineer.
The latter is one that is going to take some time to sort out. It appears to be that it would
be easier to work in a profession where there are defined rulesbut engineers, whether
mechanical or civil, seem to have some overlap with other engineering disciplines.
However, it is difficult to define a fire engineer, or even a civil or a mechanical engineer

for that matter, on a Europe-wide basis.
Closing remarks
In the closing discussions, it was remarked that it had been encouraging to see that this
conference has opened our eyes to a dynamic network of people working in academe and
of interested practitioners as well. As opposed to there being a hierarchy, there seems at
least to be an interaction of information flowing from the academicians to the
practitioners but some of the feedback that has been received at the conference seems to
imply that the academics are not specifying the possible applications of their research. It
seems to be that there is a lot of research going on but it is alleged that there are no
specific objectives to much of the research that is beginning carried out. It is generic in
nature. The general feedback suggests that academicians should be more specific about
the applications on which they are working.
It was also suggested by one of the delegates that it would be interesting to see this
network working not just across borders in Europe but also intercontinentally and, in
particular, involving some of the African nations. With that addition, it was generally felt
that it would be interesting to see the network developing dynamically across Europe and
that the continuation of research meetings of this nature would help to relate the generic
research to the required applications and enable the function and purpose of fire
engineering and emergency planning to become a lot more clear in the future.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX ONE
Appendix one 522
A FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH IN

THE FIELD OF FIRE SAFETY IN
BUILDINGS BY DESIGN
WRITTEN BY
THE EUROPEAN GROUP OF OFFICIAL LABORATORIES FOR
FIRE TESTING (EGOLF).
PUBLISHED BY PRINTED BY
EGOLF REGISTERED OFFICE LABORATORIUM DRUKKERIJ VANDEVELDE A.
VOOR AANWENDING DER BRANDSTOFFEN EN DE KEYSERESTRAAT 6 B-9700
WARMTE-OVERDRACHT OTTERGEMSESTEENWEG OUDENAARDE BELGIUM
711
B-9000 GENT Tel. int +32 055 31 38 72
BELGIUM Fax int. +32 055 31 92 32
Tel. int +32 09 2 22 25 50
Fax int. +32 09 2 20 20 61
ISBN number: 90-801859-1-4
D/1994/6964/1
Appendix one 523
EGOLF
(European Group of Official Laboratories for Fire-
testing)
EGOLF MEMBERS AND ACTIVITIES

* EGOLF has over 40 members, all nationally accredited/approved within EC/EFTA
member states for the purpose of building regulatory control.
* EGOLF defines levels of quality, competence, expertise and independence to be
followed by all its members.
* Members provide fire resistance testing and/or reaction to fire testing of building
materials, components and elements of building construction.
* Members may also provide investigations, research and development, consultancy and
information services on fire related matters.
* EGOLF is actively contributing to the development of European fire test standards.
* EGOLF is active in promotion of fire safety by application of fire safety engineering to
the design of buildings, building products and their use.
* Members work for the building industry in particular but also to the transport, off-shore
and other industries.
* Some members carry out product certification for national markets.
* Some members also carry out testing, research and certification of active fire protection
products.
EGOLF OBJECTIVES
* to contribute to the removal of technical barriers to trade within Europe.
* to improve collaboration between fire test laboratories in Europe.
* to facilitate the mutual acceptance of fire test reports.
* to contribute to the standardisation of fire test methods, reports and assessment by
providing a forum for discussion.
* to promote research and development within fire safety and fire testing.
Registered Office: EGOLF v.z.w., Ottergemsesteenweg 711, B9000 Gent
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
1
2. Importance of the problem
1
2.1 Human aspects
Appendix one 524
1
2.2 Economic aspects
2
3. Scope of the research programme
2
3.1. Risk assessment
2
3.2. Development and propagation of fire
7
3.3. Smoke and Toxicity
13
3.4. Fire Detection and Extinguishment
17
3.5. Structural Fire Resistance
19
3.6. Evacuation
22
3.7. Fire Investigation
26
3.8. Fire Brigade needs
28
FOREWORD
Fire safety considerations are an important aspect of the design of any system. Within the
building construction sector, the desire to provide life safety within buildings and to
reduce losses has resulted in many prescriptive requirements which influence and control
the design of buildings. However, some building designs become more complex and new
materials or existing materials used in new ways may mean that the prescriptive
approaches are inadequate or outdated.
The move towards a Single European market has focused attention on the differences
in regulatory requirements, design practices and performance standards that exist
throughout Europe. The possibility for harmony of the different approaches will only be
realised if fire safety by design is addressed from a more fundamental basis.
The scientific understanding of fire has developed considerably over the last decade
and the possibilities for engineering for fire safety has improved. Major gaps, however,
still exist in the knowledge and much research needs to be done, and the results of this
Appendix one 525
interpreted into practice, if more efficient and economic fire safety design of buildings is
to be achieved.
This document has been written by EGOLF (within its Technical Committee TC3
Development and Research). It, therefore, represents primarily the views of EGOLF
members.
The preparation of this document was mainly motivated by the desire to establish an
overview of the requirements for fire research at a European level; the objective being to
establish a framework which may be used both by CEC and by EFTA as background for
selecting research activities which are relevant to the provision of adequate fire safety in
buildings.
The publication of this Technical Report is also intended to stimulate reaction from
others, who have similar or different interests in providing fire safety in buildings.
EGOLF TECHNICAL REPORT 931 NOVEMBER 1993
KEYWORDS: Fire, buildings, research
Page 1
A FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF FIRE

SAFETY IN BUILDINGS BY DESIGN
1. INTRODUCTION
The Construction Products Directive, Council Directive 80/106/EEC, includes an
essential requirement for buildings to have safety in case of fire and expresses five
component parts of this requirement. The interpretation of those requirements which are
for buildings into requirements for products is detailed in the Interpretative
DocumentCEC/DGIII document TC2/023, rev. 1.
The Interpretative Document, within its explanation of the essential requirement
safety in case of fire, recognises that it is possible to take a more fundamental approach
to the provision of fire safety in buildings, and in several Member States the national
regulations are expressed in terms of functional requirements which facilitates such an
approach. Those Member State regulations which are written in prescriptive terms, have
been largely generated historically as a result of some specific fire event which may have
illustrated weaknesses in building design; the detailed philosophy behind these
regulations is often lost and the actual target or achieved level of safety is unknown. The
regulations often contain redundant requirements. The intimate relationship between the
tools which are used to measure or predict fire behaviour (e.g. test and calculation
methods) and the prescriptive requirements written in the regulations, have created
difficulties in progressive harmonisation within the construction products area (e.g. with
reaction to fire testing and classification). The overall effect is that regulations increase
costs and act as obstacles to innovation.
For these reasons and recognising the advancements which are being made in the
application of fire safety engineering to building design it is necessary and essential to
Appendix one 526
promote and begin the essential research work necessary to establish a scientific basis
which will lead to rational and efficient fire safety requirements.
2. IMPORTANCE OF THE PROBLEM
2.1 Human aspects

Fire safety in buildings concerns every person in the European Community. The annual
number killed in building fires is approximately 5.000, with 10 to 15 times as many
people injured.
Page 2
2.2 Economic aspects

The overall cost of fire within the European Community has been estimated at between
0.5 and 1.0% of the Gross National Product (GNP).
3. SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME

After discussion amongst the fire safety research and testing institutions who are
members of EGOLF, the following framework for fire research to achieve fire safety in
buildings has been generated. The scope of this research programme is not necessarily
complete nor comprehensive, but represents the perceived needs as expressed by EGOLF
members. It is, however, essential that there is an understanding of the total needs in
order to place individual components in context. The detailed content of any proposal is
not given in this document although some proposals are indicated in outline together with
an expression of the priority.
The total need is in this document sub-divided into the following eight individual
component parts, viz.
(1) risk assessment
(2) development and propagation of fire
(3) smoke and toxicity
(4) fire detection and extinguishment
(5) structural fire resistance
(6) evacuation
(7) fire investigation
(8) fire brigade needs
For each of the component parts the following format of presentation is used:
- overview of the current situation
- strategic direction
- programme proposals
Appendix one 527
The programme proposals which are included below have been suggested by EGOLF
members, and are examples of the type of work which is needed, but are not the only
possible activities which may be necessary.
3.1 Risk assessment

It is essential to have a systematic approach in relation to the quantification of fire safety,
and to be able to define ones objectives in terms of criteria which can be quantified. A
risk assessment is a formalised procedure which may be used to estimate the expected
risk of outbreak of fire, and/or the risk to the building occupants, and/or to the fabric or
contents of the building, and/or to rescue teams.
Page 3
The risk assesment process may be global, being applied to evaluate the overall fire
safety provided within the building. It may also be more specific, dealing with only one
or more of the individual components of the total system. This particular section
considers the needs for providing the overall methodologies.
3.1.1 Overview of the current situation

There is currently much activity on a worldwide basis to provide a global approach to the
quantification of fire safety in buildings under the umbrella heading of fire safety
engineering. These approaches allow the contributions made by the various components
of the fire safety system to be considered in a rational way using deterministic
methodologies and/or probabilistic techniques. There are ongoing activities in several
countries to provide guidance on the use of such techniques in Standards or Codes,
notably in the Nordic countries and in the U.K., and outside Europe in Japan, Australia
and the USA. At the international level there is an activity within ISO/TC92/SC4 which
is addressing the subject of Fire Safety Engineering. There are also pre-normative
research activities, and more fundamental research activities, being conducted on a
worldwide basis and which is the subject of coordination within CIB/W14.
The ability to use formalised risk assessment methodologies in practice is currently
very much limited by the lack of available data, both in relation to the individual
components (see the following sections) and to the overall evaluation system. There are a
number of different ad-hoc methodologies for quantifying fire safety levels currently in
use, which may broadly be grouped as follows:
(a) points system or schedule approacheswhich relies primarily on the distillation of
the judgement of a group of experts as to the value of various factors that contribute
to, or detract from the realisation of fire safety. These judgements are formulated into
a scoring scheme on the basis that certain premises, usually those which follow
existing regulations, are regarded as being safe enough.
Examples of this approach are the Gretener scheme (from Switzerland), various
schemes used to assess hospitals (used in the UK), and the tariff systems used by
insurance companies. The judgement of the experts can result from extensive
personal experience, anecdotal experience, scientific or statistical knowledge. The
Appendix one 528
skill of the method relies heavily on the way in which the agreed values for the
various points are synthesized from what may be diverse perceptions of the
experts.
Page 4
(b) logic tree approachesthis is a more rational, and from an engineers perspective, a
more acceptable approach. The problem is decomposed into elements which allow
scientific and statistical data to be introduced. However, judgement is still required to
fill in some of the gaps but these must be reduced to a minimum.
(c) probabilistic simulation approacheswhich generally requires a computer based
solution. A number of methodologies have been developed incorporating different
combinations of stochastic state transition models, network modelling techniques (e.g.
Petri networks) and Monte Carlo simulation. Quantification of the level of safety relies
heavily on statistical information and techniques. The models are computer based and
consequently they are sometimes critizised by engineers as being too complicated and
difficult to understand.
The various approaches need to be reviewed with a view to establishing their
applicability and their usefulness in risk assessment methodologies used in the fire safety
field. Recommendations should be given regarding their appropriateness to various
situations, together with guidance on their limitation, validity, sensitivity etc.
3.1.2 Strategic direction

The future needs may be considered under three broad headings, the basic design data,
the methodologies, the definition of acceptable levels of risk:
- Basic assumptions need to be made regarding various characteristics of buildings, their
contents and their occupants which are independent of any separate considerations
within the different components of the fire safety system, e.g. fire loadings for
different building types, anticipated number of fire starts, occupant efficiency etc.
These data are fundamental inputs to any fire safety design and need to be determined
and agreed.
- Acceptable approaches to a global evaluation of fire safety on a performance basis need
to be reviewed, validated and agreed.
- The basis of defining acceptable levels of risk need to be common between all Member
States of the Community.
To provide the basic design data the following areas are examples of those in need of
activitycollection and collation of fire loadings and fire load distribution in different
building types; an estimation of the number of fire starts that may be expected for any
type of use of building and the distribution of the type of fire between slow, medium and
fast development; reliability of different fire protection measures; assumed number,
distribution and characteristics of the occupants of different building types, their
mobility, dependency, efficiency, awareness, etc; environmental aspects. The results
Page 5
Appendix one 529
of these activities, together with information derived from other sections regarding fire
performance of materials, components, constructions and systems should form part of a
central European data base.
To provide for an agreement on acceptable approaches for assessment of risk and to
ensure compatibility of the procedures used to derive information in support of these,
methodologies need to be derived and agreed in relation to the followinggathering of
statistical data from fire occurrences and how to bring this into the design system; the
validation of modelling processes which may form part of the system; the structure of a
global approach to fire safety and procedures for combining and evaluating the
interactions between the various components of the fire safety system.
To provide a common basis for defining acceptable levels of risk, the following areas
are examples of those which should be addresseda comparison between the fire risk
accepted in different Member States, using an agreed risk assessment approach, under
their current regulatory requirements; tenability thresholds for building occupants in
terms of their exposure to heat, smoke and toxic products; risk to life in terms of the
acceptable probability of single or multiple death fires; the risk of socially unacceptable
occurrences, e.g. leading to pollution/environmental damage; the acceptable level of
economic loss resulting from fire.
3.1.3 Programme proposals

From the above, the following items may be listed as headings for specific research
programme proposals. They are indicated here as short term or long term based on the
urgency of the need and their ability to be achieved:
(i) Basic design data
- establish a procedure for measurement of fire loading in buildings and for
determining that proportion of it which is available for contribution to the fire, e.g.
not contained within a cabinet which would protect it (short term)
- survey of different types of buildings, in various Member States, using an agreed
detailed methodology to determine the fire loading and fire load distribution
characteristics for the building type and rooms within building type (short term)
- critical review of statistical data, available within all Member States, supplemented
by Delphe approach if necessary, to provide information regarding the frequency
of fire starts in different types of buildings, and the subsequent rate of fire
development, i.e. slow, medium, fast (short term)
Page 6
- from statistical data, or from testing if necessary, determine the reliability and
availability of different fire protection measures, both active and passive (long
term)
- establish a procedure for characterising occupants of buildings in relation to their
responsiveness to fire and their efficiency in terms of their ability to escape (short
term)
- review of the number, distribution and characteristics of the occupants that may be
expected within different types of buildings (short term)
Appendix one 530
- establish a basis for establishing the internal and external environmental influences
that may affect the development and spread of fire and its effluents (short term).
(ii) The methodologies
- provide a basis for routinely gathering statistical data from fires which can be applied
in a uniform manner throughout all Member States; this information needs to be
related to the objectives which were the basis of the fire safety design (short term)
- develop procedures for the assessment and verification of models used as part of fire
safety design or assessment including the establishment of bench mark
(reference) testing for validation of models (short term)
- development of a performance based design framework for achieving fire safety in
buildings, and allowing for the contribution and interactions of the various
components of the fire safety system to be quantified (short term)
(iii) Acceptable levels of risk
- using an agreed assessment approach, for different types of buildings in different
Member States, determine the fire risk currently acceptable under existing
regulations as being safe enough. This will provide a comparison of safety levels
existing in different Member States and the possibility for agreement on acceptable
levels of risk (short term)
- to provide a basis for assessing the risk to life from a fire, determine maximum levels
of exposure to heat, smoke and toxic products that are tenable to humans (short
term)
Page 7
- sing the results of the first proposal listed above under (iii) and by reference to other
statistical data, determine the acceptability of loss of life in fire (single and multiple
fatality), the currently tolerated risk of major pollution or environmental damage,
and the economic losses (short term).
3.2 Development and propagation of fire

Development and propagation of a fire (i.e. the pre-flashover period) covers the period
from initial ignition until, if a fire is contained within a space, a broadly constant rate of
burning occurs. In most cases, where ventilation is at a sufficient level this occurs after
flashover and involves all of the combustibles within the space. If ventilation is
sufficiently limited then growth may be inhibited so that flashover may not take place and
restricted combustion may occur. In a very large or open space the fire may not involve
all of the combustible material at one time and may spread in the form of a fire front.
The rate at which a fire develops is an essential component in assessing hazard
associated with any chosen fire scenario. Initial fire development will depend upon the
ignitability of single items of contents and surface materials and their ability to sustain
combustion. Subsequent development depends upon the way the fire continues to spread
between items of contents, between contents and surface linings and along surface
linings. This in turn depends upon the geometry of the space, the nature, quantity and
location of contents and the nature and distribution of wall linings. The complexity of this
Appendix one 531
process means that most real fire scenarios have to be simplified both to provide a basis
for assessing hazard and to allow appropriate methods to be derived for testing and
classifying the characteristics of materials that contribute to the fire growth process.
In general, building regulatory authorities are concerned with surface materials,
principally those lining internal spaces (such as rooms, escape routes) but also including
external surfaces (facades, roofs). However, building surface materials are rarely the item
first ignited in a fire and the ignitability of contents cannot be excluded, if only to
indicate the level of potential ignition sources for linings. In consequence some
authorities in member states regulate for the ignitability and post-ignition behaviour of
contents (most notably upholstered furniture and bedding materials).
(a) Existing test methods

A multiplicity of test methods for measuring the reaction to fire performance of
construction and other materials are currently in use in CEC and other European
countries. Since the middle 1980s efforts have been made, principally in connection with
the need for harmonised test methods to reduce
Page 8
barriers to trade, to provide some form of equivalence between methods or to reduce their
number to a few acceptable tests. Most notably the Blachere Report and other studies
instituted by the Commission have contributed to the debate. While there may be a
continuing short-term need to rationalise current test methods, there is general
recognition that the future is likely to lie with measurement techniques which provide
more fundamental information on the fire performance of a material than that required for
classification alone.
(b) Second generation test methods

The recognition in the early 1980s of the potential of oxygen depletion calorimetry for
the measurement of rate of heat release from a burning fuel has generated new
approaches. ISO has played a leading role in these developments, in particular with the
publication of standards for a bench-scale calorimeter (ISO 56601) and a room
calorimeter (ISO 9705). The ISO methods are being increasingly used, although
recognition in national regulations is limited. Their principal advantage lies in the ability
to provide measurements of performance in terms which can be much more readily
related to the development of real fires and, hence, to the level of hazard. However, the
methods are worthy of further refinement and development.
(c) Theories of fire propagation

The development of the second generation test methods has provided the basis for
improved models for the spread of flame across surfaces. In the last five years substantial
Appendix one 532
progress has been made, particularly in Sweden, Finland and the USA, in the application
of these models to the prediction of fire growth in relatively simple full-scale scenarios
such as the ISO room/corner test (ISO 9705). Further work is required to improve the
capability of these models and to extend their application to a much wider range of
scenarios.
(d) Scenarios other than the small room

Most test methods and theoretical models are applicable to the simple scenario of a small,
well-ventilated room. To date relatively little work has been undertaken to extend the
understanding of fire growth in other spaces within buildings such as corridors, shafts
(including staircases) and ducts.
Fire spread at building facades is also of concern, particularly with the development of
new systems for weather-protection and thermal insulation. Although within individual
member states full-scale test methods have been developed, there is no international
agreement on a standard test procedure.
(e) Recent and current European research programmes

A comprehensive review of European reaction to fire tests for construction materials
carried out in the late 1980s culminated in 1989, in the Blachere Report, mentioned
above.
Page 9
Between 1989 and 1992, a group of Nordic fire laboratories carried out a co-ordinated
programme of research on European reaction to fire classification (the EUREFIC
programme). This set out to show that the second generation reaction to fire test methods
could be used to evaluate the fire behaviour of building products. This programme also
included comparisons for a limited range of products between second generation test
methods and a number of those currently in use in member states, as well as taking
forward the development of theoretical models for relating bench-scale to full-scale test
methods.
A number of European laboratories are currently carrying out a co-ordinated
programme, known as the Charlemagne Project, to compare the performance of a range
of construction products using national reaction to fire test methods and the cone
calorimeter.
Considerable planning and discussion took place during 1992 to prepare a set of
proposals for research to establish a harmonised approach to European reaction to fire
testing of building products. However, no such research programme has yet been agreed
which is acceptable to all member states and the Commission.
Work has, however, recently started on a programme, funded by the Commission, on
the combustion behaviour of upholstered furniture. This programme, which is scheduled
to be completed by early 1995, includes both bench and full-scale studies of the post-
ignition behaviour of upholstered furniture, as well as the assessment of the level of
hazard created within enclosed spaces (with different levels of ventilation) which contain
burning items of furniture.
Appendix one 533

The long-term goal is to fully understand the physical processes which determine the
growth of fire in buildings and to use these in models, in conjunction with typical fire
scenarios and appropriate test methods for construction materials and contents, to
determine levels of hazard. In pursuit of this aim the following are proposed:
(i) To develop further and validate models of fire growth to include, not only room
surfaces but also surfaces where enhanced flow and reradiation occur (such as ducts
and shafts, including corridors and staircases).
(ii) To develop further both existing, and possibly new, second generation test methods,
to overcome some of the problems, e.g. those associated with evaluating products in
end use situations where fixing and jointing systems may significantly influence fire
behaviour.
Page 10

While the strategic direction above sets out the long-term aims, reflected in some of the
proposals set out below, others are included which are designed to satisfy shorter term
needs related to the implementation of the Construction Products Directive.
(i) Inter-comparison of national test methods

Prior to a unique European testing and classification system, it will probably be necessary
to provide a compromise approach to ensure that construction products can be freely
traded across the borders. A programme is, therefore, proposed to compare the
performance of a sufficiently wide selection of construction products when exposed to
the principal national reaction to fire test methods. The programme could also include
those ISO test methods which may be used as a basis for harmonisation in the future. It
would have two objectives:
- to underpin any arrangements made to provide for CE marking of construction products
- to enable national regulators, and product manufacturers, to assess the implications of
any such arrangements and to judge the impact on regulations and products of future
harmonised European requirements.
The programme would include the following stages:
- Review of existing data (from EUREFIC programme, ISO inter-laboratory
comparisons, the Charlemagne Project etc.)
- Identification, selection and programmed acquisition of a range of construction
products.
- Measurements using a variety of national and international standard test methods.
Appendix one 534
(ii) Fire development in rooms

Whilst much is already understood about the influences of fire development in rooms, a
better understanding is still required regarding the effect of various parameters. This
proposal would be aimed at providing clearer understanding of various influences such
as:
- the influence of room size and configuration
- he relative importance of materials used on walls, ceilings and/or floors
Page 11
- the influence of ventilation, both restricted and well ventilated and the effect of cross
ventilation etc
- comparison with performance of component materials in bench-scale tests using
appropriate models.
(iii) Fire spreadexternal walls and facades

This proposal would aim to provide the basis for an agreed method for testing the
reaction to fire properties of external walls and facades and would include the following
components:
- Review of scenarios; existing test methods; experimental data and theoretical models.
- Experimental programme to investigate test rig configuration and dimensions, possible
ignition sources, etc.
- Co-ordinated programme on generic types of external walls and facades.
- Comparison, where appropriate, with performance of component materials in bench-
scale tests using appropriate models.
Note: This programme may also address the additional problems associated with fire
spread via the junction between a curtain wall facade and a floor slab of a building.
(iv) Fire growth in corridors and staircases

In comparison with the well-ventilated small room there is relatively little information
and data concerning the way in which fires develop in building circulation spaces such as
corridors and stairways. Unlike what is normally considered as the case for a room, it is
possible that the performance of floor coverings may need to be considered in addition to
wall and ceiling linings.
The programme would be principally experimentally based to provide basic
information but would include the development and validation of models. Amongst the
factors to be considered are:
- Ignition sources
- Corridor/staircase configuration and dimensions
- Levels and methods of ventilation
- Range of materials for wall, ceiling and floor linings
Appendix one 535
Page 12
(v) Development of theoretical models

The EUREFIC programme and other studies have provided data which has been used to
demonstrate that the current theoretical understanding of flame spread, taken together
with properties of linings measured using the second generation test methods, can predict
full-scale fire development (i.e. time to flashover) in the relatively simple situation of a
small, well-ventilated room with well-defined ignition source. To date, these methods are
insufficiently general to be extended to other scenarios. To achieve scenario-
independence, research is required to develop flame spread models in combination with
improved predictions of the gas phase conditions, using computational fluid dynamics. It
will also be important to be able to predict both the early development of fire at surfaces,
subject to different levels of ignition source, as well as the later stages approaching
flashover.
(vi) Further development of second generation test methods

Fire Calorimetry is accepted as a principal measurement technique. The current bench-
scale test is the cone calorimeter, which attempts to simulate the exposure of a sample of
material to constant levels of thermal radiation chosen to represent those which typically
occur in a given fire scenario. Whilst some attempts have been made to simulate (e.g. in
ISO 9705) other conditions which may have a significant effect on combustion, such as
the vitiation of the air in the proximity of the combustion zone or the variability of heat
flux, no standardised approach is yet available. The cone calorimeter is also constructed
in its ability to evaluate the performance of some products in end use conditions, and as a
consequence there may be a need for an intermediate scale fire calorimeter test (between
the bench-scale, ISO 56601, and the ISO room/corner, ISO 9705) to provide the
necessary additional data.
This proposal would include the following:
- Full-scale experiments to identify conditions which occur in practice.
- Measurements of ignitability and heat release rate using a suitably modified cone
calorimeter under conditions of transient heat flux and reduced oxygen supply.
- The evaluation of the need for, and the value of, additional data which may be provided
from an intermediate fire calorimeter test.
- The development of, if required, an intermediate scale fire calorimeter test.
Page 13
3.3 Smoke and Toxicity

This section covers both the generation of smoke and toxic effluent by materials and the
movement throughout a building as a consequence of the influence of the fire or the
provision of systems within the building to limit their movement. The hazard represented
by smoke and toxic gases is relevant to both the density and quantity of the smoke
generated, in so far as it impedes visibility and the quantity and level of toxic potency of
Appendix one 536
the gases generated, in so far as they represent a threat to human life. There are additional
considerations with regard to the corrosivity of the fire effluent in so far as this may cause
damage to building contents, equipment or services.

The ability to predict the quantity and density of smoke, together with toxic products
which may be produced from a fire, is not as advanced as the prediction of the thermal
exposure and other consequences which result from a fire. These effects depend not only
on thermal exposure but also on the chemistry of the fire processes. International
agreement has not yet been reached on the appropriate method(s) for assessing the rates
of production of smoke and toxic products, and given this information, the models which
allow for the assessment of potential harm have yet to be successfully developed. Models
are available which facilitate the smoke movement throughout a building to be predicted
and the influence of smoke control systems to be evaluated. These, however, are based on
rather crude assumptions. The potential for harm, either to people or to property, which
arises from smoke or toxic gas production depends upon may other factors than the rate
of smoke or toxic gas generation, e.g. the ignitability and flammability of the
material/product, and the ventilation conditions to the fire and elsewhere in the building.
In this section the format of presentation used is:
- smoke quantity and density
- toxicity of fire effluents
- movement of fire effluents
(a) Smoke quantity and density

Much of the current activity in relation to smoke generation centres around a
measurement of the optical density of smoke generated by burning materials in large and
small scale experiments. In large scale experiments the smoke generated has always been
measured in a dynamic manner, i.e. the optical density of the smoke generated is derived
throughout the complete fire process, whilst in bench-scale smoke tests specifically
designed only to
Page 14
measure smoke generation, integrated measurements have historically been the norm, i.e.
the optical density of the smoke accumulated in a given volume during the fire process is
measured. However, in bench-scale experiments which are designed to provide more
information than just smoke generation, dynamic measurements have nearly always been
made. Very little attention has been given to obtain rates of mass of smoke production.
The ISO/TC92 attitude regarding the measurement of smoke produced by burning
materials is given in ISO TR 11696 (under preparation).
The report compiles the latest developments in methods of measurement of the optical
density or light extinction coefficient. The experimental methods developed by
ISO/TC92 are described in ISO DP 5924 Dual Chamber Test (Static type), ISO 56601
Cone Calorimeter Test and ISO 9705 Room/corner Test (both dynamic type). Variables
Appendix one 537
affecting smoke development and obscuration as a result of the burning environment are
known from experiments to be present. Variables such asradiant heat flux, oxygen
concentration, ventilation, sample orientation and geometry, moisture content of sample.
The report concludes that predictive methods for large scale performance on the basis
of small scale test data are in a developing stage. Among the small scale test procedures,
the dynamic cone calorimeter is most promising, even though its capability for smoke
prediction in large scale has not yet been fully proven. Correlations between small scale
and large scale smoke test results may be improved by adding parameters describing the
burning rate and fire spread behaviour.
(b) Toxicity of fire effluent

The potential for harm from the toxicity of fire effluents is reported in ISO/CD 13344
Determination of the lethal toxic potency of fire effluents together with informative
annexes ISO/TR9122 Part 12 and ISO/DTR9122 part 36.
The ISO technical committee TC92 has a well established work programme on the
assessment of toxic hazard presented by fire effluents. Work continues on selecting the
appropriate fire models and an analytical method for identifying toxic species in blood. A
guidance document is being prepared which will give guidance to regulatory authorities
on how data derived from toxic potency tests can be used. Work in connection with
estimating potential toxic hazards and minimising the use of tests on animals is
continuing.
Page 15
(c) Movement of fire effluents

Many countries have guidance or standards which indicate means by which the hazard
presented by smoke may be mitigated as far as it impedes successful escape of building
occupants, or presents a threat to fire fighters. These normally are prescriptive
requirements in terms of what must be provided, or are simplified calculations based on
having a fire of a given size and generating a known rate of hot gases; the interface
between the smoke and no-smoke is normally represented by a given temperature
isotherm. There is no international agreements on the methodology employed.
Guidance may be found, e.g. in:
(i) The SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, SFPE/NFPA, 1988.
(ii) Fire Protection Handbookseventeenth edition, NFPA, 1991.
(iii) Design principles for smoke ventilation in enclosed shopping centres, BRE, 1990.

The importance of smoke toxicity has increased and will continue to increase, not only
amongst those directly interested in providing safety in case of fire but also in the minds
of the public at large. These factors are now clearly identified as the major cause of
deaths. Much greater attention must, therefore, be given to providing all the information
relevant to the prediction of these factors and the threat which they present to life safety.
Appendix one 538
The future objectives must be to better understand the factors which influence the rate
and density of smoke and toxic gas production from products, to identify evaluation
methods for products and associated models which will allow the potential for harm to be
assessed, to understand the individual and synergistic affects on life safety, to provide
better methods for predicting smoke movement and management in buildings.
In determining the smoke and toxic gas production characteristics of construction
products consistent conditions should be established with those used for evaluating other
reaction to fire properties such that the data is comparable and compatible. However, the
worst case for smoke and toxic gas production will not be that, for example, for
maximum rate of heat release. Never-the-less, to allow proper application of the data, it is
important that all reaction to fire data is relevant to the design fire scenario.
Page 16

The following headings for research proposals may be envisaged as a consequence of the
observations above:
(a) Smoke quantity and density
- evaluate the appropriateness of the principle of smoke measurement (e.g. using
dynamic or static methods, or both) to be used for a range of fire scenarios
- provide appropriate small scale test method(s) which can derive the important smoke
production characteristics of products (including the smoke mass generation rate).
- evaluate the influence of those factors (e.g. ventilation, oxygen concentration,
moisture content) which have a bearing on the generation of smoke and its
characteristics (e.g. longevity)
- provide validated models to predict the smoke potential in large scale fire scenarios
on the basis of small scale test data.
(b) Toxicity of fire effluents
- selection of one or more fire models (small and/or large scale) to be used as the basis
of a European system of testing and evaluation.
- study of fire scenarios with special attention to scaling effects.
- validated models between small scale tests and large scale experiments.
- study of on-line measurement techniques.
(c) Movement of fire effluents
- validation of existing models considering especially their applicability to complex
spaces
- assessment of the influence of environmental effects and the containing structure on
the fire effluent temperature and movement
- assessment of the influences of dilution and coagulation on the density of the smoke
within the hot gas layer
- the effectiveness of smoke venting systems (natural vs powered) and associated
calculation methods.
Appendix one 539
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3.4 Fire Detection and Extinguishment

This section covers the requirements for providing a better understanding of the response
and reaction of automatic fire detection systems and fixed fire extinguishing systems, i.e.
those permanently installed in the building (excluding first aid-fire fighting facilities, e.g.
extinguisher/hose reels). It considers the interaction of the extinguishing system with the
developing fire and the consequence on the fire of the extinguishing media.

The relative degree of emphasis placed upon active and passive fire protection measures
in various buildings depends upon a wide variety of factors some of which include
national requirements (codes of practice, standards, etc), requirements of other financially
involved bodies such as insurers, the proposed end use of the building, the relative costs
of various methods or the contribution of the building structure, the current fashion in fire
protection techniques.
The existing national regulations provide fire safety in buildings predominately by
passive fire protection measures. Detection and extinguishment is, therefore, normally
added to the passive fire safety provisions rather than integrated into a comprehensive,
effective and economic fire safety design. They are normally provided to the
requirements of a design code and are not tailored to the specific fire hazard. Both for
automatic detection and for extinguishment systems, it is a characteristic that
developments are centred around development of products which will satisfy simple
performance objectives. The relevance and relationship to real fires and the science
governing their interaction with the fire are not significantly researched.
(a) Automatic fire detection

The current trend in developing automatic fire detection systems is to exploit computer
technology in support of the management (i.e. the centralised control) of automatic
detection systems, thereby reducing the number of false alarms. The various types of
detector heads are still tested using principles established many years ago which provide
little or no data which is helpful to assess response time in real fires. Whilst considerable
reliability data is available, this does not relate to the ability to detect real fires, but is
based predominantly on laboratory testing which may not relate to real fire conditions.
Page 18
(b) Fixed extinguishing systems

The current methods of evaluating the performance of fixed fire extinguishing systems
varies between the different types of media involved, i.e. there is no common concept.
None of the existing testing methodologies can be correlated to real fire scenarios and the
Appendix one 540
information produced is of little value in determining the reaction time and the interaction
between the extinguishment and the fire.

The most important goal of any research in this area must be aimed at a better scientific
understanding of the performance of detection and extinguishing systems in real fires.
This information is needed in support of fire engineering approaches to the provision of
fire safety and will allow an integrated approach to the problem combining passive and
active fire protection measures.

(a) Automatic Fire Detection
- develop testing procedures for fire detectors which will provide data for calculation
of response times, e.g. regarding the influence of rate of heating, velocity of gas,
density of smoke.
- develop procedures for evaluating the sensitivity of detectors with special regard to
the problem of false alarms.
(b) Fixed extinguishing systems
- in response to the commitment to phase out Halon gas, as agreed in the Montreal
Protocol, urgent research is needed to evaluate the advantages of alternatives. A
series of tests are required to look at the effectiveness of suppression, the
aggression of the fire environment and the consequential damage to goods,
electrical equipment etc
- the interaction between sprinkler systems and the developing fire for various rates of
fire growth and the fire load storage configuration
- the interaction of sprinklers with the spread of smoke and hot gases and the
consequent influence on smoke management systems e.g. smoke ventilators,
curtains etc
- the performance of sprinklers relative to their height above the fire and their position
relative to the floor soffit or suspended ceiling
Page 19
3.5 Structural Fire Resistance

This section considers the detailed needs of fire resistance testing as well as the more
general needs for calculation of fire resistance of building elements. It covers the
relationship between performance in real fires and fire tests, and calculations and how
those may be enhanced by the use of different heating rates.
Appendix one 541

For the time being most of the work within the field of fire resistance tests is related to
the CEN activities and performed in accordance with the CEN/TC127 work programme
on fire resistance. This programme includes all the relevant types of construction
elements, structures and components, as well as the time schedule.
The CEN work programme also indicates laboratory work which is needed, both
round robin tests and proving tests to support the basis for further development and
implementation of the CEN standards.
Work with respect to theoretical verification of fire resistance is related to the relevant
activities dealt with by CEN TC250-Eurocodes. A separate part of the different
Eurocodes is allocated to structural fire design, and this part gives both basic principles as
well as calculation models at different levels.
In addition to the above mentioned laboratory work the following issues need to be
addressed and resolved by research activities:
- Establishment of a system and guidelines for further application of test results.
- Thermal properties of construction materials.
- Survey and evaluation of available computer codes for temperature analysis and
analysis of mechanical behaviour of construction elements and structures, with the aim
of selecting codes which are usable for structural design and classification purposes.
Page 20

The strategy within this field may be related to the following matrix
The aim is to provide a set of efficient and reliable tools for verification of fire resistance
of both construction elements and complete structures exposed to different heating
regimes. Having historically been working mostly in the upper left corner of this matrix,
Appendix one 542
the tendency now is to move to the right and downwards. However, this requires further
research work on both input data and model development.
The strategy must also include a system for combined verification of experimental and
theoretical methods to make the results as reliable as possible.
Page 21
The structural models in the matrix are more or less self explanatory. However,
consideration must be taken with respect to controlled supporting conditions and
mechanical load.
The models for thermal exposure range from nominal temperature/time curves such as
the standard curve, the external fire curve and the hydrocarbon curve, to parametric fire
exposure conditions, zone models and field models.
Application of the thermal actions according to ENV 1991 Part 2.2 and the design of
structures according to the fire design parts of ENV 1992 to 1996 and ENV 1999 is
illustrated in the following table.
according to national design by prescriptive design by
Thermal actions given in specifications: rules/tabulated data calculation models
ENV 1991, Part 2.2:
for verifying given in ENV 1992 given in ENV
1996, 1999 19921996, 1999
standard temperature- standard fire resistance as relevant1) as relevant1)
time curve requirements
or from fire resistance
tests
other nominal other nominal fire mainly from fire as relevant1)
temperature-time curves resistance requirements resistance tests
standard temperature- fire resistance as relevant1) as relevant1)
time curve
- for equivalent time of
fire exposure
parametric fire exposure fire resistance not applicable as relevant1)
- for specified period of
time or
- for entire fire duration
1)
depending on the assessment methods included in the respective fire parts and the
relevant scope of application.
A primary aim is to establish efficient and reliable tools for combined fire analysis,
temperature analysis and response analysis.
Page 22
Appendix one 543

As mentioned in clause 3.5.1 much activity is going on within CEN/TC127 and
CEN/TC250. Therefore different programme proposals for fire resistance must have
objectives and scopes of work related to the outcome of the CEN activity.
From the above, the following items may be listed as headings for programme
proposals for the additional issues which need to be addressed and resolved by research
activities:
(i) Establishment of a system and guidelines for further application of test

results.
The aim of this work is to give harmonised, quantitative rules for both direct and
extended application of test results. The description of the work to be undertaken will be
based upon the chapters on direct application in the CEN standards for the different types
of products as well as on the separate TC127 proposal for extended application.
An important input will also be the work performed by ISO/TC92/SC2/WG2/TG1.
(ii) Thermal properties

A programme proposal should satisfy the needs for pre-normative research on the thermal
properties of construction materials, which are to be identified by Ad-hoc 13 (Hot Data)
of TC127. Prenormative research on the thermal properties of insulating materials is also
needed.
(iii) Survey and evaluation of available computer codes for temperature

analysis and mechanical behaviour of construction elements and
structures.
The aim of this work is to select codes which are usable for structural design and
classification purposes.
A description of the work to be undertaken should be prepared based on the latest
drafts of the fire design part of the relevant Eurocodes, and connected to the work
performed by ISO/TC92/SC2/WG2/TG1 and TG2.
3.6 Evacuation
This section addresses the requirements for providing a rational approach for determining
the ability and needs of human beings to escape and evacuate a building. It includes
consideration of the models for predicting the rate of escape and evacuation in the event
of fire, and considers the influence on these predictions of the ability of the occupants to
respond in terms of their mobility and efficiency, etc.
Page 23
Appendix one 544

Currently safe evacuation from buildings is provided mainly by prescription, in
regulations and codes, of adequate means of escape, e.g. by specifying requirements for
protected routes for escape and maximum escape distances.
A more fundamental approach to evacuation of people from buildings is needed and in
this context evacuation may be defined as:
the process whereby people by themselves or assisted by other people inside the
building are moved to a place where they are safe from the fire.
This does not include the situation where people are moved by means of external
personnel and technology (e.g. smoke divers, helicopter, turntable ladder, etc). The latter
situation is denoted rescue operation.
Evacuation is a process which can be described in terms of a number of different
stages of human behaviour. These stages are as follows:
Each of these stages takes time and for an evacuation to be successful this sequence of
behaviour has to be executed within the time between alerting and untenable conditions.
The critical factor to consider in evacuation safety is therefore the period between the
points of alert and escape limit. The relationship between different time factors is
illustrated below. From this it can be seen that evacuation safety depends on the ratio of
Available escape time and Needed escape time.
Page 24
Appendix one 545
Assessment of evacuation safety is integrated in methods which assess the overall fire
safety in a given building. There is currently much activity worldwide to provide such
methods, notably in the Nordic countries, UK., Japan, Australia and USA. The common
features of the evacuation part of these methods are tabulation of occupant loads,
locations, activities and characteristics by occupancy. Thereafter they tabulate a series of
delay times for alerting, decision making, investigation, fire fighting, movement speeds,
etc., all to be used in computing needed escape time. The occupants exposure to heat and
toxic gas during evacuation are evaluated against limiting values. This approach is a great
step forward compared to earlier approaches, but more empirical data are needed in order
to model human evacuation behaviour. There is also a need to validate model predictions
against empirical data.

The future needs may be considered under three broad headings, the approach to
functional requirements for evacuation, the methodologies and the need for data:
- It is necessary to agree upon an approach to functional requirements to evacuation
safety. This entails development of a conceptual model of evacuation safety.
Functional requirements are useless unless there exist some way to confirm that the
requirements are fulfilled. Consequently it is necessary to agree upon a way to do this
control. Further, there is a need to reach an agreement on acceptable risk level, e.g.
which fire scenarios should it be possible to evacuate from.
- From the above follows that there is a need to develop methods to evaluate evacuation
safety. This activity should be closely related to the development of methods for
assessment of the overall fire safety.
Page 25
- There is a need for data about human behaviour in a fire situation, and several of the
basic design data needed for assessment of overall fire safety are also relevant here;
e.g. distribution of fire types, distribution and characteristics of the occupants of
different building types, their mobility etc.

From the above, the following can be listed as headings for specific research programme
proposals. They are indicated here as short term or long term based on the urgency of the
need and their ability to be achieved:
(i) Approach to functional requirements
- establish a conceptual model of evacuation safety that can be used to generate
functional requirements (short term)
- define acceptable risk level with respect to evacuation (short term)
- development of a framework for evaluation of evacuation safety in existing and
planned buildings, e.g. use of computer simulation in the design phase, walk
through in existing buildings, standardized evacuation drills, etc (short term).
Appendix one 546
(ii) The methodologies

- development of specific methods and tools to evaluate evacuation safety (long term)
- validation of methods and tools (long term).
(iii) Data needs
- systematic collection of data about human behaviour in fires occurring in different
countries (short term)
- the effect of a buildings spatial complexity on human evacuation performance (long
term)
- the effect of various information systems (e.g. signs, voice messages, alarms, etc) on
human evacuation performance (long term)
- the effect of management on human evacuation performance (long term).
Page 26
3.7 Fire Investigation

Experience from fires have, and have had, a major influence on national fire
requirements, codes and standards. Both specific information on major fires and fire
statistics is necessary information for authorities, fire protection industries and fire
researchers.
To improve the overall understanding of fire and its consequences and to be able to
justify the approaches taken in prediction of fire safety, and incorporated within building
design, it is necessary to ensure that there is adequate feedback from real fires, especially
those of exceptional or unusual behaviour. This section, therefore, envisages
improvements in, and agreement on, the methods used for fire investigation and
extension beyond normal fire cause/arson/insurance type issues.
3.7.1 Overview of current situation

Fire investigation is carried out mainly on major fires either involving multiple deaths or
significant financial losses. In a number of countries, fire investigation is also carried out
on a regular basis in specific areas, e.g. fire cause investigation, assessments of structural
fire damage, role of furnitures, plastics, arson etc in fires.
Little systematic fire investigation, however, takes place which is aimed at providing
feedback to fire research and fire safety design. The lack of common guidelines on the
type of information needed from fires and the techniques available for fire investigations
hinder a rational approach in this field and limit utilization of the large amount of
valuable information gained from inspection fires.
In Europe, CEA collects information on fires with losses above a certain amount.
Systematic studies on major fires is carried out in the USA with the aim to compare fire
models against the real incident, on specific fire problems, and on peoples behaviour in
fires. A CIB W14 guidance document reviewing the type of information which should be
collected from fires is available.
Appendix one 547

The need in this field can be covered by following main headings:
Collection of general information on the spread of fire and smoke in buildings, and the
influence of building layout, contents, construction products, fire protection measures and
fire fighting. Such information is of special interest in the overall fire safety design
concept to satisfy the need for identification of realistic design fire scenarios and for
validation of fire models.
Page 27
Detailed information on the performance of structures, materials used for linings etc, fire
detection and suppression systems etc, is needed for product specification and for the
development of test procedures which give information on products in end use
conditions.
Insufficient knowledge on peoples behaviour in a real fire situation is one of the main
problems for design of warning systems and safe evacuations routes and procedures.
There is a need for collection of peoples reaction pattern and behaviour in major fires,
especially fires leading to multiple fire deaths [cf Section 3.6.3 (iii)].
A European system for gathering fire statistics with common terminology and
definitions is required. In order to identify problems for detailed investigation and to
evaluate the effect of actions taken, national fire statistics and the possible utilization of
data from several countries is necessary.

The following specific actions are proposed:
- Development of a guideline for the collection of information and setting up a European
database on major fires.
- Setting up a common terminology and framework for European fire statistics, so that
present national fire statistics can be used on a European level.
- Preparation of a guidance document on fire investigation, techniques and equipment
available for detailed fire investigation.
- Training and education of fire investigators on a European wide basis.
Page 28
3.8 Fire Brigade needs

This section considers the specific requirements of fire brigades in terms of their safety or
their efficiency in carrying out rescue operation and fire fighting within buildings.
These aspects are generally taken into consideration in the design of buildings and are
specified in regulations and fire codes. This section does not deal with protective
equipment for fire and rescue personnel, extinguishing facilities carried by the fire
brigade, transportation and fire trucks, radio communication systems etc.
Appendix one 548
3.8.1 Overview of current situation

National regulations normally specify that buildings shall be so designed and laid out,
that the safety of fire fighting and rescue teams are taken into consideration and rescue
and fire fighting operations around and within the building are facilitated. The safety of
rescue teams is normally ensured through adequate fire resistance of structures,
limitations on combustibility of construction materials and the safe storage of flammable
liquids and gases, toxic chemicals and compressed gas cylinders.
To facilitate easy access to buildings for the purposes of fire fighting and rescue, safe
access routes may be established by providing one or more of the followingprotected
corridors and staircases, fire fighting lifts, protected areas, fire compartmentation and
smoke control systems. Detailed requirements will depend upon the size, complexity and
use of the building.
Despite the importance of efficient and rapid intervention both to protect occupants
and to limit fire damage, as well as the potential restraints on building design implied by
this, only relatively little research is currently carried out internationally in this area and
the resources allocated have been limited.

The future needs may be addressed under following headings:
(i) Building layout and fire and rescue intervention planning

The increasing problem of providing easy and safe access for fire fighting and rescue
teams within especially large and complex smoke-filled buildings requires further
research and development in relation to fire fighting operations, building design as well
as to internal communication and guidance systems. Development of design criteria and
concepts for means of escape, including corridors and stairways, fire lifts and internal
protected areas and the ability to utilise fire and smoke control systems as part of fire
fighting are all areas that need to be addressed in the future.
Page 29
(ii) Fire fighting capability

There is a need to ensure adequate water supply, e.g. in high rise buildings, for fire
fighting as well as other measures and equipment necessary for increasing the capability
of rescue and fire fighting teams when working inside buildings.
(iii) Rescue capability

There is a need to develop methods of identifying the location of fires and persons
trapped in the buildings as well as systems to guide rescue and fire fighting teams to such
locations.
Appendix one 549

The following headings indicate areas in need of consideration:
-identification of benefits which can be provided to fire fighters by specific design
features incorporated in the building which aid access, rescue and fire fighting
-to identify tenability criteria for fire brigade search and rescue operations to enable
design of buildings or to engineer systems to provide for this.
APPENDIX TWO
Appendix two 553
The Role of Public Perception in the

Response Planning for Major Incidents:
Public Perception and Memory Retention
Questionnaire Survey
Final Report
Steve Carver(1) and Alan Myers(2) November 1993
(1) (2)
School of Geography University of Leeds Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning Unit Floor
Leeds LS2 9JT (Formerly of University of 2, Portman House Portland Road Newcastle upon
Newcastle upon Tyne) Tyne NE2 1AQ
Contents
Acknowledgements
List of figures
List of tables
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Questionnaire outline:
2.1 Aims and objectives
2.2 Questionnaire design
2.3 Sampling strategy (stratified sampling)
2.4 Analysis
3.0 Analysis of questionnaire returns
3.1 Section 1: Personal details
3.2 Section 2: General hazard perception
3.3 Section 3: Air crash
Appendix two 554
3.4 Section 4: Chemical hazard

3.5 Section 5: Emergency Planning
3.6 Section 6: Risk Map
3.7 Section 7: Area of work
4.0 Discussion
5.0 Conclusions
6.0 Recommendations
Consultations
Bibliography
Appendices
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Home Office in providing
funding enabling this work to proceed and would also like to acknowledge the help and
co-operation of Sterling Organics and Newcastle Airport Authority.
List of figures
Figure
Sterling Organics Dudley plant
1
Figure Study area map and Enumeration District (ED) housing

2 examples
Figure
Newcastle Airport
3
Figure
Population density of EDs within the study area
4
Figure
Residential areas targeted in the survey
5
Appendix two 555
Figure
Postcodes within the target areas
6
Figure
Distribution of responses by postcode
7
Figure
Age of respondents
8
Figure
Population structure
9
Figure
Occupation of respondents
10
Figure
Period of residence
11
Figure
Risk of injury/death to the individual
12
Figure
Risk of injury/death to the general public
13
Figure
Stated local hazards
14
Figure
Perceived probability of air crash hazard
15
Figure
Response to chemical release
16
Figure Response to chemical release differentiating between Dudley

17 and other responses
Figure
Perceived probability of chemical release
18
Figure Sterling Organics Dudley public information zone

19
Appendix two 556
19
Figure Perceived probability of chemical release differentiating

20 between Dudley responses inside and outside the public
information zone
Figure Response to chemical release differentiating between Dudley

21 responses inside and outside the public information zone
Figure
Co-ordination of local emergencies
22
Figure
Perceived importance of emergency planning
23
Figure Organisations writing local emergency plans in times of peace

24 and national crisis
List of tables
Table
Statistical significance of sample size (from Gardner)
1
Table
Lifestyle/Consumer types sampled
2
Table
Distribution of responses
3
Table
Categories of risk of injury/death to the individual
4
Table
Categories of local hazards
5
Table Differentiation between responses inside and outside the Dudley

6 public information zone
Table Organisations co-ordinating the response to local emergencies

Appendix two 557
7 and disasters
1.0 Introduction
The following report presents the findings of a questionnaire survey into the public
perception of major hazards. The survey was funded by the Home Office and carried out
by the Department of Geography at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in
conjunction with the Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning Unit. The survey is part of a
wider proposal written jointly by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Tyne
and Wear Emergency Planning Unit for a GIS (Geographic Information System) based
approach to response planning for major incidents. This proposal is outlined in the
document; The role of public perception in the response planning for major incidents: a
proposal for a GIS based strategy (Carver, et al., 1992), included here as appendix C. At
the time of writing, this work is well underway including the linking of existing dense gas
dispersion models into the GIS.
2.0 Questionnaire outline

The public perception survey described here was initiated by a Home Office research
grant to investigate public perception of emergency planning and major hazards together
with memory retention after information campaigns regarding particular hazards. The
questionnaire survey was carried out in selected areas of the Newcastle and North
Tyneside districts on a door-to-door basis during November 1992. The survey yielded
over 350 responses amounting to a 2% sample of the total population living in the
targeted areas. This figure and all those used throughout this preliminary report are based
on 1991 Census population figures unless stated otherwise. The following sections
describe the specific and general aims of the survey in greater detail together with
questionnaire design, sampling strategy, coding and analysis of survey returns.
2.1 Survey aims and objectives

The aims and objectives of the survey, as stated in the original project proposal, are to
carry out a survey of the public perception of emergency planning, including variables to
account for memory retention about instructions given in previous information campaigns
around top tier (ie. those subject to regs. 712) CIMAH (Control of Industrial Major
Accident Hazard) sites as well as variables accounting for hazard perception and
response. In general terms the survey aims to investigate the extent to which the public
are aware of the threats that exist to life and the environment and of the level of
mitigation that might be possible through properly written MIPs (Major Incident Plans).
In particular the survey aims to:
1. ascertain the publics awareness of risks;
Appendix two 558
2. ascertain the publics perception of the involvement of local authorities and emergency
services in public protection;
3. ascertain the publics perception of the importance of emergency planning; and
4. investigate levels of memory retention in members of the public subject to information
campaigns regarding a particular hazard.
It is intended that results from the analysis of questionnaire returns be included as one or
more map data layers in the GIS described in the wider project proposal. This may pay
dividends in improving the quality of risk maps and zones of consequence defined in the
GIS analysis.
1
2.2 Questionnaire design

The questionnaire used in the door step survey was designed in two halves, the first
containing questions relating to respondent profiling, and the second and main half
containing questions relating to hazard perception, memory retention and emergency
planning. These two halves are themselves split into seven separate sections relating to
personal details, general hazard perception, perception of hazards from air crashes,
perception of hazards from chemical releases, knowledge of emergency planning,
response to risk maps, and prior involvement through occupation in related fields. The
questionnaire form is included in appendix A.
One of the main actors affecting questionnaire results is the chemical company
Sterling Organics. Sterling Organics have a factory at Dudley within the study area which
in the past has used certain toxic chemicals (i.e. phosgene) in its manufacturing process
thus designating it a top tier CIMAH site (see figure 1). Although the plant no longer uses
these chemicals and so by law does not have to be a top tier CIMAH site, Sterling
Organics still use other hazardous chemicals and so have kept their CIMAH status though
on a voluntary basis. As a result of the site at Dudley being designated as a CIMAH site,
Sterling Organics have carried out a number of public information campaigns and
mailshots within the neighbouring community to inform residents what to do in the event
of an accidental release of toxic chemicals and of the procedures implemented by Sterling
Organics and the emergency services. This included the delivery of information cards to
be retained by the public for reference.
Appendix two 559
Figure 1. Sterling Organics, Dudley

Plant
Initially, only one questionnaire was to be used in the current survey, but later a second
slightly reduced questionnaire was produced as it was clear that those questions relating
specifically to the information cards delivered by Sterling Organics would only have any
meaning to people living in the Dudley area (see appendix A, questions 4.34.7). Just
before the survey was carried out, consultations with the Newcastle Airport Authority
resulted in an additional question being included in the questionnaire used in the
Woolsington area. This was added to find out what proportion of Woolsington residents
knew that the take-off and landing flight paths for Newcastle Airport did not pass over
residential areas of Woolsington (see Appendix A, question 3.4). As a result, three
different questionnaire forms were used in the actual survey, the main body of each being
identical.
2
The questions themselves were designed for both ease of understanding (from the point
of view of the respondent) and ease of coding/interpretation whilst being meaningful
within the aims and objectives of the survey. The actual wording of questions was greatly
helped by reference to previous work by the Emergency Planning College (Kirkwood,
ongoing research). Each questionnaire took between 5 and 15 minutes to complete,
depending on the respondent. The three basic forms of question are used, those involving
binary yes/no type answers, those involving categorisation or multiple choice type
answers and those involving an individual response. Coding of binary and
categorical/multiple choice questions is achieved simply by assigning numbers to
possible responses (e.g. yes=1, no=0). Individual responses to the more open questions
(see appendix A, questions 2.1, 2.4 and 5.1) had to be previewed to enable categorisation
and the assignment of a number code. An example coding sheet is shown in appendix B.
Great care was taken in the design and ordering of questions in the questionnaire so as
not to bias the answers given by the respondent through information given in previous
questions or the written categories in the multiple-choice type questions. For example,
question 4.1 asks the respondent whether they know what to do in the event of a chemical
Appendix two 560
release. The knowledge of the respondent is only tested later in question 4.8. Similarly
question 3.1 asks the respondent whether they think that an air crash is a major hazard in
the area with the subsequent question 3.3 asking them to clarify their answer by saying
just how likely they think such a disaster actually is. With the multiple-choice type
questions care was taken not to lead the respondent on to answering toxic gas or air
crash (question 2.2) by providing a wide range of alternatives together with the option of
specifying other if the hazard they thought most important was not on the list.
The way questions were actually asked was also thought to be important in influencing
how people were likely to answer. No pressure was put on the respondent to answer well
or correctly and although the questions were asked, and the forms filled in by the survey
operative the form was kept in full view of the respondent all the time in order to gain
their attention and facilitate their understanding of the question. Throughout the
completion of each questionnaire the survey operatives explained the questions and
terminology used (e.g. what is meant by toxic chemical release in question 4.1 and what
is the distinction between the individual and the general public in questions 2.1 and
2.2), wherever appropriate so as to avoid any ambiguities in the response.
Whilst it is understood that there will always be some uncertainty in how people
respond to questionnaire surveys the design of the questionnaire used here and the
measures taken should have kept this to a minimum. For example, at first because the
study was jointly undertaken by Newcastle University and the Tyne and Wear
Emergency Planning Unit, both the logos were to have appeared on the questionnaire. It
was clear however, that this could colour the responses of those surveyed. The Tyne and
Wear Emergency Planning Units logo was therefore removed before the survey took
place.
2.3 Sampling strategy

The areas sampled in the survey were chosen on the basis of their being representative of
the types of hazard that are of interest (air crash and toxic gas release). Three areas were
targeted. These were the residential areas around Dudley,
Brunswick/Woolsington/Dinnington and Kingston Park The relative
3
location of these areas is shown on the map in figure 2. The area around Dudley is of
interest because of the proximity and association with Sterling Organics both in terms of
their status as a voluntary CIMAH site and their history of public information campaigns
in Dudley. The combined areas of Brunswick, Woolsington and Dinnington are of
interest because of their location around the perimeter of Newcastle Airport and
associated risk of a major air crash (see figure 3). The Kingston Park area was included
as a control since although it is within the study area it is considered sufficiently far away
from both the airport and Sterling Organics to make the influence of these hazards
minimal.
Appendix two 561
Figure 2. Study Area

4
Figure 2a. Dudley

Appendix two 562
Figure 2b. Brunswick/Wideopen
Figure 2c. Woolsington

5
Figure 2d. Dinnington

Appendix two 563
Figure 2e. Kingston Park
Figure 3. Newcastle Airport

6
Table 1. Statistical significance of sample size

Sample size Standard error Range % (Based on eg Reduction in SE with each
(n) (SE) of 66%) extra 100 in n
100 4.79 61.2870.74
200 3.75 62.6569.35 1.39
300 2.73 63.2768.73 0.62
400 2.37 63.6368.37 0.36
500 2.12 63.8868.12 0.25
800 1.67 64.3367.67 0.15(av)
1000 1.50 64.5067.50 0.12(av)
Appendix two 564
NB In this example, if the surveyor wished to half the standard error (SE), and thus
increase the accuracy of their extrapolations to the population, then the sample size must
be increased two fold. Alternatively for this example, for each additional 100
questionnaire returns in the sample, the reduction in the SE would be by one quarter. It
can therefore be seen that a law of diminishing returns operates, ie. doubling the sample
size from 100 to 200 only results in a quartering of the SE.
SE calculated as
When p=% responding Yes (is this example 66%)
q=the balance (is 100%p)
n=sample size
(Adapted from Gardner, 1976)
It is suggested that a sample size of 12% of the total population be suitable for the
purposes of the study. This is generally considered to be correct but what really matters in
terms of the overall representativeness of the sample and statistical significance of the
results is the absolute number of responses (almost regardless of the size of the
population) and the variability within the data (Gardner, 1976). Population of the targeted
areas was calculated at enumeration district (ED) level from the 1991 Census returns. The
population distributions for EDs within the study area are shown in figure 4.
A stratified sampling approach was used to target individual groups of houses or
streets and ensure a representative and comprehensive cross-section of the population.
This was done on the basis of postcodes using the SuperProfiles demographic
classification system developed at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Openshaw,
1989). Briefly, the SuperProfiles system defines clusters of similar groups of people on
the basis of variables taken from the 1981 Census of Population. These include
information on property characteristics, employment, geographical location, and family
structure. Census returns from individual postcodes can then be used to classify its
demographic and socio-economic make-up into particular lifestyle types and consumer
groupings A selection of photographs showing the types of some of the areas sampled are
included in figure 2. The location of the sampled housing within the study area is shown
in figure 5.
All the individual unit postcodes within the chosen areas were classified according
7
Figure 4.
Population Density of Enumeration
Districts within the Study Area.
Appendix two 565
Figure 5.
Resedential Areas targeted in the
Survey
Appendix two 566
Figure 6.
Postcodes within the Target Areas
Appendix two 567
10
to their lifestyle and consumer type as determined by the SuperProfiles system. All
postcodes within the targeted areas are shown in figure 6. Whilst most of the postcodes
within areas of interest could be put into a relatively small number of groups, a number of
less common, yet more varied, groups existed in some postcodes. It is considered
important to try and get as wide a cross-section of the population as possible, so these
rarer groups were positively targeted whilst a larger random sample was taken from the
more common groups. The 2% sample taken from the targeted population is represented
in figure 7 and a summary of the lifestyle/consumer types sampled is contained in table 2.
Table 2. Lifestyle/Consumer types sampled
(from SuperProfiles)
Lifestyle Type Brief description
a Stockbroker Belt a1 Middle age families in exclusive suburbs
b Metro Singles b4 Young professionals in bedsits
Appendix two 568
c Young Married Suburbia c10 Young well-to-do married in high turnover semis
d Rural Britain d14 Affluent farming communities
e Older Suburbia e11 White collar family pensioners
e20 Middle aged white collar couples
f15 Lower middle class metropolitan semis
f Lower Middle Class f18 Lower middle class in provincial semis
f21 Upper middle class in semis and terraced
g Multi-Ethnic Areas None No areas from this type within the study boundary
h Dark Satanic Mills h24 Skilled and semi-skilled in improved terraced
h26 Skilled and semi-skilled in poorer terraced
i27 Middle aged and older couples in council flats
i28 Blue collar workers in established council houses
i Council Tenants i29 Blue collar workers with high unemployment
i31 Mature blue collar workers in mining areas
i34 Very low income council houses
j Under privileged Britain j33 High unemployment semi-skilled in council houses
j35 Highly unemployed in crowded council houses
k Unclassified k37 All other areas unclassified
2.4 Analysis
Once coded into a computer readable format the questionnaire returns were read into a
statistical analysis package (MINITAB) for analysis.
The first stage of any statistical analysis on a numerical dataset must be some form of
preliminary analysis in order to identify basic parameters (size, shape, range, variation,
etc.). More importantly, however, the figures in a categorical dataset such as on the one
discussed here are often significant in themselves. Analysis presented here involves a
detailed look at individual variables and at relationships between variables, In particular
it is noted that certain responses vary spatially (influenced directly by demographic and
environmental factors) and within local populations (again influenced by demographic
and environmental factors). From
11
Appendix two 569
Figure 7.
Distribution of Responses by
Postcode
12
these analyses it is possible to draw some reasonable relationships between

demographic/environmental factors and public perceptions and likely responses to
particular hazards. These will be included as further layers in the GIS database.
3.0 Analysis of questionnaire returns

Overall, 358 complete responses were obtained. The spatial distribution of these is shown
in table 3 and figure 7. Most questionnaires were fully completed (i.e. all questions were
answered), although a significant number of dont know responses were obtained from
some questions. A number of potentially interesting results have been identified from a
Appendix two 570
preliminary analysis of the questionnaire returns and are discussed under each of the
seven sections in the questionnaire below. Reference to specific questions from the
questionnaire form are shown in brackets.
Table 3. Number of Responses by Target Area
Responses Target Area
130 Dudley
147 Brunswick/Dinnington/Woolsington
81 Kingston Park (control)
3.1 Section 1: Personal details

The age distribution of respondents (question 1.1) is positively skewed towards the older
age groups. This is shown in figure 8. This is mostly to do with the fact that probability
dictates that when sampling a population in a door-step survey it is more likely that those
people found at home will be of older age groups because of their habits and
occupational status (i.e. more sedentary and no longer economically active). Most
younger age groups being either at work or spending their leisure time away from home
show up less in the questionnaire sample. It is noted that the survey was carried out on
different days of the week including Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in an attempt to
ensure a representative cross section of the population. An analysis of the 1991 Census
Small Area Statistics (SAS) reveals a fairly even age distribution of respondents but with
a tendency towards the older age groups in the areas sampled indicating a relatively top
heavy demographic structure of an ageing population (see figure 9).
Figure 8. Age of Respondents
13
Figure 9. Age structure in survey

area (Based on Ward structure
average)
Appendix two 571
The proportion of male and female respondents (question 1.2) is roughly equal but
slightly biased towards a larger number of female respondents (i.e. male=41%,
female=59%). Again, this may be due the underlying demographic and occupational
characteristics of the population sampled (i.e. the 65+ age group tending to be dominated
by women and the number of house-wives sampled, see figure 10), but could easily have
occurred by chance.
As above, the proportion of households with or without children or other dependants
(question 1.3) is roughly equal (i.e. dependants=47%, no dependants =53%).
The distribution of occupations recorded by the survey (question 1.4) reinforces the
skewed age distribution and the slightly higher proportion of female respondents, with
higher numbers of retired (33%) and house-wife, (18%) responses, respectively. The
remainder of responses are distributed more or less evenly throughout the other
occupation groups. This is shown in figure 10.
Figure 10. Occupation of
Respondents
The distribution of period of residence (question 1.5) is again skewed towards the longer
period groups. This is shown in figure 11 and may again be a result of the underlying
structure of the population or due to the higher proportion of older age groups sampled.
In none of the five questions in section 1 were any missing data values recorded.
14
Figure 11. Period of Residence

Appendix two 572
3.2 Section 2: General Hazard Perception

Perception of greatest risk of injury/death to individuals (question 2.1) exhibits a low
degree of variance and is dominated by road traffic accidents and related risks (i.e.
responses stating crossing the road, speed of traffic, etc.) with over 57% of
respondents stating this as the main risk. Other often stated risks include burglaries
(6%), chemical factories (6%) (mainly due to the higher level of awareness about this
hazard in Dudleythis will be discussed later) and illness (13%). The full list of stated
risks is shown in table 4 and the distribution of responses in figure 12.
Figure 12. Risk of Injury/Death to
the individual
Perception of greatest risk of injury/death to the general public involving larger numbers
of people (question 2.2) is again dominated by road traffic accidents with this alone
accounting for over 50% of the responses.
Table 4. Categories of risk of injury/death to the
individual
Code Risk Code Risk
1 Household accidents 6 Chemical factories
2 Burglaries 7 Fire
Appendix two 573
3 Traffic accidents 8 Mugging

4 Vandalism 9 Illness
5 Joy-riding 0 Dont know
15
Other common responses include fire (10%) and air crash (16%). The distribution
of responses across all 9 risks is shown in figure 13.
Figure 13. Risk of Injury/Death to
the General Public
The proportion of respondents being aware or unaware of living near to a potential hazard
(question 2.3) is roughly equal (yes=53%, no=47%). Of those who were aware of living
near to a potential hazard the list of stated hazards (question 2.4) was dominated by
Sterling Organics in Dudley responses (54% overall and 75% of Dudley respondents
alone). Other common responses included the airport (28%) and road traffic (11%).
The full list of stated hazards is shown in table 5 and the distribution of responses in
figure 14.
Table 5. Catagories of local hazards
Code Hazard Code Hazard
1 Winthrops 6 Metro
2 Chemical factories/Sterling Organics 7 Mining subsidence
3 Airport 8 Waste disposal
4 Road traffic 9 Pylons
5 Industrial estate 0 Other (mainly crime related)
Appendix two 574
Figure 14. Stated Local Hazards
16
3.3 Section 3: Air Crash

Although the proportion of respondents who thought that an air crash was or was not a
major hazard (question 3.1) is roughly equal (yes=55%, no=45%), the proportion of
respondents who thought there should be detailed plans for responding to the hazard
(question 3.2) was biased towards a positive response (i.e. yes= 80%., no=20%). In those
target areas round the perimeter of Newcastle Airport (Brunswick, Dinnington and
Woolsington) only 42% of respondents perceived an air crash to be a major hazard
indicating that proximity to the airport does not affect peoples perception of the air crash
hazard to a great degree. It is notable, however, that in Woolsington alone (the area
nearest the airport) only 27% saw an air crash as being a major hazard perhaps indicating
a negative relationship. In fact analysing individual feedback from respondents indicated
that most people in Woolsington were more concerned about accidents happening as a
result of air crash training exercises (especially speeding fire/emergency vehicles on local
roads) rather than an actual air crash itself.
When asked how likely they thought such a disaster actually was (question 3.3), the
response was negatively skewed towards the unlikely with 44% of respondents thinking
such a disaster quite unlikely. This is shown in figure 15. It is noted that this perception
is recorded against the background of the recent Amsterdam air disaster and proximity to
a major regional airport.
Appendix two 575
Figure 15. Perceived probability of

Air Crash
All but one of the 26 respondents in Woolsington understood that the Woolsington
residential area was not on either the take-off and landing flight path for Newcastle
Airport (question 3.4).
3.4 Section 4: Chemical Hazard

On the question of whether respondents knew what to do if there was a toxic chemical
release (question 4.1) the majority (74%) said they did not. This is mainly the results of
never having been told (when asked whether they had in question 4.2, 83% said no). It
is notable that of those who had been informed what to do at some time, most were in the
Dudley area (i.e. having been informed by Sterling Organics information campaigns, and
of those outside the Dudley area, most had worked in related occupations (see section
3.7).
The following paragraphs refer to those questions about the Sterling Organics
information campaign unique to the Dudley questionnaire.
Of the 130 respondents from the Dudley area only 41% remembered the
17
information card delivered by Sterling Organics (question 4.3). Only 28% still had
possession of the card (question 4.4) but of those 64% knew where it was (question 4.5)
and 57% said it was easy to get at (question 4.6). Of the 41% who remembered the card
being delivered, 57% said they knew what it said on the card (question 4.7).
Of the total 358 responses collected the majority of people (68%) had little if no
knowledge of what to do in the event of a toxic gas release (question 4.8), 18% knew
enough to stay indoors and close windows etc. Only 9% knew about turning off fans,
gas fires, etc. and staying in the room furthest away from the source of release and only
4% knew not to telephone the emergency services, etc. Only 2 respondents remembered
everything that was on the card. The distribution of scores is shown in figure 16.
Appendix two 576
Figure 16. Response to Chemical

Release
By differentiating between responses from the Dudley area and those from other areas a
better knowledge of what to do in the event of a toxic gas release can, on the whole, be
seen in the responses of people living in the Dudley area. This can be seen in figure 17
but the relationship is by no means clear cut.
Release differentiating between
Dudley and other Areas
When asked how likely they thought a toxic gas release was (question 4.9) the response
was negatively skewed towards the unlikely with 40% of respondents thinking such an
incident quite unlikely. However, the skewness of the distribution was not as marked as
for the similar air crash question (question 3.3) since a significant proportion (24%)
thought such an incident quite likely. This is
18
due also to the Dudley effect with its associated higher level of informed members of
the public and proximity to the Sterling Organics site. The distribution of perceived
probability is shown in figure 18.
Appendix two 577

Chemical Release
By differentiating between those households within and outside the Health and Safety
Executives public information zone defined around the Sterling Organics site at Dudley
then a much clearer picture of the effect of information campaigns on public perception
and memory retention can be seen. Sterling Organics only carried out the mailshot within
the public information zone (defined by a radius of 900 metres from the former phosgene
storage tank, see figure 19). This provides the opportunity to study the effect of an
information campaign on two halves of a single population living in close proximity to
the same hazard. By dividing the responses from the Dudley area into two groups, those
inside the Sterling Organics public information zone and those outside the public
Figure 19. Sterling Organics

Emergency Planning Zone
19
Appendix two 578
Table 6. Summary of other data relevant to

chemical release and Dudley inside/outside
public information zone split
Question Inside (79 respondants) Outside (52 respondants)
2.1 Individual risk 19% (15)=Chemicals 12% (6)=Chemicals
16% (13)=Toxic gas 14% (7)=Toxic gas
2.2 Public risk 11 % (9)=Explosion 4% (2)=Explosion
13% (10)=Pollution 8% (4)=Pollution
2.3 Awareness 86% (68) 73% (37)
2.4 Named hazard 78% (62)=Chemicals 69% (37)=Chemicals
4.1 Know what to do 63% (50) 21% (11)
4.2 Ever been informed 56% (44) 20% (10)
4.3 Remember card 54% (43) 20% (10)
4.4 Still got it 42% (33) 8% (4)
4.5 Know where it is 28% (22) 4% (2)
4.6 Easy to get at 24% (19) 4% (2)
4.7 Know contents 34% (27) 6% (3)
information zone, a clear and significant difference can be seen (this is highlighted in
section 3.8). Table 6 summarises this split in the responses from inside and outside the
public information zone. Whilst general awareness of the risks associated with living near
to a chemical works are fairly uniform across the whole range of Dudley respondents, the
detailed knowledge of the individual on what to do in the event of a chemical release has
been greatly enhanced by Sterling Organics information campaign, This can be seen in
the responses to questions in section 2 of the questionnaire with between 11% and 19%
of respondents and between 4% and 12% of respondents stating chemicals related risks
inside and outside the public information zone respectively. Perception of the probability
of a chemical release from the Sterling Organics site was also fairly uniform across the
range of Dudley respondents with 36% of respondents inside the public information zone
thinking a chemical release quite likely or very likely as compared to 37% of
respondents thinking the same outside the public information zone (see figure 20).
Whether this is a function of living within the public information zone and having
received an information card or just living closer to the Sterling Organics plant is not
known.
Appendix two 579

chemical release
20
In relation to memory retention the responses of those people having received an

information card indicates a quite marked drop in memory retention. Of those people
questioned within the Dudley public information zone, only 54% remembered the card
and only 34% said they knew what was on it.
In testing the knowledge of respondents on what to do in the event of a chemical
release, respondents inside the public information zone faired much better than those
outside it with more people having a better idea of what to do and fewer having no idea at
all. Of those people questioned inside the public information zone, 53% said they knew
what to do in the event of a chemical release as opposed to only 22% of those outside the
public information zone. These figures are backed up by the test of peoples actual
knowledge (question 4.8) with 19% of respondents inside the public information zone
scoring 4 or higher as opposed to only 2% scoring this high outside the public
information zone (see figure 21).
Release
Appendix two 580
3.5 Section 5: Emergency Planning

The majority of people when asked which organisation co-ordinates the response to local
emergencies and disasters (question 5.1) said they did not know (43%). The next most
popular reply was the Police (21%), followed by the Fire Brigade (15%), the emergency
services taken as a whole (11%) and the local authorities (6%). A complete list of
answers given is shown in table 7 and the distribution of responses shown in figure 22.
Seven respondents (2%) from the Dudley area thought that Sterling Organics co-
ordinated the response, presumably as a result of their information campaigns.
Table 7. Organisations co-ordinating the
response to local emergencies and disasters
Code Organisation Code Organisation
1 Police 6 Public Health Department
2 Fire Brigade 7 Community Group
3 Local Authorities (Council, etc.) 8 Ambulance Service
4 Emergency Services 9 Sterling Organics
5 Civil Defence
21
Figure 22. Co-ordination of Local

Emergencies
The distribution of responses to the question asking how important the respondents
thought planning for emergencies and disasters was in reducing their overall impact
(question 5.2) is positively skewed towards important with 60% of respondents
answering very important. This is shown in figure 23.
Appendix two 581
Figure 23. Perceived importance of

Emergency Planning
When asked which organisation writes local emergency plans (question 5.3) 30% of
respondents thought it was the Police, 28% thought it was the Emergency Planning Unit
(plus 15% Fire and Civil Defence Authority, since Emergency Planning Unit comes
under the umbrella of Fire and Civil Defence Authority) and 21% thought it was the Fire
Brigade. It is noted that although in total by combining the scores of the Emergency
Planning Unit and the Fire and Civil Defence Authority (43%) many respondents only
said one of these two options after reading it on the questionnaire form. The distribution
of responses to the question asking the same question but for times of national crisis
(question 5.4) most people thought it was either the Fire and Civil Defence Authority
(41%) or the military (32%) with those thinking it was the Emergency Planning Unit
amounting to only 12%. The distribution of responses for these two questions is shown in
figure 24.
22
Figure 24. Organisations writing

Local Emergency Plans
3.6 Section 6: Risk Map

Appendix two 582
In section 6 of the questionnaire survey a hypothetical risk map of the study area is
shown to the respondent. This shows areas purported to be at the most risk from toxic gas
release and air crashes. The map is included here in appendix A. When asked after being
shown the map whether it would affect any of their responses to previous questions
(question 6.1) the majority of people said it would not (78%). Upon being asked whether
they now thought emergency planning more or less important than before (question 6.2)
68% replied that it was more important with 26% saying that it made no difference.
3.7 Section 7: Area of Work

The final question in the questionnaire was aimed at gauging the likely prior knowledge
of respondents of emergency planning. Most of the respondents (76%) did not work, or
had not previously worked in the emergency services, chemical industry, health service,
local government, or at the airport.
4.0 Discussion
More detailed analysis of the spatial variation in questionnaire responses reveals that for
the bulk of responses geographical location in either real or relative terms does not exert
a significant control. Neither has it been found that socio-economic or demographic
factors have a significant influence on responses. The following discussion therefore
concentrates on those areas where significant or probable relationships have been found
to exist and are likely to have a bearing on future work.
Results from the differentiation of responses inside and outside the Dudley public
information zone reveal that the information campaigns by Sterling Organics have had a
marked effect in improving the knowledge of the public of what to do in the event of a
toxic chemical release. This is supported by a chi squared (x2) statistic of 8.96 (at <0.01
level of significance and with degrees of freedom=1) for high scoring responses (question
4.8). It may be therefore assumed that people having received information leaflets, etc.
about local hazards (reinforced by the visible proximity of the hazard itself and past
incidents at other locations, e.g. Seveso and Bhopal) will have a better knowledge of
what to do should an emergency arise. In the case of other variables such as perceived
hazards to the individual and the general public and the perceived risk of a chemical
release then location relative to the public information zone would appear to no effect. It
must be wise therefore to
23
temper any conclusions about the predicted response of the public to a particular hazard
with caution.
Comparing the response from the whole of the Dudley area (regardless of location
relative to the public information zone) with those from all other areas, then it can be
seen that Dudley respondents are generally more aware of the risks to both the individual
and the general public posed by living in close proximity to a CIMAH site. This is
supported by chi squared statistics of 47.18 and 21.59 (at <0.001 level of significance and
Appendix two 583
with degrees of freedom=1 in both cases) for responses to questions 2.1 and 2.2 stating
chemical factories, respectively. It is suggested that this is due to perceived proximity to
the hazard rather than a calculated linear distance due to the subjective nature of
responses to questions of this kind.
In relation to the potential hazard posed by air crashes at or near Newcastle Airport a
similar relationship exists. Although nobody listed the airport or air crashes as the
greatest risk of injury/death to the individual, significantly more people listed air crash
as the main risk to the general public in question 2.2. Differentiating between those areas
chosen for their proximity to the airport (i.e. Woolsington, Brunswick and Dinnington)
and those some distance away (i.e. Dudley and the control group at Kingston Park) then a
significant difference can be seen between the two groups. Of the respondents living near
the airport 30% listed air crash as the major hazard to the general public as opposed to
only 5% of the respondents in other areas. This produces a chi squared statistic of 31.16
(at <0.001 level of significance and with degrees of freedom=1). However, the same
relationship is not repeated in peoples perception of the probability of an air crash
associated with the airport. In this case only 16% of the respondents living near the
airport thought that an air crash was quite likely or very likely as opposed to 21% of
people living in other areas. This demonstrates that although proximity to the airport
increases peoples awareness of the potential hazard it does not seem to make people think
such a disaster is more likely.
5.0 Conclusions
From the above analysis and discussion some potentially interesting results can be seen.
Firstly, it is obvious that information campaigns and mailshots by Sterling Organics have
had a marked effect in increasing the publics knowledge of what to do if an accidental
release should occur and may also have increased their awareness of the hazards
associated with living in close proximity to a chemical plant (especially those within the
public information zone). What is evident however, is that despite information campaigns
by Sterling Organics, many people did not keep the information cards for future reference
and memory retention was poor.
Responses given to questions under general hazard perception would indicate that
most people seem more concerned about road traffic related hazards, i.e. car accidents,
speeding traffic, crossing the road, etc. when considering risks to the individual and
general public. Overall, the response regarding the hazard posed by air crashes showed
that although people living near to the airport are more likely to be aware of the potential
risk posed by air crashes they still perceive such an event as unlikely. This is especially
interesting as the questionnaire survey was carried out just a few weeks after the
Amsterdam air disaster when public awareness should have been at a higher level.
24
Despite most people appearing ignorant of the existence of the Emergency Planning
Unit as an organisational body many respondents thought that Emergency Planning
Unit or Fire and Civil Defence Authority were sensible responses to questions relating
to who writes local emergency plans. Although it appears that the risk map did not have a
Appendix two 584
significant impact on the views of respondents, most people thought that emergency
planning was more important than they first thought. This is supported by the majority
thinking emergency planning important (20%) or very important (60%) in reducing
the overall impact of disasters and emergencies. Again in relation to air crashes the
majority (80%) of people responded positively when asked if MIPs should exist for this
hazard.
Further analysis of some of the more important variables relating to the current study
shows few of the above results to be significant in a statistical sense. It may be that much
of the less clear relationships are the result of chance but the more obvious and
statistically significant relationships can be said to be the result of a combination of
demographic, socio-economic and/or environmental factors (e.g. perceived proximity to
particular hazards, being inside the Dudley public information zone, etc.).
The conclusions derived from the analysis of survey returns contained in this report
suggest therefore, that:
1. most people regard emergency planning as being important though may not have heard
of the Emergency Planning Unit directly;
2. public information campaigns and mailshots do have an effect of both increasing
public awareness of hazards and improving response to those hazards;
3. memory retention after information campaigns is low indicating that more frequent
information campaigns are required to remind the public of the risks and appropriate
actions (this must be tempered with the possibility that over-exposure of the public
may anaesthetise them to the risks);
4. perceived proximity (as opposed to calculated linear distance) is important in
predicting public awareness of visible hazards (e.g. the airport and Sterling Organics
Dudley site);
6.0 Recommendations
Recommendations derived from the findings of the survey as described in this report and
from the reports conclusions outlined above can only be that further and increased effort
needs to be made to increase both the publics general awareness of the hazards
associated with living near to particular hazards and their overall longer term memory
retention. At present it seems that whilst proximity to the hazard in question increases
awareness, memory retention, despite information campaigns, is still low. This is true at
least in the case of the population targeted in this particular study. Whether it is possible
to extrapolate from these particular results to other areas needs to be clarified by further
research. The recommendations of this report, therefore, are as follows:
1. investigations need to be carried out as to how general awareness of hazards can be
raised in local populations and how memory retention of key information can be
increased in the longer term (i.e. the intervening periods
25
Appendix two 585
between information campaigns). More frequent information campaigns are a

possibility, but care needs to be taken not to over familiarise the public so that
they become blase;
2. greater emphasis needs to be placed on the role of the Emergency Planning Unit,
working in liaison with the managers of CIMAH sites and other potential hazards, in
increasing public awareness and memory retention;
3. information campaigns need to be instigated to establish the role of the Emergency
Planning Unit in the public eye; and
4. further research is necessary to both widen the current results to a range of hazards and
locations and to establish whether the findings of the current survey are representative
of populations around CIMAH sites in general and other hazards as a whole. In
particular, research effort needs to be concentrated on establishing a set of geographic
indicators (e.g. distance from hazard, census variables, etc.) which can be used to
predict likely levels of awareness and memory retention in unsurveyed populations.
Consultations
Cumbria Emergency Planning Unit

Emergency Planning College
Sterling Organics
Newcastle Airport authorities
Bibliography
Carver, S, Myers, A and Newson, M., (1992) Response planning for hazardous gas releases: a
proposal for a GIS based strategy. Proposal to Home Office. (see appendix C)
Gardner, G., (1976) Social surveys for social planners. Open University Press
Kirkwood, A., (ongoing research) Public perception questionnaires and risk ranking exercise.
Home Office Planning College (York) and Bradford University
Openshaw, S., (1989) Making geodemographics more sophisticated, in Journal of the Market
Research Society 31, p. 111131
26
Appendix A Questionnaire design

1. Personal Details:
1.1 Age
What age group do you fall into?
1620 2136 3750 5165 65+
1.2 Sex
What sex is the respondent?
Appendix two 586
Male Female
1.3 Dependants
Are there any children or other dependants living in the house? Yes No
1.4 Occupation
What occupation group best describes your work?
Manual Skilled Clerical/secretarial Managerial Professional
Housewife Retired Student Unemployed Other
1.5 Period of residence
How long have you lived at this address or at another address in the immediate area?
under 1 year 12 years 25 years 510 years 10+ years
2. General Hazard Perception:
2.1 What do you think is the greatest risk of injury/death to individuals in your area?
2.2 What do you think is the greatest risk of injury/death to the general public in your area?
Fire Toxic gas Explosion Air crash Pollution
Pesticides Road traffic Military low flying Other
2.3 Are you aware of living near to any potential hazard? Yes No
2.4 If yes to 2.3, what is that hazard?
3. Air Crash
3.1 Do you think that an air crash is a major hazard in this area? Yes No
3.2 Should there be detailed plans for responding to this hazard? Yes No
3.3 How likely do you think such a disaster actually is?
Very unlikely Quite unlikely Quite likely Very likely Dont know
3.4 Did you know that this area is not on the take-off and landing flight path for Yes No
the airport?
27
4. Chemical Hazard:
4.1 Do you know what to do in the event of a toxic chemical release? Yes No
4.2 If no to 4.1, Have you ever been informed what to do? Yes No
4.3 In July 1990 Sterling Organics delivered a card giving information on what to do Yes No
Appendix two 587
in the event of a release of toxic gas. Do you remember?

4.4 If yes to 4.3, have you still got the card? Yes No
4.5 If yes to 4.4, do you know where it is? Yes No
4.6 If yes to 4.5, is it easy to get at? Yes No
4.7 If yes to 4.3, do you know what is says on the card? Yes No
4.8 If yes to 4.7, what should you do if there is a release of toxic gas?
1 2 3 4 5
4.9 How likely do you think such an incident actually is?
Very unlikely Quite unlikely Quite likely Very likely Don t
know
5. Emergency Planning:
5.1 Which organisation co-ordinates the response to local emergencies and disasters?
5.2 How important do you think planning for emergencies and disasters is in reducing their
overall impact?
Unimportant Quite important Important Very Dont know
important
5.3 Which organisation writes local emergency plans?
Police Fire Brigade Emergency Planning Unit Fire & Civil
Defence
Military
5.4 Which organisation deals with emergency planning in times of national crisis (i.e. war)?
Police Fire Brigade Emergency Planning Unit Fire & Civil
Defence
Military
6. Risk Map
6.1 This is an example of a map showing areas at most risk from toxic gas release and air
crashes. Would this affect any responses to previous questions? Yes No
6.2 This type of map is used in emergency planning. Do you think emergency planning is more
or less important than you first thought? More Less
7. Area of Work
7.1. Do you work in either of the following?
Emergency services Chemical industry Health Local
service government
Airport
Appendix two 588
N.B. Question 3.4 applies to Woolsington questionnaire only

Questions 4.34.7 inclusive apply to Dudley questionnaire only
28
Appendix B. Public Perception Survey Coding

Form
1. Personal Details
1.1 Age:
1620 (1)
2130 (2)
3140 (3)
4150 (4)
5165 (5)
65+ (6)
1.2 Sex:
Male (1)
Female (2)
1.3 Dependants:
Yes (1)
No (0)
1.4 Occupation:
Manual (1)
Skilled (2)
Clerical/secretarial (3)
Managerial (4)
Professional (5)
Housewife (6)
Retired (7)
Student (8)
Unemployed (9)
Other (0)
1.5 Residence:
Appendix two 589
under 1 (1)
12 (2)
25 (3)
510 (4)
10+ (5)
2. General Hazard Perception
2.1 Individual risk:
Household (1)
Burglaries (2)
Traffic (3)
Vandalism (4)
Joy-riding (5)
Chemical factories (6)
Fire (7)
Mugging (8)
Illness (9)
None (0)
29
2.2 Public risk:
Fire (1)
Toxic gas (2)
Explosion (3)
Air crash (4)
Pollution (5)
Pesticides (6)
Road traffic (7)
Military low flying (8)
Other (9)
2.3 Awareness:
Yes (1)
No (0)
2.4 Named Hazard:
Appendix two 590
Winthrops (1)
Chemical factories (2)
Airport (3)
Traffic (4)
Industrial estate (5)
Metro (6)
Mining subsidence (7)
Waste disposal (8)
Pylons (9)
Other (0)
3. Air Crash (question 3.4 on Woolsington responses only)
3.1 Major hazard:
Yes (1)
No (0)
3.2 Plans:
Yes (1)
No (0)
3.3 Likelihood:
Very unlikely (1)
Quite unlikely (2)
Quite likely (3)
Very likely (4)
Dont know (0)
3.4 Flight path:
Yes (1)
No (0)
30
4. Chemical Hazard (questions 4.34.7 on Dudley responses only)
4.1 Know what do:
Yes (1)
No (0)
4.2 Informed:
Appendix two 591
Yes (1)
No (0)
4.3 Remember card:
Yes (1)
No (0)
4.4 Still got it:
Yes (1)
No (0)
4.5 Know where:
Yes (1)
No (0)
4.6 Easy to get at:
Yes (1)
No (0)
4.7 Know contents:
Yes (1)
No (0)
4.8 What should do:
15 (1)
Dont know (0)
4.9 Likelihood:
Very unlikely (1)
Quite unlikely (2)
Quite likely (3)
Very likely (4)
Dont know (0)
5 Emergency Planning
5.1 Organisation:
Police (1)
Fire Brigade (2)
Local authorities (3)
Emergency services (4)
Civil defence (5)
Appendix two 592
Public health (6)

Community group (7)
Ambulance (8)
Sterling Organics (9)
Dont know (0)
31
5.2 Importance:
Unimportant (1)
Quite important (2)
Important (3)
Very important (4)
Dont know (0)
5.3 Local plans:
Police (1)
Fire Brigade (2)
Emergency Planning Unit (3)
Fire & Civil Defence (4)
Military (5)
5.4 War plans:
Police (1)
Fire Brigade (2)
Emergency Planning Unit (3)
Fire & Civil Defence (4)
Military (5)
6. Risk Map
6.1 Affect response:
Yes (1)
No (0)
6.2 Importance:
More (1)
Less (2)
7. Area of Work
Appendix two 593
7.1 Related work:

Emergency services (1)
Chemical industry (2)
Health Service (3)
Local Government (4)
Airport (5)
None of these (0)
32
Appendix C The Role of Public Perception in the

Response Planning for Major IncidentsA
Proposal for a GIS based strategy
Steve Carver (1), Alan Myers (2) and Malcolm Newson 1
1 Department of Geography
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
2 Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning Unit
Floor 2, Portman House
Portland Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 1AQ
1 Introduction
The following research proposal outlines a combined GIS (Geographic Information
Systems) and public perception survey approach to assist the Emergency Planner in
improving current plans for coping with for example hazardous gas releases from
industrial chemical plants designated as CIMAH (Control of Industrial Major Accident
Hazard) sites and tanker collision/derailment along transport routes. GIS provide the user
with the capability to assimilate large volumes of spatial data from a variety of sources in
a highly efficient and accurate manner. One variable which may vary considerably within
an area of interest is the Publics perception of emergency planning. This is a seldom
thought of, but crucially important aspect of planning for major incidents which pose a
threat to the general public. In many cases public perception may determine and/or
correlate to the public response to instructions given, either previously or during in
incident, and hence affect the severity of the outcome. Results from public perception
surveys would form an important information layer in any GIS used for emergency
planning for hazardous gas releases.
Appendix two 594
With the above discussion in mind, then the combined GIS and public perception
survey approach proposed would include:
a) defining more realistic zones of consequence based on likely dispersal scenarios used
in conjunction with relevant ground information (i.e. censusbased population data,
local infrastructure and land use);
b) carrying out a survey of public perception of emergency planning in the study area
(this may include variables to account for memory retention about instructions given
in previous mailshots around CIMAH sites as well as variables accounting for hazard
perception and response);
c) aiding and development of better response plans for the emergency services (i.e. local
authority, police, fire and ambulance) and for the evacuation of the population at risk
based on analysis in (a) and feedback from surveys in (b);
d) simulating chemical releases for use in training exercises; and
e) developing field-based decision support tools for use in making better informed real-
time decisions.
33
It is proposed to investigate the potential of GIS and survey returns as a development tool
through a detailed case study of one or more areas containing CIMAH sites. a break
down of estimate cost is given in annex A of this appendix
2 Developing improved zones of consequence

By modelling the likely dispersal patterns of gases under various conditions specific to
the study site and combining these in the GIS with local information on population
infrastructure (e.g. road and rail networks) and other relevant factors it is suggested that
more realistic zones of consequence than the concentric ring and sector models used
hitherto can be derived. Risk maps may then be defined detailing those areas most at risk
under difference dispersal scenarios. In turn, using these may then lead to more informed
decisions on emergency response planning.
2.1. Modelling gas dispersions

Problems associated with this approach are mainly concerned with the ability to model
the dispersal of gases under various physical conditions. If accurate models could be
developed, combining outputs with local information to derive the definitive risk map
would be a relatively simple matter. As it is, the dispersal of gases into the atmosphere is,
at best, extremely complex and governed to a large extent by chaos theory. Without
resorting to a very complex models, then gas dispersal cannot be modelled with a high
degree of accuracy. Reasonable approximations may, however, be derived in a GIS using
basic dispersion models. Although these models simplify reality by making a number of
assumptions regarding turbulence and diffusion etc., they may represent a considerable
improvement over the concentric ring and sector model. The major advantage of GIS-
based approach is that the model used can be modified using information from the GIS to
Appendix two 595
take both spatial and temporal variations of controlling factors into account and so
provide more realistic predictions.
It should be stressed at this point that the spatial level of dispersing modelling required
makes highly detailed predictions of plume dispersal impossible within the confines of
the current proposal. Whilst it has been shown that detailed plume modelling is possible
on micro scale (i.e. around individual obstructions typically within a few hundred metres
of the point of release) using for example, finite element analysis (Taylor 1989), model
predictions on a meso scale (i.e. up to several kilometres from the point of release) are
less accurate and require a more generalised approach.
It is proposed here to use modified cell-based and/or Gaussian plume and puff models
(Miller and Holzworth, 1967) to simulate gas dispersal in a GIS framework. Inputs to the
model will be provided from sources both internal and external to the GIS. Internal inputs
will include spatial information on surface roughness, topography and the location of
physical barriers. External inputs will include such basic information necessary for
simulation as type of release, initial gas concentration, wind speed, wind direction and
atmospheric stability.
A number of different outputs are envisaged. At the most basic level the maximum
likely extent of the gas plume before it is diluted and dispersed beyond dangerous levels
of concentration can be calculated and mapped. A more detailed picture may be obtained
by looking at maximum and/or average gas concentrations within the plume.
Alternatively, outputs may be temporal, providing a break down of plume development
with time, again showing either maximum plume extent or in-plume gas
34
concentrations. A logical extension of the time-based model is its use as an aid to real-
time decision support in the field. Model predictions could be updated as and when
controlling factors such a wind speed and direction change during a release incident.
From these outputs a number of dispersal scenarios may be calculated before an
incident occurs which can be used in the definition of zones of consequence for use by
the authorities and emergency services. A range of dispersal scenarios may be identified
on the basis of likely combinations of the different controlling factors (i.e. wind speed
and direction, type of release, initial gas concentration, etc.). By combining the set of
possible release scenarios (i.e. instantaneous bulk release, continuous release with fire)
with the set of average meteorological scenarios, then a reasonable range of likely
dispersal scenarios can be calculated.
Because of errors arising from uncertainty in model inputs, temporal variations in
controlling factors (i.e. wind shift, release rates, etc.) and the assumptions and
simplification made by the model itself, model outputs will contain varying amounts of
error. Allowances for model inaccuracies therefore need to be made in the presentation of
results. In this respect previous work on error handling and accuracy in GIS operations
may prove useful. An epsilon model (Brunsdon et al., 1990) or a Monte Carlo simulation
approach (Openshaw et al., 1991) could be used in providing confidence regions for
plume simulations.
Appendix two 596
2.2 Defining zones of consequence and risk mapping

It has been suggested that improved zones of consequence may be derived from
combining dispersal scenarios with local information on population, infrastructure and
land use. This can be easily achieved in a GIS framework by simple overlaying of
dispersal scenarios on to relevant digital map information describing the distribution and
characteristics of local population, transport routes, etc. within a specified distance of the
CIMAH site, for example, the 1000 metre consultation distance specified by the Health
and Safety Executive for chlorine and phosgene gas (Smallwood, 1990).
Obviously when considering accidental releases of hazardous gases such as chlorine
and phosgene, then it is people (and livestock) which are at risk. It follows therefore, that
it is possible to identify areas potentially at risk from a gas release (i.e. residential, retail,
service, office and industrial areas where people live and work) and also linear features
(i.e. railway lines, roads and other rights of way along which people travel in the vicinity
of the release site). By overlaying the range of identified dispersal scenarios on to these
areas and linear features then areas of highest potential risk from gas releases can be
identified. Both areas potentially at risk and areas of highest potential risk can then be
used in the definition of improved zones of consequence and an overall risk map for the
area around the chemical site.
It is recognised that population patterns change with the season, day of the week and
time of day and that this needs to be taken into account when defining areas at risk. All
temporal information influencing population distribution could be considered if taking
this aspect of the problem to its logical extent. It is envisaged that at its most basic level
at least three risk maps may be necessary; one showing areas at risk during work hours
(i.e. 07001700 hours); one showing areas at risk during non-working hours (ie. 1700
0700 hours) and holiday/weekends; and one showing areas at risk during those hours
when people are moving around (i.e. lunch time and
35
morning and evening rush hours).
3. Public perception of emergency planning

To ascertain the extent to which public perception of emergency planning affects the
outcome of a hazardous gas release, it is necessary to collect information from a sample
of the population within the study area using a questionnaire survey. The overall aim of
such a survey would be to investigate the extent to which the public are aware of the
threats which exist to life and the environment and the level of mitigation which might be
possible through properly written MIPs (Major Incident Plans). Specifically, questions in
the survey might aim to:
a) ascertain the publics awareness of risks;
b) ascertain the publics perception of local authority involvement in protection;
Appendix two 597
c) ascertain the publics perception of the involvement of Emergency Planning, Police,

Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service and;
d) ascertain the publics perception of the importance of emergency planning.
It is proposed that the questionnaire be devised by the University with assistance from the
Emergency Planning Unit. Questionnaires devised at the Emergency Planning College
(York) and Bradford University already exist (Kirkwood, ongoing research), and ideas
and structures from these may be used where appropriate. Further, it is proposed that the
questionnaire should incorporate a risk map and associated zones of consequence
calculated prior to carrying out the public perception survey by the methods outlined
above in section 2.
Results from the questionnaire survey could be coded according to levels of
perception found and used as the basis of a further data layer in the GIS in order to assess
any effects on risk maps and zones of consequence. In this way feed back in the form of
questionnaire results could be used to produce modified risk maps of the study area and
provide base data for use in further studies to aid emergency planning on a broader scale
within the county.
4. Memory retention around CIMAH sites

A further factor to be taken into consideration is how much the public remembers after
being instructed what to do in case of a hazardous gas release. This may be useful in
deciding how to educate the population around CIMAH sites in the future and may also
be important when compiling plans to mitigate the effects of gas releases. It is suggested
that data on memory retention may be collected within the questionnaire survey proposed
above in Section 3, thereby reducing the time required to gather full information. Results
on memory retention may then be coded to form a further layer in the GIS and be used
alongside information on public perception to improve risk maps and zones of
consequence. Again, this data may also be used to aid emergency planning on a broader
scale within the county.
5. Response planning
Response plans for use by the authorities and emergency services may be re-defined in
reference to the dispersal scenarios, zones of consequence, risk maps and public
perception data described above.
Dispersal scenario maps may be used in deciding which areas need evacuating and in
36
which areas evacuation should be a priority concern given the conditions of release.
Similarly, areas where warnings may be issued to stay indoors with windows closed, etc.,
may also be defined using dispersal scenario and risk maps. Evacuation routes may be
reviewed and altered by making reference to the local road network and especially how it
Appendix two 598
lies relative to high risk areas and dispersal maps. Where road traffic and right of way
control points are set up to prevent people entering the area may also be reviewed using
this information. Again, the location of mobile incident control points may be reviewed
in the same manner.
Problems of evacuation and traffic control aside, the information accessible by the GIS
may provide valuable information and insights into wider response planning issues.
These may include location of temporary accommodation for evacuees, indicators of
likely public response (depending on patterns of public perception and memory
retention), access to transport for immediate evacuation, etc.
The ability to simulate chemical releases and integrate dispersal maps with
information on local population, transport, etc., all within a computer environment
creates opportunities for advanced training facilities. Training exercises may be based
around a decision support system such as that outlined in the next section.
6. Field-based decision support

The discussion entered into above has been based mainly around pre-processing
information to simulate likely dispersal scenarios, identify zones of consequence, process
information on public perception, draw risk maps and using these for reviewing response
plans and developing training exercises. Fifth on the list of objectives in the introductory
paragraphs is a reference to the possible use of a GIS-based decision support system as an
aid to making real-time decisions in the field. It is suggested that some ability to modify
plume model outputs if changes in wind speed and direction, release conditions, etc.,
occur would be extremely useful. This would allow the emergency services to respond
appropriately to changing conditions affecting plume dispersal and new areas of greater
risk.
Although quite complex analyses in the field (akin to those described above under
defining zones of consequence and response planning) would be possible, the complexity
of a field-based decision support system would need to be kept to an absolute minimum.
With this in mind, functionality should be limited to:
a) displaying the relevant dispersal scenario for the prevailing conditions;
b) making modifications by re-running the plume model if changes in controlling factors
occur; and
c) displaying plume information (i.e. extent, gas concentrations and error boundaries) on
a backcloth map of relevant strategic information for visualisation purposes.
Any more information/functionality than that outlined above would only serve to
confuse.
Appendix two 599
7. Data sources
Data from various different sources are required for the implementation of the above
methodology. These include meteorological records, large scale plans and maps, census
statistics, aerial photographs, ground surveys and questionnaires. These are
37
considered briefly in turn below.

Meteorological records are essential for providing information on wind speed and
direction which are primary controlling factors in modelling plume dispersal. Although it
is unlikely that detailed wind speed and direction records will be available for the site in
question, records from the nearest weather station may provide a general picture of
prevailing conditions. In addition, field measurements may prove useful in supplementing
basic wind data to provide more detailed information on wind movements in and around
the buildings of the site itself.
Large scale plans and maps are invaluable sources of information regarding land use,
transport networks, topography, location of physical barriers to plume dispersal and
indices of surface roughness. This can be digitised and stored in the GIS and used as
model inputs in defining dispersal scenarios, identifying zones of consequence, drawing
risk maps and developing response plans.
Information about population, both in terms of numbers of people and their
characteristics, can be obtained from census statistics. Population density information is
necessary for mapping populations at risk and defining zones of consequence whilst
information provided on age structure, occupation, prosperity indices and housing may
also be useful in assessing public response and daily variations in population density.
Information not readily available from maps and statistics may be gained from aerial
photographs and ground surveys. These may assist in collating more detailed information
on land use, estimates of surface roughness indices, physical barriers and possible
collecting points for heavy gases such as surface depressions and the uphill sides of walls
and embankments.
Information about levels of and variations in public perception and memory retention
as eluded to in section 3 and 4, will need to be gathered from a sample population by
questionnaire survey. It is proposed that this may be done by the University and helped
by undergraduate and postgraduate students.
8. Conclusions
This document outlines a proposal for a GIS-based approach to planning for and
managing releases of hazardous gases from industrial chemical plants. An integrated GIS
and modelling approach is forwarded as a means of gaining reasonable predictions of
plume development from which a range of likely dispersal scenarios may be created.
These together with local information concerning population, land use, infrastructure and
Appendix two 600
public perception could be used to define zones of consequence, draw maps showing
population at risk and review response plans. Attention is drawn to the possible use of
GIS-based systems as a means of real-time decision support for emergency operations
during a release incident. A structured approach to the collecting of information for the
public perception surveys, which involves risk based maps being compiled both before
and after the survey results are collected and added to the GIS, is recommended.
38
References
Brunsdon, C., Carver, S., Charlton, M. & Openshaw, S., (1990). A review of methods for handling
error propagation in GIS. In Proc. 1st European Conf. on Geographical Information Systems.
Vol 1, p. 106116, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 1990.
Kirkwood, A (ongoing research) Public perception questionnaires and risk ranking exercise.
Home Office Emergency Planning College (York) and Bradford University.
Miller, M. & Holzworth, G., (1967). An atmospheric diffusion model for metropolitan areas in
JAPCA, Vol 17, p.4650.
Openshaw, S., Charlton, M. & Carver, S., (1991). Error propagation: a Monte Carlo simulation in
Handling Geographic Information: methodology and potential applications. I.Masser and
M.Blakemore (eds.), Longman, London.
Smallwood, R., (1990). The UK experience in communicating risk advice to land use planning
authorities in communicating with the public about major accident hazards. H.Gow & H.Otway
(eds.), Elsevier Applied Science, London.
Taylor, C., (1989) CFD; what is it, what does it cost, and what does it do? in Process Engineering,
March 1989.
39
Index
Accident scenarios 191

Activation energy 48
Admissible spanning trees 41
AEA EGRESS
evacuation modelling computer code 1623
example simulation 1657
verification and validation 165
Air crash hazard 555
Airborne releases 4829
environmental impact 488
evacuation decision 487
managing the consequences of 4878
population protection 486
post-release assessment 488
pre-planning 4878
Airflow analysis 59
ALARP principle 454, 458
Argon 71
Argonite 69, 71
Arrhenius exponent 49
Artificial intelligence, technology 325
Artificial neural networks (ANN), see Neural networks
ASCOS 5860, 62, 65
Atmospheric conditions 484
Atmospheric releases, see Airborne releases
Atmospheric stability 484
Audit Commission 344
Autocatalytical reaction 48
Backtrack usage 456

Backtrack values 45
Bhopal incident 4658, 482
Bickerdike Allen report 349
Biotechnology 487
Blackboard problem-solving architecture 3324
Bouches-du-Rhne 218
Branching chain flames 48
Broadgate Phase 8 fire 247
Building design
and fire research 275
and fire safety 50329
Building Regulations 348, 349
fire exits 4389
Index 602
Burning velocity, calculation of 323
CAD-based graphical user interface 10530

Carbon dioxide (CO2) 71
Carbonized organic solid fuels, combustion of 279
Catastrophe ranks 978
Catastrophe theory 90
Catastrophic accidents, prediction of 96
Certification of competence 493
CFAST program 62, 65, 1078, 110, 115, 125
CFAST 2.0 program 58, 59, 60
Chartered Engineer 494
CHEMET 488
Chemical extinguishers 723
Chemical fires 256
Chemical hazards 256, 4656, 5559
Chemical reactions 28, 47, 48, 49
Chemical wave instabilities 50
Chernobyl accident as information disaster 4278
Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers
Association 352
CIMAH sites 458, 460, 461, 571, 573, 574
Cloud emissions 482
Codes of Practice 493
Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) 9
Combustion
of carbonized organic solid fuels 279
detectors 70
experiments, DIN 53 436 2602
modelling with complex kinetics 4754
of multi-phase mixtures 13
process 405
Combustion and explosion science (CES) 717
basic tendencies 913
Command at fires, see Operational command skills
Communication with the public, see Public information
Communications security 69
Compartment fire temperature history 18
Competence
certification of 493
components of 374
professional model 385
standards of 342
Competence based qualifications 343
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) 9, 348, 359
Computational modelling 912
Computer networks centres, fire protection in 6873
Computer security 69
Computer simulation 57
Construction industry
engineering safety in 403
Index 603
fire and explosive safety 4046

Construction products, fire reaction 2723
CONTAM 5860, 62, 65
Contingency planning 462
Cooking as cause of fire 78
Cost
fire 341, 504
fire safety 279
open learning 393
vs benefit analysis 108
Countermeasures 689
Crisis management 1467
Critical conditions 225
Critical temperature 234
Crowd evacuation, see Evacuation
Crowd movement, modelling 1635
Dangerous substances data base 191

LINCE 187
Darcys law 28
Data sources 5756
Decision-making process 219, 472, 473, 480, 483
Decision support systems 30115
training 311
Deflagration-detonation transition 13
Degree courses 342, 352, 354, 359, 360, 36572, 493
see also Educational developments
Department of Environment 349
Deterministic model 848
Developing countries, industrial hazards 46470
Dichlobenil
chemical structure 257
combustion gas yields 261
pyrolysis products 259
Diffusion coefficients 48
Dimethoate
combustion gas yields 260
Disabled people
building occupancy profiles 15960
dexterity/strength capability 1578
emergency egress 15461
experimental programme 1558
hearing capability 158
physical capabilities 155
prevalence 155
sight capability 158
statistical analysis sis 15 89
Disaster management syndrome 145
Disaster planning 69
Index 604
information systems in 145

issues of concern 1457
training 1456
see also Emergency planning
Disasters
conceptualization 144
frequency 144
Discrete-continual method 979
Dispersion and meteorology 484
Distance learning 3907
implementing 3934
Domestic first aid firefighting 7482
attitudes 78
background 75
consequences of fire 79
experienced fire survey 77
fire scenarios 80
general public survey 757
initial actions 78
publicity and education aspects 80
reporting of fires 79
summary of conclusions 812
techniques and equipment 78
training 77
Doors, see Fire doors
Dry powder extinguishers 81
Educational developments 3414, 34755

and research 492
available academic progression 354
Bickerdike Allen report 349
course content 3512
course structure 352
course sustainability 3523
courses offered 109, 351
fire safety 35664
franchising contracts 367
full-time fire degrees 367
future directions 3545, 368
Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (MSUCE) 40312
non-degree courses 3667
standards 3501
undergraduate course programmes 359
see also Degree courses;
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs);
Postgraduate education
EGOLF
members and activities 500
objectives 500
Egress comparison using complexity measures 435
Index 605
Egress complexity, calculation of 3946

Electrical appliances 78, 79
Electronic mailing 418
Emergency egress, disabled people 15461
Emergency exercises, analysis of 47580
Emergency incidents, analysis of 47580
Emergency management, LINCE program 18592
Emergency planning 1437, 55960
aims of 16971
analytical tical approaches 47181
assessment of 473
background to 472
barrier approach to assessment 474
complexity management 1745
concept of 169
co-operation 171
devolved delegation 171
EXPO92 14853
general principles of 171
information sy stems 30115
integrated management 1485 3, 16875
key elements 473
media management in 146, 4212
objectives 171
outline structure 1734
phases of 1713
primary purpose 143
process and method 1713
processes involved 1434
public information in 4201, 42633
public perception of 574
role of information 4201
systems approach 172, 174
validation 174
see also Disaster planning
Emergency response
assessment of 47181
flow-chart modelling 47780
training 475
Emergency scenarios, preparation of 1912
Employment Department 342
Energy conservation 20
Engineering Council 493, 494
Enthalpy conservation 27
Enthalpy flow 21
Environment controls 68
Environment protection 205
ERASMUS programmes 360
Escape times 442
Europe, effect of European legislation 2867
European Commission 281, 344
Directives 358, 362, 503
Index 606
European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) 344

background 2689
CEN/TC127 271
fire performance of roofs exposed to external fire 272
fire-related activities 2702
fire resistance tests 271
organization 269
production of standards 270
reaction to fire tests 272
technical committees 270
European Community 282, 355
European Council Directives 343
European fire safety regulation 2819
European Group of Official Laboratories for Fire Testing (EGOLF) 499531
European standards
bodies concerned with 268
for fire safety 26774
European Union 281
Evacuation 5247
overview of current situation 5256
research programme proposals 527
standards 162
strategic direction 5266
Evacuation, assessment and simulation 16276
Evacuation decision in airborne releases 487
Evacuation modelling 106, 163
application to research 1978
basic principle 194
building design factors 197
categories of 194
characteristic times 1978
characteristics of occupants 197
computer code 1623
environmental factors 197
EPI concept 1969
equation for 194
limitations 1956
managerial aspects 197
mathematical 194
mixed-ability populations 193201
objectives 1945
psychological 194
Evacuation performance index (EPI) 1959
application to research 1978
in research 1989
prospects for further work 200
Event trees in OA 299300
Expert systems
fire investigation 3267
technology 3256
Explosions
hazards 405
Index 607
protection against 405

risk assessment 357
spontaneous accidental 13
see also Combustion and explosion science (CES)
EXPO92
background to site 149
emergency planning 14853
fire-fighting water supply 1523
road layout 1501
Extinguishing systems 69, 713, 348, 51920
dry powder 81
foam 72
portable 72
principles and methods of 405
see also Water
FEANI 493
Field-based decision support 575
Field modelling 14
Final risk estimation for forest fires 2234
Finite difference (FD) solver 331, 333, 337
Fire action, analysis of 4356
Fire alarms
analysis of action 4367
shopping malls 43940
Fire behaviour 58
Fire blankets 81
Fire brigades
fire investigations 3245
legislation affecting 349
needs of 5301
operational tree 3523
qualifications on recruitment 3534
rank structure 353
resource availability 178
Fire brigades,
see also Fire cover
Fire causes 778
Fire configuration plots in forest fires 224
Fire costs, see Cost
Fire cover
appliance availability 183
average attendance times 1813
computer model 17684
failure index 184
Index 608
modelling incidents 1801

national standards 178
overall performance measure 184
planning 1778
road network consideration 179
workloads 1803
Fire detection 701, 110, 51920
Fire development 57, 509
in a compartment 1819
Fire doors
internal characteristics 319
standards 319
testing 318
Fire dynamics 106
Fire engineer, use of term 4934
Fire engineering
qualifications 4934
research 717
study and development of 341
Fire Engineering Code 493
Fire exits
building regulations 4389
legislation 4389
positioning 456
Fire extinguishers, see Extinguishing systems
Fire hazards 405
Fire incidence statistics 357
Fire incidents, lessons learned from 41617
Fire investigation 324, 5289
expert systems 3267
problems with 326
uncertainty in 328
Fire legislation, see Legislation
Fire losses 341
Fire modelling 14
software 3318
Fire potential function 88
Fire Precautions Act 1971 349
Fire Precautions (Places of Work) Regulations 343
Fire Prevention Act 1986 469
Fire prevention systems 6970
Fire propagation 509
Index 609
probabilistic model
defining formula 139
principal features of 1325
probabilities of system collapse 1367
results of analysis 1357
probability of 97, 1319
process of 132, 133
speed calculation 21922
step techniques 133
Fire protection 357, 405, 40910
circuit model 99103
in computer networks centres 6873
developments in 348
India 469
optimal resource distribution model 1003
Fire reaction
construction products 2723
proposed European classification system 273
test methods 273
upholstered furniture 274
Fire research
and building design 27580
and consultancy 35960
transnational 362
Fire Research and Development Group 177
Fire resistance 348
ensured/not ensured 133
improvement of 96104
overview w of current situation 521
structural 5214
test standardization 271
Fire resistant barriers 69
Fire resistant materials 69
Fire risk, see Risk
Fire Risk Evaluation and Cost Assessment Model (FIRECAM) 444
Fire safety
building design concepts 2789
building design formulae 278
in buildings 50329
human aspects of 503
cost aspects 279
design 356
educational developments 35664
equipment 76
European regulation 2819
European standards 26774
impact of building structure changes 108
Index 610
innovative solutions 278

legislation 343
maintenance 278, 279
new developments 205
regulations 343
research programme 504
standards 4079
trends in requirements 268
Fire safety engineer, use of term 4934
Fire safety engineering 348
research 109
Fire Safety Officer (FSO) 349
Fire scenarios
domestic 80
modelling 332
Fire Service
functions of 324
role in accidents or natural disasters 4689
in Russia 406
Fire Service College 177
Fire Service Inspectorate 341
Fire Service Officers 398
Fire Services Act 1947 349, 455, 459
Fire spread 14
Fire tests 801
reaction to 272
FIRECAM model 444
Flame behaviour 348
Flame propagation 12, 47, 48
spherical 33
Flame properties 48
Flame structure, cellular 12
Flame velocity 12
Flammability limits 12
Flammable substances 110
Flash pyrolysis technique 257
Flash pyrolysis/GC/MS experiments 258
Flashover 1826
definition 19
in a compartment 1819
theoretical treatment 19
Foam and water (F&W) deluge system, offshore oil platforms 20917
Foam extinguishants 72
Fokker-Planck equation 89, 90
Forest fires 221
computer applications 22632
final risk estimation for 2234
fire configuration plots in 224
fire-fighting equipment in service 2256
Martigues-Ponteau 2324
numerical risk estimation for 223
Index 611
risk prediction in 218

wind influence in 2223
Gain function 22
Gas dispersion modelling 3025, 572
GASTAR gas dispersion model 3035
General National Vocational Qualifications (gNVQs) 355
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) 487
Geographical information systems (GIS) 30115, 5717
analysis 30710
data acquisition 304
data requirements 303
decision support role 31011
and dense gas dispersion models 302
dispersion modelling 3045
environmental data 306, 3078
hardware 302
post-event analyses ses 310
post-event decision support 311
pre-event analyses 308
pre-event decision support 310
prototype sy stem database 314
real-time analyses 309
real-time decision support 31011
software 303
sy stem architecture 315
system design and functionality 30310
system requirements 302
visualization 305
Global complexity 40, 43, 44
Global fire emergence, probability of 134
Halon compounds 712

Hazard classification 4589
Hazard identification 45861
and risk assessment 460
Hazard management sy stems 41525
Hazard perception 5534
Hazardous chemicals, see Chemical hazards
Hazardous gas releases 30115
Hazardous materials 191
see also Toxic effluents;
Toxic materials
Hazardous waste facility, New South Wales, Australia 42830
HAZMAT incidents 191
HAZMAT officer 458
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 4568
Health and Safety Executive 492
Improvement Notices 4568, 459
Health and safety provision 282
Heat balance 20
Index 612
Heat detectors 70
Heat losses from smoke layer 20
Heat release rate (HRR) curves 119
Heat transfer equation 27
Higher National Certificate (HNC) 350, 354, 366
Human aspects of fire safety in buildings 503
Human behaviour
in fire emergencies 348
in shopping malls 43441
Hydrodynamics 15
ICCARUS project 398402

India, fire protection 469
Industrial hazards, developing countries 46470
Industry, problems originated within 13
Inergen 71
Information management at major hazard incidents 41525
Information systems
in disaster planning 145
emergency planning 30115
see also Geographical information systems (GIS)
Infrared computed tomography (ICT) 9
Institute of Energy (IoE) 351, 367
Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) 341, 350, 351, 355, 367
Isle of Wight Emergency Planning Team 426
ISO Standards 344, 493
Ito-Stratonovich stochastic differential equation 89
Knowledge sources 3323

Knowledge-based systems (KBS) 3315
Laminar flame fronts in closed spherical vessel 308

Langevin equation 89
Large open fires 1415
Large scale combustion 13
Large scale detonation 13
Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) 9
Laser Spark emission technique (LASS) 9
Laser spectroscopy 9
Learning systems 3289
Legislation 2819
background 3489
fire brigades 349
fire exits 4389
fire safety 343
purpose of 2845
LINCE
cartography 192
dangerous substances data base 187, 191
emergency management program 18592
emergency mode 1889
Index 613
estimation of consequences of incidents 191

function of 186
Haz-Mat incidents 191
information supplied by 1867
material resources 190
operating modes 188
prerecording emergency scenarios 1912
reference consulting and updating mode 188
resources data bank 187
types of emergencies managed 190
utilization 192
Linearly independent reactions 51
Liquefied hydrocarbons 14
Logic trees in OA 299
Loss function 22
Lyme Bay canoe disaster 456
Machine learning mechanisms 3289

Maintenance
fire safety 278, 279
risk assessment 461
Major hazard incidents
information management at 41525
off-site effects arising from 418
response planning 53577
tactical response at 41819
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 458
Markstein number (Ma) 34
Martigues-Ponteau fire incident 2324
Materials behaviour, research 348
Media management
in emergency planning 146
in emergency situations 4212
Memory retention 574
Meteorology and dispersion 484
Monitoring, off site 41920
fire-explosive safety of buildings and constructions 40611
Multi-phase mixtures, combustion of 13
Narora incident 466

corporation response 467
governmental response 4667
National Core Curriculum 3412, 350, 355, 366, 367
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) 355, 37389
CISCs work to date 3736
comments/reflections on 380
current position in fire industry 379
development stages 375
fundamental elements 373
future directions 3778
Index 614
implications for education and training community 377

new demands 377
potential benefits 378
Neural networks 320, 328, 3317
New South Wales, Australia, hazardous waste facility 42830
Nodal information 39
Nuclear safety 4667
Numerical risk estimation for forest fires 223
Occupant response (OR) 4429

definition 443
and fire engineering codes 4434
further development and application of methodology 4489
pre-movement time 444
research 444
Occupational standards 389
Office and support services 461
Offshore oil platforms, foam and water (F&W) deluge system 20917
Off-site monitoring 41920
Open learning
accepted definition 390
background 390
continuum 391
costs 393
course team considerations 3934
learner support requirements 3956
learning factors 395
openness variations 391
organizational issues 392
planning 392
policy strategy 392
recommendations 3967
resource factors 396
teaching materials 3945
Operability analysis (OA)
construction of logic trees 299
development of 2939
event trees 299300
fire risk evaluation 293300
flow chart 297
incidental sequences diagram 298
procedure 2949
risk assessment 293300
Operational command skills 3989
existing methods 399
experience gained at actual incidents 399
future directions 401
large scale exercises 399
new methods 399400
simulator background 400
teaching method 4001
Index 615
Particulate releases 487

Performance oriented design 108
Perturbation distribution 99
Perturbation propagation 99
Pesticides
toxic combustion products 25663
Physical security 69
Postgraduate education 35664
background to requirements 358
course rationale 3578
current developments 3678
European network 361
international activity 3601
taught courses 360
UK provision 3589
Premises
classification of 4601
selection criteria for inspection 45960
Pre-movement efficiency weighting (Weff) 4458
Probability of refusal of total system 103
Professional competence model 385
Public information in emergency planning 4201, 42633
Public perception
and emergency planning 574
and memory retention 53577
and response planning 53577
and risk assessment 46470
survey coding form 56770
PYROLA-85 foil pulse pyrolyser 257
Pyrolysis/GC/MS experiments 257
Quality management 205

Quantitative risk assessment 205
Quasi-steady regime of low-intensity fire 25
Questionnaires
analysis 54961
design 5401, 5656
outline 539
survey 53577
Radiation feedback coefficient 20

Radioactive materials 482
Reaction-diffusion systems 4950
Reducibility conditions 502
Release processes and sources 483
Research
and education 492
relationships 491
see also Fire research
Index 616
Response planning 5745

and public perception 53577
Risk
actual 430
as social construct 4301
Risk assessment 105, 109, 343, 344, 461, 5048
elements of 462
and hazard identification 460
historical background 4545
legal background 4558
maintenance activities 461
models 462
operability analysis (OA) 293300
operational 4612, 4901
perception of 45363
and public perceptions 46470
quantitative 205
strategies 357, 5067
techniques 4923
training in 462
Risk environments in Fire Service 4613
Risk management, toxicological 483
Risk mapping 561, 573
Risk perception 76, 430
Risk prediction in forest fires 218
Risk reduction 492
ALARP 454, 458
Road network
in fire cover planning 179
modelling 17980
Roofs, fire performance 272
Russia, Fire Service in 406
Sampling strategy 5412

Scheduler 332
Self-generated turbulence 308
Semenovs diagram 22
Shopping malls
analysis of method of exit 4378
fire alarms 43940
human behaviour in 43441
improvement options 441
means of escape 4389
survey analysis 435
Single European Act 283
Smoke alarms 76
Smoke behaviour 348
Smoke detectors 69, 701
Smoke generation 51518
Index 617

Smoke layer, heat losses from 20
Smoke movement
analysis in buildings 5767
in enclosures 14
Smoke propagation 589
Smoke transport 106
Smoking policies 69
Smothering with damp cloth 81
Soar machine learning mechanism 329
South Bank University 342, 352
Spanning tree complexity values 41
Specialist communication consultants 4267
Spontaneous accidental explosions 13
Sprinkler systems 71, 348
Standards
of competence 342
fire safety 4079
Steady-state models 5767
Steel columns
analysis sis of test results 2512
axial deflection vs temperature 254
description of test apparatus 24850
effect of axial restraint on fire performance 247
instrumentation 250
lateral deflection vs temperature 254
restraint force vs temperature 253
test procedure 251
Steel framed buildings 348
Stefan-Boltzman constant 20
Stochastic analysis 8990
Stochastic simulation 110, 111
Stoichiometric coefficients 49, 50
Swallowtail catastrophe function 88
Tactical response at major hazard incidents 41819

Technological advances 348, 350, 418
Thermal diffusivity coefficient 49
Thiram
combustion gas y ields 2612
Threats 68
Timber
artificial intelligence 320
effects of fire on 31718
non-destructive evaluation 31819
scientific analysis sis in fire 31622
Index 618
ultrasonic scanning 31920

Timescales of fires 78
Toxic clouds 482
Toxic combustion products, pesticide fires 25663
Toxic effluents 51518
Toxic materials
dose and dosage 4856
injury to people by 4856
Toxicological risk management 483
Training, see Educational developments
Transient models 5767
Travelling wave solutions 48
TRISTAR system 10530
applications 1089
background 1057
basic scheme 112
current status 111
diagram of 107
example application 10911
frequency histogram comparing number of building occupants 123
frequency histogram of non evacuated occupants 124
general information on 1078
main menu 126
multiple input generator 130
planned developments 111
printout of screen 114
single run viewer 12830
statistical post-processor 130
structure of 113, 12630
tables of randomized input and evacuation success 1202
test building representation 118
VBD Editor 125, 1268
Turbulent flame fronts in closed spherical vessel 308
Ufa-catastrophe 14
Ultrasonic scanning, timber 31920
Union Carbide, see Bhopal incident
United Kingdom, effect of European legislation 2856
University Advanced Certificate 366
University of Central Lancashire 341, 342, 350, 351, 355, 35961
Upholstered furniture, fire reaction 274
User interface (UI) 333
Varian Saturn IIGC/MS equipment 257

Voluntary agencies, role of 468
Vulnerability 68
Walls of large thermal inertia 235

Index 619
Walls of low thermal inertia 25

Warning system alternatives 444
Water bomber aircraft 218
Water extinguishers 71, 801
Water sprinkler systems 72
Water supply, EXPO92 1523
Weather forecasts 21819
Wind influence in forest fires 2223
Windows
behaviour in fire 23646
experimental research programme 2378
glass cracking due to thermal insult 237
thermal fracture of glazing in enclosure fire 2418
thermal fracture of solar control glazing 23940
Worst-case planning 462
Zeldovich number (Z) 50

Zone modelling 14, 1922
Zones of consequence 573

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Fire Engineering and Emergency

London Glasgow Weinheim New York Tokyo

ISBN 0-203-97371-2 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0 419 20180 7 (Print Edition)

Report of the Plenary Session 513

Appendix The role of public perception in the response 551

Edith Cresson European Commissioner for Science, Research and Development

Roland Borghi Professor, LFMN-CORIA/Institut of Mechanics, Insa, Rouen (France)

Angell, E.L. Chartered Architect, Preston (England)

The Symposium took, as its themes for this inaugural meeting:

The intended continuation of this initiative in the form of a series of biennial

A message forwarded by letter from the Cabinet of the Commissioner:

Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning. Edited by R.Barham.

Fig. 1. Mutual links

methodologies and approaches to be incorporated in research in fire and explosion

2 Basic tendencies of modern CES

2.1 New investigative techniques and methods. Laser spectroscopy

2.2 New investigative techniques and methods. Computational

Fig. 2. Cellular structure of flame,

Fig. 3. Flammability limits in a

2.3 Transition to the spatial description of combustion processes

2.4 Dynamics and combustion of multi-phase mixtures

2.5 Deflagration-detonation transition, large scale detonation

3 Modern problems of FE originated within industry

3.1 Fire spread and smoke movement in enclosures

3.2. Large open fires

1. Twenty-fifth Symposium (International) on Combustion. (1994) The Combustion Institute,

1 Fire development and flashover in a compartment

Typical fire development in an enclosure is characterised by a temperature history such

Fig. 1. Stages in a compartment fire

2 The zone model

and determining the wall temperature Tw as in [5]

An intersection of the curves of gain function G and loss function L represents

Fig. 2. Semenovs diagram, critical

3.1 Walls of large thermal inertia

which gives the critical conditions:

Hence the critical temperature is

where is the total

Fig. 3. Critical temperature as a

Fig 4 Regions of quasi-steady (low

3.2 Walls of low thermal inertia

are the flows of substances and heat.

where Kj are the equilibrium constants of substances formation from elements.

1. Laurendau N.M., Progress in Energy and Combustion Sciences 4:221270 (1978)

Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning. Edited by R.Barham.

CH4/H2, C2H2/N2), the laminar burning velocity of a theoretical one-dimensional planar

Fig. 1: Experimental set-up

Calculation of burning velocity

Results and Discussion

Fig. 2: Reduced laminar burning

flame front (Sivashinsky, 1977). Under those conditions of diffusional-thermal

Fig. 3: Reduced turbulent burning

Fig. 4: Reduced turbulent burning

Based on the evaluation of laminar burning velocity SL as well as on fan-generated

- Self-generated turbulence causes a progressive increase of ST/SL,p~(r/R)2 during an

Suppose that a naive occupant is positioned at a random location within a building. It is a

Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning. Edited by R.Barham.

2 Calculating Complexity Measures

It is possible to calculate an egress complexity measure k Ii referred to as the exit