Overview Publication: STP 1233 Fire and Flammability of Furnishings and Contents of Buildings.
Overview Publication: STP 1233 Fire and Flammability of
Furnishings and Contents of Buildings.
(192 K)
Fowell, A. J.
; 3 p. 1994.
Keywords:
flammability; interior furnishings; wall linings;
building fires; furniture; linings; occupants
Abstract:
The severity and impact of building fires is dictated by
the flammability of the furnishings and contents, the
performance of fire protection systems, and the actions
of occupants and firefighters. Furnishings are the
items first ignited in a large fraction of building
fires including those fires responsible for many of the
fire deaths in the United States. A primary tool used
to limit fire growth in buildings is regulation of wall
and ceiling materials, based on standard tests of the
flammability and fire resistance. The development,
revision, and approval of fire tests standards has been
a role of ASTM Committee E5 on Fire Standards. Recent
advances in fire science and engineering have led to the
development of computer models to predict the
development of fire in buildings and new measurement
methods to provide input data for those models. These
analytical tools have highlighted the importance of
ignitability, heat release, and flame spread rate of
furnishings and contents on the growth of fire. Other
scientific advances, particularly in the United States
and in Europe on material flammability, are resulting in
products such as upholstered furniture, mattresses,
curtains, drapes, wall, and floor covering materials
which will reduce the incidence, severity, and impact of
building fires.
