Thermal Environments of Structural Fire Fighting.
Thermal Environments of Structural Fire Fighting.
(1155 K)
Lawson, J. R.
NIST SP 911; February 1997.
Firefighter Thermal Exposure Workshop: Protective
Clothing, Tactics, and Fire Service PPE Training
Procedures. Proceedings. National Institute of
Standards and Technology. June 25-26, 1996,
Gaithersburg, MD, Lawson, J. R.; Jason, N. H.,
Editor(s)(s), 21-23 pp, 1997.
Order number: PB97-153712
Keywords:
fire fighters; protective clothing; burns (injuries);
fire departments; heat release rate; temperature
effects; training; conferences
Abstract:
A great deal of research has been done to evaluate
structural fires as they relate to building design,
materials and contents. Only small elements of these
data have been used to evaluate the thermal environment
around firefighters during normal attack situations.
Results from studies clearly demonstrate the severity of
thermal environments at fire attack staging areas. The
flow of hot gases from a doorway or through a window may
be well above 500 deg C (932 deg F) and may extend tens
of meters down a corridor or across an adjoining room
ceiling. Thermal radiation from a room's open doorway
or window may reach levels which will cause burn
injuries to exposed skin and cause charring or ignition
of protective clothing fabrics which result in burn
injuries to protected skin. Surface temperatures of
solids within this staging zone may easily exceed 200
deg C (392 deg F), and touching these surfaces without
adequate protection could result in a sudden burn
injury.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899