The pace of change in technology is making it harder for fire safety professionals to keep up with emerging fire hazards in the home.
So says Kathleen H. Almand, executive director of the Fire Protection Research Foundation. Writing in the NFPA Journal for April 2013, she expresses her concerns about fire safety professionals’ response to the increased challenges posed by new technologies.
Referring to a recent event sponsored by the United States Fire Administration on the changing nature of home fires, where researchers from various organisations met at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute to explore and consider their response to the effect of new building construction methods, contents, and materials on the development of fires in the home, she said that the increased challenges faced by the fire services include shorter times to flashover and the wind-driven fire effects resulting from modern building contents and configurations.
Sustainable hazard
According to Almand, changes in materials used for siding and roofing driven by sustainable construction goals are also creating new hazards in dealing with exterior building fires. Somewhat alarmingly, she also says that modern personal protective clothing and equipment is not fully in step with firefighters’ changing environments and tactics.
Fire risk action plan for modern homes
Central to the discussion at the event was the question of how researchers can act as a community to address the risks presented by modern homes. The representative organizations came up with an action plan that includes:
She added that progress is being made in the development of test methods and techniques to address the issue of the flammability of modern upholstered furniture:
My impression from the discussion at the workshop is that there is a sense of optimism that solutions can be found for this problem, but that focus and resources need to be applied to get us to the finish line…
Much of the Foundation’s research program already focuses on how new technology affects fire hazards and needed changes to NFPA codes and standards in areas such as firefighting tactics and sprinkler and smoke alarm technology. Perhaps this initiative will accelerate the implementation of that work into the home fire safety arena. It seems the pace of change demands it.
Download the Fire Safety in 2023 eBook, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry. Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
Yes indeed, just as home security has made advances with technology so should fire services.